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Enviro
The Science Behind The ‘Polar Vortex’ That Engulfed Ann Arbor
A REPORTER FOR The Weather Channel stood in a Minnesota snowstorm, talking about local efforts to move homeless children into heated shelters. “How cold is it supposed to get?” the anchor, back in the studio, asked. The reporter replied:…
An Interview With Naomi Klein: “Big Green Groups Can Be More Damaging Than Right-Wing Climate Deniers….”
by Jason Mark
Canadian author Naomi Klein is so well known for her blade-sharp commentary that it’s easy to forget that she is, above all, a first-rate reporter. I got a glimpse into her priorities as I was working on this interview.…
THE ENVIRONMENT: 13 Major Clean Energy Breakthroughs
The rapidly improving technology, declining costs, and increasing accessibility of clean energy is the true bright spot in the march toward a zero-carbon future.
by Kiley Kroh & Jeff Spross
While the news about climate change…
AAATA CEO’s Salary Cut While Pay For Other Managers Increased Between 9-11 Percent Over The Past 24 Months
In 2011 AATA employed 8 managers who earned above 90K. In 2014, 9 top-level managers earn six-figure salaries.
IN SEPTEMBER 2011, former Ann Arbor News government reporter Tom Gantert reported in the Michigan Capitol Confidential that,…
Op-Ed: Edward Snowden Is the Whistleblower of the Year
by Dan Sirota
FOR MONTHS A debate over Edward Snowden’s status has raged. In the back and forth, one question about this icon who disclosed NSA abuses has dominated: Is he or is he not a whistleblower with all the attendant protections…
From Non-Motorized Transit To Solid Waste, Ann Arbor’s Multi-Year Plans Fail To Achieve Targeted Environmental Goals
THE 2013 NON-MOTORIZED Transportation Plan (NTP) should make the average driver pull over and take notice. The NTP lays out plans for so-called “road diets,” whereby some of the city’s busiest streets—such as Jackson—are slimmed from four…
Study Reveals Number Of K-8 Students Walking And Biking To School Rose Between 2007 and 2012
THE NATIONAL CENTER for Safe Routes to School released the results of a study that concluded more K-8 students are walking and biking to school. The 43 page study, titled “Trends in Walking and Bicycling to School from 2007 to 2012” was…
Op-Ed: The Bicycling Community Is Becoming a Political Force to Be Reckoned With — And That’s Great News
by Jay Walljasper
POWERFUL VOICES AROUNDWashington have singled out programs to improve biking and walking as flagrant examples of wasteful government spending.
Since last summer, proposals have flown around the Capitol to strip away…
AAATA Fiscal Year Begins With Service Hour Costs Trending Up & Ridership Trending Down
WEMU AS WELL AS The Ann Arbor News recently reported on data contained in a Peer Comparison Report released by Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority officials which focuses on a comparison of per passenger costs with “peer public transit…
AAATA Community Relations Staff & Managerial Pay Up Significantly Since 2010
IN SEPTEMBER 2011 former Ann Arbor News government reporter Tom Gantert filed a Freedom of Information Act request for information concerning the compensation of then AATA managers. The FOIA revealed that while AATA was running a deficit of…