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During their January 28, 2026, meeting at Nutini's Supper Club in Hancock, Lois Gemingnani, co-founder of AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere), opens the celebration of the group's anniversary with a review of their year of volunteer work helping people in the local community and an introduction to their present plans to help the homeless. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
HANCOCK -- A special fundraiser to help prevent homelessness in the Copper Country is now underway through Hancock's Salvation Army office. The recent extremely cold weather has contributed to the need to shelter the homeless, and this special Homelessness Prevention Fund is independent of other work being done by the Salvation Army. The need for the fund and the connection between local housing needs and homelessness were explained in a recent gathering in Hancock to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the group AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere), which is joining with other local activist groups to raise money for this Homelessness Prevention Fund.
Lois Gemignani, one of the founders of AWAVE, gave a summary of their work during the anniversary event held at Nutini's Supper Club in Hancock on January 28, 2026.
Lois Gemignani of AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere) opens an anniversary meeting of the group on Jan. 28, 2026, in Hancock, MI, with a review of the group's work and an announcement of their latest project to prevent homelessness in the local area. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Following Gemignani's presentation, Lisa McKenzie, regional planner for the Western UP Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR), spoke about the current Regional Housing Crisis -- the high cost of either buying or renting housing and the need to provide affordable housing in the local area. McKenzie began by explaining her experience both in real estate and in rehab of older homes through a grant, which has expired. She then spoke about Michigan's Statewide Housing Priorities and how these relate to local housing needs.
During the Jan. 28, 2026, anniversary celebration of AWAVE Lisa McKenzie, regional planner for the Western UP Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR), speaks about Michigan Statewide Housing Priorities and statistics on housing in Houghton County. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
McKenzie noted WUPPDR's participation in the statewide housing plan calls attention to needs in the local area (including homelessness prevention), and brings funding here for affordable housing.
McKenzie then gave several examples to illustrate how housing costs have actually doubled in the last ten years, even in the Western Upper Peninsula, making single-family homes much less affordable and rents much higher.
In her presentation Lisa McKenzie displayed this slide to illustrate how housing prices in Houghton County have more than doubled since 2015, making it difficult for average families to own a house. Click on image for larger version. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Next McKenzie pointed out the role of MSHDA (Michigan State Housing Development Authority) in meeting the challenges of providing affordable housing. Using a guide from MSHDA, she spoke about the relationship between income and housing costs and the need for housing affordable for low-income workers.
Lisa McKenzie, regional planner for the Western UP Planning and Development Region (WUPPDR), notes MSHDA promotes affordable housing statewide -- e.g., offering low-interest loans or down-payment assistance to those with a low income -- but the local area needs more developers interested in providing that cost level of housing. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
McKenzie also noted MSHDA's guidelines for monthly or yearly housing costs depend on a maximum of 30 percent of income being spent for housing. Discussion among the audience included comments on including utilities and taxes as part of the housing cost in that 30 percent or less.
This chart shows annual and monthly rent limits at 30 percent of income. Click on chart for larger image. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)Finally, McKenzie concluded by giving examples of homelessness cases Pete Mackin, director of the Hancock Salvation Army, has helped -- a total of 80 cases in 2025.*
Lisa McKenzie speaks about the relationship between the housing crisis in the local area and AWAVE's participation in the Homelessness Prevention project through funding for the local Salvation Army office. AWAVE is working with Hancock Salvation Army Director Pete Mackin. In this video Lois Gemignani of AWAVE and Nadija Packauskas of Yoopers for Ukraine also give examples of homelessness cases Mackin has worked tirelessly to help. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Michelle Morgan, a community member who attended the AWAVE meeting, commented on Lisa McKenzie's presentation.
"I was interested to hear from Lisa McKenzie, who has been concerned with our housing challenges through her work at WUPPDR," Morgan said. "She explained the roots of our housing crisis. The volunteers of AWAVE are taking on this challenge to prevent and combat homelessness by educating the community and collaborating with and raising funds for the Salvation Army, which actively works to find housing for our neighbors in need."
The goal for the Homelessness Prevention Fund is $30,000. Donations already total more than $5,000. See below this poster for how to donate.
This poster lists services the Homelessness Prevention Fund may provide as well as the requirements for those receiving assistance from the fund. To donate, click on the poster for a larger view and on the QR code for the virtual Red Kettle page and click DONATE NOW. Important: In the Comments type Housing Assistance so your donation will go to the Homelessness Prevention Fund. Or CLICK HERE to go to the Red Kettle page and donate as above.
A more direct way to donate is to write a check for any amount made out to The Salvation Army and mail it to
The Salvation Army 408 Ravine Street Hancock, MI 49930
Write Housing Assistance or Homelessness Prevention on the memo line and mail it or drop it off at the Salvation Army office, above address.
Mariah in Minnesota
AWAVE also invited Mariah Dunham -- educator, basketball coach, and a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians -- to speak on her two recent trips to Minneapolis following the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Dunham began by describing a dream she had that inspired her to make the first trip with her wife, Brigitte LaPointe.
During the Jan. 28, 2026, AWAVE anniversary meeting, Mariah Dunham speaks about her first trip to Minneapolis following the murder of Renee Good. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Dunham continued by recounting her experiences near the Whipple Federal Building that houses an ICE field office, where she witnessed ICE attacking protesters. She later returned there to speak on behalf of Native people captured illegally by ICE. Dunham also described her second visit to Minneapolis right after the murder of Alex Pretti.
Mariah Dunham speaks about being inspired to return to Minneapolis right after she heard of the murder of Alex Pretti by federal agents. She describes how moved she was to see people grieving for Alex and generously donating needed things to protesters from their car windows. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Dunham then noted the effects on teachers of recent events in Minneapolis as well as the fear of school shootings. A discussion among the audience followed.
Members of the AWAVE audience join Mariah Dunham in discussing the effects of events in Minneapolis, including the generosity of many groups that are providing help to those in need. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Some members of Keweenaw Indivisible (KI) attended AWAVE's anniversary meeting, including Rich Canevez of KI's leadership team. Canevez told Keweenaw Now that Keweenaw Indivisible is supportive of the Homelessness Prevention Fund on a communicative and marketing side, encouraging members to donate to the fund and to spread the word about it.
Canevez also commented on the presentations as a private resident, not representing KI.
"It was powerful to hear Mariah's story, and informative to hear Lisa McKenzie's breakdown of the housing issues our community is facing," Canevez said. "I remember 2023 when my wife and I moved back to Houghton, and trying to find affordable housing almost pushed us to leave the job at MTU due to housing being simply unaffordable or inaccessible. It was hard then, and to hear it captured in the data that Mrs. McKenzie presented validated our struggles, but also makes clear my own privilege that I could, eventually, find us a home. As we know, that's not a privilege accorded to everyone ... affordable housing should not be a privilege, but a right."
* Editor's Notes:
Pete Mackin, Hancock's Salvation Army director, was unable to attend this meeting as scheduled because of the flu.
AWAVE meets at 6 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month. Keweenaw Indivisible meets at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. Both are scheduled to meet at the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF) building, 604 Bridge St., Houghton, MI 49931. See February calendar.
