Breaking News

Letters to the Editor

McBroom’s FOIA work appreciated

On June 15, 2015, I wrote this Letter to the Editor — “On July 1, 2015, there will be sweeping changes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Law in Michigan. As stated by Mann & Hare, from The Review May/June 2015 (Michigan Municipal League), ‘The changes impact nearly every area of FOIA, including local policies required for FOIA administration, fees categories and methods of calculation, good-faith deposits and fee waivers, record available on the public body’s website, and the appeal process, including significant new penalties.’ “These changes are for the better. ...

Take time to help caregivers

The American Legion Auxiliary is a community of volunteers that focus, and serve veterans, military and their families. “The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up,” per Mark Twain, an American writer once shared. The Menominee American Legion Auxiliary Unit 146 members attempt to do this on a regular basis. However, there has not been enough emphasis on the caregiver, adults and youth, that aid others with extra assistance such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, hospice, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), immobility, incontinence, etc., while taking care of ...

Tariffs will affect even products made in USA

I purchased a Stormy Kromer the other day. Inside at the back of the hat is an American flag and the statement: Made in USA in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula of globally sourced materials. So, the hat is made here but the cloth it is made from is imported. Many products are made this way; assembled here, but the items that go into it are made in another country and are imports. President Donald Trump may have put a 90-day freeze on the individualized country tariffs, but he has placed a general across-the-board 10% tariff on all imports. This probably means the price will be going up ...

Order will affect local libraries

The recent executive order that mandates the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to be eliminated to the maximum extent of the law WILL have consequences for local library services. Thankfully, the Dickinson County Library is largely supported by local taxpayers and does not receive any direct funding from IMLS. However, some popular and vital services we provide our patrons are funded with these federal dollars; namely, the Michigan Electronic Library catalog (MeLCat) and eResources. Due to budget constraints and physical space limitations, no library can hold ...

Presidential overreach

EDITOR: What does a king/autocrat behavior look like? The definition of a king is a male monarch of a major territorial unit. An autocrat is defined as a person, as a monarch ruling with unlimited authority. Our form of government defines that Congress as making the laws consistent with the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and the Courts to interpret the law when needed. The President is not given the right to make law, or define what a law means. The President is not there to manipulate or look for obsolete/vague laws to take actions that the majority of legal scholars ...

Not imagined

EDITOR: Imagine that your wife and children can only watch as armed men in uniforms drag you to a waiting vehicle. They have no warrant and you will have no day in court. They will tell the news media that you belong to a criminal gang and that you are in the United States illegally. They are federal agents and they must put numbers on the board In El Salvador, your head will be shaved and you will wear white pajamas, like thousands of other prisoners. It won’t matter that you committed no crime or that you have a visa or a green card and are a lawful resident of the United States ...