Opinion

MDHHS: Stay away from foam on surface water

It’s an unfortunate reflection of our times and the insidious creep of “forever chemicals” into the environment. With people likely to do some outdoor recreation over the Memorial Day weekend, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services this week reminded residents and visitors to avoid foam on lakes, rivers, streams and other surface waters. Foam can form on any body of water, the MDHHS advised in a news release. It can be white, off-white or brown, and may have an earthy or fishy scent. It tends to pile up in bays, eddies, dams or other river barriers. But foam ...

Officers sue to block payouts from $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol from an attack by a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters sued on Wednesday to block anyone — including Jan. 6, 2021, rioters — from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who ...

Our screen culture increasingly can't read

We've been having a debate about "book bans" in recent years, but given the steep decline in student literacy, the deeper question is how anyone would notice whether a book is available in a school library or not. The New York Times published an eye-opening report on a study by the ...

Editorial cartoon for May 20, 2026

Trump endorses Paxton in Texas GOP primary

ALLEN, Texas (AP) — President Donald Trump on Tuesday endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate, supercharging his effort to oust incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in next week's runoff. "Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will ...

Almanac for May 20, 2026

Today is Wednesday, May 20, the 140th day of 2026. There are 225 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Homestead Act, which was intended to encourage settlement west of the Mississippi River by making federal land available for private ownership and farming. About 10% of the land area of the United States (270 million acres, or 1.1 million square km) would be privatized by 1934. Also on this date: In 1861, North Carolina seceded from the Union, becoming the 10th state to join the Confederacy early in the American Civil War. In ...