Almanac for July 18, 2026
Today is Saturday, July 18, the 199th day of 2026. There are 166 days left in the year. Today in History: In 1976, at the Summer Olympics in Montreal, Nadia Comaneci of Romania became the first gymnast to receive a perfect score of 10 from Olympic judges for her performance on the uneven bars. Also on this date: In 1536, the English Parliament passed an act declaring the authority of the pope void in England. In 1863, during the Civil War, Union troops spearheaded by the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, made up of Black soldiers, charged Confederate-held Fort Wagner on Morris ...
Almanac for July 17, 2026
Today is Friday, July 17, the 198th day of 2026. There are 167 days left in the year. Today in History: In 1955, Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California, after its $17 million, yearlong construction; the park drew a million visitors in its first 10 weeks. Also on this date: In 1862, during the Civil War, Congress approved the Second Confiscation Act, which declared that all enslaved people taking refuge behind Union lines were to be set free. In 1902, Willis Carrier produced a set of designs for what would become the world’s first modern air-conditioning system. In 1918, ...
Nuclear power making a comeback?
A few years ago, nuclear power looked doomed. Plants were shutting down. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won applause bragging about closing a nuclear plant “14 years ahead of schedule.” “Why would they applaud?” asks former nuclear engineer Ray Rothrock in my new video. “They ...
No easy answers on homeless issue
Anyone who works in government, or even pays close attention to what government can and will do on any given issue, knows that policy is driven by money. Perhaps not entirely but certainly to some significant degree. That’s the case at the local level, where massive borrowing to cover pell-mell spending just doesn’t happen like it does at the federal and state levels. Where are we going with this? The most recent dust up involving residents and others who frequent the Room at the Inn facility on West Washington Street in downtown Marquette is a textbook example of government policy ...
Rubio gathering signals Trump plan to focus on left-wing political violence
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday convened leaders from more than 60 countries to take part in the Trump administration’s latest effort to quell what it calls “left wing” political terrorism, a marquee issue for Republicans heading into the midterm elections. This focus comes ...