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Lee Van Roth

Lee Van Roth is a Michigan native and longtime Washtenaw County resident. They want to use their journalistic experience from their time at Eastern Michigan University writing for the Eastern Echo to tell the stories of Washtenaw County residents that need to be heard.

Lee Van Roth's Latest Articles

A still from "Skate Witches" by director Danny Plotnick, who will be the Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti's first visiting filmmaker. "Skate Witches" will have a 40th anniversary screening at the festival on April 18.
Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti returns with first guest filmmaker and new programs

The Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti will return on April 16-18 with a mix of new programming, expanded community partnerships, and a continued emphasis on grassroots filmmaking.

Eric Kinsler-Holloway of EK's Cheesecakes and Brandon Frye of No Label Juice, both "graduates" of the Growing Hope Incubator Kitchen, with Growing Hope Executive Director Julius Buzzard.
Nonprofit incubator kitchen helps food businesses get off the ground in Ypsi

Inside a shared commercial kitchen in Ypsilanti, recipes become businesses, side hustles turn into full-time work, and local food entrepreneurs gain community.

FestiFools founder Mark Tucker at FestiFools 2024.
20 years of FestiFools: Founder Mark Tucker looks back on Ann Arbor’s beloved puppet parade

We chatted with FestiFools founder Mark Tucker about the unlikely origins and enduring spirit of the community puppet parade.

A poster for the "Visceral Soup" exhibit at 22 North Gallery in Ypsilanti.
EMU grad students showcase their art in “Visceral Soup” show in Ypsi

The new art show “Visceral Soup" features work from 11 Eastern Michigan University Master of Fine Arts students working across ceramics, painting, installation, and mixed media.

Policies, programs, and research shaping maternal mental health care

The Center for Health and Research Transformation at the University of Michigan is working to improve mental health for pregnant and parenting individuals.

Director Trevor Zhou in Ann Arbor's Nickels Arcade.
“Ann Arbor” film will explore director’s complex relationship with the city he grew up in

Trevor Zhou's debut feature "Ann Arbor," which begins shooting this spring, is rooted in memory, identity, and the question of who one might have been if life had taken a different path.

A performance of "GATZ."
“Great Gatsby” will be read onstage verbatim in New York theater company’s Ann Arbor performance

The New York-based theater company Elevator Repair Service will bring "GATZ," a six-and-a-half-hour production involving a verbatim reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," to Ann Arbor March 27-29.

A rendering of MI-HQ's new high-tech manufacturing facility in Scio Township.
New high-tech manufacturing facility to open as part of Ann Arbor-Ypsi “innovation campus”

A new facility under redevelopment by Michigan Innovation Headquarters (MI-HQ) aims to expand high-tech manufacturing opportunities in Scio Township while helping emerging companies scale their operations.

Pushpinder Sethi and Sim Sethi at the Earthen Jar in Ypsilanti.
Ypsi new business roundup: Mexican cuisine, tropical coffee lounge, and Indian buffet

Three of Ypsi's newest businesses are La Chona, a Mexican restaurant; Ohana Lounge, a cafe; and Earthen Jar, an Indian buffet. Read our chats with their owners.

A job seeker talks to employers at a career fair.
50 employers to offer career opportunities at upcoming job and internship fair at WCC

Washtenaw Community College will host its annual Spring Career and Internship Fair on March 25, bringing together dozens of employers and job seekers for an afternoon of networking and career exploration.

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