The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2249 posts 224 comments

by P.D. Lesko IT’S USUALLY DEATH and taxes that define the inevitable. However, in the city’s 2013 National Citizen Survey, comments about roads and taxes dominated the open-ended question responses. Respondents were asked to record…

ANN ARBOR NATURAL Area Preservation (NAP) works to protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among its citizens. This involves conducting plant and animal inventories, ecological monitoring, and…

THE HEADLINE IN The Michigan Daily says it all: “University won’t take action at this time on faculty letter to Regents.” By not taking action, U-M officials are, of course, choosing to continue with a multi-million dollar bonus and…

by Donna Iadipaolo ALMOST EVERY SCHOOL year in Ann Arbor, Haisley Elementary School Teacher Cedric York instructs students in his fifth-grade class to write to prominent leaders from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Mr. York…

IN 2000 THERE were eight miles of bike lanes in Ann Arbor. City officials recently began touting the number of “lane miles” of bike lanes: 71.8 (a lane mile is a mile on one side of a two-land road). The mayor often tells media that Ann…

by Melissa Walker WHILE I’M NOT a full-makeup girl most days of the week (or really ever), I’d be hard-pressed to abandon my daily lipstick and mascara habit—it really does brighten my face so that I can avoid the dreaded “You look…

by Jill Richardson I MET MY friend Rachel because we were both in the same situation: We each had neighbors who inexplicably hated our chickens. Rachel and I each had small flocks of hens, no roosters, and sprawling, fertile, organic…

K. INGRID AULT ran for Ann Arbor City Council and lost to incumbent Stephen Kunselman. Ms. Ault’s ideas and vision for the city did not appeal to the voters of her Ward. Ms. Ault was then appointed to the Parks Advisory Commission. The…

By Paul Gordon BUYING A CELL phone plan could make you powerless to sue your phone company if it defrauds you. Using a coupon to buy a box of cereal may mean you give up your right to sue if the food is tainted. Checking your grandmother…

“Gabriel” Rory Culkin stars as a mentally unstable youth convinced that tracking down his first love is the answer to his problems in director Lou Howe’s debut feature. by Dave Rooney Venue: Tribeca Film Festival (World Narrative…