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

Pease note: Kai Petainen is a member of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board. WARD 5 COUNCIL member Chuck Warpehoski is facing persistent questions from the public, his Council colleagues and his opponent in the August 5…

by J.H. Mae I’M FINALLY THE proud owner of a health insurance plan. It covers nothing, but if I get a kidney stone or break my coccyx, I’m covered. Thanks, Obamacare! This isn’t an anti-Obamacare rant or a blushing endorsement, I’m…

THE ANN ARBOR Independent is committed to in-depth reporting on local news as well as accountability journalism. This means the newspaper relies on the Freedom of Information Act to request public records. Over the past four months, the…

by Jeremy Greenfield SAY GOODBYE TO the years of fast-paced ebook growth — at least for now. Ebook growth, once in the triple and double digits, with no signs of abating, slowed to a crawl in 2013. According to the latest numbers from…

by Mark Coker SMASHWORDS IS THE world’s largest distributor of self-published ebooks. The company has helped over 50,000 authors around the world publish and distribute over 200,000 ebooks to major retailers such as the Apple iBookstore,…

by Jill Richardson FLORENCE OGENDI AND her family have no refrigerator. They live in a tiny village in Kenya near Lake Victoria (and near Barack Obama’s step-grandmother, his Granny Sarah), but over 40 miles from the nearest city.…

A HIGHER PROPORTION of U.S. adults are reading ebooks than ever before, according to new data from the Pew Internet & American Life project. Some 28 percent of Americans read an ebook last year, up from 23 percent in 2012. Even as…

ACCORDING TO FIGURES released by the State of Michigan, seasonally unadjusted unemployment rates in February increased in 15 of the state’s 17 major labor market regions, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management &…

THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF Community Health (MDCH) recently became aware of a breach of protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and is notifying 2,595 individuals and the Department…

APRIL THE 15TH: In the United States, it’s a date dreaded by many, as the date to file income taxes — or beg for an extension — looms large. But this year, Tax Day gives lovers of the sky something to look forward to, as the first of four…