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Editorial

Stay tuned in and continue to support one another

We’re about one week post-ice storm, and Northeast Michigan and several other areas are still feeling the effects. Some have been without power since last weekend, and there has not been a definite answer for them on when their power will return. To them we’d like to say, hang in there and stay safe. We understand how difficult this time is, but we are a strong community that is looking out for one another, and we will all get through this. Utilize local efforts to help you get through, it’s what they’re there for. A continuous thank-you goes out to everyone playing their ...

National Library Week upcoming

National Library Week is next week and we encourage everyone who has an opportunity to visit their local library. The 2025 theme for National Library Week is “Drawn to the Library” and will be used to celebrate and highlight the roles that libraries and those who work at the beloved institutions play in building and strengthening the communities where they reside. Everywhere you go, local libraries are much more than just a collection of books. Libraries are home to activities, classes, art shows, live music and so much more. Beyond that, maybe their most important role is as a ...

Head Start cuts are ill-conceived

John F. Kennedy said, “A child miseducated is a child lost.” We could certainly use some of that logic these days. As of Tuesday, scores of government employees who help administer Head Start, which is federally funded but run by schools and nonprofits, have been put on leave, The Associated Press reported. Preschool operators say they have received no communication from the Office of Head Start and don’t know who to turn to if they have questions about grants or need the office to sign off on equipment expenditures. This has been in the making for weeks now. The problems for ...

Take steps to guard against hungry bears

It’s spring — the weekend weather notwithstanding — so Michigan’s 12,000 bears will soon be waking up from hibernation, if not already out again. As the weather warms, thousands of hungry black bears across northern Michigan will leave their dens and go hunting for food that could include bird seed, pet food and garbage. Wildlife experts from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources urge residents to be diligent this spring by removing bird feeders and pet food from outdoors, using bear-resistant garbage cans and keeping grills and patio furniture clean. More than ...

DOGE should slow down, study impact of cuts before they are made

We have watched with increasing concern the work of Elon Musk and his DOGE compatriots in Washington, D.C.and elsewhere, to reduce the federal payroll. And reduce it they have, going into one department after another, cutting thousands of jobs with little apparent thought about what those cuts might end up meaning to the people who pay the bills around here: U.S. citizens. In fairness, some of the people who lost their jobs have been or likely will be, hired back. That’s because the work they did was critical and necessary. But what that tells us loud and clear is that nobody is ...

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 ...