On a cold and snowy Saturday, January 10, participants in the ICE OFF vigil join those rallying against the administration's policies in Venezuela on Shelden Avenue in Houghton, MI. More than 120 local residents held a vigil against ICE on street corners and then rallied near the Lift Bridge during the two-hour event. Click on photos for larger versions. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
HOUGHTON -- Snow, wind and cold did not discourage more than 120 Keweenaw residents from joining together on street corners along Shelden Avenue in Houghton in a silent vigil, "ICE OFF," organized by Keweenaw Indivisible. Inspired by the recent fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE "officer" in Minneapolis, the vigil was against the illegal and inhumane actions of federal ICE personnel who have attacked and kidnapped innocent people in U.S. cities. Many of the vigil participants then joined a rally, organized by Keweenaw Socialists, against the administration's aggression against Venezuela.*
"For a small, rural community, mobilizing 124 people in under two days says a lot about what we value as an Indivisible chapter and as a community," said Heather Mroz of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team. This wasn’t just about honoring Renee Good and holding space for grief, but about showing solidarity and calling for accountability. When the [ICE] agent’s own cellphone video was released, it showed information that didn’t match the government’s initial description and raised real questions about what happened. As a public educator, I know that if I were involved in a crisis where someone was hurt, there would be a thorough investigation. If I acted outside my training or approved procedures, my employer could be held accountable, and if I acted intentionally outside those boundaries, I could be personally liable. That must be the standard any time one person hurts another -- transparency and accountability.
Rich Caneves of the Keweenaw Indivisible leadership team wears flowers in honor of Renee Nicole Good. Joining him during the vigil is Doneva Snyder of Hancock. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Houghton resident Barry Fink also commented on her reason for attending the vigil.
"ICE agents are performing like fascist thugs, with no accountability for their actions," Fink said. "VP Hegseth thinks putting a man out on the street with a gun, who had a known history of trauma from a previous event with a vehicle thus making him 'trigger happy,' is okay. He stated that agent is immune from legal consequences for his actions."
Participants in the Jan. 10 vigil display their signs on street corners of Shelden Ave. in Houghton to convey the message, "Ice Off Our Streets." (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
William Keith, chair of the Houghton County Democratic Party, noted the turnout at the event was an inspiration and a first step toward action.
"It was inspiring to see so many people turning out on a snowy day to demand justice," Keith told Keweenaw Now. "No one in Houghton knew Renee Good, but we all know someone like her: a mom in a minivan, getting her kids to school, worried about her neighbors. When someone like her isn't safe from armed half-trained cowards thinking they're above the law, no one is. Coming together as we did Saturday is the first step in doing the best thing we can do: demanding accountability from our leaders and cleaning house of those that enabled all of this."
During the Jan. 10 vigil on Shelden Avenue in Houghton, Donna Cole, left, of Twin Lakes and Emily Fiala of Hancock, display signs inspired by Renee Good and the behavior of ICE in Minneapolis. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
On another corner of Shelden Avenue in Houghton, a group of participants in the Jan, 10 vigil protest peacefully with their signs against ICE. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
"It was affirmative to be gathered with kind and caring people in the
Keweenaw," said Becky Darling of Chassell. "We can never give up. Say
her name, she did not die in vain. Renee Nicole Hope Good. Saturday was healing and we have a long way toward recovery."
Becky Darling of Chassell displays her sign during the vigil. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
During the vigil, Beth Flynn of Hancock Township also commented on Renee Good's innocence.
"ICE agent Jonathan Ross’s video of his encounter with his victim, Renee Good, makes clear that she meant him no harm ( she says that), but his response, 'Bitch,' makes clear that he paid no attention to her words and expressed his anger by shooting her in the face," Flynn noted. "Ross is here to protect us? He is supposed to make us feel safer? He is obviously a menace to our communities and should be indicted for his crime."
Standing on the corner with Beth Flynn was Valorie Troesch of Keweenaw Indivisible, organizers of the vigil.
"This is a sad and sober event to remember a tragedy that should not have happened and to mourn the death of a person who should not have been killed," Troesch said. "We have crossed the threshold into autocracy. The guardrails we always assumed would be there to backstop an authoritarian administration -- Congress, the Supreme Court, the mainstream media -- have failed us. As far as I can see, there are two bulwarks remaining: (1) our power to gather here, though not without fear, and protest the hellscape that Trump is unleashing and make our voices heard, and (2) an independent digital media that continues to report and to oppose this fascist regime, often at personal risk as well. Whether or not the third bulwark, free and fair elections, will hold remains to be seen. I am gratified by all those who came today. In the face of all that is going on, we must continue to show up and to speak up and to not give up."
Valorie Troesch, left, and Beth Flynn stand together in honor of ICE victim Renee Nicole Good during the Jan. 10 vigil in Houghton. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
Carol Ekstrom of Houghton had a brief, but poignant, comment to add during the vigil.
"ICE under the present administration does not belong in this country. Melt it out," Carol said.
Carol Ekstrom, accompanied by her husband, Peter Ekstrom, braves the cold and snow to participate in the vigil. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Nadija Packauskas of Houghton distributes red roses to participants of the vigil in honor of Renee Good. Nadija said she was inspired by the following poem to remember Renee in this way. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Poem courtesy Nadija Packauskas.
Many of the vigil participants remained to join the rally in defense of Venezuela, organized by Keweenaw Socialists, at the end of Shelden Avenue near the Portage Lift Bridge.
On Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10, Local Keweenaw residents rally together peacefully in opposition to the administration's aggression against Venezuela. (Video by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Griffin, a member of Keweenaw Socialists, spoke at the rally, connecting the U.S. violence against Venezuela with the violent behavior of ICE toward innocent people.
"It's important to remember that the violence we have seen perpetrated against Venezuela by the United State military this past week and the violence we are continuing to see perpetrated by ICE against the American people are connected," Griffin commented to Keweenaw Now. "Fascism is imperialism turned inwards. The violence wielded against us here in the imperial core was crafted and honed repressing the imperial periphery. Both must be resisted and resistance to both is part of the same fight."
Joan Chadde, a local community member, also expressed her concerns about both the ICE issue and Venezuela.
"I am very concerned about what is happening," Chadde said. "Our country has attacked Venezuela without declaring war or getting congressional approval and killed more than 300 Venezuelans. The Administration has spent more than $800 million on actions against Venezuela in the past year, while cutting food assistance and healthcare funding for U.S. citizens, including treatment for those impacted by drugs. The killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis by ICE agents sent by our government is absolutely frightening! There are more than 125 people protesting today. That could've happened to one of us, if we were in Minneapolis."
Joan Chadde exhibits her sign during the Jan. 10 vigil and rally in Houghton. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
Alan Salmi of Hancock also participated in both the vigil and the rally.
"When over a hundred people gather silently in a rural community, it’s a sign that awareness is growing and that concern about ICE violence and U.S. actions in Venezuela reaches far beyond big cities," Salmi noted.
Participants in the Jan. 10 rally concerning Venezuela chant, "Hands off Venezuela!" (Video by Keweenaw Now)
Some residents traveled a good distance from Keweenaw County to Houghton to participate in the Jan. 10 vigil and rally.
