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Editorial

Labor Day driving should involve strategy

The calendar tells us many children have gone back to school and the days are getting shorter but for many residents of Superiorland and beyond, there is still one more excuse to use the swimsuits and beach towels before packing them up for good: Labor Day. Our highways and byways are expected to be packed for the long holiday weekend coming up as millions of Americans mark the unofficial end of summer the same way they celebrated the season's unofficial start: by driving somewhere. Why Labor Day? "Not everyone travels for Labor Day, not compared to July 4th or Thanksgiving — those ...

Guest opinion

The topic of new data centers is emerging as a major issue in the current election cycle, including most recently in the U.S. Senate campaign in Michigan. Many very legitimate concerns have been raised about the rush to construct these huge AI data centers, including environmental impacts from their enormous energy and water use; their impact on raising utility costs; local noise pollution; and even the potential threat of AI displacing existing jobs. My personal concern is especially based on the fact that their huge need for additional electricity generation could very well ruin our ...

Pet adoption a serious matter

The Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter is planning a worthwhile fundraiser next month that we want to call your attention to. The 21st annual Strut Your Mutt event is set to take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 3 at Mattson Lower Harbor Park in Marquette. Without doubt, a great time will be had by all, especially the many furry friends that will be in attendance. Anytime UPAWS, or other animal welfare shelters, come up, adoption of pets is certain to be discussed. That’s what this writing is about. Bringing a pet into a family, any family, is a big deal. It should involve specific ...

Goings and Dymond: Much in common

At a glance, Helen Dymond and Starla Goings are two women who seem to have a lot in common, beyond the obvious fact that both disappeared without a trace from Upper Peninsula locations. Both were upstanding members of their respective communities. In Goings’ case, it was the Alger County area while Dymond hailed from Tilden Township in western Marquette County. Neither was particularly young at the time of their respective disappearances; Dymond was 48 when she went missing in 1981 while Goings was 65 when she vanished about a year ago. Goings was last known to be at the U.P. State ...

Students warned against relying on energy drinks

While it's still too early to pull all-nighters for studying, students heading back to classes at all levels may be tempted to seek an "energy drink" to manage the shift to early mornings, homework, athletics and busy afterschool schedules. But experts with Aspirus Health caution that energy drinks are not a safe or healthy way for children and teens to stay alert. Energy drinks often contain high levels of caffeine, added sugars and other stimulants that can affect sleep, mood, hydration and heart health. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends adolescents avoid energy drinks, ...

Flock cameras equal surveillance

The more we hear about Flock cameras the less we like them. These cameras, positioned along roadways across the state and country, read license plate numbers in passing vehicles, reporting that and other information in real time to centralized data bases that law enforcement and others can access and share. Some police — certainly not all — neighborhood associations and private property owners argue the cameras, often powered by an attached solar cell, help find the bad guys and that they are, in essence, no different than an officer sitting on the side of the road keeping an eye ...