Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 26 - 50 of 302
To the Editor: Every elected member of congress, all representatives and senators, asked the electors of this country for their individual job. They made promises, spent millions of dollars and large amounts of time to convince us they were prepared for those jobs and had earned them. After they were elected and took the oath of office, they descended on Washington, D.C. to prove they deserved our faith and votes. To all those who skipped today’s speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu because they preferred to act like high s... Full story
To the Editor: Gogebic Taconite closed its doors, it says because of the abundance of wetlands and fear of the EPA. Throughout the past four years other culprits blamed have been oppressive state laws and local zoning ordinances, the DNR, environmentalists, protestors and the Native Americans. But to get at the primary reason, follow the money. From 1985 to 2005, iron ore traded at fixed prices, hovering between $11 and $16 per ton for that 20-year period. As demand for iron increased because of growth in China, prices doubled, and in early... Full story
To the Editor: Since board members at the Meet the Candidates forum at the Hurley High School said they wouldn’t have signed the lease if they knew what was in it and Iron County Chairman Joe Pinardi said he was working to renegotiate the lease, they shouldn’t float Gogebic Taconite for a year on the lease. Very few people actually attend meetings to see what is really going on and seem to prefer to talk in generalizations or call anyone who doesn’t like the lease names. That’s not going to help anything. This is the county’s chance to make t... Full story
To the Editor: Islamic terrorism. 200 girls kidnapped into slavery; 30 people beheaded; 40 people burned alive; 20 people killed in France and Denmark. It doesn’t matter what group name is used, this animalistic behavior must be stopped. The United States must take a leadership role in eliminating these terrorist organizations. This will take a world coalition and we must use every persuasive argument to convince the world community that we are facing a global cancer and it must cease. The debate in our country will focus on U.S. forces (... Full story
To the Editor: The federal government and our state governments need to enact legislation that will make our nation a better place for American citizens. Following are some of what must be done to make America a better place for American citizens. 1. Create a healthcare system that will provide all of our citizens with health care that is government funded. 2. Provide government funding for all qualified students who attend colleges and universities. 3. Make our jails and prisons places for reforming the thinking of inmates, rather than places... Full story
To the Editor: The Bessemer Area School Board is up to the same old monkey business. According to the party line, everything is rosy and Bessemer Strong, whatever that means. Just like the spring thaw we all look forward to, the board is preparing to offer another tax and spend bond. This one proposes we buy two buses and install security, all for “... only $400,00 and interest over eight years.” Sure, the board could buy salt-free, used buses from Ohio for about $20,000 each, but they like the pretty, shiny, brand new ones. Besides, the dis... Full story
To the Editor: I felt compelled to offer the other side of the story when it comes to customer service. I have worked customer service for 25 years at the same company and I have seen a huge decline in the way customers treat workers in the public sector. It seems that every other person has a cell phone glued to their ear. I make a habit of greeting each customer, ask if they need a bag for their purchases, thank them, and tell them to have a nice day. The cell phone addicts will give me a glare for interrupting their conversation and stomp... Full story
To the Editor: I am currently a 4th year student at Michigan Tech University and I’m focusing my engineering degree in Mining. On the same note, I’m proud to say that I grew up in Bessemer, Michigan and enjoy the outdoors of the U.P. as any Yooper would. I can see why many residents of the U.P. and Northern Wisconsin would be against the potential mines coming into effect, but I believe it is turning into a necessity for the surrounding areas. The past summer and fall semesters of 2014, I spent on an internship on the Iron Range of MN. For tho... Full story
To the Editor: It would take pages to address the reasons Iron County should not agree to the lease option extension drafted January 23rd by GTAC’s lawyers. Here are a handful: 1. The lease is a bad deal for taxpayers. Iron County gets virtually nothing for well over 3,000 acres of land that is absolutely essential to a mine. Thecurrent deal doesn’t even adequately compensate for lost timber sales from the land. Even a tiny royalty payment of 50 cents/ton of taconite would yield Iron County $4 million/year. Minnesota mining companies pay ove... Full story
To the Editor: It is disheartening to have wolves relisted as endangered in Michigan. It is equally disheartening to have wolf protectionist groups agreeing among themselves that wolves could be reclassified as threatened. Endangered status implies the potential for extinction. Threatened implies that minor changes in the population could lead to endangered status and the potential for extinction. The 2014 winter wolf survey indicated the presence of a minimum of 636 wolves occupying suitable habitat in the U.P. Studies in the West, Alaska and... Full story
To the Editor: In his Jan. 9, 2015 “Benishek Bulletin,” Congressman Benishek announced he had sponsored the “Save American Workers Act” claiming it would “Restore the 40 hour work week.” Sounds good doesn’t it? But I wondered just how this bill would help part-time workers obtain a 40 hour work week. I did some research and learned that it won’t. Beginning this year under The Affordable Care Act (ACA), large businesses having 100 or more full-time equivalent (FTE) employees are required to provide health insurance to at least 95% percent of... Full story
To the Editor: Whatever happened to the customer is always right? I am writing to express my disappointment in customer service in our local area. I always felt that our small, close-knit lifestyle was the way to live. Everyone knows everyone and we take care of each other. In recent months, that belief has turned to pure disgust. There is the unmotivated convenience store worker who doesn’t even say thank you, the snotty waitress who treats you like you owe her something after you order another drink. My most recent experience with poor c... Full story
