In the "spotted at the Ann Arbor People's Food Co-op" department:

I picked up Volume 1, Number 1 of The Bohemian, a new free monthly alternative paper serving Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti and published by the Cromwell Publishing Co. in Ypsilanti. It says it hopes to provide "rigorous and well-written journalism on topics that haven't gotten enough attention elsewhere."

As a part of that mission it leads with the top 7 stories it says are not getting enough coverage in the local media.

AnnArbor.com gets a shout out several times in the lead story: It says there are fewer professional journalists in the area than before due to the severe crisis in the entire newspaper publishing industry. Of the blogging team, the quote to note is "Although AnnArbor.com has a lot of blogging power, the bloggers are writing more arts and lifestyle stories than hard news".

Other issues that The Bohemian wants to see more attention to are the swelling homeless population in the area, the shortages at local food pantries, inadequate public defense for indigent defendants, widespread official surveillance, unsafe meat and an increasing foreclosure rate.

Weighing in at 16 pages in its first month of publication, The Bohemian starts with a mix of news, features, and entertainment stories that is typical of other alternative monthlies. The first issue had only about 1.5 pages of advertising sold, with another 4 or so filled with public service spots from the Ad Council. Its Web site does not contain any of the stories in the first print version, and it still has pages that read "This page to contain more information soon."

You have to start somewhere; the first issue of The Bohemian is a credible start. As a print-only alternative monthly, it probably competes most closely with the Metro Times for the attention of readers who want edgy alternative coverage of the local scene. I look forward to the December issue.

Edward Vielmetti is the lead blogger for AnnArbor.com. Follow @vielmetti on Twitter or call 734-330-2465 to get in touch.