Opinion

by Stephen Lange Ranzini SINCE I LIVE downtown immediately next to the newly constructed section of Huron between Ashley and Main, I have carefully observed the management of the Jackson Road reconstruction project and want to express my…

All Michiganders should be alarmed about frack waste coming from other states, not just residents who live near the receiving landfill.  Citizens should be alarmed even if the load doesn’t glow, like the one from Washington County,…

ON SEPT. 4,  Michigan’s minimum wage will rise to $8.15 from $7.40. Back on May 28, Michigan legislators passed The Workforce Opportunity Wage Act, under the auspices of which the state’s minimum wage will increase from $7.40 to $9.25 per…

by Helen Aminoff A FRIEND OF ours gave me a copy of an article that appeared in The Ann Arbor Independent’s 23 July issue, written by Donna Nevel entitled “The Problem With Israel: The Mass Expulsion of Palestinians.”  I would like to…

ANN ARBOR PUBLIC Schools recently received a poor rating from the Michigan Department of Education on that district’s school reportcard. Local officials argued that the district’s “high diversity” makes it difficult to meet the state’s high…

by Ken Wachsberger IN THE MAY 26, 2014 issue of The Nation, Scott Sherman wrote about the precarious state of academic publishing due largely to pressures it faces, including from declining library budgets, the rise of commercial…

SINCE 2006, MICHIGAN police have received $43 million worth of surplus military equipment, including 17 mine-resistant armored fighting vehicles and 1,795 M16 automatic rifles. One of those 17 mine-resistant vehicles is parked in Washtenaw…

ALL OF THE candidates who ran in the August 5 primary election deserve our thanks for putting forth the time and effort to vie for elected office. It takes an enormous amount of work to campaign—from knocking on voters’ doors to attending…

WHILE THE ANN Arbor Independent uncovered and reported on inappropriate emails between AnnArborChronicle.com’s editor and publisher and Ward 1 Council member Sabra Briere, the fact remains that the online news site slated to close on…

by Stephen Lange Ranzini THE SALE OF United Bank & Trust to Indiana-based Old National Bancorp worth $173.1 million closed this past Thursday.  I am sad that any local community bank would opt to sell out to a mega bank.  Something…