The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2223 posts 224 comments

Wandering the Sonoran Desert in search of the chiltepin—the ancestor to domesticated chile peppers—with MacArthur genius Gary Paul Nabhan by Ari LeVaux Since he started hunting for chile peppers, more than 40 years ago, Gary Paul…

by P.D. Lesko In August 2021, former Ann Arbor City Administrator Tom Crawford resigned. Seven members of Ann Arbor City Council (Taylor, Disch, Song, Grand, Radina, Eyer and Briggs) had voted to terminate Crawford's employment based on…

I missed out on years of enhanced flavor because of foodie prejudice against the dehydrated ingredient. by Ari LeVaux Many foodies look down on garlic powder as a stale, cheap substitute for the real thing. It’s a shortcut for lazy…

by P.D. Lesko Since Linh Song (D-Ward 2) was elected to Ann Arbor City Council in 2020, the average median household income in the city has risen to $104,000. There are 5,500 people on Ann Arbor's public housing waitlist for 150…

In August 2021, a Washtenaw County deputy headed to trial in connection with an assault involving an inmate last summer. According to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Cpl. Christopher Ellul was arraigned on an assault…

by Jennifer Shutt--Michigan Advance The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized another round of COVID-19 booster shots for people 50 and older, as well as those who are immunocompromised. The decision to amend an earlier…

In a recently released report, the University of Michigan earned a failing grade (a yellow light) for its campus policies that seek to regulate student speech. Officials from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)…

Ann Arbor plans on issuing 28 licenses for marijuana consumption lounges within the city limits. According to a press release, a new business called Hot Box Social announced that it is the first licensed adult-use…

by Derek Lee Beginning July 16, 2022, people struggling with mental health crises can call 988, a new number focused on providing lifesaving suicide prevention and crisis services. But 988 is not just a shorter, easier-to-remember…

by P.D. Lesko R. Bruce Laidlaw, the Ann Arbor City Attorney between 1978 and 1991 and an Assistant City Attorney for six years before that, sent an email on Feb. 25 to Ann Arbor’s Mayor Chris Taylor, City Attorney Stephen Postema and…