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Michigan Government
Washtenaw County 14a District Court Employees Use County Credit Cards To Make Dozens of Purchases At Ypsilanti Tim Horton’s
WASHTENAW 14A COURT employees Colleen E. Turek and Lisa Mull have each used their county-issued credit cards to make dozens of purchases at the Ypsilanti Tim Horton’s. The most recent purchase was one for $57.42 made on February 7, 2014 by…
Bill Sponsor Says Year-Round Schools Will Prove Popular
by Ron French
A BILL TO encourage struggling Michigan schools to convert to a year-round schedule was approved by the House Appropriations Committee last week, and now moves to the full House for consideration. The proposal, sponsored by…
UPDATED: County Taxpayers Foot The Bill For County Employee Stays At Vegas Casinos, Michigan Resorts & Other Luxury Lodgings
Please note: This article was updated with a quote from Sheriff Jerry Clayton's Executive Assistant, Katherine Wyatt.
AN ANALYSIS OF credit card charges made by Washtenaw County employees between 2012 and 2014 shows multiple charges for…
OP-ED: Legislature Gives Big Oil More Tax Breaks
By David Schaeffer
AS YOU READ this op-ed, a package of bills aimed at giving big oil further tax breaks and expanding eminent domain rights has already passed through the Michigan House with barely even a glimmer of resistance. This…
HOUSE CALLS: Ann Arbor’s State Representative Discusses Lowering The Income Tax Rate Versus Entitlements
Representative Jeff Irwin, a Democrat, served for a decade as a Washtenaw County Commissioner. In January 2013, he began his second term in the Michigan House of Representatives. In his column, “House Calls,” The Ann Arbor Independent poses…
EDITORIAL: Ann Arbor State-Level Representatives’ Roll Call Vote Attendance Records
THE MAJORITY OF the new and returning members of the Michigan House of Representatives can boast perfect attendance records with respect to the 534 roll call votes taken between January and December 2013. Michigan legislators earn $71,865…
Michigan Dept. of State Rejects “WAR SUX” Vanity Plate Request From Ann Arborite
OFFICIALS IN THE Michigan Department of State determined that “WAR SUX” is a vanity plate request that is “offensive to good taste and decency.”
David DeVarti, an Ann Arbor resident, former City Council member and former member of the…
Keeping Tabs—Locals to Watch In 2014: Yousef Rabhi
On a path where politics and principles meet.
AT POLITICAL GATHERINGS, Washtenaw County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi is often the tallest man in the room and at 24-years-old, often the youngest. He is serving as the Chair of the BOC, one…
Ann Arbor State Senator Warren Introduced 27 Bills, 8 Resolutions and 18 Amendments in 2013
ANN ARBOR’S 18th District State Senator Rebekah Warren introduced 27 bills between January and December 2013. All of Representative’s bills were referred to committees. Senate Bill 674: Establish statutory right to breastfeed in public was…
Ann Arbor State Representative Jeff Irwin Introduced 16 Bills, 5 Resolutions & 7 Amendments During 2013
ANN ARBOR’S 53RD District Representative Jeff Irwin introduced 16 bills between January and December 2013. All of the Irwin’s bills were referred to committees, where they remain. Those bills included one to legalize marijuana, a bill to…