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Cities sue to block strict lead rule

Would Flint have poisoned itself without the state’s help? It’s hard to say; maybe we will know when all the criminal and civil trials have completed their slow but fine grind through the court system. But other cities, including Detroit, want judicial permission to keep feeding lead to their residents. As promised by Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan now has the most stringent rules in the nation for lead and copper contamination of drinking water. That was driven by the Flint water fiasco and his administration’s role in it. Because there is no safe level of lead in drinking ...

Teen vaping poses future risks

This year, an estimated 1.3 million teenagers became addicted to nicotine, according to a new study published by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. While drug and alcohol use is down among youth, a spike in vaping is alarming and deserves attention. Despite billions spent on ad campaigns against smoking, a more efficient and popular way to develop and fix a hankering for nicotine -- the e-cigarette -- has soared in popularity, particularly among teenagers. The Food and Drug Administration and Surgeon General’s have tried their best to keep e-cigarettes, ...

Story from Brighton defines true spirit of Christmas

The Christmas season may have come and gone, but its spirit still lives in the state of Michigan. A southeastern Michigan girl who is battling leukemia has received more than 4,500 Christmas cards since late November, according to an article from the Livingston Daily Press & Argus. Emma Roberts of Brighton is the recipient of so much heartwarming support. The whole thing started through a social media campaign by another Brighton resident who wanted to lift the 13-year-old’s spirits. “I feel bad for the mail lady,” said Emma’s father, Tom Roberts. He said deliveries ...

Cities sue to block strict lead rule

Would Flint have poisoned itself without the state’s help? It’s hard to say; maybe we will know when all the criminal and civil trials have completed their slow but fine grind through the court system. But other cities, including Detroit, want judicial permission to keep feeding lead to their residents. As promised by Gov. Rick Snyder, Michigan now has the most stringent rules in the nation for lead and copper contamination of drinking water. That was driven by the Flint water fiasco and his administration’s role in it. Because there is no safe level of lead in drinking ...

SmartCommute good not only for environment but also for our health

Think back to more than 30 years ago when the forward-thinking and widely acclaimed “Back to the Future” movie series kicked off its debut and made its mark to be forever remembered in the pop culture history books. The three-part series takes viewers on a trip through the webs of time, following a high school “slacker” and his brilliant but somewhat eccentric friend, Dr. Emmett Brown, a physicist and inventor of the flux capacitor, which allows you to travel through time. Brown aptly fastened that technology to an automobile, due to the requirement that you must be traveling ...

Good news from heaven angels sang

Much of what is published in this newspaper and other professional media that practice true journalism would not be considered "good news" to all people, because, as George Orwell wrote: "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations." Of course some of what we print is public relations, but informing the people of the Copper Country of news they need to know about their government and reporting what is happening in their communities will continue to be our priority. There is, however, an epic good-news story celebrated by much of ...