Sam Raymond of Copper Harbor displays a quote from George Orwell during the Jan. 10 vigil in Houghton. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
Jean Ellis of Eagle Harbor asked a question and found an answer to why she joined the vigil against ICE.
"What’s the point of standing ankle deep in snow, holding a sign while your fingers freeze?" Ellis asked. "Wouldn’t it be better to just keep your opinions to yourself rather than risk offending someone who doesn’t agree with you?
"The answer to that comes loud and clear from German Pastor Martin Niemoller, regarding the Nazi rise to power:
'First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.'"
Ellis concludes, "Speaking out or, in the case of demonstrations, standing up is not always comfortable. But as each person stands up, another may be encouraged to do the same. When Constitutional rights are violated, people must stand up and speak out. And in the case of the demonstrations against ICE, ironically, there was the added challenge of having to do that in the cold and snow."
Jean Ellis drove from Eagle Harbor to join the vigil in Houghton. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
Keweenaw resident Michael Gage posted on Facebook his reaction to the Jan. 10 vigil and rally.
"People,
Hello we need to Wake up!! This is not American!" Gage wrote. "This is
not making America great, at all. We don't need dictator Trump and his
little army of federal law enforcement scaring and bullying people! We
the people will not stand for this and other illegal things, like
stealing oil from Venezuela."
*Editor's Note:
Vigil organizer Keweenaw Indivisible (KI) organizes, mobilizes, and empowers the Copper Country to challenge corruption, defend democracy, and support those most harmed by regressive political agendas. Learn more about their work and how to join at linktr.ee/KeweenawIndivisible.
Keweenaw Socialists, organizers of the Hands Off Venezuela rally, are dedicated to promoting socialist ideas, engaging in mutual aid and disaster relief, and organizing community defense against the threats of fascism and white supremacy in the Keweenaw Peninsula community. They believe that a better world made by and for working people is both possible and necessary. To learn more about them and their positions on these recent events, visit https://keweenawsocialists.org/
In September 2023, while I was hiking under the cliffs that rise steeply above Stöðvarfjörður in east Iceland, a herd of animals drifted down the mountainside towards me. At first, I thought they were sheep, which outnumber people in Iceland two to one. But as they came closer, I saw their antlers. Reindeer! Stifling my yelp of joy, I dropped behind a rock outcropping and peered at the herd through my binoculars, scribbling notes on individual movements and snapping photographs. Eventually one female lifted her head from the lichen, snorted in my direction, then trotted back toward the protection of the cliffs. The rest of the herd took her cue, and soon they were scrambling back up the mountain, taking a route far too challenging for me to attempt.
This was my third research trip to Iceland, and I was thrilled that reindeer had finally graced me with their presence. Most visitors to east Iceland who glimpse reindeer assume they are completely wild creatures, an emblem of untouched wilderness free from human intervention. But the reindeer in Iceland are just the opposite: their histories are profoundly entangled with human settlement histories. Icelandic reindeer descend from those introduced from Europe in the 1770s by the country’s elite Danish rulers, the world’s first reindeer translocation. More than 250 years later, reindeer now roam freely, wintering along east Iceland’s fjords and migrating up into the highlands during summer, far from roads. No predators threaten their migrations, so wildlife managers carefully control permits for an annual hunt, trying to prevent overgrazing. Iceland’s reindeer speak to us not of untouched primordial wilderness, but instead of the complex historical relationships between humans and reindeer that still influence modern conservation.
Reindeer and caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are members of the same species, whose current ranges stretch across the circumpolar Arctic from North America to Eurasia. Members of the deer family, reindeer thrive in a variety of habitats. They are a migratory species, with some populations migrating vast distances across treeless Arctic tundra, making the longest annual migrations of any land mammal. Other populations have evolved shorter migrations in forests or on islands. These diverse migration strategies have been key to their resilience over thousands of years.
But migration is harder than it used to be. Habitat loss, climate change, and infrastructure development have blocked many wildlife migration routes. Reindeer and caribou have retreated from roughly half their 19th century range, and their populations have dropped by 56 percent in the past decade (although some populations are expanding).
One reason to care about reindeer responses to climate change is that they may be crucial partners in the efforts to keep civilization from crossing key Arctic tipping points. Tipping points in climate models are critical thresholds that, if crossed, can lead to self-perpetuating, runaway warming in an ecosystem. Reindeer browsing can reduce the process of "shrubification" in the Arctic -- a positive feedback loop wherein heat-absorbing shrubs expand across the tundra as climates warm. As reindeer populations have declined in some sites, heat-absorbing shrubs have increased and heat-reflecting grasses decreased, leading to more warming. Ecologists fear that if this warming diminishes the reindeer’s ability to persist, it could unleash a domino effect of runaway warming. Translocation, however, may offer a way to help them persist.
Translocation of wildlife is nothing new. The first effort to move reindeer actually took place two and half centuries ago, when the ecological and social disruptions of the Little Ice Age led Danish rulers of Iceland to fear starvation among the island’s settlers. The Little Ice Age had hit Iceland hard, and settlers who had relied upon sheep herding struggled to survive. This problem was made worse by new sheep varieties imported from England that proved susceptible to scabies. The Danes tried to substitute reindeer as protein sources, calculating that if the reindeer could survive in the European tundra, surely they could survive in Iceland.
Initial efforts to move reindeer into Iceland in the 1770s failed; even without native Icelandic predators, the reindeer managed to fall off cliffs, stumble into boiling geysers, and get lost in lava fields. Finally, in 1787 a translocation of 35 reindeer from Finnmark met with more success (at least from the reindeer’s perspective). Descendants of those stragglers form the basis of Iceland’s current free-ranging herd. Rather than dying off like other introduced herds, they expanded rapidly in the latter half of the 20th century. Despite the genetic challenges associated with a tiny founding population estimated at 15 individuals, the population reached a size of about 6,000 to 7000 individuals. Because there are no native predators in Iceland, now regulated hunts and cars are the main sources of mortality.
What is the potential future for reindeer in Iceland? Climate change has brought dramatic changes to the region, as has hydropower development, which currently supplies 92 percent of Iceland’s energy production. Floods, landslides, and winter icing events have become more common. Winter ice can prevent reindeer from foraging lichen. But at least so far, Iceland’s reindeer appear to be surprisingly resilient and adaptable. When winter pastures ice over, some individuals starve, but others initiate new migrations, exploring new pastures and selecting new foods such as seaweed. Icelandic farmers long hated the reindeer, because they weren’t allowed to hunt them, but in recent decades, reindeer and locals have managed to co-exist in a rapidly warming Iceland.
