EDITORIAL: Imposing Property Tax Hikes Using Arcane Laws Subverts Democracy
UNDER STATE ACT 283 of 1909, a local road millage may be levied by the county board without voter approval. The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners has scheduled an Oct. 1 public meeting to hear from voters before the BOC imposes yet…
Ann Arbor League of Women Voters’ Hosting Candidate Forums
WITH LESS THAN a week before the deadline to register, The League of Women Voters (LWV) is reminding all Michiganders that their voices are important and if they haven’t registered to vote yet, now is the time. The last day to register to…
From 2010-2013 Number of City Employees With Six-Figure Compensation Packages More Than Tripled
by P.D. Lesko
Since the hiring of City Administrator Steve Powers, compensation for city employees has risen sharply. In 2010, 13 employees earned six-figure base salaries. After three years of Powers’ at the helm, that number has…
National Republican Congressional Committee Targets Democrat Pam Byrnes With Fake News Site
DEMOCRAT PAM BYRNES is challenging Republican incumbent Rep. Tim Walberg in the 7th Congressional District, which covers much of the area between Lansing and the southern border of Michigan. The district runs from Coldwater on its western…
At Thurston Nature Center, Neighbors Come Together to Carry on a 50 Year Legacy of Stewardship
by Marjorie Winkelman
PRAVEENA RAMASWAMI IS an enthusiastic, energetic woman with sparkling eyes and a streak of bright purple through her dark hair. She is the perfect tour guide at the Thurston Nature Center Fall work-day, greeting…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: AAATA Endangering Pedestrians
AAATA is using the whole of the 3 block faces (5th, William, 4th) as de-facto loading zones, and creating a dangerous situation for traffic and pedestrians alike. It is impossible to turn northbound on 4th off William much of time, and…
EDITORIAL: WCC President Owes Taxpayers an Explanation
DR. ROSE BELLANCA, in following popular president Dr. Larry Whitworth, had no easy way to blaze her own presidential path. She had two strikes against her. First, she is one of a minority of community college presidents in Michigan and the…
At Washtenaw Dairy, the “Thank You” Letter Box is Always Overflowing
by John Briggs
THE THANK YOU notes to Washtenaw Dairy, for donations of donuts and coffee and ice-cream and ice-cream bars, pile up. Co-owner Jim Smith puts the letters in a cardboard box as they come in.
“We put them in the box, and…
County Employee Credit Card Records Show Las Vegas Trips, Stays at Luxury Hotels Curtailed
by P.D. Lesko
In 2013, The Ann Arbor Independent published articles detailing county employee stays at Las Vegas casinos, resorts and 4-star hotels at taxpayer expense. Analysis of 3,600 credit card charges made in 2014 show no trips to…
Restaurant Inspections Reveal Even Ann Arbor’s Priciest, Well-Known Eateries Cited By Washtenaw County Health Dept.
IT’S EASY TO conclude that pricey meals and national media coverage might guarantee that a restaurant would be free from the most serious violations of a state’s restaurant health code. In March 2014, New York’s Per Se, with its $310…