YIKES. BOARD OF of Light and Power customers may be looking at 30% rate hikes in the very near future. Seems startling and exorbitant, but some officials with an eye toward the future say it's necessary. The rate hikes would fund the building of three new generators providing 50 megawatts of power. The cost? $77 ... Continue Reading
A Tale of Two Pot Stores, a TV Station Swap, and New Life for an Old Building
QUESTION: WHY WOULD two stores three miles apart and selling exactly the same product--marijuana--be treated differently? One was busted by law enforcement and forced to shut down earlier this year, while the other continues to operate and prosper five years after it opened. It's a question that epitomizes the absurdity, ... Continue Reading
Chop House, Clark’s Park, Vajda’s New Gig, NMU Protest, U.P. Movie, and Arts in Ishpeming
ELIZABETH'S CHOP HOUSE, arguably the best restaurant in the Upper Peninsula (yes, we can argue about it), is getting some serious recognition. A website, onlyinyourstate.com, recently listed it as the 7th best steakhouse in Michigan. Quoting: "Elizabeth and Tom Wahlstrom have transformed a restaurant in downtown ... Continue Reading
Overworked Nurses and a New B & B
"I AM WORKING with a lot of unhappy, tired, overworked nurses these days. It's the worst I've seen in all my years at the hospital." That's a quote from a veteran nurse at UP Health System-Marquette (the former MGH) who understandably wants to remain anonymous. She's not alone. This, from another nurse: "We have ... Continue Reading
Marquette’s Smartzone and Ishpeming’s Partridge Creek Farm Making Moves
LOOKS LIKE MARQUETTE'S new Smartzone got their man. The contract won't be finalized until the Smartzone board signs off on it on Monday, but every indication is that Ray Johnson, out of Boulder, Colorado, will be the first CEO of Innovation Marquette, which is the official name of the Smartzone. Johnson's got a ... Continue Reading