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Editorial

Highlighting emergency management in August

As Michigan continues to face increasingly frequent and complex disasters that require coordinated response efforts across all levels of government, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has declared August as Emergency Management Awareness Month. The Michigan State Police, Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division is recognizing the dedicated emergency management professionals who work year-round to help communities prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate disasters. Throughout August, the MSP/EMHSD will highlight the critical work of emergency managers and the partnerships that ...

FDA finally streamlining bureaucracy

Good news strikes from an unlikely source. On Aug. 6, the Food and Drug Administration approved Replimune’s immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma, a day after it green-lighted mFlusiva, Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine. The shame is that both might have been available sooner but for regulatory delays, which hurt both patients and American innovation. Replimune has been working on its RP1 immunotherapy for a decade but got caught in the FDA cross-hairs at the last stretch. FDA review staff recommended approval after its late-stage trial showed that a third of patients whose disease had ...

InvestUP, region’s planning groups launch rent study

A survey is being done this month to look at the rental housing situation in the Upper Peninsula, a persistent area of concern in the region. The lack of affordable housing has been exacerbated this decade by a combination of rising rent prices and the growth of short-term rentals that are typically booked for 30 days or less via platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo. The University of Michigan's Michigan Public Policy Survey of local governments across the state in 2023 found officials at cities, villages and townships in the Upper Peninsula were the most likely to express concern about ...

New scam making rounds in area, region

Well, here we go again. Local police are reporting yet another scam to get at people’s money by what passes for modern-day digital bunco artists. According to the Michigan State Police, this latest swindle involves individuals posing as state police personnel. Scammers reportedly are calling individuals, falsely claiming the person called has missed a court date or committed some type of violation. The caller then demands payment be immediately paid, or the person will face arrest. The callers use this tactic to create a sense of urgency and panic, attempting to pressure individuals ...

Isle Royale structures protected under new alliance

The federal government, an entity many people wouldn't necessarily consider the best for the purposes of planning, seems to be out front in establishing an organization to advance coordinated protection and improvement of Isle Royale National Park's historic structures. The Isle Royale Heritage Alliance will be responsible for approximately approximately 90 cabins, 19 fishery buildings and four lighthouses. The Alliance will be powered by volunteers, with coordination by the National Parks of Lake Superior Foundation, the designated nonprofit park partner for Lake Superior's five ...

The long rise of the new Democratic Party

Can I claim to have predicted, way back in 1988, the result of Michigan's fiercely contested Democratic primary for U.S. senator this week? The developments that have made Abdul El-Sayed — who lost the 2018 gubernatorial primary to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) by 20 percentage points — ...