Nancy Langston demonstrates the process for creating a linocut print during the 49th Annual Poor Artists Sale at the CLK Gymnasium in Calumet on Dec. 6, 2025. (Photo by John Peiffer for Keweenaw Now)
*Editor's Note:
Nancy Langston, author of this article and linocut artist, is Board President of The Keweenaw Land Trust and Distinguished Professor Emerita of Environmental History, Michigan Technological University. Trained as an ornithologist, Nancy Langston's academic research in the past two decades has explored the ecological histories of wildlife in northern ecosystems. She is the author of six books on reindeer, Lake Superior, toxics, climate change, and old growth forests. To read more about Nancy and her linocut prints, visit her Web site, https://www.nancylangston.net/
HOUGHTON -- Hundreds of Houghton County residents and some visitors filled the large courtroom beyond allowed fire capacity at the Houghton County Courthouse the evening of December 9, 2025. For safety reasons, at a request by County Sheriff Saarinen, many had to leave voluntarily to attend via Zoom in a smaller room or to wait in the hall for a chance to make public comments on a proposed resolution "To Declare There Are Only Two Sexes."**
According to a report by Houghton resident Craig Waddell, the meeting attracted 350 people attending in person, 88 of whom spoke, and another 400 people on Zoom, 27 of whom spoke. League of Women Voters of the Copper Country President Faith Morrison said 88 percent of the comments were in opposition to the resolution.
During the hour preceding the 6 p.m. meeting, a large crowd gathered for a rally with signs and chants outside the Courthouse.
Keweenaw Indivisible and other local groups organized the rally and encouraged people to display their signs and banners and to demonstrate peacefully before the meeting.
Bill Fink of Keweenaw Indivisible spoke briefly to Keweenaw Now of the reason for opposing the resolution.
Bill Fink tells Keweenaw Now the proposed resolution is based on hate. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
One visitor who came all the way from Marquette to attend the meeting was Marissa Jayne Wolfe, an activist who transitioned from male to female in 2009 and faced discrimination and hatred at work and in housing and had to fight for the right to see her child. She spoke at the meeting about her experiences, her eventual membership in U.P. Rainbow Pride and her role in bringing pride fest to Marquette. Marissa was also responsible for changes to Michigan State law after a business owner in Marquette used religion as an excuse to discriminate against her.
"I reported this business to the Michigan Department of Civil Rights," she said. "My case went through the Michigan Supreme Court, and as a result in 2023 Michigan's 1976 Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act was amended to include sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Many people do not know this but the amendment to the Elliott Larsen Civil Rights Act also means that you can no longer use religion as an excuse to justify your bigotry in Michigan."
Thus, Houghton County's proposed Resolution on two sexes is in violation of Michigan State Law, Marissa noted.
At the rally preceding the Houghton County Commissioners' Dec. 9, 2025, meeting, Marquette activist Marissa Jayne Wolfe speaks with Keweenaw Now on her work to change Michigan State law. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
One of the first people to comment in the courtroom was Dr. Shelby Owens, a Hancock physician and scientist, who pointed out the unscientific statements in the resolution concerning X and Y chromosomes.
During the public comment period at the Dec. 9, 2025, Houghton County Commission meeting, Dr. Shelby Owens, a local physician and scientist, points out the unscientific statements about two sexes and chromosomes in the proposed resolution under discussion. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
Mariah Dunham, educator and coach, spoke with emotion about one of her trans students who took her own life at the age of 13.
During the public comments on the proposed resolution stating there are only two sexes, Mariah Dunham, an educator and coach, relates her experience as a high school teacher losing a trans student to suicide. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
Alan Salmi of Hancock, who worked as a medical social worker for many years, gave an example of a woman with an intersex condition who was forced to have surgery against her will.
Alan Salmi of Hancock speaks about the suffering of a woman who had an intersex condition that her parents wished to conceal. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
A local resident who commented on the kindness of neighbors in the Copper Country said she was unfortunately embarrassed by the bigotry behind this proposed resolution.
A local resident expresses embarrassment at the "religious" bigotry behind a proposed resolution stating there are only two sexes -- especially at Christmastime. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
A speaker concerned about local mental health services reminds the County commissioners that problems with administration of those services should have priority over the proposed resolution.
This resident expresses concern for the crisis in mental health services in Houghton County and tells commissioners this should be a priority, not the resolution that only two sexes be listed on official forms. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
A few comments expressed support for the proposed resolution.
One comment on "common sense" received audience reaction.
A Houghton County resident who favors the proposed resolution on two sexes proposed at the Dec. 9, 2025, Houghton County Commission meeting asks commissioners to vote in favor of the resolution so he, as a constituent, can vote for something he feels is "common sense." Some members of the audience in the courtroom laughed at that statement, but he ignored their ridicule. One commissioner then reminded the audience to refrain from laughing out of respect. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
In his report on the meeting, Craig Waddell noted several ordained ministers commented on the resolution -- some for and some against.
"Christians speaking in opposition to the resolution identified themselves as Lutheran, Episcopal, Unitarian, Methodist, and Presbyterian/Congregationalist (Portage Lake United Church)," Waddell said.
Peter Norland, pastor since 2018 of Portage Lake United Church, an ecumenical congregation, spoke against the resolution. The Portage Lake United Church welcomes LBGTQIA+ people through More Light Presbyterians' mission to celebrate the lives, gifts and leadership of LBGTQIA+ people.
Bucky Beach -- who has worked as a chaplain for students at Suomi College and Michigan Tech, has been a Lutheran pastor and now is a guest minister at the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, an ecumenical group that welcomes LBGTQ+ people -- also spoke in opposition to the resolution.
"The more people on a gender fluid scale you talk to and befriend and give birth to, listening to their experiences, the more you understand and the more you learn how cruel and discriminatory it is to deny them their reality," Bucky said. "It's not our right to define who anyone is, especially given new research and education in matters of science and religion."
Waddell said those speaking in support of the resolution appealed primarily to literal reading of the Bible, especially Genesis.
"For the most part, they did not identify themselves by any particular Christian denomination," Waddell added. "However, based on what they did say, I believe that at least three different Christian denominations were represented, including by at least two ministers."
Christian Pastor Ivan Niemela
claimed to care about a person in his family who identifies as
non-binary. While he expressed concern for that person and similar
persons who have suffered cruelty, he still asked the commissioners to
approve the resolution on two sexes.
"We
should be supporting these people and getting them the help that they
need instead of affirming them in their unreality," Niemela stated.
He was accompanied by his young son, who read some quotes from the Bible.
In his comments on the speakers, Waddell noted also, "Several people recommended 'conversion therapy' (without calling it that), which the Human Rights Campaign describes as 'a range of dangerous and discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression'"(See "The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity").
Kyleigh Pemble, a Houghton High School junior, said she was embarrassed to be related to Joel Keranen, the commissioner who proposed the resolution on two sexes.
Kyleigh Pemble speaks out in defense of her trans friend Matteo during the Dec. 9, 2025, Houghton County Commission meeting, where the majority of public comments opposed a proposed resolution stating there are only two sexes. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
Kyleigh's best friend, Matteo Gonzcuez, followed up her comments by telling the commissioners how trans students suffer silencing and cruelty because of their gender.
Matteo Gonzcuez, a 17-year-old trans high school student, speaks in opposition to the proposed resolution stating there are only two sexes. He calls for treating both intersex and trans people with acceptance and kindness rather than discriminating against them unjustly. (Video by Keweenaw Now)
In his own comments to the commissioners, Craig Waddell cited the following from a 2000 article in the American Journal of Human Biology ("How sexually dimorphic are we? Review and synthesis"): "We surveyed the medical literature from 1955 to the present for studies of the frequency of deviation from the 'ideal' male or female. We conclude that this frequency may be as high as 2 percent of live births." [Emphasis added.]***
Waddell added, "Given that Houghton County has a population of approximately 38,000, that suggests that about 760 people in the county do not fall into these two neat categories."
