KALAMAZOO OPINION

Local Columns, Blogs, Editorials, Letters and Guest Columns

It took the case of "JihadJane" to illuminate what should have been obvious by now: Anyone who claims to be able to identify a potential terrorist by appearance or nationality is delusional. Full story »

In a letter to Kalamazoo County administrator Peter Battani, Kenneth Miller and Marilyn Schlack said, "It is our commitment to you and the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners to diligently use our best efforts to raise the private funds necessary to complete the required funding of the Event Center." Full story »

As a 25-year veteran of the newspaper business, I've learned a few things about what readers seek in their Kalamazoo Gazette each week. But I've recently been schooled by a classroom of fifth-graders who gave some insightful — and at times surprising and humorous — answers in a survey conducted by Sue Marietta, their civics teacher at Comstock East Elementary School. Full story »

Artists have used anything and everything to translate their mind's creations into something they can share with others. It's only natural that someone would make the iPhone into an art tool as well. With that in mind, here’s a rundown of some of the more popular artistic tools for the iPhone ... Full story »

KALAMAZOO — My first job was as a stock boy for a neighborhood drug store. I unpacked boxes, kept the shelves stocked with candy and cigarettes, kept the magazines straight and carried things to people’s cars. The toughest part of the job was making deliveries in the eight-block radius of the store. A good delivery was a pill-bottle prescription... Full story »

Today, the Kalamazoo Gazette, along with other news organizations across this state and nation, marks the beginning of Sunshine Week, a national initiative to recognize the importance of open government and a free and unfettered press in America. Full story »

I'd like to talk today with you, our readers of the print edition of the Kalamazoo Gazette, about the Internet. I hear from a lot of you about your concerns about more and more information being available on the World Wide Web without a corresponding increase in information going into print. I'd like to tell you why it's important that you know what’s happening out there in the world of digital news and how it will affect you in coming years. Full story »

As there is a political calculus to just about anything the Legislature takes on, voters shouldn't expect the choice of whether to amend Michigan's strict limit on the number of terms lawmakers can serve. Full story »

You trusted the manufacturers and businessmen when they said moving jobs overseas would be good for the economy in the long run. We'd all find jobs and make loads of money in the service sector, they lied. We don't need manufacturing jobs. The industrial age is over. This is the age of information. Full story »

Unlike most states which allow school districts to choose textbooks on a district-by-district basis, Texas has a system in which one body chooses the textbooks for the entire state. This winds up affecting the rest of the nation, because the books Texas chooses are produced in larger quantities. Full story »

In a recent Viewpoint, Aric Nesbitt of Lawton cited examples of how the Democrats have done nothing in the past year to turn the unemployment situation in both Michigan and the nation around. Full story »

Restorative justice, which promotes restitution rather than sentencing, has been hailed by some as the savior of our overburdened prison system. Unfortunately, it is not because it removes consequences, increases repeat offenses, and embitters many individuals so they commit additional crimes. Full story »

In reference to the Gazette's article, "Racial split at charter schools," I would like to respond. I am a parent to three students at Paramount Charter Academy, and previous to them, I had three other students there. I am not an "official" of the school in any way, but have been a concerned and involved parent there for almost 10 years. Full story »

The next time you see a child getting off a public school bus, observe: 1. Bus comes to a halt, lights flashing. 2. Bus door opens, child toddles off bus, stops and faces driver. Full story »