The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2249 posts 224 comments

THE AUDIT RELEASED by Ann Arbor Public Schools officials was prepared in part by an auditing firm and in part by a human resource consulting firm from Birmingham. The June 22 document draws on data compiled by the Michigan Department of…

by Rob Smith IN 2005, WASHTENAW Community College President Dr. Rose Bellanca found her institution, Saint Clair County Community College in Port Huron, embroiled in an ACLU lawsuit over a gag order imposed on the college’s Board of…

WARD 1 COUNCIL member Sabra Briere has repeatedly said she (and by extension, the public) cannot be certain that Ann Arbor SPARK is responsible for the jobs the entity’s employees claim their programs and services help create and retain. In…

EVEN THOUGH THE event ticket said the party was set to begin at 6 p.m., curious, excited party-goers began showing up early. By 6 p.m., there was a line to enter the Top of the Park North Tent and by 6:45 p.m. the venue was packed.…

THE ANN ARBOR INDEPENDENT is in the midst of conducting its first reader survey. Thus far 170 individuals have elected to take the survey online. “This is a community newspaper,” said Patricia Lesko, whose decades old local publishing…

An Open Letter to the AAATA Board Questioning the Legality of CEO Michael Ford’s Retroactive Raise The Michigan  Constitution art 11, Sec. 3, provides: “Neither the legislature nor any political subdivision of this state shall grant or…

ON JUNE 24, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation to prevent discrimination against breast-feeding mothers. “Breast-feeding is a natural act with many proven benefits,” Snyder said. “By supporting new mothers we help ensure good infant…

by Mike Evangelist Fast-food workers are walking off the job in 150 U.S. cities today to demand a raise in pay, in the latest demonstration of discontent with the low-wage jobs that have become the new normal in today’s economy. The…

by P.D. Lesko AT A RECENT mayoral candidate forum, unabashed supporters of “crony capitalism”—what President Obama’s former economic expert Dr. Lawrence Summers called the Michigan Economic Development Corporation’s programs—defended Ann…

RIVERSIDE PARK, Ypsilanti, will be transported back in time to pay tribute to one of America’s most recognized figures–Elvis Presley®. The 15th Anniversary of the Michigan ElvisFest is one of a handful of events that is sanctioned by Elvis…