He also pointed out these statistics: Whereas about 2 percent of U.S. adults have attempted suicide, approximately 41 percent of transgender people have attempted suicide at some point in their life. That rate increases
to 51 percent for those bullied or harassed in school,
to 55 percent for those who recently lost a job due to bias
to 61 percent for those who were victims of physical assault, and
to 64 percent for those who were victims of sexual assault.****
Under Ethics, Waddell noted the Golden Rule: "The foundation of Judeo-Christian ethics -- as well as many other religious and secular systems of ethics -- is the principal of reversibility: How would we act or how would we want others to act if the situation were reversed?"
And among several examples he cited this familiar one: Jesus: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Matthew 7:12)
Victoria Bergvall, Houghton resident and professor emerita of Linguistics retired from Michigan Tech, told the commissioners she was shocked to see the resolution on two sexes on the meeting agenda. She said she has been researching language and the power of discourse over the last 45 years, since her PhD work at Harvard and MIT -- and she has focused on "how scientists and the public discuss and understand issues of sex, gender, sexuality, especially in the mind and brain."
Bergvall, who has studied "Speech Act" theory, which considers how we can, in some cases, bring certain things into being by making declarations, said the proposed resolution reminded her of the story of King Canute. He stood on the shore of England and ordered the waves to halt, but discovered his words would not halt the waves.
"The act of declaring that there are only two sexes is NOT a speech act that this county commission has the authority to enact," Bergvall said. "Biology, like Canute’s recognition of those inexorable waves, is a force that exceeds the power of speech acts."
Bergvall then repeated what others at the meeting had pointed out: "Medical and scientific advances over the last century have shown that there are more than two chromosome expressions: not just XX and XY, but also XXX and XXY, amid a spectrum of human sexual variations."(Ainsworth, 2015)*****
Science can thus explain why we have intersex and trans people who are non-binary.
Her final challenge to the commissioners was this: "Which do you want to be: the willful linguistic excluders and deniers of actual biological forces and people, or those who build a circle to encompass all humans? I know where I wish to stand."
The Dec. 9 meeting finally concluded at 12:20 a.m., but Commissioner Tom Tikkanen asked for a motion to bring the resolution to a vote before that.******
Help local Homelessness Prevention with Hancock Salvation Army
Several local groups, including AWAVE (Advocates for those Without A Voice Everywhere) and Keweenaw Indivisible, are encouraging local residents to contribute to Copper Country Housing Assistance through a special Homelessness Prevention Fund through the Hancock Salvation Army. If you can donate any amount, click on the QR code above or click on the poster for the link to the Donation page. Be sure to write Housing Assistance in the Comments so your donation will go to the Homelessness Prevention Fund. Or you can mail a check for any amount made out to The Salvation Army and mail it to The Salvation Army, 408 Ravine Street, Hancock, MI 49930. Be sure to Write Housing Assistance or Homelessness Prevention on the memo line and mail it or drop it off at the Hancock Salvation Army office, above address.
Update: Some Heikinpäivä mid-winter events postponed or canceled
2026 Heikinpäivä, Hancock's mid-winter celebration, is underway, but severe cold and blizzard warnings are causing some changes in schedule: Friday night's Club Findigo dinner and Finnish film are postponed to Friday, Jan. 30, at Calumet Theatre. Due to inclement weather and excessive low temperatures forecast for Saturday, January 24, the Heikinpäivä Snowshoe Tour at Maasto Hiihto and Churning Rapids Trails in Hancock is canceled. The Keweenaw Land Trust and the Hancock Trails Club are trying to reschedule these guided tours for another date. The Heikinpäivä Parade is canceled because of weather. The Heikinpäivä Polar Plunge is rescheduled to Saturday, February 7, 2026. Same time, same place. Events that so far have not been changed include the Snowflake Challenge at Sew Cranky, Saturday's events -- Tori Market, Snow Sculpting Invitational, Animal Life: Art from the Kalevala exhibit at the Copper Country Community Arts Center, Iltamat evening dance with Back Room Boys -- and Sunday's Takka Flow Yoga and sauna sessions and stories, sauna tour and more. CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE for event details and schedule changes. See also heikinpaiva.org to learn more about the origin and history of Heikinpäivä.
R.I.P. Michael Lahti
Keweenaw Now wishes to express our deepest sympathy to the family of Michael Lahti, lifelong resident of Hancock, MI, and active community member and leader, who passed away on December 29, 2025. Mike served first as a Hancock school board member, a Suomi College/Finlandia University board member, and later as Chair of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners. In 2006, Mike successfully ran for and was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives representing the 110th District, where he served two terms. See our 2008 interview with Mike in which he speaks about issues important for him at that time and why he ran for that re-election to the Michigan House: https://keweenawnow.blogspot.com/2008/06/state-rep-mike-lahti-outlines-issues.html To read the Obituary for Mike, click on photo above. (Photo courtesy O'Neill-Dennis Funeral Home)
Intro to Cryptomining, AI Data Centers at Orpheum Sunday, Jan. 18
Audrey Gerard of Michigan United Action will host a Briefing on Cryptomining and AI Data Centers from 7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 18, at the Orpheum (5th and Elm Coffee House), 426 Quincy St., Hancock. The focus will be rural Northern Michigan. To register online to attend online or in person email agerard@miunited.org
Sustainable Film Series begins Jan. 15 at MTU
The Sustainability Film Series returns to Michigan Tech with a showing of Jane, the Jane Goodall film, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, in 138 Fisher. Using a trove of never-before-seen footage, the film tells the story of Jane Goodall’s early explorations and research in Tanzania, focusing on her groundbreaking field work, her relationship with her cameraman and husband Hugo van Lawick, and the chimpanzees that were the subject of her study. Films will be screened at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month from January through May in Fisher Hall Room 138 on Michigan Tech’s main campus. Each screening is followed by a facilitated discussion, with refreshments provided. The Keweenaw Trail Seekers are providing the refreshments (cookies, crackers, cheese, fruit, etc.) for this Jan. 15 film. The series is open to the public, and all films are free to attend. A suggested $5 donation is greatly appreciated to help support the continuation of the series. Click on poster above for more info and a link for making a donation online.
ICE OUT FOR GOOD Silent Vigil in Houghton Saturday, Jan. 10
Keweenaw Indivisible is holding a Silent Vigil for Renee Nicole Good and other victims of ICE at 1 p.m. Saturday, January 10, on all street corners of downtown Shelden Ave., Houghton. Carry signs reading "ICE off our streets," or "Accountability Now." No chanting. Silence is the message. Dress warmly, bring your sign and a candle if you can, and join Keweenaw Indivisible and other local organizations for a "Hands Off Venezuela Rally" immediately following the vigil.
