Opinion

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…

ON AUGUST 6, five of the 92 federal and state cases currently pending in 33 states, related to state law prohibitions on same-sex marriage will hang in the balance in a Cincinnati courtroom. Each side will have 15 minutes to argue their…

IN THE BEGINNING of June, Referee Julia Owdziej was appointed by Gov. Snyder to the seat vacated by Judge Nancy Francis. It was a political move and has led to not only hard feelings among the candidates who ran to fill the seat, but also…

ANN ARBOR’S NEXT mayor inherits a City Council that has shown itself capable of cohesion, compromise and intense partisanship. Reformers were elected and re-elected to City Council based on promises to fund core services and tend to the…