Forming EMS advisory group a good step toward transparency

The city of Aurora’s decision to form a citizens advisory committee to evaluate its ambulance operations is a welcome and necessary move, for several important reasons.

Here’s to a memorable Memorial Day 2025

I find myself counting down the days to Memorial Day like a kid eyeing the last few squares on the school calendar. Something about that final Monday in May just flips a mental switch, and suddenly it’s summer.

The future of your ANR: A conversation worth having

How do you feel about your local newspaper?Do you subscribe, or not? Do you trust the News-Register? Does the ANR provide information that’s valuable and relevant to your life? These are some of the questions we recently posed in a Google survey on our Facebook page.

A ‘Splash of Summer’

You can see it in their eyes, that buzz of excitement, that can’t-sit-still energy. Kids know it. Teachers know it. Heck, we all know it: summer is knocking on the door, and it’s bringing sunshine, sandals, and a whole lot of smiles with it.

Man vs. machine?

“All the chatter these days about artificial intelligence (AI) is enough to make my head spin, if not that of an entire generation of Boomers who still prefer a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation.

Work on hotel project continues in background

Working in economic development I am often working on projects that develop and carry out over the course of several years.  For example, right now I am working on finishing up the initial development project at Mission Critical, south of Aurora, which was a project that started in 2022.

Pomp & circumstance

Graduation is a milestone that marks both an ending and a beginning -- a moment filled with pride, reflection and hope.

Planting seeds of giving

Around here, giving back isn’t just a nice thing to do — it’s part of who we are.That was clear again Sunday afternoon at the Bremer Center, where local teens in the Youth Engaged in Philanthropy (YEP) program wrapped up their year with a capstone ceremony.

Nazi flag incident a teachable moment and a painful image

Last week a disturbing photo of two Aurora students posing with a Nazi flag in a school locker room emerged on social media, sparking outrage across the community and beyond. The image — ugly and offensive — evokes one of the darkest chapters in human history.

1st Amendment protects free speech, even when it is jarring and hateful

by Daniel Gutman -- ANR guest columnistThere’s a saying among lawyers that “bad facts make bad law.” The idea is that courts respond to emotionally charged cases with overcorrections in the law. A similar theme applies to the First Amendment.