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Alleged Rapist Hired as Deputy; Sheriff Denies Release of Background Check as “Not in the Public’s Interest”
by P.D. Lesko
On March 25, 2024, The Ann Arbor Independent submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the County Sheriff's Dept. to obtain a copy of the background check done on Sheriff's Deputy D'Angelo Ladonn McWilliams prior…
U-M Tickets Student Protesters and Bans Them From Campus Buildings: ACLU Says, “Not So Fast”
by Ann Mullen
According to an article in The Michigan Daily on Mar. 29, Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) reported that three students were served citations by police in Ann Arbor “for trespassing at the 101st Honor…
Deadbeat Commissioners Owe Taxpayers Thousands for Over-Spending on Travel, Hotels and Conferences
by P.D. Lesko
County Commissioner Crystal Lyte.
In Jan. 2024, Washtenaw County Commissioners voted to adopt new Board of Commissioner Rules and Regulations. Among those rules and regulations is Section X. Commissioner Optional…
County Commissioner Belittles Public and Public Concerns About DEI Director’s $115K in Credit Card Charges
by P.D. Lesko
Former Ypsilanti Twp. trustee Monica Ross-Williams attended the Mar. 20, 2024 meeting of the Washtenaw County Commissioners for one reason: she wanted to register her shock and displeasure at the County Commissioners' lax…
Alize Asberry Payne Slept (Ate and Ubered) Here: County DEI Dir. Charged $115K to County Credit Card
by P.D. Lesko
County records revealed that between 2022-2023, Alize Asberry Payne charged $115,000 to the credit card given to her by Washtenaw County. Along with trips, workshops, conferences, and a $3,700 payment to the Detroit…
Gov. Whitmer Wants to Cut Funding for Public Transit. Ann Arbor State Reps. Jason Morgan and Carrie Rheingans Caucus For Funding Hike
by Jon King
A bipartisan legislative panel met for the first time Wednesday in Lansing with a focus on improving Michigan’s transit infrastructure.
Let by state Reps. Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor) and Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park), the…
A2Politico: City Bicentennial Celebrations Include a “Fun” Opportunity to Pay $795,000 to Pave a Parking Lot
by P.D. Lesko
So far, Ann Arbor's Bicentennial "celebrations" look like a "delicious" get together planned by out-of-touch, rich, white people: crustless mayonnaise sandwiches, only the best Lipton tea (but a charge for cracked cups for…
County Sheriff Spends Mental Health and Public Safety Millage Money on New Boat, New Furnishings, Graphic Design, and Bogus Therapy Program
by P.D. Lesko
This article was made possible by The Ann Arbor Independent FOIA Fund.
At a recent "informational meeting" with officials from western Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton, The Sheriff's…
Ann Arbor’s Guaranteed Income Program Starts Giving Out $528 Monthly Payments
by Ken Coleman
A two-year project aimed at providing monthly payments to 100 current and future Ann Arbor entrepreneurs with low and very low incomes kicked off this month. Over 1,000 people applied in Oct. 2023.
Powered by Poverty…
In May 2023, Michigan Court of Appeals Found That Local Trial Court Judge Showed Bias, Abuse of Discretion and Ignorance of Court Rules
by P.D. Lesko
On May 11, 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals published an opinion in which a three-judge panel found Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh's rulings in a divorce case repeatedly showed bias and abuse…