Alpena News editorial
A rupture of Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5, the oil pipeline that runs through Straits of Mackinac on its route from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario, could devastate the environments and economies of shoreline communities on lakes Michigan and Huron including, within six days of a spill, Rogers City, News staff writer Julie Riddle reported over the weekend.
A closure of Line 5, however, could devastate economies by pulling 756,000 gallons of propane out of Michigan’s markets, Riddle reported. Risk to the environment would remain, too, as oil is moved from the pipeline to trucks on the highway.
“The question is, which is worse?” David Schwab, a researcher who conducted hundreds of tests to determine possible outcomes of an oil spill from the pipeline, told Riddle.
Great Lakes News and The Alpena News
Courtesy Image
This screen grab from the episode “The Battle Over Line 5” from Great Lakes Now shows a diver inspecting Enbridge Inc.’s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac. The News has partnered with GLN to share coverage of the big lakes.
With regular coverage of marine sanctuary research, Lake Huron’s fishing, and other recreational activity and watchdog journalism, The Alpena News daily newspaper brings readers the latest about a four-county Great Lakes community.
Through a new partnership with Great Lakes Now, those stories will reach a larger audience as they will be regularly published on the GreatLakesNow.org website. And Alpena News readers will see Great Lakes Now stories and be able to view segments from GLN’s monthly TV program on the paper’s website.
The numbers don’t lie: Sex assault is a serious problem in Northeast Michigan.
As News staff writer Julie Riddle reported this weekend following an exhaustive, weeks-long investigation, state data shows Alpena County police received more than 300 reports of sexual assaults over the last five years, making sex assaults the most prevalent violent crime in our area, accounting for nearly two-thirds of violent crimes reported in 2019.
The consequences of sex assaults last far longer than the crime itself. Long after any physical wounds heal, emotional wounds linger. It can affect the relationships and day-to-day lives of survivors, and it can take years to learn to cope with the proper support and treatment, longer still without.
jhinkley@thealpenanews.com
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