In the whacky world of politics there are two games that are played on two distinctly different stages. There’s the outside game, whereby the pols trot out front of the media and the whole world and make this pronouncement and that and then retreat to the other stage, the inside game. Of ...
Last week, reporter Steve Schulwitz raced out to the scene of an apparent gasoline spill on the Thunder Bay River. Emergency crews responded with booms near the 9th Avenue dam, where gasoline was pluming on the river. Officials traced the source back to the parking lot of the Alpena Area ...
Even before President Donald Trump threatened to use tariffs on Mexican goods imported into the United States, that country’s leaders seemed to be doing more than their predecessors to keep potential illegal immigrants from crossing our southern border. Now, however, the campaign has ...
As a Baby Boomer and the husband of a wife who now has been retired three-quarters of a year, I often am asked the question, “So, when are you considering retiring?” I suppose my answer depends on the day. Some days, it would be easy to answer, “Tomorrow.” Others, I really don’t ...
I was dismayed with the front page photo on July 5 describing “paradegoers honor the flag.” The picture actually captured at least two U.S. flags laying on the ground/blanket. I am sure your photographer could have found other paradegoers who were honoring the flag properly. First rule of ...
Without a doubt, one of the weirdest chapters of my career was the time I spent covering Emmett Township, which hugs Battle Creek’s eastern edge and is the second-most populous community in Calhoun County. The largely inexperienced board did all kinds of funny and odd things, but perhaps ...
I urge everyone to vote yes on the library millage RENEWAL election Aug. 6. If passed, this 0.25-mill levy will enable our library to continue the excellent services that now exist, plus create a safer public space and improved accessibility for patrons. The renewal will help pay for a ...
The “not in my back yard” syndrome is a real issue that problem-solvers face with any challenging situation. Certainly, the controversy over the Enbridge Inc. Line 5 oil pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac contains a lot of “NIMBY” emotion, and understandably so. The one ...
Mark Shields, anti-Trump syndicated columnist, in his July 8 column in The News attempted to shield (pun intended) Robert Mueller from his recent and future actions by relating what Mueller did in the 1960s. Yes, Mueller served in Vietnam, and he should be commended for his service. But what ...
Come Heller high water ... ∫ Before I get started, a quick disclosure: This column contains CBD oil. Why? Because I’m pretty sure that, by law, everything has to contain it, nowadays. My problem is I have no idea what it is or what it’s supposed to do. Please don’t enlighten me. I ...
Although Sunken Lake Park sits in Presque Isle County, it is a treasure to the Alpena Parks and Recreation Department. I like to camp and this park is close to home, a real convenience. Through the years, park managers have come and gone, as well as park hosts. I really would like to commend ...
The Jewish Resistance exhibit now at the Besser Museum is a grim reminder of the tyranny, oppression, and mass murder that occurred under Nazi rule. Project-based learning is an excellent way of learning. History is our greatest teacher. Students and teachers are to be congratulated! MARYLIN ...
A fact of life is that if we don’t change, we die. That’s true on a macro level, where Northeast Michigan seeks to increase economic opportunity to keep up with changing industry. It’s also true on a micro level, where changing for survival often comes in the form of a new job or way of ...
I read with interest Master Sgt. Jason Kinney’s presentation to the Alpena Township board on the upcoming Northern Strike military exercises. I was disheartened that he felt the need to advise the troops not to wear their military uniform in town as they might “freak out” the locals. In ...
Letters to the editor related to the Aug. 6 election will not be accepted after 5 p.m. July 24. The July 27 edition of The News will be last to carry any such letters. Email newsroom@thealpenanews.com or call 989-354-3111, ext. 317 for more information.
We detest mob mentality. While once mob mentality was only evidenced by a strong-willed person taking control at a gathering and influencing others into a frenzy, today it just as easy — if not easier — to form a mob on social media and then “have at it.” The latest victim was ...
It was brought to my attention numerous times throughout the holiday weekend that, on the Fourth of July, a resident made a post on Facebook about how police officers at the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post do not have the proper equipment to assist residents who have ...
Equal pay for equal work has been one justification cited by those who believe the U.S. Soccer Federation’s World Cup-winning women’s team should be paid as much as those on the men’s team. But that is misleading: In an important way, the women are doing more valuable work. U.S. Sen. ...
On the first day of my first full-time job as a preschool teacher, I walked into a beautiful building full of beautiful children and I was ready to take on the world. The human resources manager welcomed me to the agency and then turned on an orientation video and left the room. It was ...
Last week, just in time for the celebration of America’s birth and those who sacrificed to keep this great country living, came the news of George Guild finally getting his due. Guild was the first Alpena native to die fighting for his country when he was killed in action on Nov. 3, 1864, ...