The Hatchet Job: Why's Sabra Briere Trying to Make Jane Lumm Look Bad?
by P.D. Lesko
Ann Arbor's fire department is under-staffed, fire-related deaths have tripled, citizens routinely wait for an hour for police to show up to non-emergency calls, fees for water, sewer and solid waste have risen sharply.…
Fourth Ward Dem Incumbent Margie Teall Launches Campaign Website Fit For a Republican
by P.D. Lesko
Margie Teall is not one of the Ann Arbor City Council members who used to be a Republican, changed parties, then ran as Democrats. She's one of the Democrats on Ann Arbor City Council who votes like a Republican, squeezes pay…
May Is National Bike Month: City Spends $8M and Increases Number of Bike Commuters by 50 Cyclists. Total.
In 2000, there were 8 miles of bike lanes in Ann Arbor. Today, there are 37 miles of in-road lanes. John Hieftje's administration has added just a little over 3 miles of lanes per year, on average, over the almost 12 years he has been in…
“Green” Mayor’s Parkland-for-Train Station Scheme Underwritten In Part By Slush Fund
by P.D. Lesko
Let's start with a quiz:
1. Has Ann Arbor City Council voted to approve the construction of a train station in Fuller Park?
2. As the city Charter requires, have the citizens of Ann Arbor voted to give over the 10-acre…
Mother (Jones) Rolls Eyes While Michigan Enviros Laud Rep. Dingell’s “Green” Record
by P.D. Lesko
It's no surprise Republican Rob Steele couldn't unseat Representative John Dingell in 2010. However, Steele's run, which campaign emails intimated would be financed with the doctor's own "fortune," rattled Team Dingell.…
Ward 5 Council Candidate Chuck Warpehoski: A Moderate Religious Voice Prone To Immoderate Lapses
by P.D. Lesko
Fifth Ward Council member Carsten Hohnke has had enough. In his email to constituents, Hohnke told readers he was stepping down after two terms to "spend more time with his family." A classic political dodge. Norman Fowler, a…
Insider Baseball: Will the MI GOP Come Tumbling Down? State Races To Watch
by Joseph DiSano
It’s the time of year when every wannabe pundit and political Nostradamus unveils their prognostications on this year elections. Guess what? No one knows for sure, and those that claim to are lying. A common prediction…
AAPS Documents Reveal Middle and High School Classes Have 40+ Students
by P.D. Lesko
Between 2003 and 2010, while total enrollment in Ann Arbor’s middle and high schools fell, average class sizes increased significantly, and so have actual class sizes, resulting in classrooms stuffed with 10, 12 and sometimes…
A New Copyright Lawsuit May Result in the Prosecution of Educators & Students Who Share Digital Materials
by Ernesto Van Dersar
John Wiley & Sons, one of the world’s largest textbook publishers, is continuing its efforts to crack down on BitTorrent piracy. The company has now named several people who allegedly shared Wiley titles online,…
The “Sustainable” Mantra — Organic, Local, and Slow — Won’t Save the World’s Hungry Millions
by Robert Paarlberg
From Whole Foods recyclable cloth bags to Michelle Obama's organic White House garden, modern eco-foodies are full of good intentions. We want to save the planet. Help local farmers. Fight climate change — and childhood…