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The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority's "Explore Ypsi" Initiative finished its third year this holiday season. It is a program in partnership with EMU intended to help new students and faculty get off campus to explore Ypsilanti and get connected with local business owners. For this week’s “On the Ground Ypsi,” Concentrate Media’s Rylee Barnsdale is joined by Ypsilanti DDA executive director Elize Jekabson to explain how the program works, how it has evolved in its third year and what the future may hold.

Ypsilanti-based Growing Hope imagines a future where everyone has the power to shape their own food system, and no one has to go hungry. Call it “food sovereignty.” In a year when food insecurity is increasing, the Growing Hope family continues to work to empower people and communities. WEMU's David Fair talked with executive director Julius Buzzard about this year and what comes in the New Year to create pathways from soil and dirt to health and wealth.

A new program being piloted in a handful of Connecticut classrooms, called Feel Your Best Self, is using the joy of puppetry to teach children how to manage their feelings and empathize with others.

Dr. Nick Maynard tells NPR he's treating children shot at food distribution sites and witnessing what he believes is the systematic destruction of Gaza's civilian infrastructure.

A decline in pollinators is adversely impacting the environment and could become a greater public health issue. The good news is, efforts are underway all over the country to address the matter, including at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sheila Schueller from the U-M's School for Environment and Sustainability joined us to share how the university was designated a "bee-friendly" campus and what comes next in expanding pollinator conservation.

A good hearty laugh, one that brings tears to your eyes, feels so good but doesn’t happen often enough for most of us.Mike Farah, though, probably has hilarious encounters every day. Having grown up in Ann Arbor, Mike leads “Funny or Die,” the comedy production company behind such hits as "Between Two Ferns," "Brockmire," and "Flipped." Mike stops in for a chat and a laugh with Deb Polich of Creative Washtenaw and host of "creative:impact."

Teachers William and Verna Hayes turned their vocation into their passion. Identifying a void in Ypsilanti, a school district absent of an orchestra program, Bill and Verna stepped up to start the Ypsilanti Youth Orchestra and began changing lives. They will be honored with an Outstanding Service Medal on February 27 at THE pARTy!, Creative Washtenaw’s signature benefit event. Bill and Verna join "creative:impact" host Deb Polich.

Some areas of Washtenaw County received nearly five inches of rain in a short, three-hour period on Wednesday, August 23rd. The aftermath is still being assessed and addressed. In some areas, it could take months. Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner Evan Pratt joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss storm response and what was learned.

There are ongoing efforts to increase workforce diversity. In order to be successful, there also has to be more diversity in corporate and business leadership. That’s one of the objectives of the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber’s A2Y Leadership Program. That program is now 41 years old. Is it making a difference? WEMU's David Fair answers that question with the chamber’s Vice President of Foundation and Leadership, Barbara Davenport, and Meg Scaling, a local business owner who recently graduated from the program.

Underground and not listed on concert calendars, Johnny’s Speakeasy has hosted bands in a little venue down the road since the late 1990’s. That is, until last year, when a fire destroyed both the venue and Johnny Williams’ home. Hear how and why local musicians have launched a campaign to "Save Johnny’s Speakeasy" when Johnny joins host Deb Polich on this edition of 89.1 WEMU’s "creative:impact."