For weeks, small forests of signs promoting dozens of political candidates have been demonstrations of the vigor of our system of government. Now, they are just litter. Some candidates and their supporters started the process of picking up their signs on Tuesday evening. It is pleasing ...
It really is a question about how much children mean to us. Are they precious enough for us to pay just a little bit of attention while we are driving? Not for some people — and that includes a few right here in our area. We doubt there is a school bus driver in our area who has not ...
It’s Election Day! Today, voters across the nation will head to the polls to help decide control of Congress, several governorships, scores of downballot contests, and several proposals. Here in Michigan, the entire Legislature is up for election and Michiganders will pick a new ...
I recently sat in a presentation that discussed Alpena’s lingering “fear of change” that rears its head whenever projects are met with disagreement. On the surface, it may look simple and straightforward. Organization A, would like to do project B, to get outcome C. Despite efforts to ...
So many of the things we love about our town, from the services at our hospital to the festivals and other events we enjoy, are driven by volunteers. Yet, as was reported in a recent edition of The News, several area organizations are struggling to find new members and volunteers as some of ...
In order to keep the peace in your county jail, the local sheriff has to have rules. But what would happen if he or she turned over he rule drafting assignment to the lawyers representing the inmates? Oh my. There would be congenial rights every day, an open bar after five p.m., ...
Nov. 8 is an important date for the future of Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. On that day, the Mackinac Bridge Authority will meet and hear presentations about why the Authority should take ownership, once it is built, of a tunnel that has been proposed to carry a new Line 5 and other ...
I’ve lived in Greenbush for decades, and my wife’s family roots here go back nearly a century. We consider ourselves locals and feel totally at home on the Sunrise Side. But we are also Jewish Democrats from Pittsburgh, where I and our children were born. The recent synagogue shootings in ...
Last month, while I was visiting my brother downstate, we watched “Fletch,” the 1985 movie starring Chevy Chase as an investigative newspaper columnist who uncovers an international drug/fraud conspiracy. If there’s one thing journalists love, it’s stories about journalists. And ...
To the people in this country, including Alpena, if you think socialism, where the government owns and distributes everything — to include health care, businesses, where you work and live, and pretty much what you do — is a great way to go, consider what Pastor James Merritt on the TBN ...
Body cameras for law enforcement make good sense. In today’s world, where often law enforcement officers find themselves in tough situations, a body camera can offer insight later to what actually happened. Body cameras are good for officers, as they are recorded truth of what happened ...
I was stunned by what I read from Mr. Clyde Shuman regarding Jackie Krawczak’s column. I want to ask him ... Mr. Shuman, didn’t your parents teach you that if don’t have anything nice to say, then you should say nothing! How easy is it to simply NOT read Jackie’s column??!! Why ...
When it comes to the English language, there are three rules that newspaper reporters typically follow: 1) Never use an Oxford comma. If you don’t know what that is, I’m reluctant to tell you, in case you’ll start using them. But what the heck: An Oxford comma is the comma that sick, ...
Doug Pugh, your article, “Comparisons that define obscenity,” was excellent. Your whole article gave some fine examples for us to think about. I agree with your words about Sally Yates, who stood up for what is right, rather than go along with what she felt was unlawful. I agree with ...
Plans calling for the Mackinac Bridge Authority to own the proposed Enbridge crude oil tunnel beneath the Straits of Mackinac are ill-advised. For over 60 years, the bridge has served as a symbol of our great state – the very manifestation of the courage, cooperation, innovation, and ...
“Bully: v., to treat (someone) in a cruel, insulting, threatening or aggressive fashion: to act like a bully toward.” Mr. Shuman, Your recent letter to the editor says more about you as a person than it says about Ms. Krawczak as a writer. While you may be a ‘professional,’ kindness ...
I was prompted to write this letter in response to Joseph Houle’s letter of Oct. 27, “Disappointed in lack of emergency doctors.” I took my husband to the emergency department at the hospital a few weeks ago with a laceration of his hand. I thought, “Oh, good,” only two people ...
Are we becoming a nation of politically correct morons, that we attack children due to their Halloween costumes? In Kentucky, a 5-year-old and his family were attacked during trick-or-trunk because his father was a history buff. The costumes were of an SS officer and Hitler. The problem is that ...
Dos Equis beer now enjoys brand recognition thanks to its “Most Interesting Man in the World” advertising campaign. But the company pales in comparison to Ed Grezlak, the “Most Interesting Man in Alpena.” For years, city residents watched Grezlak’s house be constructed on some of ...
As deer start to get antsy with the “rut” approaching, they begin moving a lot during low-light times. Their movement during the early morning hours or into the evening leads to inevitable car-deer accidents. With that in mind, I want to provide some tips for traveling safe during ...