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Pay tribute to heroes by offering help

Memorial Day is rapidly approaching, and now is a good time to remind people that the day is about so much more than holiday sales, barbecues or family camping trips. History.com reads, “Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. “The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment ...

Resource officer good addition to any school

Schools should be among the safest places in the world for kids. They are supposed to be a harbor for learning, interacting with other kids peacefully and respecting teachers. Sometimes, though, things happen that threaten that safety. Some are along the lines of minor skirmishes between kids, which probably will happen in or out of schools. Other times situations can take a violent turn, with harm directed from students either toward themselves or other students. That’s why it’s important to take a proactive approach, and why we’re glad to see Negaunee Public Schools will ...

Helmets to Hardhats program does much to support veterans

Governments, local, state and national, often throw grant money at projects and programs that have dubious value. In our experience, that’s the nature of that animal: Provide funding for a great many things and perhaps a handful will turn into something good. That certainly was not the case with action taken by state government recently when Helmets to Hardhats was awarded a $250,000 grant to support the Michigan Construction Apprenticeship post-Military Opportunity Program that will connect 225 veterans with registered apprenticeships in Michigan’s construction ...

Multiple choices in standardized testing debate

Michigan’s April and May are months of acronyms. It’s a time to M-STEP through the tulips, springing forward into the PSAT, SAT and ACT. But whether this six-week testing season results in flowers or weeds is a matter of opinion in the struggle to determine what kids really know and how well they’re being served by their teachers, districts and systems. In Michigan, stakes are high all around — even as debaters chew at the tests’ usefulness and fairness. Standardized testing is supposed to objectively measure student performance in terms of the individual and the ...

Best to leave wildlife babies in the wild

The annual springtime wave of downy hatchling birds and fuzzy baby mammals is close at hand. Some might already have young in nest or burrow. Seeing these new babies in the wild can be a special treat — but it should happen from a distance and not involve handling these young creatures, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources advised. Every year, well-meaning but misguided people needlessly remove baby animals from the wild, thinking they have been abandoned or orphaned. “Each spring and summer, we are flooded with calls as people across the state run into a common dilemma ...

Take care to prevent tick-borne illnesses

That didn’t take long. After just a few days of warm weather, ticks are starting to emerge. And that means an increased chance of tick bites and potentially contracting Lyme disease, health experts say. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 476,000 people are diagnosed with Lyme disease in the U.S. every year. May is National Lyme Disease Awareness Month and aims to spread awareness of how to prevent Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Ashley Johnson, a nurse practitioner at the Aspirus Tick-Borne Illness Center in Woodruff, Wis., says tick bites are very ...