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

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…

ALL OF THE candidates who ran in the August 5 primary election deserve our thanks for putting forth the time and effort to vie for elected office. It takes an enormous amount of work to campaign—from knocking on voters’ doors to attending…

WHILE THE ANN Arbor Independent uncovered and reported on inappropriate emails between AnnArborChronicle.com’s editor and publisher and Ward 1 Council member Sabra Briere, the fact remains that the online news site slated to close on…

by Stephen Lange Ranzini THE SALE OF United Bank & Trust to Indiana-based Old National Bancorp worth $173.1 million closed this past Thursday.  I am sad that any local community bank would opt to sell out to a mega bank.  Something…

ACCORDING TO CRIME data reported by the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department, between February 2014 and July 2014, the number of crimes reported per month almost tripled, rising from 141 crimes reported in February to 404 crimes reported…

by Donna Iadipaolo As of May 7, 2014, West Bay Exploration was responsible for 29.4 percent of the hazardous material spills reported to the MDEQ district covering Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Gratiot, Ingham, Lapeer, Lenawee,…

“AN INDEPENDENT review team concludes that a financial emergency exists in the Benton Harbor Area Schools under the provisions created by Public Act 436 of 2012,”  states a press release from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s office. Five…

by Jodie Gummow AMERICANS SPENT $5.5 billion on sports drinks, mostly Gatorade and Powerade last year. Even 12 percent of elementary school kids drink sports drinks. And that doesn’t even count expenditures on other sports nutrition…