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

“COUNTY TAXPAYERS PAY $345 per $100,000 in taxable home value to support Washtenaw Community College. In 2012-2013, county taxpayers paid $45.9 million to WCC officials. In return the two-year college’s President Bellanca graduated just…

DURING THE WEEK of June 16-June 25, the AAPD reported a total of 75 crimes. In comparison, Dearborn Police, who patrol a city with a population just slightly smaller than Ann Arbor’s (101,000), but which is also home to a U-M campus,…

by P.D. Lesko While AAPS Superintendent Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift publicly challenges Gov. Snyder and legislators over cuts to K-12 funding, local economic development groups siphon away millions of public school dollars through tax…

Incumbent Judges It was a pleasant surprise to read that The Ann Arbor Independent doesn’t endorse in elections. I’m not sure, after years of Ann Arbor News endorsements of right-wing candidates including George Bush, how much trust the…

by Christina Farr FOR DECADES, MEDICAL technology firms have searched for ways to let diabetics check blood sugar easily, with scant success. Now, the world’s largest mobile technology firms are getting in on the act. Apple Inc,…

AT ITS JUNE 16th meeting, Ann Arbor City Council members once again approved a contract with Governmental Consultant Services Inc. for lobbying services. GCSI has been paid to lobby in Lansing on behalf of the city of Arbor since 2001. Kirk…

by Liz Dwyer TO THE AVERAGE American there’s only one Vergara that matters: “Modern Family” actor Sofia Vergara. But despite never gracing a single magazine cover, Beatriz and Elizabeth Vergara, two Los Angeles Unified School District…

Citizens’ Climate Lobby   Five minutes of your time on June 23rd would go a long way toward creating a better world for our children and grandchildren. On June 24th, 23 Michigan citizens will be in Washington, DC meeting with Senators…

by Jill Richardson IN THE U.S., massage is a multi-billion-dollar industry. As of July 2013, 16 percent of American adults received at least one massage in the last year. But, could it be that more Americans ought to get massages, and do…

The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board shapes this newspaper’s unsigned editorials. The Board members, volunteers who share their views and expertise, do not contribute to the creation of the newspaper’s other content. The Editorial…