Opinion

Almanac for Oct. 30, 2026

Today is Friday, Oct. 30, the 303rd day of 2026. There are 62 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali, 32, knocked out George Foreman, 25, in the eighth round of a scheduled 15-round bout known as the "Rumble in the Jungle," in Kinshasa, Congo (then Zaire), to regain his world heavyweight title. Also on this date: In 1912, Vice President James S. Sherman, running for a second term with Republican President William Howard Taft, died six days before Election Day. (Taft was defeated by Democrat Woodrow Wilson in the election). In 1938, the radio ...

Open letter to Jack Bergman

This letter is an open letter to Congressman Jack Bergman Dear Congressman Bergman, I am writing to you as one of your constituents, and I am writing to say that you have lost my confidence. You have not held an open public town hall in this district in roughly eight years, according to critics and local organizers who have resorted to holding their own forums — with an empty chair in your place. When constituents in Escanaba and Traverse City tried, your office dismissed them as "political stunts." Congressman, the people who pay your salary are not a stunt. If you cannot face ...

Editorial cartoon for Oct. 30, 2026

Editorial cartoon for Oct. 29, 2026

Almanac for Oct. 29, 2026

Today is Thursday, Oct. 29, the 302nd day of 2026. There are 63 days left in the year. Today in history: On Oct. 29, 1929, 'Black Tuesday' descended on the New York Stock Exchange. Stock prices collapsed amid panicked selling, $14 billion in value was lost, and thousands of investors were wiped out, triggering America's Great Depression. Also on this date: In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London for allegedly conspiring against King James I. In 1787, the opera "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had its world ...

The strange case of the two Sullivans

How many "Dan Sullivans" does an election need? One would seem plenty, but Alaska is going to the polls with two "Dan Sullivans" on the ballot -- one the sitting Republican U.S. senator in a nip-and-tuck battle to save his seat, and the other a random guy whose only discernible purpose in ...