Why aren’t dogs allowed in bars? The question comes up every now and then when dog lovers, who just want to have a beer while out for a walk with their favorite pet, find their fury friend is not welcome inside. It’s particularly vexing when outdoor seating is available in a business that doesn’t even serve food.
Well, according to Patrick Jacuzzo of the Marquette County Health Department, Michigan Food Law considers bars, breweries and tap rooms as “food service establishments,” and as such have to follow the same rules as any other facility that serves or sells food. So animal prohibitions apply to those establishments. Sorry Fido. You’ll have to be satisfied with the dog park.
How can an event called the U.P. Wife Carrying Championship allow couples to compete “regardless of gender identity or marital status?” When I first heard of a wife carrying competition, I thought it was a pretty cool idea. The potential for the marital conflict that could come about during the heat of such a battle made the idea uniquely appealing.
But when the rules are slacked and the definitions are skewed, as they are in the upcoming event hosted by Marquette Mountain, to allow a beefed up jughead to haul his neighbor’s petite sister all the way to a U.P title, well, I call foul. Nothing wrong with the event, but unless it’s a husband hauling the lady with whom he shares a mortgage, don’t call it “wife carrying.”
How does a community the size of Marquette expect to support no fewer than three big box stores selling essentially the same stuff? Menards and Lowe’s have now been joined by L&M Fleet Supply in the home supply genre, meaning our stagnant population is going to have to ramp up their do-it-yourself game in order to keep them all solvent.
Or maybe folks will be coming from all over the U.P. to pick up a new toilet before they check out Texas Roadhouse. If that’s the plan, I’m all for it. I sure don’t want to see any business shut down, but at some point something’s got to give. And that doesn’t even take into consideration the smaller independent shops that specialize in the various items we need to keep the home fires burning. Whatever. Shop local!
When will the people running the Emergency Alert System realize we don’t need their service anymore? Or, at least we don’t need it the way they run it. First of all, I have never in my life… seven decades now, ever seen an EAS message for anything other than a test or a weather alert. I may be off base here, but weather alerts are a dime a dozen. A “Winter Weather Advisory?” It’s winter!
And the idea that if this had been an actual emergency I would be instructed to… what? I don’t even know. I’ve never read the whole thing. You interrupted my program just when it was getting good! If it’s really that important, just run a crawl, or send me a text message. What if it’s an actual emergency and I’m not watching TV? Too many cracks in the system. Start over and leave my shows alone.
What is going on with the Attorney General’s investigation into the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association? It seems there was a question regarding the possible misuse of state dollars they received to look into the idea of establishing rocket launch sites around the state.
The Michigan Launch Initiative appeared to be a reasonable idea when it was first proposed. But the idea of turning Michigan into the next Cape Canaveral took a turn when public opposition, particularly here in Marquette County, caused authorities to take a closer look at exactly what they were getting for their two million bucks in seed money. A lot of talk, followed by little action, raised a flag in Lansing and the Attorney General’s office got involved. They haven’t commented on what they’ve found, if anything, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. That money that could have been better spent on a new Emergency Alert System!
What the heck is going on at the Westwood Mall? C’mon guys. This monthly power outage ordeal is getting ridiculous. There are a few hard-working business owners out there trying to make a go of it despite the hurdles set up by current ownership. Everything I’ve heard and seen of the out-of-town ownership that doesn’t pay the bills tells me things aren’t going to get better any time soon.
I know malls are in a death spiral nationally, but I’ve always thought the Westwood Mall could make it. Indoor shopping in Marquette in the winter? What’s not to like? And new businesses are popping up around here almost daily, that could easily fill some of those empty storefronts. What am I missing?
When will the complaints stop about new condos and apartments going up in Marquette? Now that construction has started on the North Harbor complex at Lakeshore and Hawley, I’m sure we’ll see more pointed objections. And just so you know, there’s more on the way.
Here’s the thing. The best way to address the issue of expensive and overpriced housing is to build more housing. More inventory means more competition and ultimately, more reasonable pricing. At least that’s what I’ve been told. It’s not always going to be exactly where we’d like it to be, but if each one of us always got our ‘druthers, there’d be chaos. Chaos!
When did salamanders on Presque Isle become a thing? Have they been there all along and we’ve just been running over them willy-nilly as they crossed the road? Or are they new to the area?
Regardless of when they arrived, it’s nice we know they’re here and need to be protected. I wish we would have done the same with the deer they shot out there a few years ago. According to authorities, the problem was they were eating the weeds. So what? People went to the island to see the deer, not the weeds. Yeah… I’m still mad about that.
How many banks do we need? Along with pot stores and coffee shops, we seem to have our fair share. Who cares? If there’s enough money around here to support all our banks and credit unions… that’s a good thing. And I’ll say this about those financial institutions. They put up nice buildings and landscape their property to the point where they always make the block look better. You can bank on that! (Sorry.)
I’m wondering about a bunch of other stuff too, but we’ll save that for another time. Until then, I’ll only wonder… what’s for supper?