March is Reading Month offers a special opportunity for families to come together around the joy of books. It is a time when parents, guardians, and children can share stories, explore new worlds, and strengthen their connection through reading. Family involvement in literacy has a powerful ...

History doesn't always repeat itself, or even rhyme. People sometimes learn from experience, their own or others'. Example: Woodrow Wilson, a stubborn Southerner, refused to involve any Republicans, all Northerners in those days, in treaty negotiations after World War I. His treaty version, ...

My grandson, Benjamin, has been selected to play the lead in his drama club’s production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time.” It was voted a best new play in 2013. Ben is 16. He lives in England with his father, my son, his mother, and his siblings. I don’t see him ...

At a time 14 months ago when other governors were lambasting President Donald Trump on a variety of issues, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer sat peacefully in the executive residence living room back in December of 2024 and revealed a secret that not only gave those other chief executives pause, it set ...

Alpena Community College recently hosted Chronicle of Higher Education reporter David Jesse for a campus visit to discuss the current state of higher education in Michigan. Widely acknowledged to be among the most informed observers of the higher education landscape nationally, Jesse launched ...

My last column in this space was abruptly cut off halfway through and mid-sentence. Here’s the rest of that sentence: “growth thereafter.” Hope that helps. What was I talking about? Oh, yeah, maturity. The sentence should read, “But we must do the hard work of pursuing…”. I ...