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Getting an education as an adult can be challenging and costly. But for the last 25 years in Washtenaw County, the organization “Adult Transitions” has been helping adults get their GED, take English as a Second Language classes, and much more. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale talk about this path to education with Bonnie Truhn, the program director of Adult Transitions.

That’s the impact of Washtenaw County’s nonprofit arts + cultural organizations, according to the recently released national study from Americans for the Arts. Sarah Miller, president of Destination Ann Arbor, meets up with Deb Polich, host of WEMU’s "creative:impact". They discuss the findings and the ripple effect on our local economy, jobs, merchants, taxes and quality of life.

The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative fights for funding every budget cycle. A potential government shutdown this year could have adverse impacts on the health of the world's largest fresh water supply. WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak discuss progress and challenges with Laura Rubin. She is the director of the Healing Our Waters-Great Lakes Coalition.

March is Women’s History Month, and each week on "Washtenaw United," we’ll bring you a different story highlighting the amazing accomplishments and progress being led by women and organizations in our community. This week, WEMU's David Fair talks with Alfreda Rooks. She is director of community health at Michigan Medicine and is being honored as the United Way for Southeastern Michigan's Washtenaw County Woman of the Year.

Book publishing and printing has long held a place among businesses in Washtenaw County. Dzanc Books, an independent nonprofit publishing house in Ann Arbor, continues that tradition. We learn about Dzanc Books when publisher and editor-in-chief Michelle Dotter joined Deb Polich on this edition of WEMU’s "creative:impact."

Scientists are both astounded and alarmed. 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded, and it’s not even close. Human-spawned greenhouse gas emissions coupled with a strong El Nino spiked global temperatures. What are the implications and repercussions? And what will 2024 bring? WEMU's David Fair talked it over with the dean of the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, Dr. Jonathan Overpeck.

Milan resident Dave Snyder seems to have found that magic moment when buildings that just seemed old and uninteresting become nostalgic and worthy of restoration and preservation. One by one, he is working to bring buildings along Milan’s main street back to life. Dave tells us how he’s getting it done when he joins Deb Polich on this edition of "creative:impact".

Understanding individually how we process the world around us is the best way to get to the underlying factors contributing to inequity in our lives. On Friday, May 17th, the United Way for Southeastern Michigan will launch the 21-Day Equity Challenge, and it's open to everyone in the community. WEMU's David Fair spoke with the UWSEM's senior director for diversity, equity and inclusion, Andre Ebron, about the program and its impacts.

It appears the state of Michigan plans to add more nuclear power to its energy portfolio. It is certainly cleaner energy than fossil fuels, but the threat to the environment and public health is much greater, should something go wrong. WEMU's David Fair was joined by the president and CEO of the Michigan Environmental Council, Conan Smith, to look at the future of nuclear energy in Michigan.

The picture of our present-day energy use comes from a sort of all-of-the-above menu. We use oil, gas, natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar. Research is underway to determine if the use of hydrogen can be used to significant scale as part of the energy diet. Ann Arbor has become central to the research and discussion on that matter. On this week's "Issues of the Environment," WEMU's David Fair was joined by the Associate Dean for Research at the University of Michigan College of Engineering, Todd Allen. They explored the environmental promise, uncertainties and controversies surrounding hydrogen energy.