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The leaves are starting to turn, and more movies are falling onto the area's big screens! WEMU's David Fair got together with Michigan Theater Foundation executive director, Russ Collins, to discuss the latest movie and event news you need to know.

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.

Jason Stevens's company, Flutter & Wow Museum Projects, located in Ann Arbor, has designed exhibitions and displays for local museums, like the U-M Museum of Natural History and the Motown Museum, as well as museums in Kentucky, Georgia and elsewhere. Jason joins Deb Polich on this edition of WEMU’s "creative:impact." They talk about what it takes to create captivating and exciting exhibitions.

The Ypsilanti District Library (YDL) won a grant from the American Library Association (ALA) to create a "Great Stories" Book Club. It is a reading and discussion program for underserved teens with books specially chosen by the ALA. The YDL staff will work with a small group of teens to read and discuss stories that explore questions of race, identity, and more. WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale dig deeper into this exciting, new program with YDL teen librarian, Kelly Scott.

Residential rain gardens may seem like a small component of environmental sustainability. We’re learning just how big of an impact they make in Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan. A brand new, interactive mapping tool shows where many of the residential rain gardens are and the amount of stormwater they collectively capture. Learn more in this conversation with WEMU's David Fair and Susan Bryan, the Rain Garden Coordinator for the Washtenaw County Water Resources Office.

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.

Ypsilanti native Deshawn Leeth has spent most of his young life in and out of the juvenile justice system, and, by age 18, he was sent to prison. After his release, Leeth discovered there were very few resources to help him readjust to society, which led to create the nonprofit mentorship organization, "Underdawg Nation". Leeth talks about his experiences while incarcerated and his work with underserved youth with WEMU's Josh Hakala and Concentrate Media's Rylee Barnsdale.

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.

The Michigan Department of Transportation intends to build fencing along the Amtrak railroad tracks passing through Ann Arbor along the Huron River Corridor. MDOT says it will protect pedestrians and wildlife, but city residents are unhappy, contending it will cut off parts of the Border-to-Border Trail and adversely impact deer and other wildlife. Ann Arbor City Council has passed a resolution opposing the MDOT plans. 5th Ward councilperson Erica Briggs joined WEMU's David Fair with the latest news and a look at what happens next.

The City of Ann Arbor is changing, and there are development priorities for the short and longer-term future. Much of it is dependent on zoning. Zoning decisions can change the complexion of the city. Understanding how it works is the focus on today's conversation between WEMU's David Fair and Ellie Abrons. Ellie is an Associate Professor of Architecture at the University of Michigan and a planning commissioner for the City of Ann Arbor.