STOP HUMAN SAFARI, SAVE KHERSON: Rally with Yoopers for Ukraine Dec. 14 at Lift Bridge
Since 2024, Russians and others who pay to play have been using Kherson as a living video game targeting Ukrainians for points and pleasure and using drones to hunt them down and kill them. Even trips to the grocery store become a survival game. Unfortunately, to the dead and the mourning and those who are witnessing this horror, it is not a game. It is daily life in Kherson! These crimes and activities have been documented by brave journalists and ICC. Yoopers for Ukraine is joining the global rally to stand for human rights and dignity and true American values. This will be our march for Peace this week. We will gather at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, for brief comments at the Houghton side of the Lift Bridge at our normal spot. We will then walk the bridge or stay at the banners for those who don’t wish to walk across. We need both! Stay for 5 minutes or the hour. Dress for weather. Please bring flags and posters if you have them. Click on image above for details.
KUUF Forum on Data Centers: Dec. 14 via Zoom
The Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF) will host a public forum online titled "What Are Data Centers and How Will They Impact Michigan?" from 10:30-11:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 14. Kalvin Carter, director of Up North Advocacy, based in Sault Ste. Marie, and Audrey Gerard of Michigan United, a nonprofit organization focused on environmental protection, will talk about boom-and-bust industries like crypto mining, which use up natural resources without replenishing them, and big tech operations that do little to benefit the people who live nearby. Data mining requires a lot of water to cool the operation. That’s why data mining operations have their eye on communities like ours, near the Great Lakes. After the water cools the servers, it drains into the ground, where it moves through the aquifer and back to the lake, potentially warming it. Data mining operations also consume large amounts of electricity, which can raise power prices. And they create noise. One example is a relatively small installation of cryptocurrency servers located across from Lake Superior Academy, a K-5 Montessori school in Dafter Township, Michigan, near Sault Ste. Marie. The servers generate a constant noise that the school describes as sounding "like jack hammers 24/7." The school is suing Odessa Partners, the Florida owner of those servers. Forums are approximately one hour long. The public is invited to participate. Meeting ID: 839 7576 2265; Passcode: KUUF Or visit keweenawuu.org/worship/forums/ for the zoom link.
League of Women Voters of Michigan joins lawsuit to protect voter security
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Last Thursday, Oct. 30, the League of Women Voters of Michigan -- represented by Campaign Legal Center, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, and the Michigan law firm Goodman Acker -- filed a motion to intervene on behalf of voters in US v. Benson, a lawsuit brought by the US Department of Justice against the state of Michigan for failing to comply with the department’s demand for the state’s complete voter file. The Department of Justice hasn’t provided sufficient justification for seeking this data, which includes sensitive information such as driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. Click on logo above for press release. We are proud to stand with voters to protect the security of voter information in our state from potential misuse. Thank you, Linda Belote and Faith Morrison, co-presidents League of Women Voters of the Copper Country
See Citizens Rally for Accountable Government (CRAG) update
Sarah Green has posted important info on national and local government issues in her Oct. 30 CRAG newsletter. She offers important news on Hunger in Michigan, FLOCK cameras (these were to be discussed at Hancock City Council meeting Nov. 5 but that meeting is cancelled), Michigan Statewide Petitions, When and Where to Speak Up and more. Click on photo for link.
KUUF Sept. 14 online Forum: "Protect the Porkies" is now online
If you missed the online forum called "Protect the Porkies," presented by Tom Grotenwohl, founder of Protect the Porkies (www.ProtectThePorkies.com) go to the KUUF Website, https://www.keweenawuu.org/sermons/forum-protect-the-porkies/ or click on photo above.
Good Trouble Lives On -- Rally in Houghton July 17
Good Trouble Lives On is a national day of nonviolent action to respond to the attacks posed on our civil and human rights by the Trump administration and to remind them that in America, the power lies with the people. On Thursday, July 17, the anniversary of Congressman John Lewis’s passing, join Keweenaw Indivisible from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Veterans Park in Houghton in taking action to support Good Trouble rallies across the country, defend our democracy and carry forward Lewis's legacy of Good Trouble. From voter suppression bills like the SAVE Act to the criminalization of protest, the Trump administration is launching a full-scale attack on our civil and human rights. This is more than a protest; it’s a moral reckoning -- a continuation of the movement Lewis helped lead and a new front in the struggle for freedom. Please note: A core principle behind our Good Trouble Lives On actions is a commitment to nonviolence. All participants are expected to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values. In support of the Good Trouble Rally at Houghton's Veterans Park, Keweenaw Indivisible is staging a MotorMarch from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on July 17. Participants will decorate their private vehicles with signs or slogans drawn on side windows with "windshield markers." The display of as many American flags as possible is encouraged. Vehicles will then circulate repeatedly through downtown Houghton, blending with normal traffic flows and passing the rally site.
June 30 is deadline for comments to US Army Corps of Engineers on proposed Line 5 Tunnel
You can comment on line by 11:59 p.m. Monday, June 30. Click on photo for link. See also info on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) at https://www.line5tunneleis.com/draft-eis/Also Check out Oil and Water Don't Mix: https://www.oilandwaterdontmix.org/take_action
"No War With Iran" Livestream is at 8 p.m. ET Monday, June 23
Join the Teach-In Network, RootsAction and Defuse Nuclear War, at 8 p.m. ET TONIGHT, JUNE 23, to learn about what’s going on in Iran, the deeper history of Israel-Iran relations, and what we might expect from the coming days, weeks, and months. In a moment when consent to a destructive and foolish war on Iran is being actively manufactured, it’s essential to come together as a movement, share information, and strategize. Click on poster above to register and see names of featured speakers.
June 14: No Kings Day
On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress created the U.S. Army to stand up against a monarch who claimed absolute power. 250 years later, President Trump wants to twist that legacy into a personal celebration of himself with a parade in Washington, DC, which is expected to cost millions of our tax dollars -- all while Republicans claim there’s no money for Social Security, SNAP, or Medicaid. No Kings Day marches and actions are planned in 50 states and in Puerto Rico, Colombia, Germany, Italy, Malawi, Portugal, United Kingdom, Canada and France today, June 14, 2025. To learn more click on logo above to see Sarah Green's CRAG (Citizens Rally for Accountable Government) recent post on No Kings Day. See also information on this at Bridgefest by visiting the tables of Keweenaw Indivisible, the Houghton County Dems and the League of Women Voters.
About the Big Bad Billionaire Bonus, Budget Busting Bill
Citizens Rally for Accountable Government (CRAG) is a newsletter by Sarah Green. Her post on May 26, 2025, offers details on the House Budget. Go to https://www.waterandstone.net/?ref=crag-newsletter to read about the "Big Bad Billionaire Bonus, Budget Busting Bill." This bill now goes to the Senate. You may want to write to Senators about it.
Gordon Borsvold Celebration is May 24
Please join the friends of Gordon for a celebration of his life on Saturday, May 24, at the Marsin Nature Retreat (Keweenaw Land Trust) located at 52864 Red Brick Road, Houghton, MI, on the Portage Waterway. The informal gathering will start at 5 p.m. with a potluck meal at 6 p.m., bonfire and time for sharing memories and stories. You are invited to bring a book that reminds you of Gordon to be signed and inscribed in his style, as well as photographs or mementos you would like to share. Gordon enriched the lives of many through his art, humor, caring friendship and unique self. Join us by land or water. Carpooling encouraged. Gordon passed away on August 7, 2024. Click on photo above for the obituary.
