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Editorial

Talsma state honor well deserved

We love using this space to underscore the lofty achievements of Superiorland residents of one stripe and another. One such resident, Marquette County Clerk Linda Talsma, was recently named Michigan Association of County Clerks 2026 Clerk of the Year, recognition, we believe, that's well deserved and long overdue. When contacted by The Mining Journal, Talsma credited her fellow clerks around the state with playing a key role in the award. “Being chosen clerk of the year by my fellow clerks is just such an amazing honor. We work side-by-side on so many issues. My counterparts around ...

Knowing when to keep kids home from school

By now, all area schools are back in session, with the long Labor Day weekend providing an early break after a week or two of classes. As parents and caregivers well know, when students begin sharing spaces with others in the close confines of school, they'll likely encounter a host of viruses and other bugs circulating indoors. Children average more than two to three colds each year, according to the American Lung Association. To limit such exposures for others, it's important for families to know when a child should stay home from school and when it is safe to return, Aspirus Health ...

Labor Day great time to honor the American worker

Labor Day is often regarded as the unofficial end of summer, one last long weekend — a final trip to the camp or a backyard gathering. But the holiday also gave us an opportunity to pause and remember what Labor Day is really about — honoring the American worker. Our communities do not run on their own. We depend on people who get up every morning and go to work — teachers; health care workers; construction workers; farmers; retail and service employees; and police officers, firefighters and other public servants who protect and serve us. Many of these workers rarely receive ...

Michigan takes deeper look at higher education

Michigan’s Office of Higher Education will host a virtual summit at 2 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, to review research priorities as the state tries to have 60% of working-age adults earn a postsecondary credential or skills certificate by 2030. According to the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, the state has made progress toward Sixty by 30 through investments in financial aid and student success. More than $740 million in Michigan Achievement Scholarships has supported over 110,000 students since 2023, while the share of undergraduates receiving ...

Trump has credibility problem with Iran

After six months of war with Iran, President Trump has a credibility problem. His blustering threats, alternating with claims of imminent peace and victory, are doubted by friends and foe. Will his new threat in late August on Truth Social of the “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY!” be different? By now the world will have to see it to believe it. No president has yet climbed the Iran sanctions ladder with China, moving from the isolated “teapot” refineries that buy Iran’s oil to the Chinese state-owned enterprises that support them. Nor has any ...

Americans, Canadians both lose in the escalating trade wars

The 50 percent tariffs announced on Aug. 24 by President Donald Trump on all cars, trucks, automotive parts and steel from Canada would crush manufacturers in the United States and raise prices in both countries. The silver lining is that Trump said these import taxes would not take effect until Jan. 1, leaving time for negotiators to disarm an economic land mine. A bilateral deal appeared close the week previous before talks broke down at the 11th hour. Neither Trump nor Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wanted to look as if he’s succumbing to bullying from the other, so the ...