The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2249 posts 224 comments

by P.D. Lesko FOR TWO YEARS, Ann Arbor Public School officials and members of the Board of Trustees have been hemming and hawing, discussing and studying the pros and cons of later start times for the district’s sleep-deprived teens. In…

by Brady Schickinger I TOOK MY first Uber ride in downtown Memphis this past summer from Gus’s “World Famous” Fried Chicken to my hotel. Walking to supper down Beale Street and along the Mississippi, the Blues City was alive in the…

by Sam Greene THE HOLIDAYS ARE here, and if you’re ready for an affordable and fun holiday escape, look no further than Michigan state park lodges. These modern accommodations provide all the comforts of home, in a variety of beautiful…

by Christian Usera PERFORMANCE NETWORK Theater has kicked off its holiday season with a bang with two shows: “Gift of the Magi” and “This Wonderful Life.” This reviewer saw the former and was greeted with festive Christmas Lights, bright…

by Donna Iadipaolo ONE MAN WANTS to change the face of debate and speech activities in Ann Arbor for middle school students. His name is Shawn Batt, and he is the founder of Michigan Speech Outreach (MSO), which began as a Lansing-based…

The Dec. 1 City Council meeting included members grappling over their own rules, a failed floor motion to put Council’s only CPA on the group’s Budget & Labor Committee and a lengthy debate centered around limiting members’ speaking…

IN A 7-4 VOTE City Council members decided to disallow the use of social media during meetings: no Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat or Pinterest. Council members’ emails sent during their public meetings are subject to a variety of rules, as…

AAPS SUPERINTENDENT DR. Swift is preparing to launch another “listening tour” similar to the successful one she conducted shortly after her hiring. We congratulate her on this effort to get out of Balas and into the community to hear from…

CITY OF ANN Arbor officials put out a press release when new Fire Chief Larry Collins was hired. It was short and sweet. What it didn’t include was the fact that Collins had been fired from his previous job on Sept. 4. Before heading the…

by P.D. Lesko ANN ARBOR POLITICAL insiders ask the question: Could Irv Mermelstein be the next Tom Weider? Between 1995 and 2002 Weider, a feisty redhead and hard-nosed attorney, represented a group of substitute teachers against the Ann…