2021

by P.D. Lesko Jeffrey Dwayne Smith. Photo | The Ann Arbor Independent On Sept. 19, Jeffrey Dwayne Smith, 47, of Flatrock, Michigan, was arraigned in 14A-1 District Court before Magistrate Elisha A. Fink. Smith was charged with one…

by Council member Katherine J. Griswold, MBA, MSW Hello Barbara Niess-May, SafeHouse provides a critical service in our community. Per its mission: to provide safety, support, advocacy and resources for survivors of sexual assault…

UPDATE 1/22/22: Independent Investigation Confirms Allegations of SafeHouse Mismanagement: Executive Director Barbara Niess-May Resigns September 17, 2021: Updated with additional audio clips, video and photos. Update October 6,…

by P.D. Lesko SafeHouse staff, interns and residents say it's time for Barbara Niess-May to be replaced. When asked during a Monday August 30 interview why she'd contacted The Ann Arbor Independent about what multiple SafeHouse…

by Ari Levaux Grilled pizza does not sound like the highest use of a grill or a pizza. Wouldn’t the bottom of the crust burn into a blackened crisp long before the cheese melts? Luckily, nobody told Johanne Killeen and George Germon,…

by P.D. Lesko On August 11, 2021, in a letter to City Administrator Tom Crawford, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said of the proposed plan to build a $171,410,000 "train station," the feds…

Renters in Washtenaw and Wayne counties whose homes and personal property were damaged by the June 25-26 storms and flooding can apply for federal disaster assistance. FEMA’s Individual Assistance program is available to all…

by Jillian Carr COVID-19 stay-at-home orders surely saved many lives, but a growing number of studies document that lockdowns led to more reports of domestic violence. Even as 911 calls for police help increased, official…

by Ari Levaux Across the Northern Hemisphere at about this time, garlic plants are reaching for the sun. Each clove planted last fall has divided and swollen into a bulb of cloves, while the flowers emerge in a circuitous path. Each…

Starring Gael García Bernal and Vicky Krieps, the filmmaker's latest contrasts a lush tropical destination with a baffling disease of the flesh. Rated PG-13, 1 hour 48 minutes by John DeFore Landing somewhere between The…