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

A2P Notes: Just after AnnArbor.com was launched, essayist Jack Lessenberry wrote in the Metro Times: Now I like to think of myself as a fairly sophisticated newspaper critic. I've worked for a lot of them, have had bylines in The Washington…

by Betsy McMillin I have gotten a lot of great, positive feedback from The Entitled Nation (March 20, 2011), a lot of people seeing themselves and their kids, even when they didn't want to. I wish I could say that my kids are not as…

by Erika McNamara Once again panhandling has grabbed the attention of the Ann Arbor public and media. Recently, the Ann Arbor City Council decided to amend the city Panhandling Ordinance. This decision was based on the recommendation of…

Since 2008, Ann Arbor has been at the top of MITA's list of cities with the worst roads in the state of Michigan. With its Road Repair Millage that brings in $9-$11 million dollars per year in funds that, in theory, are supposed to be used…

The cash cows who live in Ann Arbor have a record of voting to nickel and dime themselves to death, literally. The city's property tax bill, thanks to "supplemental" millages, has come to resemble a check in a French restaurant where…

On April 18, 2011 A2Politico posted a piece titled, "The Politics of Buyer's Remorse: Group Files Petition to Recall Governor Rick Snyder." The post was shared over 500 times on Facebook and Twitter. In that piece, I wrote: When Republican…

To all mothers: Happiest Of Mother's Days! You have earned this day, so spend it how you want to: with your own sweet kids, a day off from your sweet kids and out with your best mom friends, with your own Mother. Happy Mother's Day to…

Chris Savage (pictured left in a photo taken by his wife Anne) and his wife live in Dexter, Michigan. Chris is the voice behind the progressive-leaning Eclectablog. Well, actually, progressive-leaning is putting it mildly. Chris Savage…

The fact is that Michigan's Governor Rick Snyder is not very popular at the moment. That could change. Certainly President Obama's approval ratings, once stellar, have fallen, then recovered. The fact of the matter is that governance and…

Representative Jeff Irwin, a Democrat, served for a decade as a Washtenaw County Commissioner. In January 2011, he began his first term in the Michigan House of Representatives. In his regular column, House Calls, A2Politico will pose a…