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The Many Faces of Margie Teall
by P.D. Lesko
Fourth Ward Council member Margie Teall has talked a good game for a long time. The incredibly incurious (Ann Arbor News/AnnArbor.com), overly obsequious (Ann Arbor Observer) or just plain naive (Michigan Daily) local media…
Judge Reverses Snyder Administration Removal of 11K Mich. Families From Welfare
by Rob Smith
It's been a tough couple of weeks for Governor Rick Snyder in the Michigan courts. First a Wayne County judge declared closed-door meetings of the finance team which had been evaluating whether Detroit should be forced to…
Tony D Is Suddenly For Ann Arbor—Crass Political Opportunism Makes A Return
by P.D. Lesko
In November 2011 Second Ward Council member Stephen Rapundalo sent a damaging email to AnnArbor.com in which he painted himself as a disingenuous opportunist, writing that he wanted to “look engaged” prior to the election. …
On European Trade Trip, Gov. Snyder Promotes Failing Mich. Tech Firm That Has Lost $412.3M Dollars Since ’09
A2P Notes: In Fall 2010, A123 Systems opened what the company touted as the "world's largest lithium ion automotive battery manufacturing plant in North America" in Livonia, Michigan. According to a September 13, 2010 piece in the New York…
Photos Reveal Michigan “Trade Delegation” to Europe “Exploring Growth Opportunities”—At Italian Art Museums
by Rob Smith
In the March 13th issue of the New York Times there is an article about the severe economic problems that face Italy. That country, like Michigan, has been in one of the deepest recessions on record. Unemployment in Italy last…
Ann Arbor Mayor: “Closing 1/2 of City Fire Stations Will Result In Much Better Fire Coverage.”
At Monday's City Council meeting John Hieftje evidently wanted to make sure he understood exactly how deep in his own personal pile of horse manure he was standing. So, Hieftje pointedly asked the new Fire Chief, Chuck Hubbard (below), a…
Insider Baseball: Ten Must-Read Political Pundits, Bloggers & Online Voices
by Joseph DiSano
Dipping your toes into the on-line world of Facebook and Twitter is a bit daunting. But just like in real life, you learn quickly who actually knows what they are talking about. Here are 10 folks you should be paying…
Green Energy Programs in Michigan Rely Heavily on Federal Subsidies—Some U.S. Senators Want To End the Flow of Money
by Rob Smith
Federal funding for rail. Federal funding for roads. Federal funding for green energy. Between 2009 and 2011, the state of Michigan has been the recipient of over $17 billion dollars in federal stimulus money also known as…
Interview: Mayor Brenda Lawrence Is The Definition of An Underdog—To Get To Congress, She Has To Beat Two Incumbents & the Media
BRENDA LAWRENCE (LEFT) grew up on the northeast side of Detroit and was raised by her grandparents; her mother died when she was three-years-old. She graduated from Detroit's Pershing High School, and earned her bachelor's degree in public…
In Wayne County $729,675,152.78 in Federal Stimulus Money Went to K-12 Education
As A2Politico revealed in a February 23, 2012 post: The amount of stimulus funding send from Washington, D.C. to Washtenaw County between 2009 and 2011 is a staggering $767,218,458 million dollars, the 4th largest amount given out within…