When Melissa Lyon, twenty, left 14th District Court on September 1 she literally let down her hair–she took off a blond, pony-tailed extension to reveal that half of her scalp was shaved. Her attorney, Michele Kelly, had...
Read MoreThis past summer, the New York Times ran fifteen stories about bedbugs. The tiny parasites, which feed on human blood, have launched a panic by turning up everywhere from a Manhattan Victoria’s Secret store to the Brooklyn...
Read MoreAnn Arbor’s newest newspaper may not have the budget or coverage of AnnArbor.com, but it does have at least one motivated vendor and a lot of heart.The first issue of Groundcover News came out in mid-July. It has news,...
Read MoreElectric vehicles are becoming a reality, and Michigan is in the thick of it, with the Chevy Volt in production in Detroit and a factory going up in Holland to produce the Volt’s lithium ion battery.Ann Arbor has an...
Read MoreA thin, worn-out-looking woman weeps as she embraces her eighteen-year-old son in the security line at Detroit Metro airport. “My baby going! My baby going!” Exasperated but patient, Ryan Richmond hugs his mother...
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County treasurer Catherine McClary is trying to interest investors in a 218-condo site in Pittsfield Township, off Michigan Avenue near US-23. The second phase of Wellesley Gardens would be a turnkey project, she says: the...
Read MoreThey’ve been sighted coming out of the woods at dusk and dawn looking to chow down on rabbits, rodents, and other small mammals–like, say, cats.This spring, a neighbor spotted one “coming out of or going into...
Read MoreFor the third time in seventeen years, armed robbers hit Schlanderer & Sons jewelry in August. A worker at the downtown Sweetwaters took out the trash one afternoon and found a Schlanderer’s employee in the alley, her...
Read MoreThe summer of 2010 has been one of discontent for Michigan football. On the heels of 3-9 and 5-7 seasons (with a combined 3-13 in the Big Ten) new athletic director David Brandon proclaimed that “Rich Rodriguez is our...
Read MoreTo the frustration of Ann Arborites who fixed their sidewalks under orders from the city, many of their neighbors’ walks remain tilted and cracked. By law, if homeowners don’t make repairs, the city can hire...
Read MoreWhen the Observer asked local politicos to guess the results of the August 3 Democratic primary, Lesko responded that her phone survey of 100 local residents showed her beating incumbent John Hieftje by a 60-40 margin. If her...
Read MoreThis was the year that tenants were supposed to be settling into the Broadway Village at Lower Town.But instead of the shiny new condos, retail, and office space promised by the developer, Broadway Village is 6.4 acres of...
Read More“The Village Marketplace + Lofts is certain to become the area’s most desirable and prestigious community. Truly the best of what urban living has to offer, with that small town charm.”–Marketing...
Read MoreIt started innocently enough. Ten years ago at the Chelsea Farm Supply, Lucy Silverio’s youngest daughter, Antonia, was enchanted with the baby animals there, so Silverio bought her some chicks. But this spring, Silverio...
Read MoreWith its red brick walls and arches, U-M’s new soccer stadium evokes Michigan Stadium–though at about one-fiftieth the scale.There’s irony in the comparison–because for the last two seasons,...
Read MoreBob Guenzel worked for Washtenaw County for thirty-seven years, the last fifteen as its administrator. He’s a peppery, hands-on guy who, even his critics acknowledged, got things done–whether building the Delonis...
Read MoreThe video “was just horrifying,” says Erica Briggs, membership chair of the Washtenaw Biking and Walking Coalition. Shot by coalition members, it shows schoolkids darting across South Seventh as cars zip by, ignoring...
Read MoreToday Ann Arbor voters choose their next state senator and state representative, two city seats on the county commission, and three city council members. They’ll also decide the Democratic mayoral primary between five-term...
Read MoreThey were breaking out the champagne at Cafe Zola Tuesday night, but is was for consolation, not celebration: the opposition city council candidates who gathered there all lost. The percentages hardly changed all night as the...
Read MoreIn Ann Arbor, the issues are social services and the budget.With Jeff Irwin running for the state house (see “Musical Chairs in Lansing”), four Democrats are seeking their party’s nomination for his District...
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