The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2253 posts 224 comments

by Alyssa Figueroa A FEW YEARS ago, as David Sleppy was walking around downtown Toronto, he spotted a young homeless man who reminded him of his son, sleeping on a sidewalk. “Whose son is this?” he thought. He snapped a picture,…

Over the past year, unpaid internships in business have drawn more scrutiny. But some schools — notably, their athletic departments — have sought out unpaid interns, too. FOR STUDENTS interested in a career in sports management,…

From the opening few pages of reading a Nadeem Aslam novel, I knew his writing was something to treasure and behold. Maps for Lost Lovers won the Kiriyama Prize, was longlisted for the Booker, shortlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Award, and…

by Tom Watkins RAISED AS A Catholic, I experienced a mix of Catholic and public school education while growing up, eventually graduating from a Catholic high school. Yes, the nuns whacked my knuckles a few times, but honestly, that…

ROMAN SENATOR CATO The Elder, who lived in the 2nd century BCE, had a “mantra.” At the end of each speech delivered in the Senate Cato would declaim: “Carthago delenda est,” or “Carthage must be destroyed.” Ignoring a peace treaty, Rome…

OVER THE PAST decade, the city’s Mayor and Council members whom he has endorsed, and with whom he has allied himself, have neglected to tend to the basic infrastructure needs of Ann Arbor’s various neighborhoods. Roads and sidewalks have…

OFFICIALS IN THE Michigan Department of State determined that “WAR SUX” is a vanity plate request that is “offensive to good taste and decency.” David DeVarti, an Ann Arbor resident, former City Council member and former member of the…

Please note: This piece was corrected to reflect the fact that Ward 2 Council member Sally Hart Petersen was not seated on Ann Arbor City Council until November 2012. THE ANN ARBOR INDEPENDENT recently reported that 76 percent of city…

STATE APPROPRIATIONS TO the University of Michigan dropped from $320,662,000 in 2005 to a projected $279,108,700 in 2014, a loss of a total of 12.9 percent over the past descade—some $41.5 million dollars. Drops in state appropriations to…

Dr. Pescovitz owns shares in the company worth $385,000 and accumulated additional shares days before the October 2013 Board of Regents meeting at which the contract between UMHS and Life Technologies was granted approval.  IN THE…