Ann Arbor Opinion

AAPS budget crisis leaves many wondering: What's headed our way next year?

2013-05-19T09:56:00Z

Pioneer High School students board an Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus on the first day of school in September. More students may be taking the public transit to get to class in the AAPS, if the school board approves...

Ann Arbor's road planning helps bicyclists but ignores key road needs

2013-05-19T09:55:00Z

Ann Arbor City Council is now considering the 2013 Non-motorized Transportation Plan Update Draft report. There is a lot of good work in the Report. As an avid bicyclist and bicycle commuter, I believe overall the plan is a...

Hideaway lane serves as example for future opportunity in Ann Abor's Northside

2013-05-19T09:55:00Z

A preliminary drawing for a home at the revised Hideaway Lane development.This is in response to the article, 19 new Old West Side-style homes coming to Ann Arbor's North Side Hideaway Lane is very close to some of Ann...

Warm weather brings out potential con artists and greedy victims

2013-05-16T09:56:00Z

Spring is finally descending onto our lovely Huron Valley. I could tell by my allergies and the bright yellow dust on all outdoor surfaces last week. While our noses run and our eyes itch, travelling bands of criminals will...

Residents not benefitting from downtown development

2013-05-15T21:33:00Z

Between the boundless greed of downtown landlords and the handing over of downtown to developers by the City Council, all the unique and interesting independent businesses that gave Ann Arbor its special appeal are rapidly being driven out. For...

Minimizing the tactics, emphasizing the goals vital for future of country

2013-05-13T22:00:00Z

Despite the limited evidence of principles directing the game of Politics, it remains the only acceptable route to democratic governance, so - whatever its problems - we have to make it work. Unfortunately, with so many of its players...

Readers share lessons learned from Mom

2013-05-12T09:58:00Z

We extend a thanks to all the mothers out there who have made a difference in the lives of those around them. To recognize this Mother's Day, we asked readers to share a lesson they learned from mom. In...

Ann Arbor needs to consider affordable housing as market-rate housing prices climb

2013-05-12T09:55:00Z

Ann Arbor has endured a lot of changes during the 10-plus years after officials decided to develop a downtown parking lot into a public-private, mixed-use development that would bring more residents downtown. The result of that effort is now...

Memorials honor police officers who have lost their lives

2013-05-09T09:58:00Z

West Bloomfield police Officer Patrick J. O’Rourke had reached the end of his shift on September 9, 2012, but decided to assist officers responding to a shots fired complaint. The truth be told, a verified shots fired call is...

What's the greatest lesson your mother taught you?

2013-05-07T19:19:00Z

As the trees and flowers bloom with the rising temperatures of spring, we also welcome the annual day when we all pause to recognize the mothers in our lives. A mother leads her daughter by the hand at an...

A view of the Ann Arbor DDA from a downtown business owner

2013-05-06T14:00:00Z

I've been in business downtown since 1972: first, starting the Fleetwood Diner, and then buying Hertler Bros. (now Downtown Home & Garden). More recently, I've founded Mark's Carts and Bill's Beer Garden. Before that, I was hanging out in...

Ypsilanti's Water Street: Contradictions keep city from fulfilling any potential for property

2013-05-05T10:30:00Z

The sun was shining, the grass was green, the river flowing. And as I walked along the beautiful western edge of Ypsilanti’s Water Street property on Wednesday, all I could think of was: What makes sense here? I’m not...

University of Michigan owes public full disclosure in child pornography case

2013-05-05T09:58:00Z

When the news broke in January 2012 that six months had passed between the discovery of child pornography on a University of Michigan Hospitals computer and the reporting of that discovery to police, many in the university community were...

Ann Arbor police and fire deserve added funding before DDA

2013-05-05T09:51:00Z

Fiorello LaGuardia, New York City's greatest mayor, famously said there is no Democratic or Republican way to pick up Gotham's garbage. A mayor's job is to set the priorities so that basic city services are delivered and to build...

Ann Arbor: Tough Luck to Troubled Teens?

2013-05-02T22:00:00Z

Do you wish to relive your adolescence? Imagine being poor, having a learning disability, suffering from depression/anxiety or having no supports. Adolescence at best is a difficult transition in one’s life. At worst, it can be a nightmare. Forty...

Ann Arbor City Council should not be stampeded on 14-story high-rise decision

2013-05-02T09:59:00Z

The proposed development at 413 E. Huron, if it goes forward, will be a blight on the city that will last for 80 to 100 years. The outpouring of testimony from neighbors, citizen advisory groups, historic preservation groups, and...

Thieves take advantage of windows and doors open in warm months

2013-05-02T09:58:00Z

I was hunkered way down in my car seat, doing my best to look like an unoccupied parked car. On this particular surveillance I did not have the “eye”—direct observation of the target’s door or car—but was waiting for...

Termination causes daily uncertainty of future

2013-04-28T11:30:00Z

I am writing this letter because I feel compelled to say what is in my heart and on my mind in hopes that the last six months of sleepless nights will end and not continue. I have been a...

Don't let tragedies keep you from running forward

2013-04-27T19:30:00Z

We cannot run away from our responsibility as citizens of our democracy and we shall continue to run for various worthy causes that represent our American spirit. In the early hours after the attack on the Boston Marathon, I...

Politicians must have an objective beyond victory

2013-04-25T12:00:00Z

For those of us too old or unskilled to compete in the world of professional athletics, choosing favorites from among participating teams, then encouraging them to victory with our shouts and whistles, is a good second choice. Rooting for...