Walks for Ukraine will be at 5 p.m. Wednesdays starting April 9 in Houghton
Yoopers for Ukraine invites you to join the weekly Walk for Ukraine at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning April 9. Meet on Houghton side of the Lift Bridge.
UP residents address Rep. Bergman during Bergman(less) Town Hall in Houghton
If you missed the Town Hall on March 18, a video recording is available on YouTube. Click on photo for link to watch and hear residents' comments addressed to absent 1st District US Rep. Jack Bergman. The audience filled two rooms provided by the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (KUUF). According to organizer Bill Fink, about 150 people attended. (Photo courtesy Barry Fink)
Reception for "Extraordinary Women of the U.P." exhibit at Carnegie Museum March 19
A Public Reception for the new exhibit -- "Extraordinary Women of the U.P.," on loan from the Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University -- will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, at the Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw, 105 Huron St., Houghton. Faith Morrison invites you to her talk at the exhibit. See the exhibit and chill with neighbors beginning at 6:30 p.m. and hear her talk at 7:15 p.m. This exhibit features biographies of 70 amazing women from the Upper Peninsula's past. Learn about locals Cora Jeffers (teacher, principal, suffragist), Katherine Heideman (CCISD Superintendent, Hancock council member), Ida Bergh (sheriff), Mary Petermann (chemist, cancer researcher, professor), and Lucena Brockway (early pioneer, diarist) among many others. The exhibit continues through end of March 2025. (Poster courtesy Faith Morrison)
UPDATED: Join UPEC's Kathleen Heideman for TAKING IT PERSONALLY: U.P. Mining Threats, Part II
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) presents "TAKING IT PERSONALLY: U.P. Mining Threats, Part II," a free livestream featuring Kathleen Heideman of UPEC's Mining Action Group. Join Kathleen for the second of a three-part overview of mining threats in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, including maps, images, and poetry. In Session II, Kathleen discusses changes at Eagle Mine, and the Revex "battery metals" facility proposed for Marquette County. An environmentalist working in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Kathleen has completed residencies with the National Park Service, watersheds, research stations, foundations, and the National Science Foundation's Antarctic Artists and Writers Program and serves on UPEC's board. She is the author of The Caving Grounds (forthcoming in 2025 from Modern History Press), A Brief Report on the Human Animal, and Psalms of the Early Anthropocene. If you missed this livestream on Zoom Feb. 20, click on photo of Kathleen above for the YouTube video recording. (Photo courtesy UPEC) If you missed Part I of this series, watch it on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tb2msaxZAZo
Remember hero Martin Luther King Jr. today, Jan. 20
Thanks to Heather Cox Richardson for reminding us of heroes and of the last speech of hero Martin Luther King Jr. -- just a day before he was assassinated in Memphis in 1968. Click on photo above for his 'I've been to the mountaintop' speech. (Photo: Martin Luther King Jr. at a 1964 press conference. Photo by Marion S. Trikosko courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
President Biden declares Jan. 9, 2025, National Day of Mourning
Thursday, January 9, 2025, is a National Day of Mourning to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr., as declared by President Joe Biden in his Dec. 29, 2024 Proclamation Announcing the Death of James Earl Carter, Jr. Click on image above for the Proclamation. (Photo: Jimmy Carter official White House portrait by Herbert E. Abrams 1982. Photo courtesy Houghton County Democratic Party)
Jimmy Carter, America’s 39th President, passes away at age 100
The members of the Democratic Party of Houghton County (HCDP) were saddened to learn this Sunday of the passing of 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The world has lost a shining example of a life lived in pursuit of the highest ideals of citizenship.President Carter served heroically in the U.S. Navy as a submariner, helping with the aftermath of the 1952 NRX nuclear reactor incident at Chalk River. He inherited his family's peanut farm in Georgia and managed it to prosperity, bringing this experience to the governorship of Georgia and then to the Presidency.As President, he established the Departments of Energy and Education, bringing national authority to bear on two issues that shape Democratic priorities to this day. He installed solar panels on the White House, taking a leading role in advancing what has become a crucial technology for clean power. He mediated the Camp David Accords, one of the most influential peace initiatives in the Middle East for a generation. ... More:CLICK ON LOGO ABOVE to read the rest of this Dec. 31, 2024, newsletter from HCDP.
The 10th Annual Benefit Concert to fund handicap accessibility for the Ontonagon Theater of Performing Arts on Oct. 5, 2024, was a successful music event in the theater. Local musicians celebrated traditional music "From the Roaring 20s to the Birth of Rock-n-Roll." Click on photo above for a video of a popular old song with audience participation. According to Wendy Peterson, producer and director of the concerts, the funds collected for the project now total more than $90,000. To donate go to ontonagontheater.org and click on ACCESSIBILITY PROJECT. (Photo and video by Keweenaw Now)
City of Hancock new garbage, recycling update
The City of Hancock has a new schedule for garbage and recycling pickups with all pickups beginning at 6 a.m. Garbage/trash pickups for east and west Hancock are still on Monday and Wednesday respectively except for certain holidays including Labor Day (Monday's pickup will be Tuesday, Sept. 3). Trash bags still need stickers attached. Recycling for all will be on Thursdays. No glass. Click on logo above for details.
