Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps to be held July 12 in Houghton

Image courtesy Lights for Liberty.

HOUGHTON -- From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time on Friday, July 12, 2019, Lights for Liberty: A Vigil to End Human Detention Camps will bring thousands of people to locations across the country to protest the inhumane conditions faced by migrants. In Houghton, the gathering will be at the miner statue on Shelden Avenue (on triangle where College Ave. meets Shelden and Montezuma) -- which honors immigrants who came to settle and build their part of America.

The Houghton County Democratic Party is organizing the vigil, but all are welcome and there will be no candidate-related activity. You can make a sign if you wish; electric candles will be available or you may bring your own. The vigil will open and close with brief calls to action; but otherwise participants will simply be present and silent, although quiet interaction with curious passersby is encouraged. Parking is available across the street at the Keweenaw Peninsula Chamber of Commerce.

Lights for Liberty is a coalition of people dedicated to human rights and the fundamental principle behind democracy that all human beings have a right to life, liberty and dignity. They are partnering with international, national, regional and local communities and organizations who believe that these fundamental rights are not negotiable and who are willing to protect them.

EGLE’s UP Energy Task Force to offer Web, phone access for July 9 organizational meeting

MARQUETTE -- The first meeting of the UP Energy Task Force, established by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order 2019-14 as an advisory body within the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), will be accessible via webinar and telephone access.

The meeting is set for 1 p.m. (EDT) on Tuesday, July 9, at the Northern Center, Ballroom III, 1401 Presque Isle Avenue, Marquette, Michigan, on the campus of Northern Michigan University. The meeting will be open to the public.

On June 7, 2019, Gov. Whitmer signed Executive Order 2019-14, creating the UP Energy Task Force, which will do the following: assess the UP’s overall energy needs and how they are currently being met; identify and evaluate potential changes in energy supply and distribution; and formulate alternative solutions to meet the UP’s energy needs -- including alternatives to the current distribution of propane through Line 5, which poses an unacceptable threat to the Great Lakes.*

The Task Force plans to schedule multiple listening sessions across the Upper Peninsula this fall specifically for the purpose of receiving public input. The dates and locations for the listening sessions and other meetings will be made available after the July 9 organizational meeting.

To join the webinar, go to: NMU.zoom.us/j/928433717. To join the meeting by telephone, dial 646-558-8656 or 669-900-6833; use the webinar ID: 928 433 717.

To stay up to date on other EGLE news, follow michigan.gov/MIEnvironment.

* Editor's Note: See "Gov. Whitmer signs executive order creating UP Energy Task Force."

To view Executive Order 2019-14, click here.

To view the names of persons appointed to the UP Energy Task Force, click here.