Opinion

Almanac for April 28, 2026

Today is Tuesday, April 28, the 118th day of 2026. There are 247 days left in the year. Today in history: In 2004, the world first viewed images of prisoner abuse and torture by U.S. troops at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, via a report broadcast on the CBS television news program "60 Minutes II." Also on this date: In 1789, mutineers led by Fletcher Christian took control of the ship HMS Bounty three weeks after departing Tahiti, setting the ship's captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and 18 other crew members adrift on a launch in the Pacific Ocean; Bligh and the other men on the ...

Editorial cartoon for April 28, 2026

Tillis now willing to confirm Trump's pick for Fed chair

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican senator who had effectively blocked confirmation of President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Federal Reserve said Sunday he was dropping his opposition after the Department of Justice ended its investigation of the current central bank chair. The ...

A secret act of judicial tyranny

In a famous Supreme Court one-liner, reminding the legal community of the finality of the court's rulings, the late Justice William J. Brennan Jr. is reputed to have said that the Constitution means whatever any five of us say it means. This reflects the basic math that five is a majority of ...

Editorial cartoon for April 27, 2026

Take steps to stop spread of oak wilt

It’s time to leave those oak trees alone. Due to the possibility of beetles spreading oak wilt fungus from tree to tree, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources advises homeowners and landowners not to trim or prune any oak trees from mid-April to mid-July. Sap-feeding nitidulid beetles are most active during this period and can transfer spores from infected trees to healthy trees through wounds, the DNR states in a news release. Recent research at Michigan State University indicates that in Michigan, oak wilt infection risk peaks in May and June. The DNR recommends that ...