Breaking News

Editorial

Social Security tightens ID rules

Of the 26 Social Security Administration offices listed for closure this year, none are in Michigan or Wisconsin. That’s according to a state-by-state breakdown by the Associated Press. The review is based on an internal planning document from the General Services Administration, which manages federal real estate. The document was prepared earlier this month as the Department of Government Efficiency listed nearly 800 federal real estate leases it’s seeking to cancel. For area residents, the nearest Social Security offices are in Rhinelander, Wis., and Escanaba. On hursday, SSA ...

Extra protection for children needed

Car seats and booster seats are life-saving devices. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that correctly used child restraints reduce traffic crash fatalities by 71 percent for infants younger than 1 year old and by 54 percent for children 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars. Unfortunately, vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for young children. Michigan’s updated Child Passenger Safety Laws, which take effect April 2, 2025, provide improved precautions to help protect child passengers. Under the updated laws, children must be secured ...

REAL ID deadline fast approaching

As the federal deadline approaches, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said more than 73% of people with a Michigan driver’s license or ID have already upgraded to a REAL ID. Beginning May 7, all U.S. airlines will require a REAL ID-compliant document to board a domestic flight, and travelers without one could be delayed. Michiganders can obtain a REAL ID, which is a license or ID marked by a star, by going to Michigan.gov/REALID to schedule an appointment at any Secretary of State office. The scheduling system will walk them through documents they will need to bring. Secretary of ...

Stand by, pothole season is coming

Can you feel it? With the coming of better weather, never mind that it’s punctuated by a tad bit of snow here and there, people tend to be in better moods. The warmer temperatures and sunny skies contribute mightily to that. Unfortunately, those influences will also help develop a brand new crop of potholes to vex our cars and trucks. The adverse affects of winter’s freezing and then thaws are evident on Upper Peninsula roads and this year is shaping up to be more of the same. It seems just about every roadway we travel is pocked fairly well with potholes of varying sizes and ...

Avoid common income tax scams

As the April 15 tax deadline nears, Michigan State University experts are warning the public about the various ways scammers seek to get personal information, particularly when it comes to tax returns. While some promise get-rich-quick schemes, others will make spoof calls and impersonate an IRS employee, MSU states in a news release. These scammers are reaching their targets through a range of communication platforms, including email, phone calls and text messages. Taylor Fisher, a postdoctoral research associate in the School of Criminal Justice at MSU’s College of Social ...

Political rhetoric outpaces Social Security solutions

Americans deserve honest discussions about Social Security. Unfortunately, that’s not what’s happening. Remarks about Social Security from Elon Musk — a Trump administration adviser assigned to find ways to cut government spending — have drawn an outsized response from Democrats. Meanwhile, the administration seems intent on demeaning functions of the U.S. safety net program enacted 90 years ago. During a Feb. 28 appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Musk said this: “Social Security is the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” He later added, “We better fix what ...