It’s Sunshine Week: Ann Arbor and Michigan Struggle With Governmental Transparency
by Dave Alexander
In recognition of Sunshine Week, a time that highlights the need for transparency and accountability in government, Progress Michigan is rolling out several major updates to the Sunshine Squad, an online tool that now…
Downtown Merchant Associations Say DDA Recommendation “Threatens” Merchants’ “Very Existence”
by Patricia Lesko
In a meeting held at lunch-time on Wednesday Mar. 1, over the objections of both the Main Street and State Street Area Association member business owners, the Downtown Development Authority Board approved the leasing of…
Op-Ed: Time for Lansing to Open its Own Records to the Public
by Jane Briggs-Bunting
In 2016, a bipartisan group of 37 Michigan state representatives banded together to introduce a series of bills called the Legislative Open Records Act (LORA). These bill weren’t perfect, but they closed two…
U-M Library Hosts First Ever “Art+Feminism Wikipedia Edit-a-thon”
by Sydney Hawkins
Wikipedia's gender trouble is well documented. In a 2011 survey, the Wikimedia Foundation found that less than 10 percent of its contributors identify as female. While the reasons for the gender gap are up for debate,…
Decision on Whether to Sack RTA CEO Michael Ford Will Come Next Week
by Leonard Fleming
Regional Transit Authority officials said a decision on the future of the agency’s first CEO will be made by March 16 following questions raised about his job expenses.
The RTA board met Wednesday for two hours…
Could Rail Service Between Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Be Coming Down the Tracks?
by Ryan Bentley
An upcoming study is expected to gauge the potential for successful passenger train service along the rail corridor between Northern Michigan and Ann Arbor which could begin summer weekend passenger service as early…
Theatre NOVA Presenting Premiere of “Clutter” Beginning March 24
Theatre NOVA, an Ann Arbor nonprofit company that focuses exclusively on new and recent plays, recently announced it plans to present the world premiere of “Clutter” by Brian Cox.
Cox is a newspaper editor in Detroit and the founder and…
City Staff Agenda Responses Answer Some Questions About Landfilling of Glass Recyclables
by Patricia Lesko
The Ann Arbor Independent recently reported that for a period of time thought to be several years, prior to July 2016, Ann Arbor's recycled glass hauled by Recycle Ann Arbor and handled by ReCommunity had been processed…
The Foodist: Embracing Your Bitter Side
by Ari LeVaux
At a small vegetable shop in Milan, Italy, recently, I asked the keeper for radicchio. He inquired as to what I wanted to do with it, because he had several varieties. Was I planning to grill it? Serve it with pasta? Make a…
Ward 5 Council Candidate David Silkworth Wants Local Government to “Put People First”
by Patricia Lesko
U.S. Navy veteran and Democrat David Silkworth has pulled nominating petitions to run for Ann Arbor City Council in Ward 5. Silkworth, an insurance executive, must gather 100 signatures of registered Ward 5 voters in…
