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Auto industry future is state of Michigan’s to lose

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg likely didn’t drive on Michigan’s “damn roads: to get to the Detroit Regional Chamber’s policy conference this week, hosted at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. If he had, he would notice the reality here doesn’t always match the ambitious rhetoric. Still, Buttigieg, who is the keynote speaker today, is a welcome presence in a state that is trying to figure out how to compete for electric vehicle investments as the automotive industry transitions. The rubber will soon meet the road — and in many ways, it already has ...

Driving in/through construction zones can be challenging

It’s that time of year again, when road crews are out in force and construction projects are often encountered on local, state and federal roadways. Because these are situations that can tax even the most experienced motorists, it isn’t a bad idea to review some basic safety protocols that can save lives. Provided by the web educational site Traffic School, here are a handful of suggestions motorists should keep in mind when approaching and/or driving through construction areas: • Increase your following distance Any time you enter a construction zone, it’s important to ...

Never forget what fighting on Normandy beaches cost

Seventy-eight years ago today, Allied troops numbering more than 160,000 landed along a 50-mile stretch of French coastline, on the beaches of Normandy, in what is most often referred to as D-Day, the largest seaborne invasion in history. Surviving World War II veterans — there aren’t a lot of them anymore — are in France for commemoration of this epic invasion in the fight against Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. On June 6, 1944, a swarm of thousands of ships and aircraft supported the troops landing on that stretch of beach, yet more than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or ...

Near release of murderer leaves questions

The recent story of John Tate and the Wisconsin Parole Commission’s decision to let a 54-year-old murderer go free after serving 20 years was very concerning. Douglas Balsewicz, 54, was due to be released on May 17 for the 1997 murder of his wife, Johanna Rose. He was sentenced by the Milwaukee County Circuit Court to 80 years in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years were served. The details of the murder are horrific, with Balsewicz having been accused of stabbing his wife dozens of times while their young children were in the house. The children were later found ...

Never forget that war continues to rage in Ukraine

The image of Nila Zelinska standing in the ruins of what was her home, holding a doll, a toy belonging to her granddaughter, is a haunting photo taken by an Associated Press photographer. Her sorrow is papable. Her pain is shared by thousands and thousands of her fellow Ukrainians who for the past 100 days have endured terror at the hands of the Russian army. We in the U.S. are dealing with myriad troubles of our own, from gas prices to supply chain issues to the horror of mass shootings but we should still reach out to help the people of Ukraine any way we can. Think about how it ...

Shortages will stick around; survivors will adapt

Memorial Day weekend marks the official start of the region's high season — our busy time. All signs point to a summer of the usual, if not larger, flocks of tourists. But seasonal worker numbers are still skeletal. It shouldn't come as a complete surprise, nor is it completely the fault of COVID-19. While disruptive, the pandemic threw wood on a beach bonfire already crackling — one that won't be doused anytime soon. According to AXIOS, our last decade favored employers, the next few won't. A recent Congressional Budget Office forecast showed the size of the U.S. labor force ...