For 10 years I had the pleasure to work with three people who are running for local offices. I was the victim advocate for the Alpena County Prosecutor’s Office during this time. Cynthia Muszynski, Keith Edward Black, and Russ Rhynard all care about our community and wish to continue to ...
When we planted our raised garden beds this past spring, I decided to edge one with a row of sunflowers. Within weeks, small tender shoots unfurled and began reaching upward. All summer long they grew, gradually producing large blossoms that tracked the sun’s east-to-west journey across ...
Mark Twain once wrote that “man is the only animal that blushes, or needs to.” Since blushing often accompanies a lie, this might explain President Donald Trump’s fondness for dyeing his skin orange: It’s difficult to see a blush on a face whose color would provide effective camouflage ...
Whether you’re a Republican, a Democrat, an independent, or other, those designations mean something; even having no political affiliation (NPA) is a title that means something. Those claiming to be affiliated with one party, even though they have more in common with another, just to get ...
Elections have consequences. Many local elections are won and lost by a matter of just a few votes. Which is why YOUR VOTE MATTERS. Our county prosecutor plays a significant role in our criminal justice system. The decisions she makes, such as charging and plea-bargaining decisions, have a ...
I would like to take this opportunity to address the voters in Alpena County, District 3 in the City of Alpena. I would encourage you to support Dave Karschnick in his bid to remain your representative on the Alpena County Board of Commissioners. I have known Dave for a number of years as a ...
Before their demise, the average of the world’s greatest civilizations from the beginning of history has been about 200 years. If you believe that United States history is impervious to this simple fact, you are simply wrong. Those failed civilizations all had a birth and death story. Ours ...
Why I voted for Joe Biden: 1. Joe Will bring back respect for America with our longtime friends and allies, developing nations and even our adversaries. They know they can believe what he says. 2. Joe will reengage America in the worldwide effort to address and confront the looming ...
This is not your father’s Democratic Party. Although I vote with/for conservatives, I hate the Republican Party more than I do the Democratic Party. The real problem in Washington, D.C. is the establishment or “Deep State,” which consists of entrenched politicians and bureaucrats on both ...
The election has already started. Early voting/absentee voting/mail-in voting whatever you want to call it is happening everywhere at a record-breaking pace The actual Election Day, Nov. 3 is nearly here. So, it is time to talk about what should come next in Northeast Michigan. And ...
Without doing any research, in which states do you think people pay the most taxes to the federal government? Which states get back more than they pay in? In reality, there are 37 states, including Michigan, that take more tax money from other states than we pay in. The worst moocher states ...
Remember that this president does not operate in a vacuum. Without the full support and encouragement of the United States Congress and the Republican Party, the president of the United States could never do many of the things that he has done and is already doing. Donald J. Trump needs your ...
I worked with Joel Bauer when I was a private attorney practicing in northern Michigan, and Joel has appeared before me in my current position as a Presque Isle County Probate and Family Court judge. Joel is exceptionally well-qualified to be your next Circuit Court judge. He has been a ...
Recently I learned that Alpena school board member Ned Heath commented, “There’s not a lot of teaching going on” while discussing current learning plans within Alpena Public Schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alpena has some of the most dedicated educators I have ever seen who were ...
For the nearly 50 years of my Alpena News subscription, I have never observed the petty comments as I have in the last few months. The comments on the “letters policy” and what constitutes a “great newspaper” are feckless predilections of an ersatz pedant. His criticism of the lack of a ...
There are plenty of legitimate reasons for the court process to be delayed: Late evidence. No-show witnesses. Tardy attorneys. There are arguably more reasons for slowness in Northeast Michigan, where court districts cover multiple large counties with no interstates, meaning attorneys, ...
It would be easy for someone to look at our current coronavirus statistics and think the worst is past us, that it’s time to return more fully to normal. After all, a Northeast Michigander hasn’t died after being exposed to the virus since August, hospitalizations across our region are ...
The Michigan Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer violated state law by declaring emergencies and issuing executive decrees without legislative approval. The governor’s unilateral control over the daily lives of 10 million people has come to an end. No ...
The biggest crime involved in drunk driving is that, too often, it is not just the inebriated person behind the wheel who gets punished. Drunk drivers cause crashes. And those crashes too often have deadly consequences to innocent people unlucky enough to be on the same road at the same ...
Guns. Where and when. Don’t look now, but the state is on the cusp of a dandy brouhaha over guns and where you can take them and when you can’t. The story you’re about to read unfolds on two fronts: namely, the state Capitol building and every polling place around the ...