Editor’s note: This is the second in a series of 12 weekly stories focusing on America’s 250th birthday, as told through the lens of our communities and the role many of the places we call home played in shaping the nation before, during and after the Revolutionary War. This week we stop in ...

ALPENA - With the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching, our community has a timely opportunity not only to celebrate our nation’s founding but also to reinvigorate public understanding of the democratic principles that sustain it. Alpena’s Sestercentennial ...

On April 7, 2026, Tom and Joan Lavoie celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. They were married in 1956 at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Alpena by Reverend William B. Belk. Tom and Joan are both retired from the Alpena Public Schools. Their daughters are Jeri (Allen) Andon of ...