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Ann Arbor District Library Rule Number 7—What “Dozing” Meant for Homeless Library Patrons During the Polar Vortex
by P.D. Lesko
A Washtenaw County employee told City Council in January 2014 that Ann Arbor’s homeless men, women, children and families could use a variety of public buildings during the day to escape temps. that plummeted to -20F. One…
Ann Arbor Residents Submitted More Freedom of Information Act Requests Than Local News Media in 2013
by Rob Smith
ACCORDING TO THE City of Ann Arbor’s log of FOIA requests submitted between January 2013 and May 2014 519 FOIA requests were submitted to the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s office. Thirty-three of the 519 requests came from The Ann…
Company Gearing up to Drill for Oil One Mile from the Source of the City’s Water
by Donna Iadipaolo
About one mile from majority of Ann Arbor’s water supply, a Traverse-city based oil company—West Bay Exploration Co—is gearing up to start oil drilling.
Correction: Senator Rebekah Warren took office in November…
Crime Report: June 16-25—Vehicle Break-ins, Assaults and Larceny Top Crimes Reported by AAPD
DURING THE WEEK of June 16-June 25, the AAPD reported a total of 75 crimes. In comparison, Dearborn Police, who patrol a city with a population just slightly smaller than Ann Arbor’s (101,000), but which is also home to a U-M campus,…
Treasury Officials Confirm Local Economic Development Entities Divert Public School Funding
by P.D. Lesko
While AAPS Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift publicly challenges Gov. Snyder and legislators over cuts to K-12 funding, local economic development groups siphon away millions of public school dollars through tax…
Leon Bryson Withdraws From Ward 5 City Council Race
IN A SHORT press release sent out on June 20, 2014, Leon Bryson announced that he would not campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the Ward 5 City Council primary election scheduled to be held August 5. Bryson had collected and…
A2POLITICO: AAATA Betrays Voters’ Trust (and The Ann Arbor News)
by P.D. Lesko
ONE OF THE first things the mayoral appointees on the Board of AAATA bus system did after spending millions of dollars to pass a $4.4 million annual millage was to raise AAATA CEO Michael Ford’s salary and pay him $174,836…
The Case for Abolishing Juvenile Prisons: How Isolating Minors Who Need Connection Endangers Us All
FROM THEIR VERY founding in America in 1825, juvenile prisons were designed to rip teenagers from their homes and communities and isolate them as punishment. Nearly two centuries later, they operate under the same design, despite research…
Thousands Attend Opening of $1.2 Million Ann Arbor Skatepark at Vets Park
by Donna Iadipaolo
Skaters—from Tony Hawk and Andy MacDonald to amateurs— jumped and twirled, food tents served delectables, and those in attendance just enjoyed a glorious start to summer.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE attended the official…
AAPS Superintendent Criticizes Michigan Pols (Again) Over School Funding
by Rob Smith
“It is shameful,” said Dr. Jeanice K. Swift, Superintendent of the Ann Arbor Public Schools. “This proposal unfairly impacts communities across the state of Michigan, such as Ann Arbor.
AS THE MICHIGAN Legislature debated…