EDITORIAL: 3649 + 540 = Achievement Gap
THE NUMBERS, ABOVE, represent the number of children enrolled in the Ann Arbor Public Schools who qualify for free or reduced price breakfasts and lunches. One in four children enrolled in the Ann Arbor Public Schools qualifies. This number…
The 12 Most Pesticide-Laden Foods and 15 Cleaner Foods to Choose Instead
THE ENVIRONMENTAL Working Group (EWG) has just published its guide to the most and least pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables.
The #1 “dirtiest”? Apples. The remedy? Buy from the EWG “clean 15” list or buy organic.
The “dirty…
OP-ED: Why We Shouldn’t Celebrate Thanksgiving
by Robert Jensen
AFTER YEARS OF being constantly annoyed and often angry about the historical denial built into Thanksgiving Day, I published an essay in November 2005 suggesting we replace the feasting with fasting and create a National…
Council Member With The Worst Record of Attendance Is Elected Mayor Pro Tempore
AT THE NOVEMBER 18th City Council meeting, five Council members and Mayor John Hieftje voted to elect Ward 4 Council member Margie Teall Mayor Pro Tempore. Teall, who has served on City Council since 2002, has the worst meeting attendance…
City Administrator Defends Refusal of SPARK Board, On Which He Sits, To Release Audit Statements To The Public
Please Note: Kai Petainen is a member of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board.
ANN ARBOR CITY Administrator Steve Powers (below) sits on the Executive Committee of Ann Arbor SPARK. SPARK is funded with public money from both state…
AAPS Demands $2,421 To Release Public Records That Show How Much High Schools Collected In Sporting Event Admissions/Fees During 2011-12
FORMER ANN ARBOR Public School Superintendent Patricia Green, on the subject of public records, told District parents that if they wanted to view public records, they should use the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
On October 28, 2014,…
Michigan’s Unemployment Rate Creeps Up, Now Fourth Highest in Nation
DUE TO THE shutdown of the federal government, Bureau of Labor Statistics data collection, analysis, and dissemination activities were suspended from October 1 through October 16. The September 2013 Regional and State Employment and…
EDITORIAL: When Democrats Vote Like The Republicans They Unseated
ANN ARBOR OFFICIALS who serve in Lansing recently voted on reform bills that require those who apply for welfare and unemployment benefits to be tested for illegal drug use. Those who test positive for illegal drug use would be denied their…
Tips for a Sustainable Thanksgiving
THE SUSTAINABLE food movement continues to transform fields of corn, soy and CAFOs to more verdant, bountiful lands filled with organic produce, heirloom greens and pasture-raised livestock. Countless more school and community gardens have…
A2Politico: AADL Bond Proposal #2?
Please Note: Katherine Griswold is the Chair of The Ann Arbor Independent’s Editorial Board.
by P.D. Lesko
THE ANN ARBOR District Library Board members have clearly not given up on the idea of razing the main library on Fifth Avenue…