Browsing Tag
AnnArbor.com
by P.D. Lesko
The history of the telescope is fascinating. This piece is not about that. However, it is about The Ann magazine's futile and ultimately disappointing attempt to give readers insight into AnnArbor.com using what amounts to a…
New Orleans Residents Out to Kill NOLA.com—Boycott Launched Of Site Modeled on AnnArbor.com
by P.D. Lesko
Over the past 24 months, AnnArbor.com has seen the departure of most of its experienced reporters to more prestigious and higher paying surroundings—such as the Detroit Free Press. There are media analysts, however, that…
As Fast As Birkenstocks Can Carry Him Candidate Backpedals Away From Mayor’s Support
by P.D. Lesko
Ward 5 City Council candidate Chuck Warpehoski is being endorsed by many members of the local Dem Klan, including John Hieftje, whose 2010 Facebook page described him as "Ann Arbor's popular mayor." The Warpehoski race is a…
With her Checkbook, Jane Lumm Throws Down With Mayor & His Council Pals
by P.D. Lesko
Ward 2 Council member Jane Lumm is small, perhaps a little over 5 feet tall on a good day, but her desire to openly and diligently serve the people of Ann Arbor is gigantic. On AnnArbor.com, reporting about Lumm's work on…
Who Killed The Local Daily Newspaper?
During the course of recent Ann Arbor City Council candidate forums put on by local groups such as the League of Women Voters, as well as neighborhood groups, one question that popped up was this one: "How can residents get information…
Locals Outraged Reprimand of EMU Prez Was Made Public, While Commentators in Academe Say: “Fire Her Now!”
by P.D. Lesko
Dr. Susan Martin, Provost and Senior Chancellor at the University of Tennessee, is probably wishing right about now her parents had chosen a different name. The other Dr. Susan Martin, the President of EMU, is presently…
The Hatchet Job: Why's Sabra Briere Trying to Make Jane Lumm Look Bad?
by P.D. Lesko
Ann Arbor's fire department is under-staffed, fire-related deaths have tripled, citizens routinely wait for an hour for police to show up to non-emergency calls, fees for water, sewer and solid waste have risen sharply.…
Local Dems Rally Behind Saline Mayor to Retake 52nd District Seat from Michigan GOP—Not.
by P.D. Lesko
Saline's mayor, Gretchen Driskell, formed an "exploratory committee" in February 2012 to see if she could have a snowball's chance in hell of winning back the 52nd District State House seat from Repblican Mark Ouimet. The…
The Many Faces of Margie Teall
by P.D. Lesko
Fourth Ward Council member Margie Teall has talked a good game for a long time. The incredibly incurious (Ann Arbor News/AnnArbor.com), overly obsequious (Ann Arbor Observer) or just plain naive (Michigan Daily) local media…
Tony D Is Suddenly For Ann Arbor—Crass Political Opportunism Makes A Return
by P.D. Lesko
In November 2011 Second Ward Council member Stephen Rapundalo sent a damaging email to AnnArbor.com in which he painted himself as a disingenuous opportunist, writing that he wanted to “look engaged” prior to the election. …