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Letters to the Editor

No time to be silent

It is difficult to write about the atrocities being committed in our country, but it’s necessary. Violence thrives in silence. Ice is not concerned with ridding our country of criminals, they are concerned with eliminating diversity. Their mission statement is “Protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws to preserve national security and public safety.” Preserving public safety doesn’t involve tearing apart families or murdering citizens who were peacefully protesting. Their practices are violent and discriminatory. They have detained ...

A telling confrontation

An ICE agent that could have stepped back (mitigating the situation), instead went through all the necessary acts of drawing, cocking (unless already loaded and ready for action), aiming and firing his weapon directly in shot, after shot, after shot in no physical danger, from the side of the vehicle, at a very close range directly into a women's head. An experienced hunter can tell you that nothing in this shooting was accidental.

Superintendent owes trustee apology

At the last school board meeting, a trustee asked a question after the audit about what checks and balances exist beyond a basic audit. APS operates on a $55 million annual budget and this shouldn't have been a controversial question and it should have been an easy one to answer. Instead the response was embarrassing, but I am sure taxpayers in Alpena County would like an answer too. The question was ignored and the response was a deflective and dismissive attack on the trustee. That response was alarming and unprofessional to me and every taxpayer in Alpena County. When leadership ...

Let us make room at the inn

Christmas is approaching fast. Last minute shopping, whether online or in a store, interrupts our usual schedule. We are quickly trimming the tree and decorating our homes. Hopefully, if you are Christian your decorations include a Nativity scene or creche. After all, the Christmas miracle, the birth of Jesus the Christ, the Son of God is the real ‘reason for the season’. Let us not forget that Jesus was born and spent the first few months of His infancy homeless. His birth was in a cold drafty stable, with no doctor, nurse or midwife. He cried his first breath in the cold ...

Step Up or Step Down

It was revealed at the December 8 school board meeting, by board president Eric Lawson, that board member Sarah Costain had not completed the district and state’s mandatory superintendent evaluation training. Only after this shortcoming was called out publicly did Ms. Costain complete the training the very next day. The law is very clear, beginning in the 2016-17 school year, “all evaluators and observers” involved in evaluations must receive training in the evaluation tools used by the district. The requirement is not optional. Sarah Costain had over 12 months to complete the ...

Oh the Irony

At the APS Board meeting this past Monday the board was given a summary of the 2025 financial audit conducted by Straley, Lamp and Kraenzlein, a trusted, highly-regarded local accounting firm. The Alpena Public School system was given the designation of “Unmodified Opinion”, the highest rating possible in an audit. This is extremely good news and due to the hard work and due diligence of the Associate Superintendent for Business and Operations, Mary Lyon. Barely had this good news settled in when board member Monica Dziesinski asked if it would be a good idea to have “a second ...