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Editorials and columns

‘Old folks’ and ‘rookies’ in politics

After what we have experienced recently I assure you America will never again hire anyone who would serve as president into their 80s. No blame can go to the founders of our nation who did not feel that it was necessary to put an age limit on the presidency. And then we had the "Joe Biden and Donald Trump combo." By 2028 we would have had 12 consecutive years of total dysfunction, for various reasons, coming out of the Oval Office. There is virtually no corporation, nor is there any other occupation or career that would allow anyone to work in an official capacity into their 80s. It is ...

World Cup, America 250, opens the eyes of the world

During the World Cup, the American 250 and Fourth of July celebrations, people from around the globe have seen our country from a different viewpoint from what they were sold in their homeland by government officials and the media overseas. The cool thing is, they liked what they saw. People ...

Ash Elegy

The fate of ash trees highlights one of the several tragic tales within the world of forest ecology. The exotic emerald ash borer struck a hard blow. Yet, the story is not over. Ashes (Fraxinus spp.) have never been a large part of the Michigan forest landscape. At most, about three ...

What happened to Fourth of July fun?

This summer, I’ve been increasingly interested in the stability of my community. Is Alpena growing its economic impact? Are community members making the community a better place to live? Are my peers ditching their phones to seek connections irl (in real life)? I haven’t come to a ...

In defense of data centers

New York just became the first state in the country to sign a moratorium on data centers. There are two paths forward on this issue. One path builds the infrastructure that runs the next 50 years of the American economy. The other bans the future, then acts surprised when the jobs show up ...

Be a citizen

In 1976, I was seven years old when America celebrated its 200th birthday. With the 4th of July celebration that year, the country was ramped up to celebrate bigger than ever. As a kid I was especially excited to see the parade, as there were supposed to be several special entrees supported by ...