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Letters to the Editor

The complete recall totals

There has been much discussion with respect to the Dickinson County Board recall effort falling short. I would like to present the entire picture with respect to signatures. There were 691 recall signatures presented to the clerk’s office for board Chairman Dan Harrington. This was 15% more signatures than needed. What happen with these extra signatures? One was removed due to the signer entering their birthdate instead of the date signed (understandable). Ten more were removed due to five individuals signing twice. Why both the duplicate and original signatures were removed, I do ...

Pay attention to power bases

How one can predict what another person will do under pressure? I admit that nothing is 100%, but it is better than 50%. The first thing is to pay attention to social and economic power bases. Those are the people where social and economic approval is wanted and valued. For example, two senators said they would obstruct a nomination unless they got a concession. One also said he really wanted to vote for the nomination. Both senators ended up withdrawing their objections to the nomination consistent with the social and power bases they ascribe to. The reason for the withdrawal was ...

To be a great country

Is a great country based on power or the substance of its character and influence in the world? It is often said by politician and others that this country is the greatest in the world largely based on its wealth and power and a myth of opportunity for all. Many countries in the past and present have been wealthy and powerful but lack character due to oppression, brutality of minorities and religious acceptance of that within the country. Our country’s history puts us in that category. In my opinion, a country can become great but has to accept its past brutality, arrogance, ...

Tractor ride to VA set for Wednesday

On Wednesday, the Northwoods Antique Tractor Club will have its 12th-annual Tractor Ride to the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain. We will leave Lodal Park in Kingsford — note: this is a new departure site — at 10 a.m. and travel Breitung Avenue east to Carpenter ...

Look needed at lifeguard and goose control at Lake Antoine

On Monday, I asked the Dickinson County Board of Commissioners to consider a practical next step for Lake Antoine Park: Authorizing exploration of a limited 2027 lifeguard pilot for the public beach. This is not a request for full-time lifeguards, whole-beach coverage or an open-ended funding commitment. It is a request to gather real information from a qualified aquatics provider about whether weekend and holiday lifeguard coverage could be offered safely, professionally and feasibly during the 2027 summer season. Lake Antoine is one of Dickinson County’s most valuable public ...

Logging plan at Cooks Run destined to fail

I want to be clear right up front: I am pro-logging. I used to work as a logger, and I understand the value of timber management to our local economy. But anyone who has run equipment in the woods knows a basic truth — some ground simply needs to be left alone. The proposed clear-cut at Cooks Run (Unit 4), which has a June 3 bidding deadline, is exactly that kind of ground. Just because we can log a piece of land doesn’t mean we should. Why is Iron County risking a 122-acre public asset for a marginal return on low-grade pulpwood? The harvest zone is a 5-acre island of saturated, ...