Premiums Lower, but Michigan Auto Insurance Costs Still High and Plagued by Persistent Racial Disparities
by Jared Wagley
Michigan’s auto insurance reform law has contributed to an 18% drop in average premium costs from 2019 to 2020—the steepest decline in the country over that time period, according to new analysis by Poverty Solutions at…
Public Records Show Millions in Pandemic Grants Distributed Inequitably in Counties Serviced by Ann Arbor SPARK
Businesses in Livingston County received exponentially larger grants than they did to businesses in Washtenaw and Jackson Counties.
by P.D. Lesko
In 2021, between the Washtenaw Small Business Emergency Relief Fund, Michigan Small…
Hospitals are Overrun by the Unvaccinated. What Happens to the Rest of us?
by Susan J. Demas, Michigan Advance
I never fully transitioned back into a post-COVID world after getting vaxxed and even boosted, because I understood that reality didn’t exist for millions of immunocompromised people, seniors and…
Discussions and Memos from Closed Redistricting Panel Meeting Made Public
by Allison R. Donahue, Michigan Advance
After weeks of pressure from voting rights advocates and journalists and a ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court, the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting had to finally release seven memos…
Film Review: “Being the Ricardos”
by David Rooney
Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz navigate personal and professional crises during a tough week on their smash CBS sitcom in this behind-the-scenes drama, also featuring J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda.
Release date: Friday,…
The Magnificent History of the Maligned and Misunderstood Fruitcake
by Jeffrey Miller
Nothing says Christmas quite like a fruitcake – or, at the very least, a fruitcake joke.
A quip attributed to former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson has it that “There is only one fruitcake in the entire…
Ann Arbor SPARK Officials Refuse Request for Public Records That Show Where Millions in Public Money Went
by P.D. Lesko
Ann Arbor SPARK receives the bulk of its funding from governmental sources, including state and federal grants, as well as the Ann Arbor LDFA, a tax-increment financing authority that diverts money from public schools and…
In Whistleblower Complaint, Michigan AG Asked to Investigate SafeHouse Board, Executive Director and Staff
by P.D. Lesko
A whistleblower's complaint against SafeHouse Center, the non-profit's Board members, Executive Director and staff, dated October 31, 2021, has been filed with Michigan's Attorney General. The complaint asks AG Dana Nessel…
Ann Arbor U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell Pitted Against U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence in Every Redistricting Map Proposed
by Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, Mike Wilkinson
In the state House, Flint is represented by Democrats Cynthia Neeley and John Cherry, even though they live less than 3 miles apart within the city. But starting next year, they would be…
MDHHS Emails Reveal SafeHouse Executive Director Repeatedly Lied to Michigan Officials
by P.D. Lesko
On July 31, 2021, The Ann Arbor Independent published an article that revealed SafeHouse Center was unsafe, unsanitary and that client-facing staff at the non-profit worked in an atmosphere of what they called "racist…