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

by Erika McNamara One of the very few civics lessons that high schoolers learn today is that citizens over the age of 18 may vote in U.S. elections.  It is your right and your duty as an adult citizen of the United States to vote.  Of…

A Governor's Story - The Fight for Jobs and America's Economic Future is an important contribution to the conversation and debate that is occurring right now over our economic path forward as a country. The question is, will the rest of the…

by Wilson Diehl When I imagined having kids, I always and not-at-all-secretly wanted to have a girl. I emotionally prepared myself for sons well before I started having babies—before I’d started having sex, come to think of it (late…

Shoppers who land on retail sites through Facebook or Twitter are less likely to make purchases. Their conversion rates average 1.2 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively. Per average order, however, they spend more than those who come…

by P.D. Lesko Second Ward Ann Arbor City Council member Stephen Rapundalo has 25 friends on Facebook. Two of his 25 Facebook friends (Joe Upton and Carey Jernigan), according to information contained in a press release issued on…

by Chris Savage To say that Republicans are on a mission to destroy unions in this country is not an understatement. Across the country, and particularly in the Midwest, newly-elected Republican legislators and governors have spent the…

A2PNotes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores" because you read it here first by P.D. Lesko Collectively, Ann Arbor residents own about 2,000 acres of parkland. A conservative estimate of the value of the land, according to city…

by P.D. Lesko The Boomers on Ann Arbor City Council are fixated on turning the city into a mecca for Young Professionals. After all, 35,000 wanna-be YPs study at the University of Michigan, and if all of them would just stay put, in less…

By Kristina Lakes I am the mother you shun in Wal-Mart. Your disapproving eyes flit from my unbrushed hair to focus upon my four-year-old son, who is dressed in a long-sleeved, fatigue shirt and tight, black-wool leggings, even though it’s…

There are few people in Michigan more qualified than Dan Gilmartin to talk about what it will take to return Michigan and its varying municipalities to prosperity. On his blog, Gilmartin covers everything from what makes municipalities…