A lack of mental health services in schools is being called a silent epidemic. In a given year, up to one in five children in the United States show symptoms of a mental disorder, which would equate to five students in a classroom of 25. Nearly 80 percent of children who are suffering from ...
With destructive, deadly wildfires in California making both headlines and dramatic pictures, expect a new round of claims that climate change is to blame. But if there is a link between global warming and wildfires, it is a negative one. Solid, scientific research indicates the area burned ...
Just why is our president so against Robert Mueller finishing his assigned duty? An adversary has attacked our democracy and it is vital to find the details in hope of preventing future insurgencies. Dozens have been indicted, several have pleaded guilty, and three trials have started or ...
There is no playbook for life. I’ve learned a few things about what seems to work best regarding how we should approach life, especially when facing difficult situations. In addition to battles I’ve already shared like my eating disorder, depression, and family alcoholism, my family ...
Meeting with our nation’s enemies in an effort to find some common ground is a good idea, despite criticism of President Donald Trump for meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. At least Putin was willing to talk. That is more than can be said about Iranian President Hassan ...
This past weekend, I had a chance to revisit a favorite camping spot in Northeast Michigan. As a child, our family would make annual pilgrimages to Shoepac Lake in southwest Presque Isle County. The property includes a deep fishing lake, rustic sites, and a trail that loops around five ...
Political endorsements are like your Mom’s favorite chicken soup. It may not cure all your ills, but it doesn’t hurt ... or does it? With an electorate that often doesn’t know squat about a candidate’s qualifications, the office seeker often turns to someone the voter does know and ...
His critics labeled President Donald Trump a dangerous bull in the economic china shop when he threatened to slap new tariffs on some goods imported from European Union members. They were long overdue in response to unfair trade tactics aimed at the United States by the EU, Trump ...
In the old days, they used to refer to the pungent odor from Alpena’s industries as the “smell of money.” Keeping in that vein, then, we are a week away from the “sounds of freedom” screaming across the sky over Northern Michigan. From Aug. 5 to 18, the Alpena Combat Readiness ...
In many ways, it is a shame that a presidential election gains all the voter interest. As far as we’re concerned, it is elections like that which will occur Aug. 7 that should have residents excited and eager to vote. It is these types of elections — electing officials at the local and ...
At my father’s graveside committal service 26 years ago this week, I was the last one to leave. My cousin, a Baptist pastor from Muscatine, Iowa, had stood with me for quite awhile. As I recall, more watching than talking. There was the lowering of the casket into the vault. Then the dirt was ...
Sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Such seems to be the case in Alpena County, where the county government’s three campgrounds are experiencing a significant increase in use this summer. The three — Sunken Lake, Long Lake and Beaver Lake — all are enjoying more visitors. ...
Come August, there’s always a change in the air, my mom always says. Not quite a chill, but rather a reminder of the change that is to come, a promise, a hint. As the novelist Natalie Babbitt puts it: “The first week of August hangs at the very top of the summer, the top of the live-long ...
Although I have previously published this article, there have been numerous complaints to the post in regards to motorists sharing the roadway with bicycles. Citizens complain the bicyclists are riding three or more wide, taking up the entire lane, causing traffic to slow down, and the ...
Most illegal immigrants come to the United States for economic opportunity. A few make the journey to escape political repression or crime. In many ways, what they do is entirely understandable — though, of course, immigration laws need to be enforced. Making their own homelands more ...
Let me take you back to a time when TV sets were few and those that were around had poor reception from distant stations; back when people got up and walked places, talked to people, and grocery shopped at neighborhood stores. On those rare occasions when reception was clear — the result ...
It’s a funny thing what politicians will do once they conclude their campaign needs a kick in the pants. Ask Democratic candidate for governor Abdul El Sayed, who recently flip-flopped on the issue of attacking his opponents. Last June, during the first televised debate featuring Gretchen ...
I remember my brother and I being told growing up many a time, “You know, money doesn’t grow on trees.” As an adult, I wasn’t so sure my parents were right as I drove up to the ATM machine to withdraw funds. To my boys in the back seat, it seemed like all dad had to do was punch some ...
Here are some numbers to ponder this morning. Hundreds of miles of Great Lakes shoreline. $1.8 billion in clean-up costs. 2.4 million gallons of spilled oil. Those are some of the staggering numbers found in a 400-page draft report released by Michigan officials Thursday. The ...
Don’t you love an interesting tale of “good vs. evil?” Wednesday’s Finance Committee meeting of the Alpena commissioners reminded us of such a tale. In one corner was Commissioner Cam Habermehl, champion of the little guy and common sense everywhere. In the other corner was the ...