Letter to the Editor: Local Governments Must Face Upcoming Fiscal Crisis
by Donnelly Wright Hadden
Our State government is in a frenzy to spend money and cut taxes, because it has a temporary budget windfall. Michigan officials had better save some of that money to bail out local governments next year,…
A2Politico: County Residents Deserve Leadership, Not Gaslighting from Ann Arbor County Commissioners
by Patricia Lesko
County Commissioner Ricky Jefferson. Photo | Washtenaw County
Let me preface this by saying that in 2013, when our son was diagnosed with whooping cough, we received excellent support and supervision from the…
Washtenaw County Unmasked: Health Department Lifts K-12 Mask Mandate
Washtenaw County Health Department has announced it will lift its remaining COVID-19 health orders in K-12 educational settings effective Feb 28. This includes two orders, one requiring masks, and another for isolation and…
The Foodist: Best Dressed Salads
by Ari LeVaux
It’s a noun. It’s a verb. It’s a way of life. “Creamy,” said my friend Luci Brieger, when I asked how her summer was going. Creamy has many meanings at her farm, Lifeline Produce in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, all of them…
Political Donor to Mayor & His Council Allies Benefits From City Zoning Changes Around Briarwood
by P.D. Lesko
2/11/22: This article has been updated with comments from Council member Kathy Griswold (D-Ward 2).
Council member Kathy Griswold's (D-Ward 2) resolution asked City staff for the answers to a few questions: Who owns the…
U-M Presidential Search Committee Seeks Community Input
The University of Michigan Board of Regents has appointed a committee of faculty, staff, students and alumni to assist with the search for the University of Michigan's next president and to collect feedback from the university community.…
Confronting Antisemitism in Michigan in the Wake of Colleyville
To Claim Our Hero, We Must Also Own Our Hate
by Jay Saper
While we as Michiganders may take pride in Ann Arbor-educated Rabbi Cytron-Walker having heroically helped his fellow congregants held hostage at his Colleyville, Texas,…
How Many Units of Market Rate, Low-Income, Workforce and Affordable Housing Has Ann Arbor Built Since 2014?
by P.D. Lesko
"If you want to work on affordability, the thing that you do is try to increase supply. So, that is going to be a community conversation that we are going to continue to have. Obviously it’s going to mean that we have to…
First Amendment Twist: Federal Judge Awards Local Hate Group $159K in Legal Fees
by P.D. Lesko
Note: Our family belonged to Congregation Beth Israel from 1992-2004. I served on the Board in the early-90s. When the protests by Witness for Peace began, we were members of the synagogue. We joined Temple Beth Emeth…
When Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End? Four Essential Reads on Past Pandemics and What the Future Could Bring
by Maggie Villiger
More than two years after the first cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed, people are exhausted by the coronavirus pandemic, ready for all this to end. When – if ever – is it realistic to expect SARS-CoV-2 will recede from…
