Fifty-one Alpena County kids were victims of abuse or neglect in 2018, the most recent year data is available from the Kids County Data Book, a statewide report on child well-being. For many of those kids, it was a trusted source outside of their home — a teacher, a pastor, a coach — who ...
Friends care about friends. With that in mind, how are you holding up these days? I’ll be honest with you. If you asked me that question this week, I would share with you, “Not all that well.” The stress of trying to be a magician and keep finding rabbits in my hat to keep the ...
Awhile back, the New York Times did a great feature in which they interviewed laid-off journalists and asked them about the stories they were working on when they got the axe, the stories their communities never got to see because their employers needed to save money. There was the Anaheim, ...
It’s no secret that water levels are at all-time highs in most of the Great Lakes. The latest figures from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pegged Lake Huron at 13.4 inches higher than it was at this time last year. What that means is that, in April, Lake Huron was three inches higher than ...
The NBA has suspended the season, which is bad enough, but now Shaquille O’Neil says it shouldn’t be suspended — it should be scrapped. He’s willing to throw in the towel to the coronavirus, knowing full well the adverse effects that decision will entail — betting lines will not be ...
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we ...
The last couple months haven’t been easy for any of us. The conversations I’ve had with friends, colleagues and family over the last month have covered a range of topics, from anxiety and fear of contracting the coronavirus to the struggles of dealing with cabin fever and being stuck at ...
The farther one goes north in Michigan, the truer the saying, “We have two seasons, winter and bug season.” However, “bug season” is really a misnomer. We should call it “arthropod season,” but that doesn’t flow off the tongue so well. Taxonomy is the structured classification ...
Does it seem to you, because it does to me, that the national media can’t walk and chew gum at the same time? Unquestionably, the story of our moment is the COVID-19 pandemic and, without question, that story deserves the majority of news space and time. Endless stories, endless facts, ...
Would you want to be a school administrator these days? We think not. The same holds true for a board member, union representative, or staff member. A cloud of uncertainty hangs over the state’s school system right now. And, from the look of that cloud, it portends a nasty storm instead ...
Dear 2020 graduates, We can only imagine how you’re feeling. We know graduation — not just the completing of courses and the handing-over of a diploma, but the ceremony, the celebration, the hugs, and the (hopefully responsible) parties — are an important milestone in the life of ...
Our Kids Count in Michigan project director, Kelsey Perdue, who you heard from in The Alpena News a few weeks ago, has a saying that has been running through my head repeatedly these days: “Kids make up 20% of Michigan’s population and 100% of our future.” Right now, I’m trying to ...
Lab tests show cats, ferrets, and dogs can contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, News staff writer Julie Riddle told us in a recent story. Cats are the most susceptible. Dogs appear less affected by the illness. Poultry and pigs don’t seem to get sick from COVID-19, ...
“It’s going to be really, really be bad for us,” Pam Bensman, owner of Bensman’s Long Lake Market, told News staff writer Crystal Nelson for a recent story on how communities are worrying about the loss of most summer festivals this year. Rogers City’s Nautical Fest. Long Lake ...
“Mothers never retire. No matter how old her children are she is always a Mom, always willing to encourage and help her children in any way she can.” — Catherine Pulsifer Happy Mother’s Day! From Millennials to Baby Boomers, no generation living today has experienced a Mother’s ...
I hereby nominate every working journalist for a 2021 Pulitzer prize. Several years ago, when YouTube and other social media was just on the rise, Time Magazine made “you” its Person of the Year and put a mirror on its cover. It was cheesy, but just clever enough to make it remarkable, ...
The Bill of Rights is a sacred trust that all of us inherited from our brave forefathers. Those rights were paid for by blood, sweat, and tears, and anything that threatens them, or erodes their power, needs to addressed and corrected swiftly. That is why we vehemently object to the ...
I was reaching for a jar of salsa in Aisle 3 when the little girl rounded the corner, singing softly to herself. The child glanced my way, and I gave her a smile. The little song faltered. Eyes on my face, the girl edged past me and my salsa. The song was struck up again, with a ...
Have you made a decision not to base your decisions on political indecision? Having done so, are you unsure what to base your decisions upon? Would having a credible source help? Does legislation pending in our state’s legislature that allows for the baiting of deer, thereby promoting their ...
While COVID-19 has altered life for all, it thrust students and families into uncharted territory as education is facing an uncertain future as the state and country respond to the virus outbreak. In March, when the announcement that schools were closed for a few weeks, most began connecting ...