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Letters to the Editor

Vote yes to continue our downtown’s growth

Over the last seven years in my role at the Alpena Downtown Development Authority, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand the impact the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library has in our community. I’ve seen young professionals using it as a place to work remotely. I’ve seen tutors and students meeting. Adults studying for their GED. Kids and caretakers there for storytimes and crafts and meet-ups. New homeowners researching the history of their house or property owners using their archives to write grants to restore and preserve their buildings. On average, around ...

Are book critics really helping our children?

For the past few months, I’ve been on the front line of the challenges to library materials deemed unsafe, overtly sexual, and too mature for library users under the age of 18. I fully appreciate and recognize the concerns of these community members who seek to protect the innocence of youth within our community. As a parent and private citizen in the Alpena community, I do wonder what work they have done to help eliminate the legality of child marriage within the country. Do they foster at-risk kids in need of a home? Are they supporting the educators within our community who ...

Library protects heritage, vote yes on Aug. 6

For four years, I had the privilege of serving as the Special Collections librarian for the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library. While in this role, I was always amazed by the diversity of users not only in my department but the library itself. One day, it could be someone hoping to research their family’s history. The next could be a newcomer to the region wanting to learn about their house’s history and the previous families that lived there. Within the vast array of materials, the library had the resources to help with such questions. Some only see the Special ...

Donald Trump doesn’t know right from wrong

The Orange Clown. Coward (Mr. Bonespurs will never get on a witness stand; cannot string two cognizant sentences together). Liar (thoroughly documented). Racist (again documented). Anti-women (thoroughly documented, Roe v. Wade). Anti-police (Jan. 6, no regard for the safety of police). Traitor (allowed Jan.6 to happen and wanted his vice president executed). Anti-military (men and women who served their country and sacrificed life and limb were not and are not suckers and losers). Rapist and sexual abuser (found guilty in E. Jean Carroll lawsuit). Sexual deviant (lusted after his ...

Please support Alpena County Library Aug. 6

As you may know, there is a small group of people in Alpena who are threatening to close our library if a group of books they deem inappropriate are not removed from the shelves and restricted under lock and key to check out by those age 18 and older. This, of course, is the first step toward book banning by a small, radical, fringe group of ideologues. This group is “demanding” they get their way, or they will “defund” our library. Close it down. It’s happened in other communities. If this doesn’t make you absolutely furious, it should. Even if you don’t ...

Concerned about Everyday Faith column in News

I am concerned about the religious column, “Lust of the flesh,” in our local newspaper. This inclusion poses significant dangers to our community and the principles of journalism. Firstly, the separation of church and state is fundamental to ensuring public spaces remain neutral and inclusive. A newspaper should be a beacon of unbiased information, not a platform for religious teachings, which risks alienating readers of different beliefs and blurs the line between objective reporting and proselytizing. Phil Cook’s article delves into Christian theology and moral exhortations, ...