There’s truly nothing like that first little dip into Lake Superior after a long winter. I find myself awaiting this moment through all the colder months, imagining the refreshing, yet bitter embrace of Superior on the first day that could reasonably be termed “hot.” But it was a ...

Joe Biden still has time to do the smart thing and name New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo his running mate. The top two reasons would be Cuomo's proven competence managing his state's coronavirus crisis and a strong personality unafraid of that other son of Queens, President Donald Trump. We know. ...

As the Superintendent and K-12 Principal of a small public school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan my world drastically changed late on the night of Thursday, March 12. Around 11 p.m., Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared that due to COVID-19 all school buildings in Michigan would be closing ...

Future historians of the American right are going to have a devil of a time figuring out what the hell happened as the second decade of the 21st century came to a close. But every day I become more convinced about at least one of their conclusions: The nationalists blew it. Now, for those who ...

Dear Annie: I’ve been seeing this guy, “David,” on and off for almost a year and a half and we have this long-distance relationship going on. This is my very first relationship, but he’s been with a few women in the past. While we can’t see each other as often as we’d like, I intend ...

In the pantheon of great lines suitable for induction into Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations is Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s 2010 comment about Obamacare: “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” While that seemed outrageous and even comical to many at the time it has ...

Dear Annie: I am a USPS mail carrier. My husband was sent home six weeks ago, with pay, while I head out every morning to the possibility of contracting COVID-19. I’ve been angry and resentful, and scared. It was most acute about two weeks ago, and, after some tears and talks, I’ve calmed ...

Here’s a thought experiment for you. Would you rather have a Princeton education, or do without the education but get the Princeton diploma? Economist Bryan Caplan posed this question a couple of years ago in his provocative book, “The Case Against Education.” It’s a tougher question ...

Dear Annie: I am 81 years old and a longtime reader of your advice column. I thought the message below might be useful to you and your readers somehow. It is certainly authentic. I received it as a link to click on. I couldn’t open it, but the sender, who is president of a local seniors group ...

For his critics, Dr. Anthony Fauci cemented his status as the Rasputin of public health with his Senate testimony the other day. The National Institutes of Health official gently, but unmistakably struck a different tone than President Donald Trump, earning rebukes from radio talk show hosts ...

Many destinations around the world have resorted to virtual tourism opportunities as physical distancing restrictions are in place and the greater Munising area is no different. The Munising Visitors Bureau recently launched an interactive web and mobile map that provides users with area ...

Normally, this time of year we would be busy with the hustle and bustle of the Lake Superior Community Partnership (LSCP) graduation season. This would be for the Lake Superior Leadership Academy (LSLA) and the Electrical Line Technician program. However, in the world we live in today, there ...

Dear Annie: Because of the pandemic, people have cleared the shelves of many food items, including flour and prepared foods. After those were wiped out, they started buying up gluten-free foods, leaving those with food allergies with limited products to buy. They don’t need that ...

A technicolor sunset I watched from a small cabin along the Keweenaw Peninsula’s western Lake Superior shoreline last summer; the teal gown and prismatic star pendant I wore during my own high school graduation a decade ago; the euphoria of seeing the vibrant greenery and cool blue waters of ...

Joe Biden has not been loudly beating up on President Donald Trump for his pathetic performance during the coronavirus crisis. The pandemic has already killed over 80,000 Americans and cratered the economy. And the United States has become an object of international pity. “Why is Biden ...

This Mother’s Day weekend, my family defied government pandemania. We drove out east from Colorado Springs to the tiny town of Calhan for a lovely little hike in the purple-and-gold-hued Paint Mines archeological district. Unmasked, we basked in the sunshine, fresh air and freedom. The park ...

Dear Annie: My brother was with his ex-wife, “Liz,” for 13 years. They raised three wonderful children together until she left my brother. They’ve been divorced five years now. I’ve been the middle person in her and my brother’s relationship ever since. Recently, I moved Liz in with ...

For three years former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was put through a legal and financial wringer by top officials within the FBI, including its then-director James Comey. The FBI investigation threatened to destroy Flynn's career, finances and life, as, according to the New York ...

Dear Annie: I am a 77-year-old woman, recently transplanted after 50 years in a different city and province. Due to COVID-19, I am really isolated — alone in my apartment 99% of the time. I go out once a week to shop, and every two or three weeks I’ll go to the laundry room. Four ...

An American politician can help herself politically by being able to believably use self-deprecating humor, which sends a clear message: “I am not pompously self-important or thin-skinned; I do not take myself completely seriously.” No one was better at self-deprecation than former ...