Editorials

InvestUP, region’s planning groups launch rent study

A survey is being done this month to look at the rental housing situation in the Upper Peninsula, a persistent area of concern in the region. The lack of affordable housing has been exacerbated this decade by a combination of rising rent prices and the growth of short-term rentals that are typically booked for 30 days or less via platforms such as Airbnb or Vrbo. The University of Michigan’s Michigan Public Policy Survey of local governments across the state in 2023 found officials at cities, villages and townships in the Upper Peninsula were the most likely to express concern about ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 11, 2026

Cutting DNR stocking program a bad idea

Superiorland residents, indeed residents of the Upper Peninsula in general, who are of a certain age cringe when the word alewife is mentioned. That’s because even an average memory will vividly recall U.P. beaches in the 1960s and ’70s being a foot deep in dead alewives, reeking to high heavens, making swimming all but impossible. Where did they come from? These little invasive fish found their way into the Great Lakes from the ocean in the 19th and 20th centuries via canals. Once here, and facing no natural predators, they ate massive amounts of zooplankton, starving native fish ...

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 10, 2026

Editorial cartoon for Aug. 8, 2026

Prime time of year to visit farmers markets in area

Though seeing the summer days slip by carries a little sadness, one of the prime benefits of August is fresh produce and other products that can be purchased — often only a short time after being picked — at the farmers markets that set up in area communities. Most gardens or farms that cultivate fruits and vegetables are now far enough along in the season to have a wide variety available for sale. And many area communities, even in the Upper Peninsula, have regular days of the week or month when vendors gather with what they’ve grown this year. Locally, the Downtown Iron ...