My heart aches for Midland area residents who were impacted by this week’s devastating floods. Days of storms in the area led to the failure of two dams and the record level of flooding that forced the evacuation of 10,000 residents there. Thankfully no one died from the flooding. ...
A new Brookings Institute survey found among mothers with young children, nearly one-fifth say their children are not getting enough to eat during this pandemic, a rate three times as high as in 2008, during the worst of the Great Recession. This should be deeply concerning to all of us — ...
Cable TV news — and CNN, in particular — have made such a habit of wall-to-wall, 24-7 coverage of a single news event they sometimes seem a parody of themselves. When Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared, CNN’s coverage was so extensive I remember a segment in which pundits at ...
This letter is addressing all Democrats, Republicans, Socialists or whatever your political affiliation. You, as a group and even in some cases as individuals have decided to shut down our economy due to health issues related to COVID-19. I am not arguing whether you did the right or wrong ...
Presuming a contract can be hammered out between Alpena School Superintendent John VanWagoner and Traverse City Area School officials, local education folks soon will be looking for VanWagoner’s replacement. The selection of VanWagoner this week as Traverse City’s new superintendent is ...
We were amused by the editorial in Thursday’s News, beginning “Dear 2020 graduates.” Lamenting the COVID-19-denied “ceremony, celebration, hugs, and parties,” as if such amusements were a seminal part of education. (Pro tip to The News: in the first graph, the phrase after the em dash ...
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was published previously in The News. Find more of Doug Pugh’s columns in his book, “Vignettes,” available for sale at The News, 130 Park Place, Alpena, Michigan, 49707. Bill is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery. He’s in Block 5 in the alley between Lots 4 and ...
On Saturday April 25, The Alpena News published an article announcing, Alpena Community College President Don MacMaster said they gave 16 apartment keys to MidMichigan and the Alpena Fire Department to use if their employees fear exposing their families to the virus. “They could use the units ...
As I have navigated the drastic changes to my daily life these past months, I have regularly reminded myself that many things remain constant. There are still things I can rely on and anticipate. One such event is the migration of birds into our area each May. Though the long stretch of ...
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” I would like to express my appreciation for the staff of MediLodge of Alpena. In this time of the virus, nursing homes serve perhaps our most vulnerable population. In many instances, the coronavirus spreads quickly in the homes and they incur ...
Picture a spring when mosquitoes and blackflies are free of predators. Swarms of biting bugs take over campsites and patios, unfettered by swooping swallows or dive-bombing bats, because there are none. Chances are, you’ve had a perfectly good camping trip or backyard picnic spoiled by bugs ...
“United” States stand! Again we are hit between the eyes (with truth) from our government leaders. This is true divisive tactics against a democratic branch of government. The president (I think) had a room full of Republicans (dividing) and was pointing out that they (do his dirty work) ...
If it makes you feel any better, so are your neighbors it seems. In a press release from the website Sleepopolis, a study was done of Michigan residents and their sleep habits. Alpena finished 234th in the state for healthy sleep (based on a number of different factors such as smoking rate in ...
I had just assembled a list of potential column topic ideas for this week’s column. Setting the list aside, I changed focus to checking the news and ponder which of the topics I wanted to dig into. Wouldn’t you know, one of the articles on the news site I happened to be on was titled, ...
Eventually the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic will run its course, and how long that takes will matter to the fiscal challenges Michigan’s state government will face. For example, the personal income tax is its largest revenue source. Right now, it’s unclear how much the pandemic will cause ...
Even before the pandemic, so much of our lives had moved from the real world and into the 10 square inches of our phone screens. We shop online. We read online. We communicate with friends online. We date online. Now, the coronavirus and the shutdowns meant to prevent its spread have ...
With all of the shutdowns and closures meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, enjoying the Pure Michigan outdoors is one way we can keep ourselves entertained and active. But we must continue to do so safely, and outdoor regulations and requirements remain in effect. You must still, ...
Political reporters just love stories about lawmakers “wasting” tax dollars. Every two years, when a new batch of legislators would arrive in town, there was a tradition that they got to decorate their offices with whatever they wanted. Lavish sofas, mirrored walls, wood-paneled ...
Many of you know what it’s like to have to scrape by when your income is slashed. Those workers who lost their job in the coronavirus pandemic and had to wait weeks for our overburdened unemployment system to get them benefits know what it’s like. So do those business owners who had to ...
COVID-19 has the floor right now. But it is not the only virus galloping across America. Guns are a virus. Hatred is a virus. Intolerance is a virus. Racism is a virus. Sexism and sexual abuse is a virus. White nationalism is a virus. “Me first” is a virus. “I got mine” ...