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Ward 4 Candidates’ Voting Records Raise Questions About Civic Involvement
Public records provided by the County Clerk's office show that Ward 4 candidate Jen Eyer, who is running for City Council, missed multiple opportunities to vote against incumbent Jack Eaton. She has also missed opportunities to vote in…
Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee Introduces Bill to Extend CARES Act Benefits Through December 2020
by Ellie Nelson
Even as some states start reopening, there’s little sign the coronavirus pandemic — or most of its adverse economic effects — will end anytime soon. But the $600-per-week lifeline the federal government…
Where to Get Cash, Food and Internet During the Covid Crisis
Even after modest business grants from the Washtenaw United Way dried up after just two weeks, local businesses are scrambling for PPP loans from the SBA and a few have even managed to land the elusive funding. Individuals and…
Ward 4 Council Member Writes About “Reality Politics”
Facts and truth should matter to all of us. It has to be the starting point for every decision.
by Elizabeth Nelson
I’m relieved to be living in Ann Arbor during this pandemic. Your local leaders and city staff are serious about…
City Council Members Vote to Require a Funding Plan for the $1 Billion A2 Zero Carbon Neutrality Plan
by P.D. Lesko
"There is no funding plan." Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm (I) repeated this phrase during the discussion on April 20 of a resolution co-sponsored by Mayor Taylor, Ward 3 Council members Grand and Ackerman, and Ward 5…
Washtenaw County Spring 2020 Tree & Shrub Distribution Cancelled
by Megan DeLeeuw
The Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) Spring Tree & Shrub Distribution originally scheduled for April 17th & 18th is cancelled. The Board of Directors made this difficult decision in order to reduce…
Doctors And Nurses on the Coronavirus Front Line Are Getting Sick And Dying — And Michigan Is Not Keeping Track
by P.D. Lesko
Despite threats from employers of disciplinary action and even firing, nurses and doctors say that health care workers fighting the coronavirus outbreak across the country are getting sick and dying. And despite the fact…
Money Runs Out Less Than Two Weeks After Washtenaw United Way Announces Small Biz Emergency Grants
With $1.29 million in funding, $1 million of which was donated by the Song Foundation, the Washtenaw United Way's Washtenaw Small Business Emergency Relief Fund ran dry just two weeks after the modest grants were announced. The United…
Confusion Over Gov. Whitmer Stay-Home Order
Can you buy seeds or seedlings?
by Riley Beggin
It’s hard for Damon Glei, owner of Glei’s Orchards and Greenhouses in Hillsdale, to determine where his 103-year-old business fits into Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s extended stay-at-home…
These Council Members Handed Howard Lazarus His Golden Parachute in 2016, Then Pretended They Didn’t
by P.D. Lesko
The only reason former City Administrator Howard Lazarus is several hundred thousand dollars richer is thanks to an open-ended, 2016 contract negotiated by someone among the attorneys employed in the City Attorney's…