These days, I live pretty comfortably. I only ever have empty cupboards because my wife and I sometimes get too busy to make it to the store. I take regular trips, including annual traditions like our recent venture to the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth. I have a working vehicle and so ...

It seems like Alpena officials have been talking about downtown parking for a zillion years. Truth be told, I expect they will be talking about that same subject for a zillion more. Downtown parking is like that sore itch that just never seems to go away. When I worked in Wheeling, W.Va. ...

Today, we continue our series on thankfulness with a word of gratefulness to our local businesses. They do a lot for us. According to Michigan State University’s Center for Community and Economic Development, small businesses: ∫ Create two out of every three new jobs in the ...

For many of us, it seems the festive Christmas spirit came a bit earlier than usual this year. Driving around town, I see more than a few Christmas trees in windows already happily lit. Scrolling online, I see more than a few of my friends shamelessly announcing they’re in full-blown ...

Have you experienced moments that, in their passing, were little noted, only to discover later a significance you hadn’t initially perceived? I expect you have. I witnessed some of the most influential machines ever invented pass out through a hole in a wall. I was 16 at the time and had ...

In the fall of 2015, a routine trip to my dad’s Veterans Affairs clinic appointment in Saginaw turned into an extra special time with my parents. As my mom got into the car, I noticed she carried a tattered shoe box in her hands. Once she got situated, her story unfolded: After my ...