News BACK IN JANUARY WE learned that local television station ABC10 had been purchased by Morgan Murphy Media of Madison, Wisconsin. We hadn’t seen or heard much since then… until this week, when we learned Morgan Murphy has also purchased WJMN-TV from Nexstar Broadcasting. Without a lot of specific details ... Continue Reading
100 Years Ago Today
100 years ago today the Marquette Police Department suffered undeniably the worst day in its history. Two officers, Police Chief Martin Ford and Patrolman Thomas Thornton, were killed in the line of duty. They were involved in a shootout with a young man caught in a criminal act, and, along with the fugitive, ... Continue Reading
The Last Time • Back to School • Car Show for the Women’s Center
The Last Time You'll... I give up. I’ve been in denial for the past five years, but it’s time to acknowledge what has been apparent for some time now. Marquette is finally Traverse City North. Unlike us, they don't have a bypass, and without ours, traffic jams downtown would be similar to those in the Cherry City. Our ... Continue Reading
Book Bans • At the Tipping Point
DID YOU SEE THE STORY coming out of downstate Alpena about their county library? It seems members of that conservative community have a problem with books they feel are inappropriate for young people being placed on shelves intended for use by anyone… regardless of age or maturity. And they’re not just ... Continue Reading
Westwood No! • Unsolicited Observations
It’s now, officially, laughable. Not because it's funny, because it isn't. Particularly to the business owners trying to make a living out there. In the “You can’t make this stuff up” department, on Tuesday, TV6 News kicked off a three-part investigative series on the bill-paying woes at the Westwood Mall. ... Continue Reading
Power Lines and Parking • Margaret and the Petition
South Lake Street is about to go through some changes. The power poles lining the street, placed obtrusively in the front yards of the street’s ever-evolving homes, are about to come down in favor of buried lines. A few years ago, when the Marquette Board of Light and Power was making plans to replace the ... Continue Reading
Death and/or Taxes
IT WAS ALL THE WAY BACK in 1789 when Ben Franklin declared, “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” After Marquette property owners looked at their summer statements, some might question which is worse. In most cases, tax bills went up 5%. That’s the most the city can increase property taxes, so yes… ... Continue Reading
Law & Order MQT
THE HEADLINE ABOVE WAS from a TV6 report originally published on August 19th, 2021. You might think the case against Klint Miller and UP General Contracting would have been settled by now, but alas… after multiple delays for a number of different reasons, there’s still no resolution. If you recall, the local ... Continue Reading
Welcome to Marquette! Where are you staying? What are you paying?
THOSE OF US WHO call Marquette home know all too well the cost of living here. Whether you rent or buy, your monthly tab looks nothing like it did just a few short years ago, and that’s if you can find a place. And the taxes? Statements are out, and to say a few of us are experiencing home-owner sticker shock ... Continue Reading
Copy and Paste… the Westwood Mall Story • High on the HOGS • Free Films at Thomas Theatre
No Power to the People Don’t kill the messenger. Some of you haven’t cared for Word on the Street’s continued coverage of the MSHS nickname saga, and I get it. I’m tired of it too. Well, here’s another one that won’t go away… power outages at the Westwood Mall. Yes, it happened again, earlier this week. Mall ... Continue Reading