Following Sidetrack’s recent COVID closure, a former employee is speaking out about the experience, alleging that he has been pushed out and demoted from his bar managing position because he wanted to self-quarantine. Will Brawley began work in June, and worked with the COVID-positive employee on July 9.
Housing insecurity has only worsened across the US in the wake of the pandemic. With Michigan's eviction moratorium behind, and the end of federal unemployment benefits imminently ahead, some Washtenaw County tenants are at risk of housing insecurity. The Echo spoke with housing experts and leaders in Washtenaw County about housing insecurity throughout the pandemic.
After dozens took to social media with concerns over Eastern Michigan University’s plans for housing, EMU Housing and Residence Life held a Q&A to discuss campus housing for the upcoming semester.
Eastern Michigan University’s international students spoke with the Echo about the recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy that strips international student of their visas if their coursework is fully online. EMU is among almost 60 U.S. universities to file a court brief supporting Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a case the colleges brought in opposition to the new visa rules.
Students at EMU have started a petition and planned a protest in opposition to the university's online course fees. The petition is directed towards EMU President James Smith and the Board of Regents and has 1,200 signatures as of Saturday night. The fee for an online course is set at $80 per credit hour.
Denise Kirchoff and Justin Hodge are running in the Democratic primary for the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners, District 5., which encompasses Ypsilanti Township and Augusta Township. Check back next week for a story on the remaining two candidates, Karen Lovejoy Roe and Michael White.
Nicole Brown was appointed unanimously to mayor pro-tempore on July 7 at the regular Ypsilanti City Council meeting. She will remain in office until the general election in November 2020. A former commissioner also voiced concerns about the public voice in the mayor's election as no city-wide vote will be held to elect a mayor until November 2022.
On June 26, The Washtenaw County Board of Health passed a resolution declaring racism a public health crisis that “harms, kills and prevents individuals and communities from living healthy lives.”
Arianne Slay has been a prosecutor for over a decade working in public service, and she wants to bring her experience in rehabilitative criminal justice to Washtenaw County as the county’s next lead prosecutor.
Ypsi Votes is a brand new series from the Eastern Echo featuring candidates up and down the ballot in Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. In this article, the Echo speaks with Eli Savit, a candidate for Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney.
Tuition fees for Eastern Michigan University students will increase for the 2020-21 school year with a 4.9% increase for graduate and doctoral students and a 2.9% increase for undergraduate students.
Ypsi Votes: Hugo Mack says his experience in the defendant's chair makes him uniquely qualified to be Washtenaw County's lead prosecutor
Following public outcry regarding remarks made during a June 16 City Council meeting, former Ypsilanti Mayor Beth Bashert resigned. Her position was assumed by Mayor Pro Tempore Lois Richardson, but going forward Ypsilanti will not elect its own mayor by vote until 2022.
About 300 people gathered in Frog Island Park on for a "Juneteenth Abolitionist Revival" to honor Black lives and discuss steps toward police abolition. Ypsilanti city council member, Anthony Morgan, was in attendance and not all welcomed his presence.
In a virtual town hall for EMU employees, EMU’s Public Health Working Group revealed their recommendations for what campus operations should look like when in-person operations resume in the fall.
Local rapper, KidJay, has helped make a citywide impact for the youth in Ypsilanti and continues to do so through the COVID-19 pandemic. He uses themes of positivity and non-violence throughout his songs.
As Ronnie Peterson’s bill, identical to Sen. Jeff Irwin’s Senate Bill 945, awaits a full house vote, the Echo gathered more information and comments about the bill and their opinions on possible next steps for criminal justice reform in Michigan and Washtenaw County. The Echo spoke with Irwin, some of Michigan’s law enforcement organizations, Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, and Desmine Robinson; a local Black Lives Matter activist and EMU student leader.
EMU Provost Rhonda Longworth said in a virtual town hall meeting on Tuesday, June 23, that EMU will not be altering the fall academic calendar, classes to start on August 31.
As EMU hopes and plans to resume on-campus operations in the fall, the University is continuously developing strategies and protocols to do so. The Echo compiled what we know so far about on-campus operations in the fall.
Ypsilanti community members heald a Black Lives Matter protest Saturday, June 20. Close to 500 people, including Congresswoman Debbie Dingell and members of the Ypsilanti City Council gathered in downtown Ypsilanti to address police brutality and systemic racism. Two members of the Ypsilanti City Council, Nicole Brown and Annie Sommerville addressed recent racist remarks given by Ypsilanti mayor Beth Bashert during a Ypsilanti City Council meeting and called on her to resign.
