Murder Up 300 Percent, Attempted Murder Up 89 Percent in Washtenaw County Since 2021
by P.D. Lesko
According to Washtenaw County Trial Court records, between June 19, 2020 and July 19, 2021, five people in Washtenaw County were arrested and charged with murder, including Open Murder, Felony Murder and 2nd Degree Murder.…
Crime Report: Over Last 30 Days, in Ypsi and Ypsi Twp. 498 Crimes Reported, Including Six Murders
Editor: With this column, The Ann Arbor Independent launches Crime Reports for Washtenaw County cities and townships. The weekly Crime Report will also include Trial Court prosecutions of Capital Felonies charged by the County Prosecutor,…
Friends of the AADL Celebrate 70 Years of Support for the City’s Library System
In 1953, the Friends of the Ann Arbor District Library (FAADL) shared a historical moment alongside Ernest Hemingway. The library’s volunteer organization became a nonprofit the same month Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature for…
Watch: Shannon McFall and County Sheriff Candidate Ken Magee Talk Spike in Murders and Gun Violence
The Ann Arbor Independent's "Urban Exile" columnist Shannon McFall lives in Pittsfield Township and vlogs about race, local, county and national politics. He shares commentaries with The Ann Arbor Independent. Tune in to watch a video…
Ann Arbor City Council is Engaged in Bribery Zoning
by Bruce Laidlaw
On June 20, 2023, the Ann Arbor City Council approved the zoning and site plan for a 12 story, 166-foot-tall structure containing 228 residential units and 733 bedrooms. The proposed structure would be at 721 South…
Review: “The Miracle Club”
A handful of terrific actors make the pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, hoping for a miracle but settling for a fairly standard pot of art-house pudding.
by Peter Debruge
“The Miracle Club” may not be a faith-based…
Since 2016 County Administrator Pay Has Doubled and Commissioners’ Pay Has Risen 115 Percent
by P.D. Lesko
As the saying goes: One hand washes the other. In the case of County Administrator Greg Dill and the Washtenaw County Commissioners, they have worked together to more than double their own pay since Dill was hired in 2016.…
County Prosecutor Criticized Sheriff Candidate’s Ethics and “Disservice to Victims”
by P.D. Lesko
In July 2022, Derrick Jackson celebrated the County Commissioners' award of $1.2 million in public money to non-profit Supreme Felons, Inc. According to documents, emails and text messages shared with A2Indy, the…
Purple Rose Theatre’s “Jukebox For The Algonquin” Focuses On Seniors Living And Loving
by Davi Napoleon, Pulp
Billed as “a serious comedy about sex, drugs, and rocking chairs,” Paul Stroili’s Jukebox for the Algonquin takes place at Placid Pines, a senior living community in the Adirondack region of New York, circa 2003.
…
Veterans who served on Michigan’s PFAS-contaminated bases continue to struggle for VA recognition
by Miguel Leyva
Since the mid-20th century, the U.S. Military's haphazard use and disposal of dangerous chemicals have irremediably impacted the lives of countless troops and civilians who were none the wiser to the toxins they were…
