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The Ypsilanti Community Utilities Authority (YCUA) is looking for heavy metal. This past summer, the YCUA recieved funding as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Get the Lead Out" initiative. It's designed to remove lead water pipes that can impact drinking water. Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale provides more details on the work being done in Ypsilanti area in a conversation with YCUA executive director Luke Blackburn on this week's "On the Ground Ypsi."

Although spring is not quite here just yet, there is always new growth sprouting up around Ypsilanti, including in the small business community. Ypsilanti will soon have three more business options for you to quench your thirst. Skott Schoonover is the owner at the incoming Water Tower Distilling Company. He joined Rylee Barnsdale to talk about what folks can look forward to on this week's "On the Ground Ypsi."

New federal policy and direction has changed over the last six months, and you can see the impacts starting to manifest. It’s impacting many service-oriented non-profits and the people they serve. You can count Community Action Network in Washtenaw County among them. WEMU's David Fair spoke to executive director Derrick Miller about the response to funding and DEI program cuts in our community.

The holiday season is rapidly approaching. While most are planning their celebrations and family gatherings, there are all too many who struggle with grief through this time of year. There are strategies that can help all year long, and that’s the focus on the Ann Arbor-based non-profit, GrieveWell. WEMU's David Fair caught up with GrieveWell’s Outreach and Marketing Manager, Alice Liao, and they discussed the healthy management of grief and the journey to a place of peace.

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy and the upcoming Black History Month, the Riverside Arts Center is presenting its fourth annual Black Artist Exhibit. This year's theme is "Embracing Unity through Art" and is made possible by the African American Cultural Historical Museum of Washtenaw County, the Palm Leaf Club, and by Ronnie and Gloria Peterson. Ronnie Peterson himself will talk about the exhibit in detail with Lee Van Roth.

The Ypsilanti Bourbon Fest is coming to the Michigan Firehouse Museum on January 17. The event provides a sampling of high-end whiskeys and bourbon from both local and national distilleries, as well as great food and live music. Lee Van Roth gives a preview of the 2026 Bourbon Fest with the event's organizer, Paul Starr.

Affordability is one of the major issues in 2026, and it has exacerbated food insecurity throughout the country and here at home in Washtenaw County. There are resources to help, but not everyone knows what is available. That is particularly true when you move beyond the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas. One such support service organization is the Manchester Community Resource Center. WEMU's David Fair spoke with executive director Carol Wotring about what is available and how increasing demand is impacting that part of our community.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer and Michigan Republicans agree: Enhancing literacy needs to be a greater statewide priority. While they negotiate how best to support literacy efforts, there are strong programs available through our libraries. WEMU's David Fair explored the underdiscussed and appreciated role of these institutions with the director of the Ann Arbor District Library, Eli Neiburger.

Forget the Build Back Better bill or the Jan. 6 investigation. Right now, some members of Congress seem to be more focused on the holiday decorations outside their Capitol Hill offices.

Forget the Build Back Better bill or the Jan. 6 investigation. Right now, some members of Congress seem to be more focused on the holiday decorations outside their Capitol Hill offices.