"THE OTHER KIDS at my high school don't even think mountain biking is a sport," 15 year old Caden Holm (below, on the right) says. He's a sophomore at Negaunee High School. "They're all about football and basketball. That's it. They think I'm crazy." So what does he say to them? "I tell them they ought to get on a bike ... Continue Reading
Homeless Woman Finds a Home
AUTUMN IS HER name. She's 23 years old, a gal from Nebraska. She arrived in Alger County a couple of years ago with her father. She hadn't been able to get along with her mother and stepfather back home so she thought she'd give the U.P. a try with her dad. Start a new life for herself. Didn't work out. She and her ... Continue Reading
Gordon Gearhart: A Man and his Metal
GORDON GERHART IS a throwback, from way back. From, say, the 19th century, or the 18th century. Or earlier. He's a fulltime blacksmith, plying his trade in the heart of Marquette five days a week, sometimes seven days a week. "I'm happiest when I'm making something," he tells you between mighty swings with his ... Continue Reading
Patrolling the Mean Streets of Marquette
9:02 pm Marquette Police Department headquarters It's time for the shift lineup. Five officers gather in a small conference room and schedule who's covering Zone One (north of Ridge Street) tonight, and who's covering Zone Two (south of Ridge), and who's covering both. Four officers, the minimum, are patrolling tonight, a ... Continue Reading
The Homeless in Marquette: They’re Becoming Everybody’s Problem
"IT'S THE ELEPHANT in the room that nobody wants to talk about." Those are the words of Marquette Police Chief Blake Rieboldt. He's talking about the homeless people in town, and more specifically about the problems some of them are creating for his police force. In 2015 and 2016 combined, his officers responded to ... Continue Reading