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

WARD 3 COUNCIL member Stephen Kunselman was first threatened with recall by a member of the homeless advocacy group MISSION. A few days later, the same member of MISSION who had announced at a public Council meeting the group was behind the…

The Ann Arbor Independent published a long list of stories that received quite a bit of attention from readers. Below, find links to some of the most compelling and popular articles published in 2014, based on the number of social media…

Julie Weatherbee—U-M IT Systems Trainer, wiles away Monday evenings on Twitter commenting on City Council mmetings. Julie Weatherbee is, in turns, clever, funny, acerbic, rude and politically nerdy. Twice monthly, she watches City…

Dr. Rose Bellanca was hired as the president of Washtenaw Community College in 2011. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, university presidents, on average, stay in their jobs 8.5 years. With a total compensation package that…

The A2 Indy’s Ann Arbor Locals to Watch in 2014 were: Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift, Dr. Matthew M. Davis, Council Member Sally Hart Petersen, restaurant entrepreneur Sava Lelcaj, Council member Jack Eaton, County Commissioner Yousef Rabhi,…

THE REDISTRICTING THAT pitted Rep. John D. Dingell, Jr. against Rep. Lynn Rivers caused many bruised feelings when Rep. Rivers lost. To his credit (and that of his wife, soon-to-be U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell) the pair worked mightily to win…

AAATA’S FORMER CEO Michael Ford was hired because he had experience with light rail. In the end, he was unable to do little more than spend money on staff time, studies, marketing and consultants aimed at determining when and how the WALLY…

SINCE NOV. 9, The Ann Arbor Independent has filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests in an effort to disseminate public records about the shooting of 40-year-old Ann Arbor resident Aura Rosser’s Nov. 9 shooting. The newspaper…

by Rob Smith IN A REPORT released on Dec. 10, the Foundation for Individual Right in Education concluded that the University of Michigan and EMU are  “red light” institutions when it comes to free speech on the campus. In fact, of the 12…

by P.D. Lesko At their annual retreat last week, Ann Arbor Council members shared what they want Ann Arbor city government to focus on, and how the members, who are politically divided, can work together to get the job done in the coming…