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Letters to the Editor

Grateful for an anonymous gift at Walmart

To the kind lady at Walmart, Dear kind lady, I am grateful for the anonymous gift of money you gave me today at Walmart. I was in the checkout line and you were ahead of me. When you finished checking out, you turned around and handed me a $50 bill. I didn’t want to take it but you insisted. I wanted to know your name but as soon as you gave it to me, you left. I said thank you and merry Christmas. You will make a lot of people happy. I facilitate a group of about six people. We are all working on goals for our physical and mental health. I will be using that money for our group ...

Alpena must address road issues near plant

I am writing to you today regarding the appalling condition of Ford Avenue in the area of Holcim (Lafarge). I live on the paved section of Misery Bay and have to travel through the area several times a day and my vehicle looks as if I live on a five-mile stretch of dirt road due to the amount of track out across Ford Avenue to and from the quarry area of Holcim. There is approximately one-and-a-half inches of mud on the roadway in the areas of crossings. This is a safety hazard for vehicles traveling this stretch of roadway. Not only does it add grime to vehicles but could cause ...

Support Alpena’s planned warming shelter

A variance for the opening of a warming shelter at the former St. Bernard Parish Center has been tabled because of residential objections. I am deeply saddened. The warming shelter would provide a safe structure for those who are less fortunate. It would provide an environment where they could stay warm, get some nutrition and the most important element would be getting positive information and support to help them work through their family situations. The warming shelter is not meant to be the end of the line, it is a beginning. Any one of us are a step away from situations which could ...

Sometimes, some censorship not a bad thing

We live in a time when newspapers are more desperately needed than ever. As a news story wends its way through its circuitous route toward publication, it passes through various filters. The first of these strainers is the writer, who gathers, organizes and verifies the most critical pieces that go into each story. That story goes to one or two, perhaps three editors and possibly the publisher as it flows toward the printed page we all read. Some say these production steps constitute censorship. In the strictest sense of the word, they’re right. Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary ...

Glad Gov. Whitmer signed clean energy bills

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House as a model for what can be done to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels as a major source of energy for our country and our planet. At the unveiling ceremony, he challenged us with these words: “A generation from now, this solar heater can either be a curiosity, a museum piece, an example of a road not taken, or it can be just a small part of one of the greatest and most exciting adventures ever undertaken by the American people.” Michigan has accepted Jimmy Carter’s challenge and, due to the leadership ...

US supporting Ukraine is a smart investment

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, congressional Republicans cold-shouldered Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The Ukrainian president came to Washington, D.C. seeking a new aid package for its war with Russia. GOP legislators were not impressed. “Too expensive,” some said. “Security on America’s southern border comes first, with Ukraine aid later, if at all,” said others. “Besides, America has moved on”. Penny wise, pound foolish. Over the nearly two years of this war, we have given Ukraine nearly $75 billion in aid. That’s less than the state of Virginia’s annual budget (PBS, Oct. 1, 2023). ...