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Michigan Government
Washtenaw County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program Accepting Applications
THE ANN ARBOR Office of Emergency Management in conjunction with the Washtenaw County Emergency Management Division is accepting applications for the Washtenaw County Community Emergency Response Team training program. The application…
EDITORIAL: Trial Court Opening— “We’re Not Accepting Applications”
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…
Homeless Advocacy: $50-60K Yearly in Public Funding per Homeless Individual
by David Alexander
WALKING ACROSS A makeshift bridge that straddles Malletts Creek, there’s not much to see in a 2.5-acre section of woods behind 3501 Stone School Road; there is little more than scrub, bushes and trees. But the members…
Conlin/Liem and Owdzeij/Van den Bergh to Square off in 22nd District Court Races
by Sean Sullivan
THE WASHTENAW TRIAL Court primary elections provided few surprises to those in the local legal community. On August 5, voters selected lawyers Patrick Conlin and Veronique Liem to compete in November for the Circuit Court…
Q & A: Washtenaw County Probate Court Candidate Tracy Van den Bergh
TRACY VAN DEN Bergh comes into Sweetwater’s in Kerrytown a bit before 10 a.m. on a Saturday. She’s holding an empty iced coffee and looks casually caffeinated. She’s 44- years-old, and wears her age well. Considering she’s competing in a…
State’s June Unemployment Rate Fourth Highest in U.S.—Ann Arbor Has Lost 20 Percent of IT Jobs
MICHIGAN’S seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in June was unchanged over the month at 7.5 percent, according to data released on July 16 by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB). Total employment declined…
Q & A: Washtenaw County Trial Court Candidate Pat Conlin
by P.D. Lesko
PAT CONLIN HAS pink eye. It couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment. A candidate running for office naturally wants to shake hands. He can’t. Pink eye is devilishly contagious and he wants to make sure he doesn’t…
Blaming Debbie Dingell—Rep. John D. Dingell Jr.’s Hire of Scandal-Tainted Former Local Pol Angers Dems
by P.D. Lesko
On June 11, Rep. John D. Dingell, Jr.’s office announced the hire of Leigh Greden as Mr. Dingell’s chief of staff. The former Ann Arbor News revealed in 2009 that Greden and others on Council had been vote-rigging via email…
Gov. Snyder Signs Ann Arbor State Sen. Rebekah Warren’s Bill in Support of Public Breastfeeding
ON JUNE 24, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation to prevent discrimination against breast-feeding mothers.
“Breast-feeding is a natural act with many proven benefits,” Snyder said. “By supporting new mothers we help ensure good infant…
Local Bar Association Survey Rates Eight Judicial Candidates. Candidates Say, “The poll is very political…”
THERE ARE TWO vacant seats on the Washtenaw County Trial Court that voters will decide during the August 5 primary election. The two non-partisan candidates who collect the most votes in the primary will face each other in the November 5…