Scottville Commission Shatters Democracy, Process, and the Democratic ProcessUnbelievably dysfunctional is all I can say after having sat through last night's commissioner meeting in Scottville.  But I'm compelled to say more, as that's what I do.  This reporter had written a comment for the beginning of the meeting to be read before that public body, but as someone who lives outside the city, I worried that my words would push them closer towards the disaster they seemed content in pursuing…See More

The public policy of the Ludington Torch is to serve as the guiding light for public officials scrambling around in the darkness, whether that darkness has been imposed by their prior or forthcoming actions/policy.  Sometimes we serve as messengers, sometimes we serve as parliamentarians, but almost always we serve as a cattle prod for those officials who stray from the herd of their constituents or their constitutions.  On Monday, November 25, 2024, we had the opportunity to serve as an…See More

In a grand jury hearing, the prosecution presents evidence in a relaxed setting to a grand jury, who decide whether there is enough evidence to charge (indict) someone with a crime. Since, traditionally, the defense doesn’t get any say, indictments usually are granted if the prosecutor markets it well.  You may have heard the famous statement by NY Judge Sol Wachtler that a grand jury would "indict a ham sandwich", if that's what a prosecutor wanted.While it wasn't a grand jury hearing, a…See More

By this time, citizens of Scottville are getting numbed by the instability at city hall, with their city officials playing musical chairs over the last few years and may expect the worst now that the dust has cleared, a budget shortfall of about half a million has appeared and the former mayor and mayor pro tem has quietly galloped away into the sunset.  At the November 11, 2024…See More