EDITORIAL: Don’t Rely on Endorsements
THIS NEWSPAPER DOESN’T endorse candidates or issues. In January 2012, the Chicago Sun-Times stopped endorsing in political races. The editor of that paper explained the decision: “We have come to doubt the value of candidate endorsements by…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Domestic Violence
Domestic Violence
When we think of domestic violence it is easy to think, “This doesn’t happen in my neighborhood. Domestic violence is a problem that affects only other people.” However, the reality is very different. Domestic…
Dexter Council Floats 10 year Bond to Raise $950K to “Rehabilitate” Roads
IN MAY 2014, Dexter officials determined, using a road survey, that streets in that village were rated an average of 5.2 out of a possible ten. The Village Council then issued a ten-year road construction bond for $800,000, to be paid for…
Q & A: Washtenaw County Trial Court Candidate Pat Conlin
by P.D. Lesko
PAT CONLIN HAS pink eye. It couldn’t have come at a more inopportune moment. A candidate running for office naturally wants to shake hands. He can’t. Pink eye is devilishly contagious and he wants to make sure he doesn’t…
Michigan Landfill Use Declines, But Not Ann Arbor’s
by Qing Zhang
Despite a slight increase in Michigan’s population, 2013 witnessed a decline of 0.5 percent in solid waste generated in the state, continuing a 10-year trend, according to a report by the Department of Environmental…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Bar Association Poll
Washtenaw County Bar Association Candidate Survey
Nearly 80 percent of the respondents indicated that they did not know me. Yet 52 percent of the respondents felt my technical qualifications (defined as legal ability, legal knowledge,…
While Oil Drilling Proposed For a Site One Mile Away from River, Huron River Day Spotlights City’s Fresh Water
by David Alexander
THE WATERS WERE right for canoeing and kayaking Sunday afternoon. People from around Washtenaw County flooded Gallup Park with enthusiasm for nature during the 34th annual Huron River Day.
The de facto festival,…
185 Crimes Reported Between June 25-July 12: Forced Entry Home Invasions, Fraud and Larceny
ACCORDING TO THE FBI Uniform Crime Reports, between 2012 and 2013, crime in several categories rose in Ann Arbor. The number of reported rapes rose from 15 to 23, an increase of 65 percent. The number of violent crimes rose from 112 to 119.…
HEALTH: Hearing Damage on the Rise Among Younger Americans
by Lynn Stuart Parramore
WITH FOURTH OF July firecrackers, lawnmowers and outdoor concerts, summer can bring lots of noise, and some of it can be harmful to your hearing. Trust me, I know. I have had ringing in my right ear for 9 months…
Saline Will Have First Contested Mayor’s Race in a Decade
THE LAST TIME the city of Saline had a contested mayor’s race it was 2004. Dean Girbach challenged Gretchen Driskell. Girbach captured 33 percent of the vote.
In a statement released to the media announcing his candidacy, mayoral…