Sarah Rigg

4 days ago | secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg

More than 200 people showed up at the Ypsilanti Freighthouse when Cheers to Queers (C2Q), a grassroots LGBTQ+ organization, hosted an event called Queer Prom this April. Co-organizers Danya Youssef-Agha and Marisa Quiery say their third queer prom had about 220 in attendance. Tickets sold out a week before the event, which aimed to create a positive, celebratory environment for LGBTQ+ adults who may have had unpleasant experiences at their high school proms.

1 week ago | secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg

High school students from Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) and two other southeast Michigan school districts will be trained as peer health educators, teaching others about traumatic brain injury (TBI), through a new program called Way Forward@EMU. The program is administered by Eastern Michigan University's (EMU) engagement office, Engage@EMU, and funded by a $1 million grant from Toyota's Way Forward Fund. The program lasts about 90 minutes once a week over eight weeks.

3 weeks ago | secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg

Ypsilanti nonprofit A Brighter Way recently purchased a home in Ypsilanti to provide long-term transitional housing for formerly incarcerated clients, just a few blocks from the organization's office at 124 Pearl St., Suite 304. A Brighter Way was established in 2016 and is now staffed by seven formerly incarcerated employees who collectively served over 140 years in prison. The organization provides services, including mentoring, to formerly incarcerated individuals.

3 weeks ago | secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg

After finding great success releasing their debut feature film on the free streaming service Tubi, Ypsilanti-based married filmmakers Keith and Yolanda Ragland are nearly ready to debut their second movie. Their first feature, "Money Over Boyz," debuted in January. "Money Over Boyz" is a crime "dramedy" with tense, gripping moments of violence; bits of comic relief; and lots of local color, including location shots all over Ypsilanti, Ann Arbor, and Detroit.

3 weeks ago | secondwavemedia.com | Sarah Rigg

The city of Ann Arbor's first-ever economic development director, Joe Giant, started work March 17, following the announcement of his hiring in February. Giant moved to Ann Arbor after serving as community development administrator for the department of redevelopment in Fort Wayne, Ind. He previously worked as a city planner in Fort Wayne and Minneapolis.