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

by Doug Reith Spring is coming--time to plan conservation improvements to your property. Whether you are looking to reforest an area, naturalize landscaping, create a wind barrier, protect the soil, reduce runoff, establish wildlife…

by Ari Levaux When I first made the acquaintance of tofu, it did not go smoothly. A first grader with a soft spot for animals, I had only recently learned where meat comes from. After internalizing this barbaric truth, I announced to my…

Ryan Bartholomew, policy director for State Representative Carrie Rheingans (D-Ann Arbor), has announced his candidacy for Ann Arbor City Council in Ward 3. On Feb. 18, 2025 Ashley Hall, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners’…

by Rep. Joe Aragona A standard rule of thumb for personal budgeting used to be spend about a quarter of your income on housing. ("A week for a month.") Then that slowly inched up until the guideline became spend 30 percent of gross…

by Joe Kazmierski Since its inception, AI has been a mostly detached and seemingly consequence-free convenience in our lives. Other than premium plans, most AI companies don’t even charge you to use their services. So, excluding the…

by Emma Salter The majority of Michiganders view U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) negatively and strongly favor state legislation that would rein in ICE and other federal law enforcement, according to a new poll released…

by Kyle Davidson Members of the Michigan Public Service Commission gave their unanimous approval to DTE Energy’s request to collect an additional $242.4 million from its customers to support upgrades to its energy grid. As one of the…

by Mel Gurtov A Plan for Ukraine Without Ukraine's Consent The U.S. has forged a peace proposal with Russia that, as the French are putting it, amounts to Ukraine’s capitulation. For President Volodymyr Zelensky, the worst possible…

by Bob Topper In my lifetime, presidents from both parties have given inspirational speeches – Kennedy in 1963 at the Berlin Wall saying to the German people, “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner) and Reagan in 1987, at the same…

by P.D. Lesko In a two-page letter dated Nov. 24, 2025, Scio Twp. Supervisor Jillian Kerry wrote to the Scio Twp. Board of Trustees, "I sincerely hope the Township isn’t now inviting me to file a lawsuit to enforce its legal…