Ypsilanti Township

The Civic Center building in Ypsilanti Township will only be open for election purposes next Tuesday. 

A lawsuit is expected to be filed against the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office in the Sha’Teina Grady El case.  

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation after someone shot a car owned by the husband of Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustee Monica Ross-Williams.  

Public input is still being requested in the Sha’Teina Grady El incident that took place last month.  

The Ann Arbor YMCA has extended its COVID-19 food assistance program through August.  

Ypsilanti Township will reopen its municipal offices to the public Tuesday, June 16th.  

The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office Community Advisory Board for Law Enforcement is requesting and gathering public input on the Sha’Teina Grady El incident.  

An Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustee is considering proposing the creation of a Law Enforcement Oversight Commission. 

The ACLU of Michigan sent a letter to Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie encouraging him not to press charges against Sha'Teina Grady El.  

Ypsilanti’s city council will discuss a construction project Tuesday tonight that’s expected to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety.  

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners is discussing actions it might take after a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy punched a woman as he arrested her last week in Ypsilanti Township.  

The Ypsilanti Township woman, who was repeatedly punched by a Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputy on Tuesday during an arrest, has been released from jail.  

There have been demonstrations and community outrage after cell phone video of a recent Ypsilanti Township incident was made public.  It shows what appears to be a white Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy striking an African American woman in the head after she refused to leave the scene of a shooting.

WEMU's Lisa Barry spoke with Washtenaw County sheriff Jerry Clayton, who says he immediately launched an investigation into what happened.

Kroger Health is extending its COVID-19 testing operations at Ford Elementary School on East Clark Road in Ypsilanti Township through next week.

A second protest was held Wednesday afternoon at the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office after a white deputy was caught on camera punching a black woman as he arrested her.  The first was held Tuesday at the same location.  

The coronavirus pandemic has kept people, including those living in Ypsilanti Township, confined to their homes.  It has also made it difficult for local neighborhood associations to keep their residents informed of any events or developments in their respective communities.  For this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi," WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg hear about the new ways associations communicate with residents from Jo Ann McCollum, president of the New West Willow Neighborhood Association.

Earlier this month, the Washtenaw County Health Department released data regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county.  The most disturbing information came out of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township, in which there more infections among African-Americans than any other ethnicity.  WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg examine why this situation exists with Washtenaw County racial equity officer Alize Asberry Payne for this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

Plans are moving forward on an effort to start building hospital ventilators in Ypsilanti Township.

Ypsilanti City Council discussed a concern about the number of coronavirus cases coming from the city and Ypsilanti Township at last night's meeting.  

The coronavirus pandemic has forced Ypsilanti's city council to meet online instead of in-person. 

As the rate of COVID-19 cases continues to increase locally, Washtenaw County health officials have broken down the number of cases by zip code and race.  89.1 WEMU's Lisa Barry reports it has highlighted some disparaties in the county.

An Ypsilanti Township event intended to help African American men feel comfortable with their emotions and communication has become more popular than expected.  WEMU’s Lisa Barry talks with Nate Frazier and Keyon Purite in a conversation that touches on many important topics including how emotions impact your overall life experience and what that life experience is like for a black man in 2020.

The 2020 Census will take place in just a few months.  In the meantime, residents of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township may need to prepare for how the results may affect their respective communities.  Peter Lindeman, who is a communications and policy specialist for the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development, discusses these potential challenges with WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg for this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

The New Year is officially underway, and the United Way of Washtenaw County has now kicked off its 21-Day Equity Challenge.  Ann Arbor YMCA President/CEO Toni Kayumi and Ypsilanti Township trustee Monica Ross-Williams talk to WEMU's David Fair about how they hope to improve equity, particularly on the Eastern side of the county, through partnership, development and increased opportunity. 

When Kaiser Elementary School in Ypsilanti Township shut down as a result of the Willow Run/Ypsilanti schools merger, the nearby West Willow neighborhood received a serious blow.  It wasn't long before the Greater Faith Transition Center took control of the old school building.  From there, a lot of charitable action took place, such as providing a food pantry to offering clothes for job interviews.  The center's founders, Pastor Robert Ford and his wife Dorothy Ford, talk about their work with WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg in this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

The Washtenaw County Democratic Party hosted a watch party Tuesday night for the first of two presidential democratic debates that will be hosted in Detroit.  89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan attended the gathering and has the story.

Buying a home can be one of the most exciting and nerve-wracking moments in a person's life.  Fortunately, there are a number of real estate programs in the Ypsilanti area that can make the whole experience worthwhile.  WEMU's Patrick Campion and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg hear about such programs from Candye Hinton and Kayia Robinson, a local, mother-daughter real estate team, in this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

The New West Willow Neighborhood Association was formed in 2015 and, ever since, the future of the Ypsilanti Township neighborhood has become brighter.  Long-time resident, association member, and neighbohood watch activist Janice Williams provides a look at living in West Willow and building to something greater. 

Over the last few years, the craft beer business has booming in Michigan.  Among the many breweries that have popped up across the state is Unity Vibration in Ypsilanti Township.  This particular brewery specializes in a fermented tea called kombucha.  Unity Vibration co-founder and owner Rachel Kanaan talks about her amazing work with WEMU's Lisa Barry and Concentrate Media's Sarah Rigg in this week's "On the Ground-Ypsi."

An Ypsilanti Township military veteran received a new roof Monday, thanks to the national Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project.  89.1 WEMU's Jorge Avellan was there and has the story.