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Social Media Blocks By Local Elected Officials Trample on Residents’ First Amendment Rights
by P.D. Lesko
Note: If you are blocked on social media by any elected official, this may be a violation of your First Amendment rights. The Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University successfully sued President Donald…
SafeHouse Center is a “Dangerous Dump” and Survivors Say, “Enough is Enough”
UPDATE 1/22/22: Independent Investigation Confirms Allegations of SafeHouse Mismanagement: Executive Director Barbara Niess-May Resigns
September 17, 2021: Updated with additional audio clips, video and photos.
Update October 6,…
SafeHouse Exec. Dir. and Staff Retaliated Against Sexual/Physical Assault Survivors Who Spoke Out About Health and Safety Concerns at the Shelter
by P.D. Lesko
SafeHouse staff, interns and residents say it's time for Barbara Niess-May to be replaced.
When asked during a Monday August 30 interview why she'd contacted The Ann Arbor Independent about what multiple SafeHouse…
Staff and Clients Allege SafeHouse Center is Mismanaged and a “Racist, Toxic” Environment
UPDATE 1/22/22: Independent Investigation Confirms Allegations of SafeHouse Mismanagement: Executive Director Barbara Niess-May Resigns
NOTE: SafeHouse Executive Director Barbara Niess-May has alleged that there are unspecified…
Local Ann Arbor Landlord and Others Who Are Politically-Connected Received Millions in PPP Loans
by P.D. Lesko
In Ann Arbor, 57 businesses received PPP (Paycheck Protection Plan) loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration in amounts between $1 million and $10 million. Only one of the companies, Skysync, Inc., is…
A Climate Denier’s Happy Meal
by Ari LeVaux
If you're the kind of person who would make a lifestyle change based on its impact on the climate, you're probably already aware that your food choices impact the molecular balance of the atmosphere in ways pertinent to…
Sierra Club Endorses Anglin, Eaton, and Kunselman for Ann Arbor City Council
The Sierra Club, Huron Valley Group, and Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter today formally announced several endorsements of incumbent City Council members, each facing challengers in the Democratic primary in August.
"We are very pleased to…
A2Politico: Doing Less for Longer—A Politician’s Dream
by P.D. Lesko
KIRK WESTPHAL CAUSED the political firmament to tremble (convulse, really) when he was just rumored to be prepared to pitch the idea of changing the length of City Council members’ terms from two to four years. The…
Deer Management Consultant’s Work Draws High Praise and Harsh Criticism
by P.D. Lesko with reporting by Maddie Fetchiet
BETWEEN DEC. 2014 and June 2015, Project Innovations, a Farmington Hills, Mich. consulting firm owned by Charlie Fleetham, was paid slightly less than $40,000 total by Ann Arbor. Despite…
Feds: WCC IGNITE Job Training Program Spent $788K and Issued No Certifications
by P.D. Lesko
In 2012, WCC was awarded a federal grant totalling $2.99 million to implement a program under the auspices of which the college would recruit and train students for IT careers. A Dept. of Labor review dated Feb. 2015 cited…