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Editorial

UPPCO customers shouldn’t be asked to shoulder steep rate hike

Just too much. That's our position on the Upper Peninsula Power Co. asking its customers for a $17.3 million rate increase, when people and families have already been pushed to the limit by skyrocketing grocery bills and gasoline costs that are closing in on $5 per gallon Added up, that's why the Michigan Public Service Commission, the state regulatory agency that has the final say on electrical raters, should reject UPPCO's rate request as submitted, a proposed hike that would produce an average 15.6% increase for residential customers. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the ...

Potential housing project at mall positive development

Businessman, investor, author and philanthropist Samuel Truett Cathy once said, approximately, that the best opportunities sometimes come from the worst circumstances. That just may end up being the case at the Westwood Mall. The longtime Marquette Township shopping center has faced its share of challenges in recent years, as malls everywhere have. Certainly the collapse of a section of mall’s roof under heavy snow last February was another major blow. But the property now has a chance to begin a new chapter, one that could benefit far more than the mall itself. A Green Bay developer ...

Focusing this week on farm safety, health

It's harvest time and farmers already are dealing with the effects of record high diesel prices this fall as they try to get their crops in for the season. That's an added strain during an already high-stress time of year for what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls one of the most hazardous industries in the United States. This is National Farm Safety and Health Week, dedicated to understanding potential on-farm hazards and the measures needed to mitigate those risks, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development states in a news release. To ensure the ...

Don’t look for a Bergman vs. Barr debate

Mining Journal readers learned Wednesday that Callie Barr, the Democratic candidate for the First Congressional District seat held by Republican Jack Bergman, has officially challenged the incumbent to a debate or debates prior to the Nov. 3. Memo to Barr and her team: Good luck with that. Why? Because, quite simply, Bergman, who is a retired U.S. Marine lieutenant general and stalwart backer of President Donald Trump, has little or nothing to gain in a debate with Barr. Most political observers predict Bergman will best Barr without breaking the proverbial political sweat, so popular ...

‘Laughing gas’ no laughing matter

There are some things in life that simply aren't worth taking a chance on. Recreational nitrous oxide should be one of them. Mining Journal readers recently learned that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is warning residents about increasing misuse of nitrous oxide, commonly known by names such as “laughing gas,” “whippets,” “balloons,” “Galaxy Gas” and “NOS.” The problem isn't that nitrous oxide exists. It has legitimate uses in medicine, dentistry and food preparation. The problem is what happens when people treat it like harmless ...

Veterans should take another look at VA benefits

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain has earned another national honor, and while that recognition is certainly worth celebrating, the bigger message for veterans across the Upper Peninsula and northeastern Wisconsin is this: If you have never enrolled in VA health care — or were turned down in the past — it may be worth taking another look. The Iron Mountain facility has been named one of the nation's top VA facilities for the sixth time, receiving the Department of Veterans Affairs' 2025 Best Experience Award for Level III small, low-complexity ...