In May 2023, Michigan Court of Appeals Found That Local Trial Court Judge Showed Bias, Abuse of Discretion and Ignorance of Court Rules
by P.D. Lesko
On May 11, 2023, the Michigan Court of Appeals published an opinion in which a three-judge panel found Washtenaw County Trial Court Judge Tracy E. Van den Bergh's rulings in a divorce case repeatedly showed bias and abuse…
Local Rabbi Says AAPS Trustee Querijero’s Resolution for Cease Fire in Gaza an Effort to “Stigmatize Jewish Children”
by P.D. Lesko
Rabbi Nadav Caine leads the congregation at Beth Israel synagogue on Washtenaw Ave. On Jan. 15 he sent out an email to the members of the synagogue in which he sharply criticized the members of the Ann Arbor Public Schools…
A2Politico: Ann Arbor Hires As Police Chief Candidate Who Allegedly Battered and Injured a Woman
by P.D. Lesko
On Dec. 19, Ann Arbor City Council voted unanimously to approve the City Administrator's recommendation to hire Andre Anderson as the City's next Chief of Police. In recommending Anderson despite his blemished service…
Bucking National Trends, A2Indy Readership in 2023 Jumped Almost 12 Percent to 90,657
During 2023, The Ann Arbor Independent's readership rose from 80,949 to 90,657, an 11.9 percent increase. The newspaper's readership in 2021 stood at 68,124. According to research by the non-partisan Pew Research Center published in Nov.…
Locals Explore Wolverines’ 1997 National Championship in New Book
by Jenn McKee
Books about the University of Michigan’s football team could easily fill several shelves, but strangely, one thing that’s been missing is a deep-dive chronicle of the 1997 National Championship season.
Don’t worry,…
Who Derailed Ann Arbor’s Plans for an Unarmed Response Program?
by P.D. Lesko
In April 2021, City Council voted to adopt resolution R-21-129 which directed then City Administrator Tom Crawford to implement an "unarmed crisis response program in the City of Ann Arbor."…
Movie Review: “Wonka”
Timothée Chalamet Makes a Winning Willy Wonka in a Fun Prequel That’s One of the Squarest Movie Musicals in Decades
His candymaker is a wistful young dreamer in a film where even the dark side is wholesome.
MPA Rating: PG. Running…
Climate Grief
by Rob Schofield
If the five stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance, Americans can be found at all points along the continuum when it comes to global climate change and the environmental…
Former Ann Arbor City Employee Who Sued Over City’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Has Case Thrown Out
"Plaintiffs, former City of Ann Arbor (“City”) employees, filed this lawsuit claiming that their employment was terminated in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ('Title VII) and Michigan's Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights…
Boosting Michigan’s Population is All About Facing Reality: Too Many Young People Are Leaving the State
by Rick Haglund
Foundation and other philanthropy executives aren’t generally known as firebrands. But veteran foundation leader David Egner recently served up a scorching assessment of Michigan’s protracted economic decline and why it…
