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Editorial

Time for some technological sunshine

Sometimes the old way is the best way. Tried and true. Time tested. Trusty. Not when it comes to transparency practices, and especially not in Michigan. At a moment when invention has kept pace with, if not advanced, necessity, it has become clear our state’s lawmakers haven’t evolved our sunshine laws with the times. Probably the most obvious evidence of this late arrival to the public access party is Attorney General Dana Nessel’s opinion on the Open Meetings Act issued Friday. That written guidance, sought by a pair of state senators, including Sen. Wayne Schmidt, declared ...

Affordable insulin should remain top legislative priority

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer delivered her second second straight State of the State speech virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, calling to lower taxes and add mental health providers in the state. Beyond those key issues, Whitmer touched on the importance of lowering the cost of insulin, asking that that legislators give final approval to House-passed legislation that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $50 a month. This bill was first introduced in the state House last February by state Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, and was passed in late March. “I was proud to see my ...

Pine Mountain, welcome back

After a year lost to COVID-19 restrictions, the FIS Continental Cup is poised to make its hopefully triumphant return this weekend on an upgraded ski jump at Giant Pine Mountain. Given the disruption the coronavirus pandemic has caused, it’s not just an event this year but another touch of normalcy being restored to the region. Last season’s competition was called off roughly a month before it was to take place Feb. 12-14, 2021, when organizers decided the Kiwanis Ski Club would take too big a financial hit if fans could not be present to cheer on the jumpers. So this year’s ...

Find the right mask for you

As News staff writer Steve Schulwitz recently reported, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now says N95 and KN95 masks offer the best protection against the coronavirus, especially since the rise of the omicron variant. However, those masks fit very snugly and often aren’t as comfortable as cloth masks or surgical masks. The CDC recommends Americans wear the mask that offers the best protection that the user can wear as long as it’s needed — recommended now while indoors around people. We urge our readers to try out different masks and find the one that works ...

Thank you

To the editor: The Chassell Old Fashioned Christmas committee extends a heartfelt thank you to the many individuals and organizations who helped to make our 2021 celebration a success. Steve Spahn and the staff and students for their help with the craft show, home tour and visit with Santa. Teach Josh Normand for organizing the Ornament Contest at the school. The Chassell School for allowing use for the building for the very popular Craft Show. Tim Viola of the General Store for helping to sell tickets for the House Tour. Eric, Jake and Wade Zadorecky for the time and energy put ...

When good cops fall in line of duty, all of us are touched

It’s much easier to focus on what’s wrong with someone or something as opposed to what’s right. Perhaps that’s a function of the human condition, contriving defense mechanisms to help us cope with complicated situations. The hostility many feel toward police, it might be argued, is a good example of this. Most reasonable people readily concede that the vast majority of cops are decent sorts, trying to do a tough job in even tougher circumstances. While the barrel is chock full of good apples, it’s the handful of bad ones that you hear about. That wasn’t the case last ...