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Letters to the Editor

Media needs to shift focus from Trump actions

It finally happened. They finally got a “mug shot” of Donald J. Trump. It looks pretty much like a thousand other photos of him except for the little Fulton County Jail emblem behind him. Now before we go further, please remember that I am not a fan of former President Trump, nor in most of his actions. But that aside, I wonder why this one photo is going to make up weeks of “Breaking News” coverage. Why is this whole thing pretty much the entire content of the news? We have a system of laws that most of us want to remain in place. Donald J. Trump is very much in that ...

Three-way call can help decipher ACA coverage

Not long ago I received a medical bill totaling $7,370 with the ominous wording, “Your insurance has processed this claim. The balance is now your responsibility.” Since I knew these particular services were listed in the Affordable Care Act’s 10 essential health benefits, I began to make calls. Finally I called my insurance company and informed them I would need assistance in filing a grievance. The representative gulped and said, “Why are we filing a grievance today?” After listening for a few minutes the representative asked, “Can I put you on hold?” “Yes, ...

Sirens would be good to have

In the past month, two events occurred. In Perry, Mich., a EF1 tornado hit the city and NO siren sounded. That was because one siren was destroyed by the tornado. Fortunately, no one died in the tornado. In Lahaina, Hawaii, a wildfire burned through the town and no sirens sounded. They are still counting the dead. In both cases the lack of a warning siren was indicated by residents as significant. What this says is that people are dependent upon sirens for alerting them to a dangerous situation. Cellphone alerts are nice, if you have a phone, if the phone is turned on, if you ...

Medicine waste in America

Here I go again, voicing my frustrations! I have recently gone to my pharmacy to pick up a prescription refill. I was handed not only the one I went for, but another bag. I stood right in front of the counter to open the bag to see what was in it, only to realize it was one I no longer use. I did not open the bottle so said to the associate, “Oh, I don’t even use this anymore.” I tried to hand it back to him and he put his hand up, meaning we cannot take it back. I can accept that but it got me thinking. Here we are in America — one of the richest countries in the world, if not ...

Ford’s mixed legacy locally

I represent a local group of citizens called Christians for Racial Understanding, or CRU, which seeks to promote racial harmony. For more information, write to northwoodscru@yahoo.com. CRU congratulates the City of Kingsford on its Centennial! We love our community and join everyone in celebrating the good things that Kingsford has accomplished in its 100-year history. At the same time, we want to point out a historical event that is not widely known. For Kingford’s 75th anniversary, local historian William Cummings compiled a book of newspaper clippings titled, “Kingsford: The ...

Responding to online comments

This letter is in response to a comment made on a local webpage about the First Global Methodist Church of Iron Mountain, formerly the Iron Mountain First United Methodist Church, being ignorant and bigoted concerning the gay community. First, members and attendees at the former First United Methodist Church took years of prayer, discernment and research prior to making a decision to either stay with the United Methodist Church (UMC) or to go to the Global Methodist Church (GMC). Second, many members and attendees of First Global Methodist Church of Iron Mountain (FGMC) have friends ...