Opinion

War against sea lamprey expensive but worth the money

While it might seem to some that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is throwing good money after bad fighting the invasive sea lamprey, we support continued efforts by this agency and others to rid the Great Lakes and adjacent waters of this nasty invasive species. Sea lamprey are parasitic fish native to the Atlantic Ocean that invaded the Great Lakes via shipping canals in the early 1900s. They attach to fish with a suction-cup mouth lined with sharp teeth, feed on their body fluids, killing up to 40 pounds of fish during their parasitic phase. Many Great Lakes anglers can ruefully ...

Report: Trump’s DC arch could harm integrity of other historical sites

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall memorial arch could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location, according to an assessment by the National Park Service. Many of Washington’s monuments, buildings and sites have been ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 5, 2026

America’s peak socialism — abandoned a century ago

The emergence of the Democratic Socialists of America and their political victories, from New York City across the fruited plains of Michigan and Wisconsin, all the way to Colorado, strikes many as a new thing in U.S. politics. Previous movements have, in fact, increased, sometimes ...

Almanac for Aug. 5, 2026

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 5, the 217th day of 2026. There are 148 days left in the year. Today in history: In 1962, South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was arrested on charges of leaving the country without a valid passport and inciting workers to strike; it was the beginning of 27 years of imprisonment. Also on this date: In 1861, Abraham Lincoln signed the Revenue Act of 1861, which levied the first income tax on Americans (a flat tax of 3% on those making over $800/year) to help fund the Union’s Civil War effort. In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Adm. David ...

A better conversation needed on data centers

Much of the public conversation has focused on preventing data centers from coming to the Upper Peninsula. That concern is understandable, but it overlooks how land use regulation actually works. A statewide prohibition on data centers would be a matter of state law. Local governments, on the other hand, are responsible for considering where all lawful land uses may be permitted and what standards they must meet. Through my work as a regional planner and participation in Michigan’s Statewide Data Center Working Group (a collaboration of statewide land use experts, attorneys, planning ...