[Last weekend the specter of Pa Ingalls loomed large over the Saturday Six Pack. Grass Lake homesteader Joe Trumpey and I talked about Pa’s fiddle playing in the Big Woods, his reliance on spanking, and the homes he built with his family as they made their way across the American frontier. [Trumpey said he would […]
A few months ago, when we were discussing plans in Ann Arbor to hire a small army of so-called “ambassadors” who would be charged with both warmly welcoming visitors and shooing so-called “street people” away from downtown, some of us questioned just how compassionate our neighbors to the west were. Well, apparently it’s no longer […]
I decided to take my lunch hour today and attend the press conference called by the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Department on the subject of gang violence in Ypsilanti. What follow are my rough notes. If, after reading through them, you find yourself wanting more, I’d suggest watching the video at the end of the post, […]
Back in 2013, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, when asked if he’d consider making a run for President, said that he might have to, if, during the campaign, “the collapse of the middle class, growing wealth and income inequality, growth in poverty, (and) global warming” were not being discussed in any significant way. Well, Bernie apparently […]
Late last year, the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development (OCED) moved from Ann Arbor to downtown Ypsilanti. Following is a brief conversation I just had with Mary Jo Callan, the director of OCED, on why they decided to make the move, and what she and her organization are presently doing to help […]
