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Ishpeming Lions Club steps up for the holidays

The holidays have long been referred to as the season of giving, and that doesn’t always mean bright, shiny packages. The Ishpeming Lions Club recently donated $1,016 worth of food to the Ishpeming St. Vincent de Paul Society Store, along with a donation of fresh vegetables from the Partridge Creek Intergenerational Farm. St. Vincent de Paul was gathering food for its Christmas basket program, which has nearly 120 families signed up. The Christmas basket program sees families get eggs, bread, butter and more. “Each family gets a turkey or a ham and all of the fixings,” ...

Carlisle school memorial a good move to recognize bad policy

It’s our sincere belief that the United States of America is a great force for good in this world. We feed, cloth and minister to the health needs of more people, day in and day out, than most other countries combined. We always have and likely always will. None of this means, however, that, as a nation, we are without warts. Bad decisions made by bad politicians down through the years have sullied America’s brand with some. It’s one of those bad decisions and a related recent move by the Biden administration that’s at the root of this writing. President Biden has ...

Finally – maybe – transparency coming to Lansing

It could really happen, after what seems an eternity of effort: Lawmakers may finally subject themselves and the governor to records disclosure requirements. Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act has been on the books since the Watergate era, forcing local governments, school districts and state agencies to hand over most documents when requested by the public. That requirement has led to a lot of wrongs being made right by exposing wrongdoing to public scrutiny and has acted as a sort of guardrail, helping to keep government officials honest because they know the public could be ...

Pay attention to Lansing ‘lame duck’ session

The state Legislature has entered its so-called “lame duck” period, the period between Election Day in November and new lawmakers taking their oath of office in early January. This year, Democrats — who have controlled both chambers of the Legislature for the past two years — are racing to get through a number of their priority policies before Republicans, who performed well on Election Day in November, reclaim control of the state House. Things move fast in lame duck, with many marathon sessions lasting long into the night or even into the following morning as lawmakers try ...

Continued Great Lakes protections needed

While it seems like nothing good comes out of Washington these days, the recent passage of the bipartisan Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2024 is a welcome exception. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is the most significant investment ever made to restore and protect our Great Lakes. Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow first authored this flagship public-private program in 2010. Support for this popular initiative includes both Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate members, and stakeholders from across the region. “The creation of the Great Lakes Restoration ...

Guard against porch pirates this holiday season

Online retail spending is expected to reach new record this holiday season, going well past $250 billion. Which will mean a lot of deliveries. With that in mind, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel urges consumers to take proactive steps to protect their packages from theft as part of her office’s ongoing Holiday Scams Campaign. “Whether it’s a package or a piece of mail, unattended deliveries are easy targets for porch pirates,” Nessel said. “By planning ahead and taking security measures, you can make sure your well-deserved gifts and packages reach you safely while ...