A2POLITICO: U-M and FOIA—the $96,000 Question
by P.D. Lesko
THE U-M FOIA official sent a letter requesting $60 to examine one month of that institution’s FOIA log. This was after I received a handwritten list of FOIAs submitted to U-M that covered a two week period and a letter…
OP-ED: In the Hamas/Israel Dispute, There are Two Sides to the Story
by Helen Aminoff
A FRIEND OF ours gave me a copy of an article that appeared in The Ann Arbor Independent’s 23 July issue, written by Donna Nevel entitled “The Problem With Israel: The Mass Expulsion of Palestinians.” I would like to…
Former Ward 2 Council Member Tony Derezinski Runs for WCC Board of Trustees
FORMER ANN ARBOR City Council member Tony Derezinski (D-Ward 2) is launching a bid for a spot on the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees. Derezinki, who once batted around the idea of running for mayor, was defeated in the 2012…
EDITORIAL: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green: Student Success in Ann Arbor
ANN ARBOR PUBLIC Schools recently received a poor rating from the Michigan Department of Education on that district’s school reportcard. Local officials argued that the district’s “high diversity” makes it difficult to meet the state’s high…
Critics Say WCC Prez’s Belt-Tightening Not Evident in Her Pay, Perks or P-Card Statements
A new budgeting strategy which Dr. Bellanca says aligns spending with the college’s strategic priorities has faculty up in arms. The college’s latest budget ups funding for instruction and instructional support by 1.4 percent while funding…
Crimes Reported by AAPD Aug. 18-Aug. 25—Identity Theft & Fraud
OVER THE PREVIOUS week, there were 62 crimes reported by the AAPD. That’s up from 54 crimes reported the preceding week. Assault, fraud, theft/larceny topped the list of crimes reported. Over the past six months, theft/larceny (513 crimes…
Natural Area Preservation (NAP) September Events
ANN ARBOR NATURAL Area Preservation (NAP) works to protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic among its citizens. This involves conducting plant and animal inventories, ecological monitoring, and…
“Road Diet” Concept Popular With Ann Arbor Planners Gets Support of Saline City Council Members
SALINE CITY COUNCIL member Linda TerHaar presented a resolution at the group’s last meeting to ask MDOT to present options for a road diet and other measures to address traffic flow into and out of the community of 8,800. In particular,…
OP-ED: Academic Publishing is Destined to Fail without Better Publisher-Author Partnership
by Ken Wachsberger
IN THE MAY 26, 2014 issue of The Nation, Scott Sherman wrote about the precarious state of academic publishing due largely to pressures it faces, including from declining library budgets, the rise of commercial…
Performance Network Theatre: Loss of Tax Exempt Status & Loss of State License to Solicit Donations
by Christian Usera
ANN ARBOR’S PERFORMANCE Network Theatre has been in financial trouble for years, but its most recent financial difficulties might be just the tip of a titanic iceberg. The group has filed income tax returns (in 2011)…

