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The Rutherford Pool in Ypsilanti is truly a community pool. It has become more accessible and has now partnered with Washtenaw County to help teach people of all ages to swim. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale learned all about it in this conversation with Rutherford Pool program director, Cathy Thorburn.

Eastern Michigan University is helping some incarcerated people earn a degree while behind bars. It's an effort to reduce recidivism and help participants become productive members of society once released. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale talk about EMU's College in Prison program with its director, Meghan Lechner.

As of Sunday, October 1st, the United Way of Washtenaw County is no more. A previously announced merger rolls the community services support agency's efforts into the United Way for Southeastern Michigan, which is based out of Detroit. However, the United Way will keep an office in Ann Arbor, and the expectation is that staff and funding in Washtenaw County will be expanded. WEMU's David Fair discussed the merger and its anticipated impacts on the community with senior director of collective impact, Bridget Herrmann.

The Ypsilanti District Library and Eastern Michigan University are working to make menstruation products more accessible. In fact, the tampons and pads are available free of charge. As you’ll learn on WEMU’s 'On the Ground Ypsi,' the hope is to reduce the financial burden of these essential items while also getting rid of the stigma of menstruation. WEMU’s Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media’s Sarah Rigg get all the details in a conversation with Jesse John from EMU’s ‘Changing the Cycle’ program.

The United Auto Workers strike against the Detroit Three ended with the union claiming significant gains over past contracts. Among those that supported the union through the strike was the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center. In addition to gains for workers, it says the contracts are important for our future environmental health. WEMU's David Fair took a look ahead and practical impacts of the deals with the Ecology Center’s Climate and Energy Program Director, Charles Griffith.

Merrill Guerra is a serial entrepreneur. With a background in music, an MBA and real estate broker’s license, she has led and launched a number of ventures. Her latest, Dragonfly and Birch, features Michigan artists & craftspeople in Manchester’s historic Black Sheep Tavern. Meet Merrill and find out what she’s up to when she joins Deb Polich on this edition of WEMU’s "creative:impact."

Capturing 200 years of history is a daunting task, but the Ann Arbor District Library’s archive manager, Andrew MacLaren, is up to the challenge. He is leading the Ann Arbor 200 project—200 digital releases throughout the bicentennial year that explore Ann Arbor's history from a 2024 point of view. Listen in to hear all about it when Andrew joins Deb Polich on this edition of WEMU’s "creative:impact."

A lot of kids get excited at the prospect of spending a part of the summer at sleepaway camp. The sheer number of activities and the opportunities to make new friends and have a life experience outside the home has a number of benefits. Unfortunately, there are a lot of families that can’t afford to provide that experience. That’s where Washtenaw Camp Placement comes in. Its mission is to help youngsters with less access find their way to the camp experience. WEMU's David Fair talks with executive director Matt Tarver-Wahlquist about how to get connected and the kinds of differences it is making.

The idea of solar farms is somewhat controversial as people argue over state control, local community determination and individual property rights. Those arguments are playing out right here in Washtenaw County. WEMU's David Fair talked through the issues with Madeleine Krol from the Graham Sustainability Institute's Center for Empowering Communities at the University of Michigan.

Ann Arbor will serve as host to the National PFAS conference, which runs June 10th-12th at the Michigan League. Scientists, political leaders and environmental advocates will gather to discuss the best ways forward in dealing with toxic forever chemicals. Among them will be Robert Kerr, who is co-chair of the 2024 National PFAS Conference and Community Leader with the Great Lakes PFAS Action Network. He, along with WEMU's David Fair, previews the conference and why it's so important to Washtenaw County and the state of Michigan.