Ann Arbor

SO-CALLED FRONT GROUPS are common. The Koch brothers have put together a network of 17 financially interconnected PACs and nonprofits. On the surface, the 17 entities appear independent from each other. It took an investigation by the…

by Jack Eaton I REALLY APPRECIATE hearing from many of you about various issues related to homelessness, emergency shelter and affordable housing. I do see a problem in this discussion where some issues are conflated and some opinions…

GROUNDWATER BENEATH  A swath of the city of Ann Arbor is currently contaminated by the suspected carcinogen 1,4 dioxane. The City of Ann Arbor website has a FAQ page dedicated to answering questions about the contamination. Likewise, the…

The Influenza A (H1N1) virus, which became pandemic in 2009-2010 with at least 18,138 global deaths, has staged a comeback in the U.S., including Ann Arbor. IT WAS RECENTLY reported that, “Health officials at University of Michigan…

by P.D. Lesko THE WINTER CLASSIC hockey game that drew over 109,000 people to Michigan Stadium for a match-up between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs showed off the best of Ann Arbor and the worst of Ann Arbor. Having…

THE CITY’S 2013 National Citizen Survey revealed that 92 percent of Ann Arbor residents rated the city as an “excellent” or “good” place to live based on overall quality of life. That figure is unchanged from the National Citizen Survey…

IT’S USUALLY DEATH and taxes that define the inevitable. However, in the city’s 2013 National Citizen Survey, comments about roads and taxes dominated the open-ended question responses. Respondents were asked to record their opinions about…

MIDWESTERNERS HATE conflict more than we hate freezing rain, haughty vegans and screaming kids/ineffectual parents in the grocery store. We smile. We’re solicitous. We want to get along. We want other people to get along. The truth of the…

THE CITY’S 2015-2020 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) focuses on projects that city staff suggest will “provide for large, physical improvements that are permanent in nature that are needed for the functioning of the community, including…

by Jay Walljasper POWERFUL VOICES AROUNDWashington have singled out programs to improve biking and walking as flagrant examples of wasteful government spending. Since last summer, proposals have flown around the Capitol to strip away…