More of Us Are Walking, but We’re Still Not Getting Enough Exercise
by Jeannine Stein
AMERICANS MAY BE walking more, but we’re still not meeting weekly fitness recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.
A recent Vital Signs report from the agency found that the percentage…
EDITORIAL: Eager to Interpret the Law, But Unclear on Following it
SEVERAL OF THE the eight candidates running for two seats on the Washtenaw County Trial Court have their campaign yard signs planted on public property. The signs appear on public property throughout Ann Arbor, including one at the…
EDITORIAL: Overpaid Teachers and Underpaid Administrators
THE AUDIT RELEASED by Ann Arbor Public Schools officials was prepared in part by an auditing firm and in part by a human resource consulting firm from Birmingham. The June 22 document draws on data compiled by the Michigan Department of…
Retaliation for Airing Dirty Laundry? WCC Student Journos Fear “Autocratic” Prez May Shutter The Voice
by Rob Smith
IN 2005, WASHTENAW Community College President Dr. Rose Bellanca found her institution, Saint Clair County Community College in Port Huron, embroiled in an ACLU lawsuit over a gag order imposed on the college’s Board of…
EDITORIAL: “I Can’t Explain What SPARK Does.”
WARD 1 COUNCIL member Sabra Briere has repeatedly said she (and by extension, the public) cannot be certain that Ann Arbor SPARK is responsible for the jobs the entity’s employees claim their programs and services help create and retain. In…
The Ann Arbor Independent’s Inaugural Fourth of July Candidate Event Draws Pols, Public & Performers
EVEN THOUGH THE event ticket said the party was set to begin at 6 p.m., curious, excited party-goers began showing up early. By 6 p.m., there was a line to enter the Top of the Park North Tent and by 6:45 p.m. the venue was packed.…
Ann Arbor Independent Reader Survey Results
THE ANN ARBOR INDEPENDENT is in the midst of conducting its first reader survey. Thus far 170 individuals have elected to take the survey online.
“This is a community newspaper,” said Patricia Lesko, whose decades old local publishing…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Open Letter to the AAATA Board
An Open Letter to the AAATA Board Questioning the Legality of CEO Michael Ford’s Retroactive Raise
The Michigan Constitution art 11, Sec. 3, provides: “Neither the legislature nor any political subdivision of this state shall grant or…
Gov. Snyder Signs Ann Arbor State Sen. Rebekah Warren’s Bill in Support of Public Breastfeeding
ON JUNE 24, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation to prevent discrimination against breast-feeding mothers.
“Breast-feeding is a natural act with many proven benefits,” Snyder said. “By supporting new mothers we help ensure good infant…
OP-ED: The Economy Is Binging on Fast Food and Low Wages—and It Needs to Change
by Mike Evangelist
Fast-food workers are walking off the job in 150 U.S. cities today to demand a raise in pay, in the latest demonstration of discontent with the low-wage jobs that have become the new normal in today’s economy.
The…