As I’m puzzling about where to put my writing attention, my mind is buzzing with questions. These days, no matter how many answers I have, there are always more questions. My biggest question this … more

It’s become almost cliché to suggest that newspapers are living on borrowed time. But like so much conventional wisdom, such a suggestion fails to recognize the pivotal role that newspapers still … more

American news outlets have bombarded us with health care horror stories. They’ve reported on the problem, emphasizing the overwhelming complexities, but not too much on real solutions. We know the … more

For nearly 20 years now, newspapers around the country, including ours, have dutifully reported what is, by most estimates, educational news that is almost entirely devoid of meaning. It’s been a … more

Over the past few months, I’ve been revisiting my youth through the 79 episodes of the one 1960s television show that I never missed— Star Trek. I was hardly alone in my fascination with the … more

With at least two, and possibly three, separate women now accusing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault or impropriety, Republicans would appear to be left with two choices— … more

Recently I was asked to be a companion to a woman I’ll call Joan, who had a stroke in July, so her family could go canoeing while visiting Ely. She was about my age. The language-processing part of … more

City officials in Tower would be wise not to pull the rug out from under a proposed town home project at the city’s harbor, at least for now. The city council, last month, gave the developers … more

The ongoing debate about the pros and cons of copper-nickel mining near Ely has been cast by many as the stereotypical clash between jobs and the environment. It’s a familiar means of framing the … more

As we reported two weeks ago, St. Louis County officials conducted an investigation into the handling of the Aug. 14 primary election in the city of Tower. Their findings were stunning, documenting … more