To the Editor: Nancy Warren, in a recent Letter to the Editor, tried to discredit a trapper of 40 years as not being an “expert on predator-prey relationships.” I looked up “expert,” as she should have done and found this: “A person with special skill or knowledge in a certain field.” I think a veteran trapper of 40 years can give us more hands on information with special skills than someone looking at a computer screen. Thousands of hunters spend thousands of hours in the woods as do trappers, loggers, foresters, etc. If their observation... Full story
To the Editor, I am writing this letter to urge your readers to contact their federal legislators regarding U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell’s ruling that returned the gray wolf to the Federal Endangered Species List. Judge Howell’s ruling includes the upper Midwest including Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. It prevents these states from continuing successful DNR management programs and makes it a federal offense to kill a wolf for any reason. The only legal defense for killing a wolf is if it was a threat to a human being – not even to a... Full story
To the Editor: I support the letter to the editor published Dec. 13, 2014, from Joe Allen; unlike Nancy Warren, who stated in her letter (of Dec. 18, 2014), that 40 years of trapping and hunting does not qualify Joe as an expert in predator/prey relationships. I don’t feel that he would want to be considered an expert anyway. But the information and opinions of Joe and others like him that have spent more time in the outdoors than many of the people that make the “scientific” decisions about our wildlife should not be discounted. Since our f... Full story
To the Editor: Once again, the community has demonstrated its caring spirit with generous donations to the Iron County Food Pantry and Treasure Room from individuals, businesses and organizations, not only in days approaching the holidays, but throughout the year. The volunteers at the pantry are truly gratified to have been able to provide nourishing food each month in 2014 to more than 150 families in Iron County. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to all who wrote a check, held fund-raisers and food drives or dropped off cash or food at the... Full story
To the Editor, What started as one man walking around a track in Tacoma, Wash., 30 years ago this spring has grown into the world’s largest movement to fight back against cancer. Today, more than four million people participate in American Cancer Society Relay For Life events in 6,000 communities worldwide. The Gogebic County Relay For Life is one of them, and I want to encourage people from every part of our community to get involved. Plans are underway for the American Cancer Society event, set for Aug. 2015. And don’t worry, there is no run... Full story
To the Editor: January is School Board Recognition Month — a time to salute the work of our volunteer school board members and to celebrate public education. The theme, “School Boards Lead Strong,” reflects our combined commitment to leadership and accountability assuring that all children succeed. It’s an exciting and challenging time in public education. School board members in Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District develop policies and make tough decisions that help shape the future of our education system. They bear respons... Full story
Thank you to all our volunteers, registrars, pantry workers, Houghton van and other local drivers, unloaders and substitute pantry workers who help the Ironwood St. Vincent de Paul Society Food Pantry. Without your help and dedication to this charitable program, we could not operate. Also thank you to the Houghton Food Bank and local merchants and organizations for their year-to-year support of our food pantry. These organizations help with groceries and financial help. We also thank individuals who support us with money and groceries. We... Full story
To the Editor, What a casino would do to this area is devastating. Is the petty promise for a few to a handful of jobs worth the effects of a casino on our community? Thomas A. Garrett, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis in 2003, found that an increase in casino revenue decreases retail sales. Casino patrons will likely take their dollars away from certain activities; restaurants, movies, etc., and move them into casino gambling. Howard Shaffer, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Ryan Marti... Full story
To the Editor, Joe Allen, in his Letter to the Editor published Dec. 13, said he has been a trapper for 40-plus years. That qualifies him as an experienced trapper but not as an expert on predator/prey relationships. There is no data to support his claim that “wolves have taken deer numbers to less than half of what they used to be.” Research shows deer numbers are affected less by predators than factors such as weather, food, habitat quality and human hunters. Research also shows that wolves actually strengthen the deer herd by culling the spr... Full story
To the Editor: In regards to a Nov. 17 article which included comments from Michigan Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Chief Russ Mason, I feel his comments were a slap in the face to the intelligence of all hunters, trappers and sportsmen of the Western U.P. He said the reason deer numbers are so low are because of the last two hard winters, which I do agree with, however our deer over the last 40 years have seen numerous hard winters, especially in the mid-’90s. He also blames the coyote as the main factor, with no mention of our t... Full story
To the editor, An editorial from a Battle Creek newspaper several days ago that was published in the Daily Globe continued the same old tired line that we “can’t deport 10 million/15 million (pick the number du jour) illegal aliens,” which is utter nonsense as that wouldn’t be necessary for the majority of them. The economic downturn that this country has endured for the last several years has resulted in the return of many millions of illegals to their home countries according to numerous sources, including Reuters and USA Today. And they re... Full story
To the Editor: Most advanced nations provide their citizens with universal health care, funded by their governments. With universal health care all citizens in a nation are able to receive health care, regardless of their family income. The U.S. is one of the few advanced nations that does not provide universal government funded health care for all citizens. Therefore, in the U.S. many low income families cannot receive the health care they need; members of these families often die earlier than individuals of families with high incomes. Canada... Full story
To the Editor, To all of you who saw the Ironwood Theatre’s Idol competition Nov. 7-8, I’m sure you would agree with me that it was a wonderful, awesome, unbelievable production. To see this show that 70 devoted volunteers put on and the 45 youth and young adults that displayed their talents in, they are all winners. Such poise and charisma they showed was touching to all of us watching them perform. The seven winners, wow, the smiles on their faces I can’t forget. I would not have wanted to be a judge. Naima Adepado and her band were truly an... Full story
