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Editorial

OK2SAY tipline can help keep our schools safe

OK2SAY — Michigan’s student safety program that allows students to confidentially report tips on potential harm or criminal activities directed at students, school employees and schools — is marking its 10th anniversary. To encourage use of the program, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed OK2SAY Student Safety Program Week in Michigan. Since its launch in September 2014, OK2SAY has received over 56,000 tips identifying students in crisis and helping to prevent school violence. The 2023 OK2SAY Annual Report shows the program received the most incident reports last year since ...

MSP offers tips to protect against scammers

The Michigan State Police Iron Mountain Post has put out a reminder to residents that scams can take many different forms but if an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Most scams involve obtaining a victim’s personal information under false pretenses, the MSP advised in a news release. The scammer usually portrays a sense of urgency, pretending to be an official of a legitimate organization to fool a victim into providing personal information. In a new twist, postcards are being sent to residents advising of a free meal at a local pizzeria while learning about the ...

Back to school, not back to e-cigarettes

Students are back in school and the Keep MI Kids Tobacco Free Alliance is urging parents to be vigilant about the growing threat of e-cigarettes. With 14% of Michigan high schoolers using e-cigarettes, according to the Michigan Youth Tobacco Survey, this issue remains a critical concern for families and educators. “As youth across Michigan go back to school this month, we want to make sure everyone understands the risks and dangers that come along with vaping e-cigarettes,” said Dr. Brittany Tayler, internist and pediatrician at Hurley Medical Center and co-chair of the Keep MI ...

Free flu shots for area veterans a great thing

Veterans have a great opportunity to get ahead of this year’s flu season with free vaccinations being available over the next week. The Marquette Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic will be offering free flu vaccines next week. The clinic will be offering the vaccines on Thursday and Friday, from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Vaccines will also be available at other locations in the U.P. including medical centers, community-based outpatient clinics, in-network community retail pharmacies and urgent care walk-in locations. The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center will offer drive-through or ...

Social media landscape can be dangerous

Social media can be a difficult thing for adults to navigate, let alone teens. The makers of Instagram seem to recognize that, as the platform is making teen accounts private by default as it tries to make the platform safer for children amid a growing backlash against how social media affects young people’s lives, as reported by The Associated Press. Beginning Tuesday in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia, anyone under 18 who signs up for Instagram will be placed into restrictive teen accounts and those with existing accounts will be migrated over the next 60 days. Teens in the ...

Ishpeming DDA initiative will help spur business

We like a program from the city of Ishpeming’s Downtown Development Authority that’s designed to spur and support business development. The Ishpeming DDA is accepting applications from potential businesses for startup grants that total $2,500 each.The Start Up Assistance Grant program can be used for business establishment expenses in downtown Ishpeming. This will also include one-year memberships to the Lake Superior Community Partnership and the Greater Ishpeming-Negaunee Chamber of Commerce. Applications will be judged by the DDA, with the program available to businesses ...