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Letters to the Editor

County must find another way to raise money

I’m writing about the county Board of Commissioners putting the tax increase on the ballot. It is not the people’s fault that the county is broke (due to poor decision making). The commissioners gave raises and have been helping out Northern Lights when it was voted 25 years ago for them to go out on their own. When they raised the taxes for $30 in Alpena, where people in the country (namely) farmers, it may be $50 to $1,000 or more. Not to mention fertilizer, parts, seed, feed, fuel have all gone up. There needs to be layoffs or find another way to take care of this mess or ...

2025 state budget funds an American dream

Recently, the State of Michigan passed the 2025 budget for our state and among the variety of actions that this budget funded was support for a dream. That dream makes possible FREE community college education. As an educator that started his college experience in a community college and for 40-plus years had the privilege of serving these unique institutions as a staff member, this truly represents a dream realized, since, for most potential enrollees, financial barriers are now being reduced or in many cases eliminated and the fear of insurmountable debt … gone. This new ...

Partisans in a nonpartisan school board race

Dear Editor: IN CASE YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN … This past week, on a personal podcast, a political party offered monies to support candidates for the school board election in November. The source of that funding is the same source as from the last school board election. We all know the results of that election. They are: ∫ Systematically and covertly harassing school employees, whereby we have lost valued educators and staff. ∫ School legal fees have skyrocketed into the tens of thousands of dollars. ∫ A second law firm engaged, with no apparent logic. ∫ That funding ...

Must remember: Our children are the future

Preparing our children for their futures is a responsibility that falls on us as parents. From the time they are born, as they grow into toddlers, teens, to adults. We must instill in them that the real world is competitive and that they must be prepared to stand out. However, the prevailing practice of awarding participation trophies and ensuring equal playing time for all children, regardless of effort, sends a harmful message. When everyone receives the same reward, regardless of their individual effort, it can lead to a sense of entitlement and diminish the motivation to work hard. ...

The News’ lack of DNC coverage concerning

Dear Editor, I am writing to express my concern regarding The Alpena News’s lack of coverage of recent political events, specifically the glaring disparity in coverage between the Democratic National Convention and the small gatherings held by Donald Trump. The Democratic convention on Monday night featured Hillary Clinton and our current president, Joe Biden. In The Alpena News on Tuesday, not one mention of the DNC. On Tuesday evening of the DNC, Michelle and Barack Obama both spoke, and maybe not so surprisingly, received NO coverage in your publication on Wednesday. These ...

Honored to be chairs for the Aliferis race

Dana and I are truly honored to be the Honorary Chairs of this year’s MyMichigan Health Aliferis Memorial Race. We have been participating in the event for the past eight years, and every year, it keeps getting better. Both of us have lived in Alpena almost our entire lives and we feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful area that offers so much and to be part of an amazing community. From kayaking and paddle boarding to hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, we absolutely love living in Alpena and we keep finding more and more outdoor activities that we enjoy every ...