Still on track for this summer LAST WEEK'S STORM did minimal damage, at most, to Lakeshore Boulevard, according to city manager Mike Angeli. The barricade of boulders recently installed along the shoreline apparently held up well against the pounding waves fueled by winds that topped 35 mph. Now, about the future. ... Continue Reading
“I’m Afraid Some of Them Won’t Make It”
SO WE'RE LOOKING at a possible partial reopening of Michigan on May 1st. It can't come fast enough for most businesses in the Upper Peninsula. A recent Federal Reserve survey of the UP and six states to the west of us (but not Lower Michigan) revealed this: nearly sixty percent of UP businesses said if things didn't ... Continue Reading
Former City Manager Bill Vajda Has a Story to Tell
BILL VAJDA SERVED as city manager of Marquette from 2010 to 2015. He subsequently went on to become the chief information officer in Alaska, and is now chief information officer for the US Department of the Interior. The following is his story as published in Rural Insights: My COVID-19 Near-Death ... Continue Reading
UP Businesses Big and Small: Getting Help but Facing the Unknown
IT'S DIFFICULT TO find anybody in the Upper Peninsula--individuals, businesses, institutions, or non profits--who hasn't been crippled economically by the COVID-19 shutdown. The big boys have gotten most of the headlines. Namely... Cleveland Cliffs, with 700 workers soon to be laid for two months because of reduced ... Continue Reading
Norlite Faces Challenges, Summer Festivals Facing Uncertainty, and Sawyer Plays Host to Visitors
COVID-19 patients in isolated wing DIFFICULT TIMES FOR the residents and staff at Norlite Nursing Center. Three residents, including two over the weekend, have now died from COVID-19. Six other residents who've also tested positive for COVID-19 remain isolated in a separate wing of Norlite. In addition, four staff ... Continue Reading