No notification on physician

January 27, 2020

Recently, it was mentioned to me that one of my providers was leaving Dickinson County Healthcare System in March. I have not been notified by that physician’s office, not by letter or phone call. It is now the end of January and no one has let me or that physician’s other patients know that he will be leaving. He is the only doctor in that specialty who is available in Iron Mountain. The nearest doctor in that specialty will be Marinette or Green Bay in Wisconsin or having to travel to Escanaba. What is the big secret? It is hard enough to get in to see a new doctor and we need a ...

Elections offer chance for we the people to be heard

January 21, 2020

Have you driven about lately and noticed the vehicles on our roads? It seems we have evolved nearly beyond the sedan-type of car and replaced that with so called SUV types. Of course, those come in all sizes, as sedans did, but they follow a pattern that allows them at any size to be called SUV. Now, this does make sense, as these new SUV cars are so practical and handy. They have more room inside, they are usually easier to enter and exit and most, if not all, have four-wheel drive in one form or another. I also notice that pickup trucks, once the tool of the various businessman or ...

An open letter to dog, cat owners

January 16, 2020

Last week my wife was walking our dog along the rural road by our house, as she has done for the last 30 years with our dogs over the years. Jaxon, our English cocker, scented something and went bounding off into the brush. Almost immediately, she heard horrendous squealing and found our dog was caught in a trap not 20 yards off the road. In panic, she could not release Jax from the trap, which was clamped down solid on his neck with only an inch separating the jaws. She did not have her phone and had to run a 1/4-mile back to our house to get me and call for help. I grabbed a ...

IM’s Jewish community once thrived

January 14, 2020

It was with sadness that I read about the sale of the building that was Anshe Knesseth, the Jewish synagogue in Iron Mountain. It had been founded in the late 1800s by a community of Jews who had fled persecution and anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe and Russia. They settled throughout the U.P. and became merchants. One of these men was my great-grandfather, Samuel Rusky, who along with his brother, Julius, established the London store. It was at the current site of the First National Bank. My grandmother was married in that synagogue. A generation later, my parents moved back to Iron ...

Area sites offer options for more recycling

January 10, 2020

Have you noticed Iron Mountain is a city that has many alleys? On garbage day, many of the garbage containers in these numerous alleys are full. Having conquered the elusive science of weights and measures, the results are concerning: 55% of the volume of material put into and around these garbage containers is recyclable. This percentage is ridiculous. These are several local places residents can take their recyclable material: 1. City of Iron Mountain Public Works Department: No. 1 and No. 2 plastic year-round; and metal in warmer months. 2. Trico Industries in Kingsford: ...

Bergman vote supports Trump, Putin, not allies

January 6, 2020

Recent reporting on Congressman Jack Bergman has omitted his votes in the U.S. House on two issues. The impeachment votes cast on Dec. 18 saw First District Congressman Jack Bergman in lockstep with the Trumpist Party — formerly the Republicans — that said, in effect, “it’s OK to strong-arm an ally to provide dirt on a domestic rival (abusing the power of the office); it’s OK to ignore subpoenas (obstruct Congress); and it’s OK to give ‘aid and comfort’ to our enemy” (that would be Russia) by delaying funds approved by Congress for weapons the Ukraine needs to fight ...