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

In the fall of 1978, Nathalie “Nat” Edmunds and other members of the Ypsilanti Convention and Visitors Bureau, applied for a grant from the Michigan Department of Commerce to fund a tour guide for Ypsilanti’s historic districts. Their…

SEPTEMBER IS designated National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month for individuals, families and communities around the country to celebrate recovery. The Dawn Farm Jamboree has been a local celebration of hope, recovery and…

THE HUMANE SOCIETY of Huron Valley will be honored by the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance (MPFA) at its statewide “No Kill Conference” in September.  The Michigan Pet Fund Alliance is an all-volunteer nonprofit 501(c)(3) tax exempt charitable…

SINCE 2006, MICHIGAN police have received $43 million worth of surplus military equipment, including 17 mine-resistant armored fighting vehicles and 1,795 M16 automatic rifles. One of those 17 mine-resistant vehicles is parked in Washtenaw…

Washtenaw County Sheriff Jerry Clayton talks about recent drug busts in the county jail, the socio-economics of crime in the county and "Orange is the New Black." SHERIFF JERRY Clayton currently oversees a $22 million corrections budget.…

by P.D. Lesko THE KOCH BROS. last week pulled $1.1 million in ads buys in the metro-Detroit marketplace. Well, not the Koch brothers themselves. They work through intermediaries. A powerful group funded by the Koch brothers pulled $1.1…

MICHAEL HENRY HAS served as the Chair of the Ann Arbor City Democratic Party since 2013. Prior to his 2013 election, he served as a co-Chair for two years. The Ann Arbor Independent was given documents and emails which addressed Michael…

LAWYER TRACY VAN den Bergh raised almost triple the money incumbent Judge Julia B. Owdziej raised for the August primary election. Van den Bergh raised $51,575 in cash contributions and $4,280 in-kind. She spent $38,532 and put in over…

by P.D. Lesko I AM AT  work on an investigative piece about money allegedly mishandled. I don’t want to give away too much, but suffice it to say the people involved would rather the story not be told. We’re all guilty of wishing we…

PAUL SCHUTT IS the co-founder and co-CEO of Issue Media Group—a Detroit based media company which creates a number of online magazines including Ann Arbor’s ConcentrateMedia.com. Schutt gave a late donation to mayoral candidate Christopher…