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Opinion

Appreciating and protecting simple pleasures

Editorials and columns

I guess it depends on what part of the country you live in, but there are certain rites of passage from childhood to adulthood that need to be experienced. In my estimation, one of those is the joy of collecting lightning bugs. There is nothing quite like sitting around a campfire on a summer ...

A family’s ‘Anchoring Hope’ for help

Editorials and columns

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and nothing can bring that closer to home than a tragedy that occurred last week in my hometown of Cozad, Nebraska. This is a small rural town of about 4,000 people. It’s a tight-knit town where most people know most people. Like most small ...

Professional Trades Month points up in-demand careers

Editorials and columns

As high school graduations begin this week in the region, it’s worth noting that May is Professional Trades Month, highlighting the career opportunities available in these much-needed positions. Michigan alone has nearly 518,300 positions and about 40,600 annual openings in the professional ...

Living and growing beyond the score

Editorials and columns

Recently, I watched a repeat of an episode of “The Orville.” The episode, in particular, has pretty much haunted me since it first came out. The scariest, most treacherous “alien” of all was revealed. The crew visits a planet where every person wears a badge showing their public ...

Disaster response begins with civil society

Editorials and columns

How do people respond when the world around them falls apart? I gained some insights during a brief trip up north last week. The first came on a quiet evening in Petoskey, where bestselling author Leif Enger gave a talk on his latest novel, “I Cheerfully Refuse.” Enger, who lives in ...