×

Opinion

Scams against old people are scourge of our society

Columns

I oversaw the care of an elderly friend in his last years. Up until age 86, Frank was pretty much in control. But then he was diagnosed with cancer. The disease and the drugs greatly sapped powers that old age had already altered. The telephone became his conduit to the outside world. ...

Addressing health issues

Columns

Summer is a time for fun and outdoor activities, but it also brings a higher risk of certain injuries. From sunburns to insect bites and heat-related issues –which could be a concern even this far north with temperatures predicted to reach the 90s later this week — it’s essential to know ...

State stagnates on septic

Columns

Michigan is the land of 11,000 lakes and 36,000 miles of streams. We are the Great Lakes State. But. We also are the land of 1.3 million septic systems – and the only state in the union with no uniform code to regulate them. Environmental regulators estimate that hundreds of thousands of ...

August brings birds and berries

Columns

“The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first ...

Outdoors North: Called by a desolate forest path

Columns

“Pick up a flat rock, skip it across Green River,” – John Fogerty It wasn’t one of the “dog days” of summer, it was one of those “dog is under the porch because it’s too darned hot to be anywhere else” days. I was sitting at a desolate junction. It was a place where the ...

In bike odyssey, Closser pushes boundaries, self

Editorial

Bruce Closser, 78, of Marquette is currently taking on the Adventure Cycling Association’s longest trail: the TransAmerica Trail. It’s a 4,200-mile-long scenic route that crosses the contiguous U.S. Taking its travelers through mountain passes, national parks and major cities, the trail ...