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Read, read, then read some more

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.” — Marcus Tullius Cicero We have a critical shortage in this country that could severely hamper our economy and threatens America’s standing in the world. Not semiconductors or fuel or truck drivers, nurses, or teachers. No. We have a severe shortage of proficient young readers. And that’s a very bad thing. Young kids who can’t read well — including comprehending what they’re reading — tend to do poorly in all subjects later in their school career, because you have to read textbooks and other materials in all ...

Alcona County farmer uses large drones for crops

HARRISVILLE TOWNSHIP — Pesticide, herbicide, and all kinds of chemicals are essential for farmers to keep their crops alive. Otherwise, bugs, weeds, and mold can harm the plants and the harvest yield, potentially making farmers lose profits. Farmers can choose two ways to spray chemicals ...

Individuals, organizations keep working to find solutions on homelessness

ALPENA — Kody Pribbernow lives in a trailer at the Alpena County Fairgrounds with his wife Kayla, his two children, and his two dogs — an older German Shepard husky hybrid named Riddick and an 11-week-old husky named Karma — both rescues. Pribbernow, who refers to himself and his ...

I love watching my son excel

“Before I got married I had six theories about raising children; now, I have six children and no theories.” — John Wilmot He steadied the muzzleloader on the rest and peered down the sight, aiming as I had for the foam squirrel hanging downrange about 20 yards. He’s obsessed with form. He’s that way about everything: soccer, golf, running, weightlifting, everything. He wants to do things correctly, so he concentrates on positioning his body, stressing over getting every muscle to move the way it ought to move to expertly execute whatever task he faces. So he did as ...

Alpena County Fair brings rodeo back to town

ALPENA — The Alpena County Fair held a rodeo on Tuesday with a new team, Flying Star Rodeo. Fair Board officials say they decided to go with Flying Star instead of their usual rodeo company because the board and crowd members wanted a change in events. They said the fair has not seen bronc ...

The courage to just ditch it

A few years ago, our family took the plunge to spend the summer in Alaska. For us to make that adventure work, we took our pop-up camper with us — 6,000 miles there and 6,000 miles back. The pop-up was not a new, state-of-the-art camper loaded with amenities. It was a mid-1970s Skamper with brown, orange, and tan colors on it to make it feel just like the shag carpeting that was sported during that same era. Prior to going to Alaska, I had done a lot of research on the drive there and back, and a recurring idea from those who had driven the route shared that the road ate tires ...