Local businesses do so much for each of us.
Not only do they give us the products we love or the food we enjoy, they also give us jobs, either directly on their payroll or through the money they flow into our economy and to other job creators.
They boost our quality of life and create the identity that makes our community unique.
But they can only do all of those things for us if we support them.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve repeatedly urged you to shop local and eat local to make sure our small businesses can thrive.
Seasons Up North in Michigan often are marked by an invasion of orange.
The autumn invasion means that hunters are out in the woods and fields in pursuit of animals and birds.
The other orange invasion usually signifies the end of bad weather and the beginning of warmer, drier weather as construction barrels pop up across the state’s highways.
The Alpena County Road Commission is going to jump start the season this year beginning Monday, when the Bagley Street bridge gets closed to traffic. Repairs to the bridge will take upwards to one year to be completed. When finished, motorists and pedestrians will enjoy a bridge that will basically be double in width. Because the bridge is basically being completely overhauled, traffic engineers decided the quickest way to complete construction would be to close the bridge to all traffic, rather than keep a lane open during the construction period. Such a move would have extended the construction timeframe.
The Latest from the First
This month, “The Latest from the First” looks at the impending shutdown of U.S.-23, which will force a long detour.
Maybe you’ve heard the old saying “In Michigan, there are just two seasons: winter and ‘Road Under Construction. ”
Northern Michiganders justifiably fear the inevitable highway closures that complicate their lives.
Transportation in this region has passed through three stages.
First came passenger ships, like the City of Alpena of the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Co., which began linking Lake Huron’s coastal communities in 1893. To get an idea of how the city of Alpena bustled with activity when the City of Alpena steamed into port, check out the colorized postcard blown up to billboard size on the side of the Martz Opera House on Chisholm Street downtown. It depicts a crowded ship, with some of the passengers ready to disembark, and a crowded wharf, with people waiting to greet them, others waiting to board the vesse
The Alpena News
News File Photo
Chrissy Prince hands a box of baklava to the businesses landlord and frequent customer, Earl Juergens, at The Baklava Shop in Atlanta in this 2019 archive photo.
Northeast Michigan is a diverse mix of communities, each with its own unique contribution to the region’s economy. Here’s a look at some of those towns.
OSSINEKE
Fifteen minutes south of Alpena, on U.S.-23 in Alcona County, Ossineke is home to about 1,000 residents, a state park, and a giant ox.
Anchored by its landmark Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues, the unincorporated community boasts several businesses along its main business corridor, from restaurants to a gun shop to a social service agency outpost.