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Letters to the Editor

The News’ lack of DNC coverage concerning

Dear Editor, I am writing to express my concern regarding The Alpena News’s lack of coverage of recent political events, specifically the glaring disparity in coverage between the Democratic National Convention and the small gatherings held by Donald Trump. The Democratic convention on Monday night featured Hillary Clinton and our current president, Joe Biden. In The Alpena News on Tuesday, not one mention of the DNC. On Tuesday evening of the DNC, Michelle and Barack Obama both spoke, and maybe not so surprisingly, received NO coverage in your publication on Wednesday. These ...

Honored to be chairs for the Aliferis race

Dana and I are truly honored to be the Honorary Chairs of this year’s MyMichigan Health Aliferis Memorial Race. We have been participating in the event for the past eight years, and every year, it keeps getting better. Both of us have lived in Alpena almost our entire lives and we feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful area that offers so much and to be part of an amazing community. From kayaking and paddle boarding to hiking, biking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing, we absolutely love living in Alpena and we keep finding more and more outdoor activities that we enjoy every ...

Trying to live in balance with environment

To the Editor: This is in response to the article in last week’s Presque Isle Advance regarding the Materials Management Plan. I have stressed to the county board that the county does not have the staff, the expertise, or the understanding to develop its own regional management plan. They went ahead anyway. The article speaks of the state’s overflowing landfills. While that may be a statewide issue, it certainly is not a problem here in N.E. Michigan. We have a municipally-owned facility in Montmorency County that is jointly owned by Montmorency, Oscoda, and Alpena counties with ...

Each district needs representation on board

The article in the July 30 Alpena News about library supporters “fighting back” saddened me. I am proud of the fact that I listen and appreciate various sides of the coin. I believe in freedom of speech. However; this community is still reeling. Why can’t “fighting back” involve the disagreeing groups coming together to brainstorm, work out how to get along, and listen to your fellow citizens? Commissioners did not make the decision lightly, why not settle this situation peacefully without all the anger and finger-pointing? Will movements to remove and destroy commissioners you ...

Utility companies need to be held accountable

Dear Editor, As the country and the rest of the world experience another year of scorching heat waves, private for-profit utility companies — who we rely upon for our basic necessities like heating, cooling, and electricity — are keeping us reliant on climate-wrecking fossil fuels while reporting record profits. When they work well, utilities exist in the background of our lives: they power our homes, cool us down when it’s hot, and give us heat when it’s cold. But too often, they are sources of aggravation: The power goes off when it’s dangerously hot or cold out, our ...

The shocking part of the library board story

Had I not been at the Alpena County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, July 23, I would not have believed it. During the meeting’s “public comment” time, a community member, Dennis Schultz, offered to assist in removing the negative library signs posted around Alpena County in exchange for the commissioners’ vote to remove all current members of the Alpena County library board. This same person reminded the county Board of Commissioners that several individuals had already “identified themselves” to them as replacements for the existing library board. Following ...