House Calls: Rep. Jeff Irwin Talks Funding (i.e. New Taxes) For Transportation
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…
52nd District Republican Representative Mark Ouimet Targeted For Recall
Let me just say for the record that I like 52nd District Michigan State House Republican Mark Ouimet. He's a personable, warm and friendly man. Washtenaw County Democrats, led by Stu Dowty, then Chair, tried to derail Ouimet's march to the…
WHISPER: Think Local First Executive Director Enters Third Ward Council Race
A2Politico Notes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores" because you read it here first!
There are now two challengers running to unseat Third Ward Council member Stephen Kunselman. The first to throw a hat into the ring was Marwan…
Service Cuts Have Resulted In Sharp Rise In Number & Frequency of Fire-Related Deaths
A2P Notes: This is filed under "Scoops & Scores," because you read it here first!
The graph, above, is simple to read. As the number of firefighters in Ann Arbor has declined, the number and regularity of fire fatalities have…
What To Do About Picky Eaters (Without Dinner Theater or Begging)
"Up to the table everybody! Dinner time!"
Do these words make your kids slink off in the other direction, muttering, "I'm not hungry" or "yuck!?" Do you make additional dinners routinely to please non-eaters? Do you have a child on the…
Foodist: Kitchen Fetishists
According to research by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 1920 the average American woman spent 30 hours per week preparing meals and cleaning up from them. By 1950, the number of hours per week women spent rustling up chow dropped…
The Culture Vulture: Ann Arbor Summer Festival Executive Director Robb Woulfe Talks About the Festy’s Mid-Life Crisis
The weather’s turning warm (and then cold again and then warm again, but let’s just forget the blustery part for now), the kids are clamoring to begin their video-game and amusement park-filled vacations, Leinenkugel Summer Shandy is in…
The Parent Trap: It’s Time Every Kid Made Time to Volunteer. Really.
I have written about our kids being entitled, (March 20), enabled (March 27), having poor manners (March 6). Every day I am reminded how easy our kids have it, how much is given to them, and how little we ask in return. There is a way to…
Library of Michigan Selects Ann Arbor Author Laura Kasischke’s Book For Michigan Notable Book Program
Every year, the Michigan Department of Education's Library of Michigan and its Michigan Notable Books program choose 20 of the most notable books published in the year. According to the Notable Books web site, "The selections are reflective…
A Descent Into the Maelström: Private School Diary—Closet Racists.
A2PNotes: Ann Arbor is home to some 16,000 public school students, and approximately 1,700 students who attend the city's various private schools. Those students are parented by tens of thousands of women and men who haven't a clue about…