Little did I know how much my life would change when I had children. I thought I was busy before I had kids but now it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to accomplish tasks and I am never “caught up”. And, my personal free time is stuck in a tar pit somewhere next to the ...

North Korea’s claim it will suspend testing of nuclear weapons is the show of good faith that absolutely had to precede direct talks between that country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, and U.S. President Donald Trump. But Trump is right to adopt what, at first glance, may seem to be a ...

Gov. Rick Snyder never wanted to go there in the first place but instead of digging in to oppose it he relented to his "legislative partners" and signed legislation to privatize the food service in the state prison system. And then the fun began. Too bad nobody was around to remind this ...

Are U.S. officials being played like the proverbial violin by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un? Let us hope not — but at the same time, let us not make the mistake of assuming there is a sincere, humane bone in Kim’s body. Mike Pompeo, the CIA chief soon to become secretary of state, ...

Congratulations to Alpena News columnist Jackie Krawczak, who recently received an “Outstanding Young Michigander” award from the state Jaycees. Krawczak, who serves as president/CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce, is a worthy recipient of the honor. During her tenure at the ...

It takes a special person to call Up North home. This past weekend was one reason — albeit a major one — of why that is true. It isn’t everyone who can mentally deal with a constant National Weather Service winter storm warning that began at 8 p.m. Thursday and continued through 8 p.m. ...

In September 2014, Scotland held a referendum for independence from the United Kingdom that ultimately was defeated by almost 400,000 votes. Leading up to the vote, there was some trepidation that if it had succeeded then other regions in Europe would hold similar votes. Then Brexit ...

The weather in Michigan this April has made just about everybody crazy. After five long months of winter glop already, a sixth seems like some kind of sick punishment. Everyone is tired of it. Except for the incessantly positive people, of course. I ran into one of these ridiculous ...

In the Roman Catholic liturgical and lectionary calendar, the fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday, and in the Gospel for this Sunday — April 22, 2018 — we hear Jesus describe himself as the good shepherd who willingly lays down his life for his sheep (John ...

While it may seem like “old hat” to many of us, it is anything but for several Alpena High School students who return to the FIRST Robotics World Championship. Alpena Team 5505, V2 Robotics, walked away from the state championship last weekend with more than enough points to quality it ...

With spring weather upon us, it means the road construction season is right around the corner. At a presentation, I was asked, “What does ‘workers present’ mean in construction zones? Is it the immediate area workers are in, or is the speed zone in effect the rest of the work zone ...

Syrian officials insist they did not use chemical weapons against civilians on April 7. Russian and Iranian leaders back them up. One Russian official accused the United States, England and France of having an ulterior motive for their missile attack on Syria last week. It was an attempt to ...

Are we doing enough to identify children coping with emotional upheavals before they harm themselves and others? Obviously not. On Monday, an 8-year-old student took a knife to school in Sauk Rapids, Minn. He slashed three other children before an adult disarmed him. All three victims ...

During this election year one of the most critical assignments for political reporters is to grill candidates who are running for this office or that. After all if they don't ask issue questions, how will a hapless voter have enough information to pick the most qualified office ...

Have you been spending time thinking of things you used to do — things you’d like to do again but can’t or won’t? I have. Tom Brindley’s recent column about small town movies and small town dreams together with our community’s discussion of projected changes to the old Maltz, ...

House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan said this week he is leaving Congress because he doesn’t want his children to reach adulthood having experienced only a “weekend dad.” After 20 years in Congress, Ryan’s decision is understandable in that light. But one wonders if Ryan, ...

We are forever amazed, and grateful, to the generosity and philanthropic spirit of Anna and Jesse Besser. Their foresight in 1944 has resulted in hundreds upon hundreds of projects and improvements around Northeast Michigan from the original donation they seeded their foundation with. ...

For those of us excited about the possibility of Minneapolis flights returning to Alpena I’m afraid I have some bad news — temper your enthusiasm for a few weeks. Earlier in the week it was revealed SkyWest, in its bid to continue federally subsidized air service in Alpena, had given ...

The snowstorm hasn't hit as fingers hit keyboard. Man, do I hope the weathermen and women are Wrong, with a capital W ... ∫ I tweeted this on Wednesday: “Phoenix hit 100 yesterday, 4th earliest ever. We have snowflakes in the air with accumulation in the forecast. Mother Nature is a ...

I see that "mom jeans" — that '90s look where the waistband of a woman's pants are up around her armpits — are back. Since I'm a guy, you probably expect me to say this is a terrible development in women's fashion, especially since they are replacing low-rise jeans. But you would be ...