This has to be a first in Alpena Public School history. Eric Lawson, Alpena Public School Board President, has tried almost everything imaginable to discourage public input at school board meetings and now has most certainly taken an unprecedented step. In an attempt to intimidate the public ...

On November 5, a fire at the Center of Charity caused extensive smoke damage throughout the entire building which means that the Friendship Room which gives meals to the needy; Children’s Closet which assists families with clothes and other needs; and Baby Pantry which assists babies through ...

I’m writing this letter to address the Alpena County Commissions meeting about the County Campgrounds. The behavior I witnessed from Gerald Fournier and Gerald MacArthur was something I as a young adult, or anyone in that room shouldn’t have occurred. Tonight they voted on who would get to ...

Our American democracy will only work when we all believe it works, but the system seems to be increasingly broken. Many disillusioned voters around the country are turning to Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), a simple change to the way we vote that we can adopt now. It levels the playing field for ...

Public speakers are starting to feel very UNWELCOME at the Alpena Public School Board meetings. At the May meeting, Anna Meinhardt took 40 seconds to give public speaker guidelines. In October, Eric Lawson's “new” rules went on for 2 minutes and 16 seconds, almost as long as the three ...

As a community member who values open dialogue, I am deeply concerned about the increasingly unwelcoming atmosphere at our school board meetings. Each meeting’s public comment period begins with a lengthy 2-minute, 16-second lecture from the board president detailing what can and cannot be ...