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Fall colors just around corner

Fall is the season Yoopers should make time to enjoy. For many people in the Upper Peninsula, the arrival of winter brings a certain sadness. Summer seems to disappear almost overnight and before long we are facing icy roads, freezing temperatures and months of snow. Winter is part of life in the U.P., but that doesn't mean we have to look forward to it. Fortunately, before winter arrives, we are given one of the best gifts of living in the Upper Peninsula: fall colors. It's still early yet but one can observe Mother Nature's paint brush at work here and there, splashing brilliant ...

Keeping kids safe online takes more than law enforcement

As sheriff of Marquette County, I've learned that some of the most devastating crimes don't begin with a knock at the door. They begin with a notification. A message from someone pretending to be another teenager. A social media request that seems harmless. A conversation on a gaming platform. Within days, that contact can turn into manipulation, extortion, exploitation or worse. Our own community has lived this reality. The sextortion scheme that claimed the life of a Marquette teenager was a heartbreaking reminder that online threats are not abstract. They are real, they are evolving ...

Adopt-A-Highway program participants will be out Saturday

Motorists in Superiorland and elsewhere in the state of Michigan should be aware that the third and final edition of the 2026 Michigan Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program will take place starting Saturday and running through Sept. 27. That means, of course, that numerous people wearing high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests required by federal regulations will be combing roadway rights-of-way, picking up everything from discarded plastic bottles and jars to abandoned tires and other assorted trash. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags and arranges to haul away ...

House Bill 5536 would deregulate Michigan’s wetlands

To the Journal editor: Michigan House Bill 5536 could deregulate over one million acres of Michigan’s wetlands. Yes, you read that right. Introduced by state Rep. David Martin, R-Grand Blanc earlier this year, HB 5536 has passed the Michigan House of Representatives and now awaits consideration in the Senate Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee. HB 5536 would impose the federal government’s narrow interpretation of the Clean Water Act on Michigan’s wetlands, requiring that wetlands have a direct surface connection to federally-regulated “Waters of the United States” ...

Don't let the war on woke lull us all to sleep

History is written to be argued about, I have often said. Recent efforts by the Trump administration's culture war have offered numerous examples. In recent days, we have seen Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a break from the administration's war against Iran, announce the re-installation ...

When stinging insects become a painful problem

It's that time of year when stinging insects that normally keep their distance can become a problem. Late summer is peak season for bee, wasp and hornet activity - and the time of year when stinging insects can be at their most aggressive, Emplify Health by Bellin warns. Stinging insect colonies have grown to their largest size and are at their most active as they transition toward nest defense ahead of winter. This transition triggers a more aggressive and defensive behavior toward anything they perceive as a threat, Emplify Health advised in a news release. At the same time, as ...