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

by Jared Wadley DOES HAVING A college degree from a highly selective school make a difference in getting a well-paid job? Not if you’re African-American, says a University of Michigan researcher. A popular belief in U.S. society is…

There’s a new tool to limit the insurer’s pays for drugs patients need most.  It’s called “tiered” drug coverage.   Under a health care plan with “tiered” coverage, patients pay higher percents of the costs of drugs that patients need most…

by Keya Patel AT 6:23 P.M. on April 29, 2014, Clayton Lockett’s execution began. The doctor use a lethal injection never before tested. At 6:33 pm the doctor announced Lockett was unconscious. At 6:39 pm, Lockett said the word “man” and…

ON WEEKENDS, THE public bathrooms and first floor of the Blake Transit Center downtown remain open well after the front desk staff go off duty. Both the women’s and men’s bathrooms have entrances which are open. There is one family restroom…

by Brent McDermott IF I ASKED five people on the street to describe Ann Arbor in five words or less, these are the answers I would hear: academic, charming, friendly, transient and progressive. They are not the first that come to my…

DURING THIS PERIOD, there were no sex crimes reported by the AAPD. This week, there were 8 assaults, down from 9 the previous week. None of the assaults was charged as felony assault and none involved any sort of weapon. There were 12 cases…

by Donna Iadipaolo THE UNIVERSITY OF Michigan has significantly increased its offerings of free, massive open online courses, otherwise widely known as “MOOCs.” At a result, along with other outcomes, U-M receives major advertising, and…

IN 2009, DAWN Gabay, then interim executive director of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (AATA) sent a letter to an MDOT official urging MDOT not to lease 23 outdated rail cars from a company owned by Louis Ferris, Jr. Ferris had…

I recently read a column in your February 14, 2015 edition that deeply offended me as a customer, friend and community stakeholder in the article’s mean-spirited and unfair characterization of Rush’s Barbershop, and its beloved proprietor…

by  Debbie Munson Badini ON FEB. 27, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources filed an appeal of a December 2014 federal district court ruling that returned wolves in Michigan and Wisconsin to the federal endangered species list and…