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Editorials and columns

Keep politicians out of college sports

Nearly everyone who is a college sports fan, myself included, knows the state of affairs in the NCAA is one fine mess. Especially regarding football and men's basketball, the two major money-making sports, things have changed massively in the last few years -- and mostly not in a good way. Elite and even above-average athletes have effectively become free agents selling their services each year to the highest bidders. Every year the school rosters are different, so there's almost no team or university loyalty. It's rent-a-player, and the big college teams are now effectively ...

Forget the rainbow, let’s taste the vinegar

My mind wanders, and sometimes I just follow behind it, seeing where it goes. Driving to the gym recently, I debated bringing in my water bottle before remembering there was a water fountain inside. I started thinking about the person who designed the fountain itself, about the mechanics of the water arcing upward at exactly the right angle, about the pressure required to make it work, and the decision to replace the old metal push button by the spout with a broad bar easier to press. Someone had to solve those problems so the rest of us could take a drink without giving it a second ...

Dems ruminate over an autopsy when they should be making hay

It seemed to take forever, but on Thursday the Democratic National Committee finally released their autopsy of their ill-fated 2024 presidential campaign. It's bitter medicine, my Dem friends, but, as Momma used to say, take a spoonful, it'll do you good. As midterm elections loom, and as ...

How to help boys

It would be better for boys if society stopped expecting them to act like girls. A Texas mom recently shared a video of her son at his kindergarten graduation. The clip shows him squirming in his chair, playing with his hands and stretching over his seat. She captioned the video, "You're six and the ceremony enters minute 37." The footage went viral because the boy is cute and the situation is so relatable for parents. But for boys, moments like this are no laughing matter. Think about most modern early elementary classrooms. Many teachers want students to spend hours a day ...

Michigan’s house is on fire

The Detroit Regional Chamber President and CEO Sandy Baruah and Henry Ford’s President & CEO made this very clear at the Mackinac Policy Conference this past week. The also made it clear that in order to correct the course, we must first recognize that we have a problem and then work ...

Aging is inevitable, becoming weak is not

When Alpena was founded, strength wasn't a hobby. It was a necessity. Loggers cut the timber that built America. Fishermen worked the waters of Thunder Bay. Sailors navigated the dangers of Shipwreck Alley. Families rebuilt after devastating fires. Cement workers helped construct the ...