Breaking News

Editorial

Biden’s favors to unions keep costing taxpayers

President Joe Biden has yet to deliver on many of the promises he made to his Big Labor supporters in 2020, thanks to some moderate Democrats in the U.S. Senate. But he keeps trying. In doing so, Biden signed an executive order last month that is bad news for taxpayers. The order seeks to give unions first dibs on large federally funded construction projects above $35 million by forcing what’s known as project labor agreements, a term for collective bargaining deals between the contractors and unions. This timing is obvious. Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill is flooding ...

Spring forward with home safety measures

Daylight Saving Time began Sunday, when clocks moved ahead an hour at 2 a.m. As you adjust your clocks, remember to replace batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. The National Fire Protection Association recommends changing the batteries in your alarms every six months. Alarm sensors also wear out, so it’s recommended you replace smoke alarms at least every 10 years and carbon monoxide detectors every five to seven years. The NFPA offers these tips, accounting for the multiple types of smoke alarms on the market and their varying battery requirements: — ...

Support Indigenous-led boarding school study

The harrowing discovery last year of hundreds of unmarked graves at several Indian Boarding School sites in Canada rightly put wheels in motion — wheels already rusty from neglect. In the immediate aftermath, promises to do better were made by governments, especially in states with their own government-sanctioned boarding school horrors. Michigan is home to three such sites: Mount Pleasant Indian Industrial Boarding School; the Holy Childhood Boarding School in Harbor Springs; and the Holy Name of Jesus Indian Mission in Baraga. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s 2023 proposed budget ...

Restaurant week reminds us of their importance

The COVID-19 pandemic was difficult for just about everybody, but it’s tough to argue against the fact that, among businesses, fewer were harder hit than restaurants. This week gives us a chance to give back and remind them how important they are to us. Downtown Marquette Restaurant Week, which is presented by the Marquette Downtown Development Authority, is currently underway and runs through Saturday. The Travel Marquette website states, “Celebrate the local flavors of Downtown Marquette’s dining scene during the eighth annual ‘Downtown Marquette Restaurant Week.’ ...

Public health faces brain drain and strain

Twenty years ago, “brain drain” meant the international migration of people toward better standards of living and more stable political conditions. The United States was a brain-drain beneficiary, wooing thousands of educated people away without dwelling too long on the cost to the home countries. But today’s brain drain is happening on our doorstep, in a field that can ill afford it. The one-two punch of COVID-19 and political instability is fueling the largest mass exodus in public health history, Kaiser Health News and The Associated Press reported last year, with more ...

March is Michigan Food and Ag Month

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proclaimed March as Michigan Food and Agriculture Month, to honor and celebrate Michigan’s farmers, the diversity of products grown and processed in our state, and the partnerships that keep our food and agriculture industry thriving. “Michigan’s food and agriculture industry is a national powerhouse. We’ve generated 805,000 jobs, and more than $104 billion to our state’s economy annually, getting things done every single day,” said Governor Whitmer. “Innovators and entrepreneurs within the food and ag sector continue to choose Michigan to ...