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News & Opinion from Marquette, Michigan

New Smartzone CEO Takes Over

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Traverse City man comes back to his alma mater FORTY YEAR OLD Joe Thiel has a history with Marquette--he was an NMU football player and an industrial technology major almost two decades ago--and now he has a future here. He's the new CEO of the Innovate Marquette Smartzone and the executive director of Invent@NMU. He ... Continue Reading

Cognition’s Plans, Holiday Travel’s Struggles, and Maybe the Best Steak in the UP

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"EXCEPT FOR THE pandemic, this just seemed like the right timing. We've been wanting to pour beer in Marquette for a few years now." The words of Jay Clancy, owner of Cognition Brewing Company in Ishpeming, explaining his decision to expand into Marquette, at the former Valle's building on Third Street. Cognition is ... Continue Reading

Dia de los Tacos Reborn, Customs House Still Alive and Kicking, Queen City in Their New Digs, and the Sidewalks Are Crowded

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The truck should be back in two weeks THE BELOVED DIA de los Tacos truck is coming back to Marquette, probably within two weeks. New ownership, but the same recipes, same tacos. You might recall that Mike Walker, a food truck pioneer here, gave up the business last year in favor of working comfortably and warmly in ... Continue Reading

Cognition Coming to Marquette and Mt. Shasta Shutting Down Temporarily

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Brewery moving into former Valle's building THE ISHPEMING-BASED Cognition Brewing Company is expanding into Marquette--specifically into the back half of the former Valle's Supermarket building. And that's just half of the story. Restaurateur Joe Constance (Iron Bay Restaurant and Drinkery) will be closing on his ... Continue Reading

The Spaceport Proposal: a Battle Lies Ahead

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Economic development vs environmental preservation AT FIRST, THE announcement was greeted with excitement: Marquette County had been selected as the site for a proposed vertical launch spaceport. New jobs, mostly high tech, would be coming to the area--250 at the site itself, an estimated 2000 total because of the ... Continue Reading

Marquette Mountain GM Terminated

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HERE'S SOMETHING NONE of us expected. Andrew Farron, the young, ambitious, personable engineer who took over as general manager at Marquette Mountain a year and a half ago, is out. "We gave him a fair shot," says Marquette Mountain owner Eric Jorgensen. "He's a smart, driven young man. He's a great engineer, but he ... Continue Reading

Why the UP Is Becoming High Risk, and Where to Get a Taste of Hawaii

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The numbers have been climbing IT DOESN'T SEEM to make sense. The Upper Peninsula, we like to think, is a relatively COVID-free area, far away from the congested cities to the south. The positive rate (percent of tested people who come back positive) in Marquette County, for example, has been very low, only about 1.5%. ... Continue Reading

Norlite’s Road Back from the Outbreak, and Munising’s Efforts to Cope with the COVID Scare

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A new positive case A RECENT BUMP in the road for the Norlite Nursing Center which has traveled a long, troubled journey this year. A staff member recently tested positive for COVID after visiting downstate. She's on quarantine, according to administrator Wayne Johnson, and so far, fortunately, no other employees or ... Continue Reading

Food Coming to The Courtyards, “The Best of” in Marquette and the UP, and a Predictable “Positive” at NMU

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T boys and tapas are on the menu SOON. VERY SOON. That's what chef Don Durley tells you about the much anticipated opening of food service at his south Marquette bar, The Courtyards. At first, he suggests it might be within two to three weeks, then he backs off, then he says he might even stage a quick, little pop-up ... Continue Reading