An underground plume of dioxane miles wide is traveling underneath the city of Ann Arbor, and more recently the Huron River. Dioxane, or 1,4 dioxane, is a synthetic chemical which is flammable at high temperatures. It leaches rapidly into the ground, which is a process…
There was once a little girl that was going on a trip with her family. She was excited because she was going to fly and had never flown before. She spent her time getting ready — carefully packing for her trip. She packed summer clothes,…
It was the best of times for Ypsilanti, the worst for much of the world. Bombs were needed to bomb the bad guys and planes for the good guys to do it. During World War II folks came from far and wide, but mostly whites…
I first learned about Community Land Trusts (CLTs) while living in Boston, MA. The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) was created to “empower residents to organize, plan for, create and control a vibrant, diverse, and high quality neighborhood.” The community worked to reclaim land that…
Over the past year and a half, I served on the City of Ypsilanti’s Housing Affordability and Accessibility Committee. The term “affordable housing” can be confusing to many. Oftentimes when people hear the term, they think of government-subsidized housing. The term is often a loaded…
Today, the Peninsular Paper Dam sits on the northern edge of Ypsilanti next to Pen Park and a shell of the old Paper Company. In ten years, it may not. In one of two high-profile decisions under consideration at the moment, City Council may choose…
Late last month What’s Left sent (me) an attaché to cover what may have been THE MOST convoluted and Xtreme press release. I joined some of the organizers on the hallowed floors of Zap Zone where we blasted each other with laser rifles, and got…
The good news is: we made it. With one more eclipse in December we’ve successfully survived eclipse season and Mercury retrograde. The Universe is ready to reward us for dealing with emotional (Cancer) and structural (Capricorn) upsets in our lives with an astrological gold star:…
