Search results for

Summer may be winding down a bit, but the summer movie season is still going! WEMU's David Fair meets up again with Marquee Arts executive director Russ Collins to chat about the latest films and special screenings coming to a theater near you! Plus, the Michigan Theater is hosting not one, but two huge high school reunions!

It's time to talk some trash! The 3rd annual Trash Talk Tour in Washtenaw County is right around the corner. Trash Talk Tour co-organizer and zerowaste.org executive director Samuel McMullen joined WEMU's David Fair with a special brand of "trash talk."

As we continue the process of mapping out our energy future, there are a number of issues to address, from energy generation and storage to how our electric grids are developed, secured and controlled. State Senator Jeff Irwin is a proponent of virtual power plants as a part of the comprehensive solution. It would divert control of the grids away from the major, centralized utilities. The 15th District Democrat believes virtual power plants can give power to communities in determining their energy futures while saving ratepayers money. Learn more in his conversation with WEMU's David Fair.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has put her proposed budget before the state Legislature, and it includes a significant investment in environmental initiatives. The state Legislature is now divided, and it's unclear what the final version of the budget will look like. Additionally, there is uncertainty from the federal level as what kind of money will be allocated to support protections and clean-ups. WEMU's David Fair spoke with 15th District State Senator Jeff Irwin of Ann Arbor about how things are playing out in Lansing.

Affordable housing continues to be a significant problem in Washtenaw County, particularly in Ann Arbor. The good news is, more units will come online this year and next, and work continues to increase inventory throughout the area. Aaron Cooper, the executive director of the nonprofit Avalon Housing, is working at the fore of these efforts. He joined WEMU's David Fair to discuss the successes and the challenges that remain.

It would be a great relief to be independent of worry about oil spills that could contaminate the Great Lakes. But those worries exist among environmentalists and many in our Great Lakes state. Enbridge Energy is moving forward with plans to build a tunnel around its Line 5 pipeline that runs through the Straits of Mackinac. The new director of the University of Michigan Water Center is Dr. Mike Shriberg. He joined WEMU's David Fair and Michigan League of Conservation Voters executive director, Lisa Wozniak, to discuss the implications.

A vision born from tragedy is giving hope to the future. In 2017, Julie and Scott Halpert’s 23-year old son Garrett died by suicide. In their grief, and in hopes of preventing others from taking their lives, the Halperts envisioned a campus that would provide support to young adults in a non-medical setting. The residential part of that campus will soon be a reality. It is called Garrett’s Space. WEMU's David Fair talked with executive director David Garcia about the vision, the mission and where construction of Garrett’s Space stands.

Ann Arbor is expecting progress towards its sustainability goals in 2026. Advancement on the voter-approved Sustainable Energy Utility will continue, and with the 2030 deadline rapidly approaching, more work is to be done to move ahead with the goals and aspirations of the city’s A2ZERO Carbon Neutrality plan. On the first "Issues of the Environment" of 2026, WEMU's David Fair explores the environmental year ahead with Ann Arbor’s Sustainability and Innovations Director, Missy Stults.

Enbridge Energy's Line 5 pipeline, located beneath the Straits of Mackinac, has been long been a controversial topic. The line has been deteriorating and leaking, yet action to remedy the problem has been slow. Rebekah Warren and Michigan League of Conservation Voters President/CEO Lisa Wozniak were joined by Dr. Mike Shriberg, Director of the University of Michigan Water Center and a Professor of Practice and Engagement at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, to discuss the current state of Line 5.

Each month, we partner with the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Regional Chamber to look at how the news of the day impacts the local business community. On this month's "Washtenaw Business Lens," WEMU's Caroline MacGregor was joined by Andy LaBarre, Executive Vice President and Director of Government Relations for the Chamber, and Cybersecurity expert, Detective Kevin Parvize to explore how emerging cyber security issues are increasingly posing a threat to the local business community.