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Focusing this week on farm safety, health

It's harvest time and farmers already are dealing with the effects of record high diesel prices this fall as they try to get their crops in for the season. That's an added strain during an already high-stress time of year for what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. This is National Farm Safety and Health Week, dedicated to understanding potential on-farm hazards and the measures needed to mitigate those risks, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development states in a news release. To ensure the ...

Don’t look for a Bergman vs. Barr debate

Mining Journal readers learned Wednesday that Callie Barr, the Democratic candidate for the First Congressional District seat held by Republican Jack Bergman, has officially challenged the incumbent to a debate or debates prior to the Nov. 3. Memo to Barr and her team: Good luck with that. Why? Because, quite simply, Bergman, who is a retired U.S. Marine lieutenant general and stalwart backer of President Donald Trump, has little or nothing to gain in a debate with Barr. Most political observers predict Bergman will best Barr without breaking the proverbial political sweat, so popular ...

‘Laughing gas’ no laughing matter

There are some things in life that simply aren't worth taking a chance on. Recreational nitrous oxide should be one of them. Mining Journal readers recently learned that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is warning residents about increasing misuse of nitrous oxide, commonly known by names such as “laughing gas,” “whippets,” “balloons,” “Galaxy Gas” and “NOS.” The problem isn't that nitrous oxide exists. It has legitimate uses in medicine, dentistry and food preparation. The problem is what happens when people treat it like harmless ...

Veterans should take another look at VA benefits

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain has earned another national honor, and while that recognition is certainly worth celebrating, the bigger message for veterans across the Upper Peninsula and northeastern Wisconsin is this: If you have never enrolled in VA health care — or were turned down in the past — it may be worth taking another look. The Iron Mountain facility has been named one of the nation's top VA facilities for the sixth time, receiving the Department of Veterans Affairs' 2025 Best Experience Award for Level III small, low-complexity ...

State to install firewood quarantine starting Jan. 1

The problem with invasive species in Michigan has reached a point where the state is taking what it calls "the next step" to stem the spread: A quarantine on untreated firewood. Starting Jan. 1, such firewood cannot be brought in from outside Michigan under Act 189 of 1931 — The Insect Pest and Plant Disease Act, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Michigan Invasive Species Program announced Thursday. The quarantine will not apply to firewood that has been properly heat-treated and certified by MDARD, another state agriculture department or the U.S. ...

Marshfield Clinic Research Institute wants your ticks

With weather turning cooler as fall approaches, it might be expected the threat of ticks would start to diminish. No such luck, apparently. Marshfield Clinic Research Institute research has shown an autumn surge of deer ticks, which transmit Lyme and other diseases. With people outdoors taking in the fall foliage, hunting or perhaps doing pick-your-own of the year's farm produce, that means being tick aware and taking preventive measures. But the institute has another request: If a tick turns up (hopefully not attached), don't throw it away or otherwise dispose of it. They want ...