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Ann Arbor Government
Crime in Ann Arbor: 35 Percent of Crimes Solved—Since 2012, 8,000+ Crimes Uncleared
LET’S BE CLEAR: In the U.S., Michigan and Ann Arbor crime rates are down. According to data gathered by the FBI, in Ann Arbor, about 1,300 more crimes, total, were committed in 2009 than in 2013. That means, at a minimum, 1,300 fewer people…
To Fund FOIA Lawsuit for Release of Public Records Related to Aura Rosser Shooting, A2 Indy Turns to Knight Foundation
by P.D. Lesko
ON DEC. 18, The Ann Arbor Independent turned to the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the Knight Foundation’s FOI Fund for financial support to fund an open records lawsuit against the City of Ann Arbor and the…
Keeping Tabs—Locals to Watch in 2015: #a2council
Julie Weatherbee—U-M IT Systems Trainer, wiles away Monday evenings on Twitter commenting on City Council mmetings.
Julie Weatherbee is, in turns, clever, funny, acerbic, rude and politically nerdy. Twice monthly, she watches City…
Annual Retreat Reveals Council Members’ Priorities for Ann Arbor Out of Step With Residents’ Priorities
by P.D. Lesko
At their annual retreat last week, Ann Arbor Council members shared what they want Ann Arbor city government to focus on, and how the members, who are politically divided, can work together to get the job done in the coming…
Let the Dysfunction Games Begin? Vote to Exclude CPA From Budget Committee, Repetitive Pleas for Concision
The Dec. 1 City Council meeting included members grappling over their own rules, a failed floor motion to put Council’s only CPA on the group’s Budget & Labor Committee and a lengthy debate centered around limiting members’ speaking…
Ann Arbor’s New Fire Chief Larry Collins Was Fired From Previous Post in Sept. 2014
CITY OF ANN Arbor officials put out a press release when new Fire Chief Larry Collins was hired. It was short and sweet. What it didn’t include was the fact that Collins had been fired from his previous job on Sept. 4. Before heading the…
Ann Arbor Independent & ACLU Press Police to Release Public Records About Rosser Shooting
The Ann Arbor Independent filed a Freedom of Information Act request for the incident report filed by AAPD officers after the shooting of Aura Rosser. The ACLU of Michigan has been in contact with the AAPD, as well, urging the release of…
EDITORIAL: City Employees Cashing Out Unused Vacation Hours Must End
CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS fell down on the job between 2011 and 2014. The job performances of City Administrator Steve Powers and City Attorney Stephen Postema went without review. The Charter calls for Council members to evaluate only two city…
AAPD Chief’s Decision to Keep a Lid on Details About Woman’s Shooting Triggers Questions
AAPD Chief Seto, when asked, declined to release the name of the officer who shot Aura Rosser. Neither would he answer questions about how many officers responded to the call and why two officers have been put on paid administrative leave.…
Black Berrien County Activist Convicted by All-White Jury
by Abayomi Azikiwe
AN ALL-WHITE jury in St. Joseph, Michigan has found Rev. Edward Pinkney guilty of five felony counts of forgery stemming from a recall campaign against Mayor James Hightower of Benton Harbor earlier this year.
The…