It seems to happen all the time, this community making us smile, proud to call Northeast Michigan home. The latest example was came Thursday, when reporter Steve Schulwitz told us about the offers of not one, but two community groups to step in and make something of the deteriorating ball ...

Plaza Pool is too important of an asset to let slip away. Those who agree need to rally together to (a) help figure a way financially to help keep it open and (b) market the pool and its importance from one end of Alpena County to the other. In a region blessed with water as its most ...

Coming on the heels of the historic Apollo 11 50th anniversary celebrations, I read with interest news this week that Michigan had been designated the number one state in the Midwest for aerospace manufacturing attractiveness. In addition, it rose from 8th to 4th in national rankings. The ...

This week, a reader asked about The News’ policy regarding coverage of candidates for elected office. Specifically, the reader wondered why we ran a photo on Monday’s Lifestyles page of Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski (who has made clear he intends to run for reelection next year) giving a ...

I watched part of the big debate this week. Can you believe Hannah Brown picked that lousy dog food jingle singer over the other guy? Hey, what can I say, “The Bachelorette” was way more educational than the first Democratic debate. At least, with “The Bachelorette,” I learned two ...

After moving back to Michigan after a 20-year hiatus, it didn’t take but a few months to realize how much I missed this great state. It goes far beyond the geographical beauty of Northeast Michigan. It is centered on the people who have called this place home much longer than me. You have ...

The Alpena County Library is, in our estimation, one of the best libraries in the nation. The programs and events it offers for people of all ages is second to none. Compared to libraries in larger cities, with more of a tax base from which to draw, our library can hold its own and, in some ...

Northern Strike, the Michigan Brown Trout Festival, a city managers’ conference, a softball tournament, university students from two different schools, vacationers, business travelers, multiple family reunions, the Alpena High School class of 1999 reunion, and so many others have been in our ...

Earlier this week, News reporter Julie Goldberg introduced us to Kyle Bailey, a 34-year-old Port Huron man and quadruple organ transplant recipient who plans to bicycle from Mackinaw City to Port Huron from Sunday through Aug. 10 to raise awareness of the importance of becoming an organ donor. ...

Everyone is entitled to a fair fight, which is why the Constitution guarantees those who are accused of a crime the right to a defense attorney, whether or not they can afford one. But Michigan, like most other states, has not done well at protecting that right. Though courts are a branch ...

From the folks who brought you a major change in how to draw voting district lines, now comes a possible effort to take a whack at Michigan’s term limit law approved by 60% of the voters in 1992. Oh, boy, this could be fun. To be sure, the Voters Not Politicians grassrooters have not made ...

One of the more surprising statistics to come from The News’ recent “Caring for Northeast Michigan” series was the number of head injuries sustained by Michigan athletes. In a story about the challenges of making medical care at the ready for athletes in our rural area, sports editor ...

The announcement this week of a possible new tenant in the former Kmart building is welcome news indeed. The news hinges on Alpena Township trustees granting the proposed new owner a zoning variance for the property from commercial to light industrial. While some might be disappointed by ...

If you were down at Art on the Bay this past weekend you couldn’t help but notice the standing water in some of the low areas around Bay View Park. If you were in that same neighborhood last Saturday when the rains came, then you also were probably treated to several inches of standing ...

For their health and wellbeing, if nothing else, Democrats and others who are horrified by Donald J. Trump have to stop doing two things: ∫ Being shocked by him. ∫ Expecting a savior to do something about him. The latest, greatest example is his stunningly racist tweet-storm about ...

My favorite climbing tree grew alongside the old Alpena train depot. That fascinating building, with its lush lawn and tightly grown hedge, stood just a block from my childhood home. Grabbing the lowest branch and pressing my feet against the well-worn trunk, I would inch my way into my special ...

No, none of us wear a “S” on our chests. We don’t have a cape, fly through the sky or have an aversion to kryptonite. We aren’t Superman or Superwoman. We aren’t Clark Kent nor do we work at the Daily Planet. We are just normal folks who have normal hobbies. We are your ...

On Second Avenue near Water Street lies one of downtown’s most iconic and most treasured buildings. Looming over the rest of the block with its distinguishable peak, its four white pillars, its decorative fenestration. Facing Second Avenue with its incongruous modern red front, its bricked ...

I worry for the future of some individual newspapers. My hometown paper and the birthplace of my career, the Battle Creek Enquirer, serves a city of more than 50,000 people and a county of more than 100,000 people and has fewer journalists working in its newsroom than does The Alpena News. ...

An email I received from a local motorist stated: “It’s that time of year when more people are pulling camping trailers throughout the state. I travel a lot between Rogers City and Escanaba in the (Upper Peninsula) and Grand Rapids to the south. I notice many people pulling their trailers ...