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America’s Love Affair With the Single-Family House is Cooling, but it Won’t be a Quick Breakup
by Robert Parker and Rebecca Lewis
For decades land use regulation across the U.S. has emphasized single-family houses on large lots. This approach has priced many people out of the quintessential American dream: homeownership. It also…
The Foodist: A More Perfect Popper
by Ari LeVaux
Hot peppers and cheese are a winning combination. Whether it’s red flakes on a slice of pizza, a spicy tray of cheese-drenched nachos or a serving of ema datshi (a Himalayan dish of hot chile and molten cheese), the action…
A2Politico: Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish—On Feb. 20, 2020, the Ann Arbor News Will Turn Off Commenting
by P.D. Lesko
On February 18, 2020 MLive's Vice President of Content, John Hiner wrote, "I’m writing today to announce a significant change to the MLive.com website experience: At 6 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, we will permanently…
The Foodist: Doing the Brussels Hustle
by Arie LaVaux
After the first big frost of the season, things got real at the farmers market. Buyers arrived, knowing it was their last chance for warm-weather crops. I was there for tomatoes and felt like a big spender with my two…
Local Journalism is in Crisis: A Study From the Brookings Institution
by Clara Hendrickson
Thousands of local newspapers have closed in recent years. Their disappearance has left millions of Americans without a vital source of local news and deprived communities of an institution essential for exposing…
The Beet Goes On
by Ari LeVaux
Beets are a challenging food. No vegetable feels so much like work-or tastes so much like dirt. Which surely means beets must be supremely good for you.
But dense tubers are problematic to mess with. You can't just…
Meal-Kit Freezer Packs Are Rapidly Accumulating at a Landfill Near You
by Kiera Butler
People love to complain about the wastefulness of meal-kit delivery companies like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. The baggies that hold a single scallion! The thousands of miles of shipping! The endless cardboard boxes!…
Ann Arbor Observer’s Coverage of Local Politics Criticized Sharply By Its Readers
Update: In its Aug. 2017 City Council candidate article written by James Leonard, the Observer states a married candidate's "girlfriend" donated thousands to the candidate's campaign. The woman named as David Silkworth's "girlfriend" is,…
That Toum: Lebanese Garlic Sauce
by Ari LeVaux
Garlic season is upon us, which means that last year's garlic will be on sale alongside the new crop. Don't be fooled by a sale price; squeeze each head you buy. It should be as hard as a baseball. If not, there is probably…
A2Politico: Please Don’t Interrupt Your Councilmember While He’s Ignoring You
by Patricia Lesko
Ann Arbor's mayor, Chris Taylor ("Mr. Congeniality" according to a 2015 article in the Ann Arbor Observer), has been singing and dancing around Wards 3 and 5 on behalf of his City Council candidates Zachary Ackerman and…