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Letters to the Editor

Survey results show we must involve our youth

A huge word of gratitude to the Thunder Bay Arts Council, Tim Kuehnlein and his students at Alpena Community College, the Sunset Project, and Mary Ellen Jones for their work on the Northeast Michigan Community Impact Survey and report. I recently participated in a conversation discussing the report’s results with fellow community members, which was truly engaging and inspiring. I was delighted to hear that government officials and other stakeholders were given access to the report, although there were some notable absences in the session I attended. I sincerely hope that those ...

If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters

A recent commentary written by Alpena News Editor Justin Hinkley for the April 27 edition opined on the recent NBC news versus Ronna McDaniel controversy. To review, a few weeks ago the network hired McDaniel as a paid contributor, specifically as a political analyst. McDaniel served as chair of the Republican National Committee from 2017 until her resignation in 2024. This announcement was met with sweeping resistance from NBC news staff who objected to collaborating with someone who actively worked to undermine and subvert the 2020 election. Notably, McDaniel made false claims of voter ...

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman disappoints again

Really, Jack? After saying publicly in this very newspaper that he supported U.S. aid to Ukraine, when it was crunch time, Congressman Jack Bergman answered Vladimer Putin’s command and voted against it. Apparently, he feels a greater allegiance to Russia’s dictator than to his constituents, the interests of our nation, and the security of NATO and our European friends. Just when I think Jack Bergman has reached a new low in voting against our best interests, he goes lower. Honestly, I don’t know if he can go lower than being Putin’s proxy. But, then again, ...

Hospitals save us and now we must save them

Every single person across the state of Michigan deserves access to high-quality health care — whenever they need it, no matter where they live. For years, I’ve traveled across northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula for work, and so I’ve heard more than my share of stories from those having no choice but to drive long distances to receive the care they need — even for emergencies or in the middle of the night. This is not acceptable. Around-the-clock care should not be a special privilege reserved only for Michigan’s biggest cities, but this could become a reality for ...

Grand Funk’s Mark Farner to speak May 11

On Saturday, May 11, at the Posen Community Center, folks living in Northeast Michigan will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hear an American icon, Mark Farner, speak at the annual Reagan Day Dinner sponsored by the Republican Party of Presque Isle County. In 1969, Farner, along with two boyhood friends from Flint, formed a band, which they named GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. For seven years, this band was famous as their music was played along with The Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, and other famous groups of that era. In 1976, Farner left GRAND ...

APS wrong on speaker who trashes teachers

Why is Alpena Public Schools not protecting our public school employees? The teachers and staff of APS are one of the most important assets we have in Alpena County and northern Michigan. When APS spent over $12,000 on the Rehmann Employee Engagement Survey, I thought to myself, that is a lot of money. I reasoned that this is important to learn, since we truly want to help recruit and retain our strong APS educators by helping them thrive and grow. So, when the school announced it was bringing Scott Ritsema, an outsider from Belt of Truth Ministries, to the school on May 7 to speak ...