“I Told Pres. Obama: ‘People in Michigan Aren’t Feeling the Recovery Yet.’ ”—Rep. Debbie Dingell
by P.D. Lesko
ON THURSDAY MAR. 12, Rep. Debbie Dingell delivered what was billed as a State-of-the-District speech. She spoke for 35 minutes to a group of around 100 people. At the luncheon, which took place at Weber’s Inn on Jackson Rd.…
High School Heroes: Slaying the Dragon—Joe Miller, Recovering Heroin Addict
This second piece in her High School Heroes interview series, The Ann Arbor Independent’s high school intern Stavi Tennenbaum talks to Pathways to Success Junior Joe Miller about how heroin addiction and recovery have impacted his family,…
OP-ED: Campus Safety Must Trump the Right to Free Speech
by Brianne Recker
ONE OF THE pillars of American law and society is the First Amendment, specifically governmental protection of citizens’ freedom of speech and freedom of expression. Another celebrated aspect of our national identity is…
EDITORIAL: Michigan Legislators Once Again Target Gays & Lesbians
LEGISLATORS SERVING ON the Michigan House Committee on Families, Children, and Seniors have passed three bills out of committee. House Bills 4188 (LaFontaine-32), 4189 (Santana-9), and 4190 (Leutheuser-58) aim to allow taxpayer funded…
New Study: Degrees From “Elite” Colleges of Little Help to African Americans in the Job Market
by Jared Wadley
DOES HAVING A college degree from a highly selective school make a difference in getting a well-paid job? Not if you’re African-American, says a University of Michigan researcher.
A popular belief in U.S. society is…
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: “Tiered” Drug Coverage by Health Insurers
There’s a new tool to limit the insurer’s pays for drugs patients need most. It’s called “tiered” drug coverage. Under a health care plan with “tiered” coverage, patients pay higher percents of the costs of drugs that patients need most…
OP-ED: Increasing Health Care’s Role on Death Row to Avoid Botched Executions
by Keya Patel
AT 6:23 P.M. on April 29, 2014, Clayton Lockett’s execution began. The doctor use a lethal injection never before tested. At 6:33 pm the doctor announced Lockett was unconscious. At 6:39 pm, Lockett said the word “man” and…
EDITORIAL: Safety at the Blake Transit Center
ON WEEKENDS, THE public bathrooms and first floor of the Blake Transit Center downtown remain open well after the front desk staff go off duty. Both the women’s and men’s bathrooms have entrances which are open. There is one family restroom…
#YoungProfessional: The Running Mecca
by Brent McDermott
IF I ASKED five people on the street to describe Ann Arbor in five words or less, these are the answers I would hear: academic, charming, friendly, transient and progressive. They are not the first that come to my…
49 Crimes Reported by AAPD Feb. 24-Mar. 3, 2015, Fraud Tops List of Crimes
DURING THIS PERIOD, there were no sex crimes reported by the AAPD. This week, there were 8 assaults, down from 9 the previous week. None of the assaults was charged as felony assault and none involved any sort of weapon. There were 12 cases…