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Local journalism is important for local communities

As we wind down the celebration of a free press in our democracy this weekend, understand for a minute here just how incredibly fortunate you are. Many of you are holding an actual newspaper made of newsprint and ink. That in and of itself is rare anymore. Second, you live in a community and ...

The miraculous medal

When my grandpa died in 2020, I wrestled with the fact that I didn’t have any specific memories of him. My one recollection was waking up in the morning when my family visited him in Wisconsin and coming downstairs to the porch. Grandpa would be there sitting in his chair; he was always the ...

How can this be okay?

By now most in the community have seen, received or heard about the flyer the Alpena County Republican Party mailed to countless county residents in the last couple of weeks. The flyer is a smear campaign against four school board candidates, Sarah Fritz, Claire Kipfmiller, Evan Carlson and Kayla Ratz. The flyer was disparaging of four of our fellow community members who decided to give of their time and personal finances to serve this community by running for a nonpartisan school board seat. And for that they were subject to nothing short of character assassination. All of that is ...

Cornell case is a moral failure

If you have been following the news from Cornell University, you'll know that a former student -- identified only as "Jane Doe" -- is claiming that she was gang-raped at a Chi Phi fraternity party in 2024 and that seven men were involved. As horrific as that accusation is, the story gets even ...

Senators should answer to voters, not factions

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said something out loud this weekend that many in Washington have long understood: Sen. Chuck Schumer, he argued, lives in fear of the far-left wing of his party. Thune pointed to Democrats blocking debate on military funding and a defense authorization bill, ...

Newspapers offer a lot more than news

This week is National Newspaper Week and to me, it is a reason to celebrate not only my job, but my staff, my sources and comrades, and the important role newspapers play in people’s daily lives. I have had a front-row seat to what a small-town newspaper means to a rural area for the last ...