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1 week ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
Naomi Norman, superintendent of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District (WISD), never imagined she'd have to deal with cuts to the county's Head Start program. "This is the 60th year of Head Start, and in those 60 years, it's had incredible bipartisan support," Norman says. "And it's not a program that I thought would be even considered for reductions in any way, because it … has incredible outcomes."
WISD Superintendent Naomi Norman.
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2 weeks ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
As part of its mission to bring arts and culture programming to all parts of Washtenaw County, A2 Jazz Fest will bring a free "Traveling Sound Museum" to two locations in Ypsilanti in May in collaboration with the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum. Each event will involve a multi-generational instrument-making contest, an exhibit on the physics of sound, food, and prizes.
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2 weeks ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
Two nonprofits serving youth — one a track and field club, the other a program to introduce young people to professional trades — are the recipients of the city of Ypsilanti's 2025 Youth Mini-Grants. In March, the city announced an award of $4,000 to the All About Speed Track Club and a $5,000 grant to the Trades Program for Youth and Adults. The city's youth mini-grant program started with an application round in 2015. Its first awards were given in 2016.
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1 month ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
Saline-based Metric Marketing has made Inc. Magazine's list of the fastest-growing companies in the Midwest for the third year in a row. The firm is one of only 12 in the state of Michigan, and the only one in Washtenaw County, to make the list. Metric Marketing ranked 65th on the annual Inc. Regionals: Midwest list, up 12 spots from last year. The 2025 Inc. Regionals: Midwest list ranks companies by revenue growth between 2021 and 2023.
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1 month ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
From increasing search engine traffic to overcoming burnout, small business owners in Washtenaw County and beyond are benefiting from Ann Arbor SPARK's new Small Business Support (SBS) program. SPARK launched the program in 2024 with a $3.4 million three-year grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
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1 month ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
The food entrepreneurship landscape in Ypsilanti is shifting as an Ypsilanti Township food business incubator closes and an Ypsilanti commercial kitchen adds new resources for business owners. Colleen Brewer, co-owner of the Rosie's Community Kitchen incubator in Ypsi Township, says "space has been tight" after Ypsilanti Community Schools moved its middle school back into the incubator's building at 235 Spencer Lane in August 2024.
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1 month ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
The public is invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Ypsilanti Food Co-op, 312 N. River St., from 2-4 p.m. April 12. General Manager Corinne Sikorski says the co-op plans to host a series of events all year long to celebrate the milestone. Guests are invited to decorate cardboard eggs; visit with Spring Bunny Clay, played by a former co-op employee; and bring their own favorite spring- or Easter-themed treats to share. Michigan Sen.
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1 month ago | 
soapboxmedia.com | Sarah Rigg
The day after President Donald Trump's second inauguration, his administration ended a policy directing immigration agents not to enter "sensitive locations" like churches, hospitals, and schools. Ypsilanti Community High School (YCHS) Principal Chelsea Harris-Hugan says that change and other Trump immigration policies have YCHS staff, students, and families on edge. Nearly one-third of YCHS' 600 students are English Learner (i.e. English as a Second Language) students.
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2 months ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
The day after President Donald Trump's second inauguration, his administration ended a policy directing immigration agents not to enter "sensitive locations" like churches, hospitals, and schools. Ypsilanti Community High School (YCHS) Principal Chelsea Harris-Hugan says that change and other Trump immigration policies have YCHS staff, students, and families on edge. Nearly one-third of YCHS' 600 students are English Learner (i.e. English as a Second Language) students.
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2 months ago | 
secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg
Eastern Michigan University (EMU) will bring high school- and college-aged entrepreneurs together on March 14 for the free 2025 Sesi Midwest Entrepreneurship Conference and Skandalaris Business Plan Competition. The half-day conference will take place at the EMU Student Center Ballroom, 900 Oakwood St. in Ypsilanti. The day kicks off with breakfast and a keynote speech by AI entrepreneur Dilip Dubey, followed by a panel discussion.
