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

by P.D. Lesko ThinkProgress, Progress Michigan, and just about every politically progressive organization in Michigan have been holding their collective breath while sending out scads of mass emails urging Michigan voters to urge Governor…

by Rob Smith "I don't get no respect," was the signature line of comedian Rodney Dangerfield. The 2012 Michigan Sierra Club political endorsements are out, and in Michigan the Dean of the House, Representative John Dingell, just don't get…

On June 30, 2012, the The Sierra Club, Huron Valley Group, and Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter announced that the groups had bestowed one of the most sought after political endorsements in the United States onto Fifth Ward Council…

The Sierra Club, Huron Valley Group, and Sierra Club, Michigan Chapter announced on June 30, 2012 that the groups had bestowed one of the most sought after political endorsements in the United States onto Fourth Ward Council…

by P.D. Lesko Sex sells. It's a tried and true marketing tool that has been used since, well, forever. Gallup & Robinson, an advertising and marketing research firm, has conducted multiple studies and determined that the use of sex in…

by P.D. Lesko Who doesn't want to get a mention in Rolling Stone magazine? You, Adam Levine, Lady Gaga and Nicki effing Minaj rubbing elbows in print. What could be cooler than that? Michigan made the pages of Rolling Stone in a June 27,…

by Rob Smith The 1 percent here in Ann Arbor are just different than us. They look at out-of-work folks and hungry children, homeless men and women tossed out of Camp Take Notice, struggling small businesses and cash-strapped school…

by P.D. Lesko Ward 5 City Council candidate Chuck Warpehoski lists his job as the Executive Director of the tiny Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice on his City Council campaign web site as "community service." It's obvious that he's…

by P.D. Lesko In Ann Arbor it's often tough to decide who's more addled, the politicos or the voters. In August of 2010 Ann Arbor County Commish Barbara Levin Bergman actually spoke in favor of hiring of sexual predators into county jobs.…

“John Hieftje has the strongest environmental record of any Mayor in the Midwest. He’s championed the city’s Greenbelt, the clean energy initiative, commuter rail, bicycling and our terrific parks system. These programs set Ann Arbor apart.…