DTE Peak-Hour Pricing Plans Are Seriously Flawed
by Jason Hayes
Michigan’s big utilities, including DTE Energy, claim that their summer peak-rate electricity pricing plans are designed to “reduce energy use.” But a recent Stanford University study appears to show that the…
New Report Reveals That DTE Peak-Hour Rates Hurt the Poor
Poorer customers suffer "greater discomfort indoors," Detroit News reports, as summer A/C costs approach California levels.
by James David Dickson
When families cook and eat dinner this June in an air-conditioned home, they will…
Ann Arbor U.S. Rep. Dingell, Jayapal and Sanders Reintroduce Legislation: Medicare for All
by Kyle Davidson
U.S. Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Ann Arbor) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) gathered Wednesday with Democratic colleagues and advocates from across the country for a Washington, D.C.,…
U-M and GEO Still Far Apart: U-M Offers 12.5% Raise and GEO Sticks With Demand For 60% Raise
by Jon King
The University of Michigan has filed a formal petition with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission to appoint a “fact finder” in the ongoing strike by graduate workers.
The university, which filed the petition May…
Ann Arbor Independent Wins Investigative Reporting Award for “Supreme Felons, Inc.”
On May 15, 2023 the Society of Professional Journalists announced that The Ann Arbor Independent had won an excellence in reporting award for its investigative series about a $1.2 million grant handed over to a Washtenaw County non-profit…
Under Distracted Driving Bill, Cellphone Use While Driving Could Result in a Suspended License
by Scott McClallen
The Michigan Senate passed bills aiming to require hands-free cellphone use while driving.
The goal is to reduce distracted driving and, therefore, fatalities.
House Bills 4250, 4251, and 4252 aim to prohibit…
Expenditure of Mental Health Millage Money to Fund Sheriff Candidate’s Run for Office Must End
by P.D. Lesko
Over the past months, I've received photos of Derrick Jackson's face plastered on the side of Ann Arbor buses and Jackson's face plastered on billboards along I-94, ads paid for with Mental Health Millage money and funds…
Movie Review: “Mafia Mamma”
Tired of being disrespected in her day-to-day life, an Italian American mom discovers she’s tougher than she thought when her estranged grandfather dies, leaving her to manage his criminal operation.
by Peter Debruge
In her own home,…
Michiganders Pay High Rates for Unreliable Electric Service
Michigan residents pay outsized rates for some of the least reliable electric service in the country.
by Jason Hayes
The February ice storm that struck the state of Michigan took out the electric utility services of as many…
Open Letter: U-M Faculty Pledge to Withhold Grades– “You Have Refused to Bargain in Good Faith”
Dear President Ono and Provost McCauley:
We are writing as University of Michigan faculty members to express our solidarity with the Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO). Like so many others in our community, we are horrified by the…