The Ann Arbor Independent - A locally owned newspaper in Ann Arbor

by John Ball THE 2015 ITALIAN Film Festival USA Metro Detroit recently announced the complete schedule of its 11th edition, which takes place April 1-26 at various locations across the metro area, including Ann Arbor. A trio of the…

by Joe Mooney SHAKESPEARE IN THE Arb turns 15 this summer, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum are celebrating with the upcoming exhibition, “Shakespeare’s Garden.” The week-long celebration kicks off March 27 and…

by Donna Iadipaolo “Our paper puts forth the idea that changing the law to give townships/counties local zoning control over surface location of oil and gas wells allows them the right to choose what’s best for their own unique…

by Cristina Glakas IS TORTURE RIGHT? People think torture is morally wrong. However, when the question is whether torture is acceptable to protect national security, there is a much larger debate. A current example of the debate on…

WHILE STATE LAW permits open carry of firearms, including onto public school property, the members of the Board of Education, as well as Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift, intend to embrace a “no weapons” policy for those on school…

by Ari LeVaux THE HUMBLE LENTIL is found in the earthiest of foods. Not the kind of fancy dishes that tap dance around the table atop a frozen cloud of nitrogen, but simple, nourishing foods like Indian dal or hippy mush, foods that feed…

by Danny Tyree ONE OF MY college roommates had a propensity for dismissing a rule (or someone else’s interests) with “Pish posh! That’s for lesser mortals!” That came to mind when I read in U.S. News & World Report about a study…

by Bryan Kelly IN LAST WEEK’S issue of The A2 Indy, my physically fit colleague Brent McDermott published a column dubbing Ann Arbor “a Mecca for runners.” Few may know that our city is, at the very least, in the running for a…

by Katie Carey State Representative Adam Zemke (D-Ann Arbor) offered an amendment on Mar. 19 to prohibit the open carrying of guns in schools and other sensitive areas. It would also add public libraries to the list of no-carry zones.…

by Brooke Kansier PARENTS WHO HAVE qualms about their teen getting behind the wheel can rest a bit easier through a Michigan Sheriffs’ Association-backed program. The program, “Sheriffs Telling Our Parents and Promoting Educated…