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Editorial

Drug takebacks is vital service in this society

Although drug takebacks have taken place occasionally over the years here and elsewhere, opioid use and abuse and the horrific death toll those powerful drugs cause gave special meaning to a take back effort that took place over the weekend. Upper Peninsula Health Plan employees partnered with the Michigan Opioid Prescribing Engagement Network and the Marquette County Sheriff’s Department at the Westwood Mall in Marquette Township Saturday to collect unused and leftover prescription drugs — many of which were opioids. “With the growing opioid crisis,” said event coordinator ...

Trick or treaters need extra caution, care

Area children of all ages are donning costumes and heading out for area neighborhoods and businesses in that annual rite known as trick or treating. Although good times are typically had by all, Halloween is the deadliest night of the year for pedestrians, according to the Michigan State Police. On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year, according to Safe Kids Worldwide. “Part of enjoying Halloween festivities is recognizing possible dangers and taking precautions,” Trooper. Stacey Rasanen of ...

Latest state job report is good news

The job outlook news was uniformly good in an annual report published Thursday by Michigan State University. The Recruiting Trends survey took information from more than 2,500 employers of all types nationwide and found growth is strongest in construction; professional, business and scientific services; real estate and leasing; transportation; retail trade; educational services; and health services. It’s weakest in manufacturing and wholesale trade, according to The Detroit News. The report showed over the past year, job expansion has been strong and the unemployment rate is 2 ...

DNR fish stocking benefits economy of whole region

Fishing in the Upper Peninsula has long been a favorite pastime for many of us, and the financial benefit of the fishing industry to the state of Michigan is one we should seek to preserve. Year after year the state’s economy is bolstered by anglers trying their luck on our lakes, rivers and streams. But the many fish taken from our waterways creates a slight imbalance to the natural order of things, which is why managing the wildlife is so important. The fishing industry in Michigan generates nearly 38,000 jobs and produces roughly $2.5 billion annually for the state’s economy, ...

We used to have good reason to elect judges

Nearly all state and local judges across the country have to run for election. Federal judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Why the difference? Author Jed Handelsman Shugerman, a professor at Harvard Law School, found the answer in a book he wrote about the history of the judicial selection process in the United States. In the beginning of the republic, most state and local judges were chosen the same way as federal judges. It didn't take long for reformers to recognize that process brought too much nastiness and politics into the process. State judges ...

Solar is right power option for businesses

Everybody, it seems, talks a pretty big game when it comes to energy efficiency and green power. But Donckers and The Delft Bistro owner Tom Vear has actually done something about it, putting his own money in as the principle part of a financing package to install dozens of solar panels to help power both businesses, which are located in Marquette’s downtown. These panels — and there are nearly 60 of them — are expected to generate around 19,000-kilowatt hours annually, which should cover 35 to 40 percent of the two businesses’ energy consumption. “It just made sense to do ...