Pipe Out Paddle UP picnic, Water is Life Festival Aug. 31: Call to Shut Down Line 5
The Pipe Out Paddle Up (POPU) family picnic to Shut Down Line 5 is getting ready to make a splash! Dozens of donated kayaks will be launching from Kiwanis Beach in St. Ignace from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 31! If you have your own kayak or floating device please bring it! A water station will be set up and lots of yummy free food. Please bring a refillable water bottle and food bundle (plate, bowl, fork and spoon) with you. You can make a donation today at bit.ly/popu24 and check out the website at https://www.anishinaabekcaucus.org/our-work/popu or click on poster above. Special thanks to Mackinac Straits Watersports and Black to the Land Coalition for the kayak and canoe donations! All donations are tax-deductible! For more info on donations email team@glwpn.org. In 2020, the State of Michigan terminated Enbridge's permit to operate Line 5 through the Great Lakes, 70 tributaries throughout Michigan, AND the SW Detroit Marathon refinery that is harming the community there every day. Enbridge line 5 pipeline must be permanently decommissioned to protect the Great Lakes! The Water is Life Festival in Petoskey follows the POPU family picnic. For details go to https://www.waterislifefestival.org/
Reception for Art by Krissy Sundstrom Aug. 28 at The Well Read Raccoon Books and Curiosities
The Well Read Raccoon Books and Curiosities book shop, 314 Shelden Avenue in Houghton, will host an opening reception for Krissy Sundstrom of Blackberry Art Studio from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28, as she takes a break from picking ACTUAL blackberries to discuss her art work and process. Described by students recently as "restful," some of her latest work will be displayed in the Well Read Raccoon through September. Light refreshments wil be available. This is a family friendly event, but please monitor your youngunz. Photo: Art by Krissy Sundstrom. (Photo courtesy The Well Read Raccoon Books and Curiosities)
Tilden Mine Permit Application withdrawn following public and agency concerns
MARQUETTE -- Cleveland Cliffs withdrew its permit application to fill 77.9 acres of wetlands and 4,661 linear feet of streams with mine waste as of June 20, 2024. The withdrawal was recommended by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) due to unresolved concerns about tribal coordination and concerns, as well as cumulative impacts to the Escanaba River watershed. The public comment period for the wetland permit application ended March 9, but saw a significant amount of high-quality public comments due to advocacy by local environmental groups Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior (CSCLS) and the Mining Action Group of the UP Environmental Coalition (MAG-UPEC). Over 500 public comments were submitted, citing concerns about inadequate consideration of impact areas, including insufficient biological surveys to determine presence of protected species....Click on photo of wetlands above for details. (Photo courtesy Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior)
Update: UPEC July 15 Livestream, Community Solar in L'Anse, is on YouTube
What is community solar, and how can it work for communities in Michigan? If you missed UPEC's (Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition's) Livestream on July 15, when Drs. Richelle Winkler and Chelsea Schelly, joined by Bob LaFave, shared their experiences working to support a community solar project for the Village of L'Anse municipal utility, you can view it on YouTube. Learn how communities can work toward a community solar project and how community solar can benefit residents, including low-income households. Both Dr. Winkler and Dr. Schelly were working in the Department of Social Sciences at Michigan Technological University while engaged with this project, and they share their insights and experiences as well as documents outlining the process and the outcome for L'Anse. Bob LaFave, Village Manager of L’Anse, was key to the project. Dr. Schelly is currently a professor of Sociology at Michigan Tech, and Dr. Winkler is now a Research Social Scientist at the USDA Economic Research Service. Click on photo above for YouTube livestream of this presentation.
Copper Beacon
Copper Beacon continues to cover local news with a whole new look and a board of directors. Click on logo to learn more.
UPEC Livestream on two mining issues TONIGHT, Feb. 15, via Zoom, Facebook
Two major mining operations are seeking to expand and pose devastating threats to our water -- Ishpeming's Tilden Mine and the proposed Copperwood Mine on the coast of Lake Superior on the western edge of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Join a livestream presentation from UPEC and Protect the Porkies at 7 p.m. TONIGHT, Thursday, Feb. 15 EST, to discuss the content of both mining issues. Ishpeming's Tilden Mine is seeking a permit to expand its footprint and permanently bury almost 80 acres of wetlands, along with hundreds more acres of land, several freshwater ponds, and almost a mile of streams, under waste rock from the mine. Kathleen Heideman of UPEC's Mining Action Group will discuss the environmental impacts of the proposal and how to prepare for the online Public Hearing on February 28th. The proposed Copperwood Mine is located on the coast of Lake Superior on the western edge of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. On January 30, the Michigan Strategic Fund (MSF) almost passed a $50 million grant for the Copperwood project -- an amount that would double Copperwood's current bank balance and could trigger other large investments allowing the mine to proceed with construction. Copperwood would be the closest sulfide mine to Lake Superior in history. Thankfully, a few MSF board members expressed doubts about the grant at the last meeting, delaying the final vote to their Feb. 27 MSF Board Meeting. Tom Grotewohl of Protect the Porkies will outline steps you can take to help defeat this grant. If you missed this Livestream on Feb. 15, the video recording is available on UPEC Facebook Livestreams. Click on photo above to access it.
New book by Carol Rose: From There to Hear, A Journey Out of Silence
Carol Rose, Keweenaw resident, shares the story of her hearing loss and subsequent bilateral cochlear implants in this new book. Click on book cover to read about the book and stores where it is now available.
Petition to recognize Holodomor as Genocide
November is Holodomor Awareness Month and an important petition is collecting signatures to get President Biden’s attention. While both chambers of Congress have officially recognized the Holodomor as genocide of the Ukrainian people, never has an active president of the USA done the same. On the 90th Anniversary year this petition urges President Biden to sign a proclamation that justly calls the Holodomor what it was, a genocide. Please take a minute to sign this petition and send to someone you know. #Holodomor90
Ukraine Trust Chain helps Ukrainians affected by war
If you can't attend the Walks for Ukraine, consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Ukraine Trust Chain, an organization that funds volunteer teams in Ukraine who deliver medicine, food, generators and stoves. They winterize homes, run shelters, repair homes and schools and evacuate people out of danger, providing sustained support into the areas of greatest humanitarian need. Click on blue logo above to read their latest newsletter.
CCRI request: Complete and share Hazardous Waste Survey
Copper Country Recycling Initiative (CCRI) requests that we share their new Hazardous Waste Survey. Please click on logo above to complete the survey and share the link to the survey -- https://coppercountryrecyclereuse.com/hazardouswastesurvey -- with other Houghton County residents (email, social media etc.). CCRI would like to get as much data as possible to assist in applying for grants for collection events. This is something you can do for Earth Day in just a few minutes! For more CCRI events visit https://coppercountryrecyclereuse.com/
Copper Beacon: Environmental Safety of Keweenaw Waters Resort questioned by MDHHS
Restoring the Balance -- Wolves and Our Relationship with Nature (Video recording available)
What does a healthy relationship with the natural world look like? Are humans the only persons to inhabit Earth—or do we share the planet with uncounted nonhuman persons? For more than a quarter century biologist John Vucetich, Michigan Tech Distinguished Professor, College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, has studied the wolves, and the moose that sustain them, of the boreal forest of Isle Royale National Park. Reading from his new book, Restoring the Balance, he tackles profound unresolved questions that will shape our future understanding of what it means to be good to life on earth. If you missed this event on Monday, Nov. 7, click on above photo for the video recording through Husky Bites, Michigan Tech College of Engineering.
Click on book cover above to order John Vucetich's new book from Amazon.com. It is also available from Johns Hopkins University Press. See: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/12540/restoring-balance
Native American Voter Protection Hotline
From Michigan Anishinaabek Caucus: If you have problems at the voting booth or with the ballot, call the Native American Voter Protection Hotline!! This includes TRIBAL ID not being accepted as valid. The county clerks have been trained on this issue. TRIBAL ID IS VALID ID. Click on image for larger version.
FEATURED SPONSORS
Keweenaw Now thanks the following sponsors for their continued support.
Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition
Click on UPEC's new logo above to access their latest livestream presentations and discussions.
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition's mission is protecting and maintaining the unique environmental qualities of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan by educating the public and acting as a watchdog to industry and government.
Anishinaabek Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party
Click on logo above for the Facebook page. See also the Anishinaabek Caucus Web site at https://www.anishinaabekcaucus.org or email AnishinaabekCaucus@gmail.com for more info.
Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve
Click above for the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve Web site and click on their blog for their latest news.
MORE NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
See below for news briefs you may have missed and links to groups, organizations and books we recommend!
Copyright Policy
For our copyright policy, please click here or email us at keweenawnews@gmail.com if you wish to use any of the photos or video clips by Keweenaw Now. Photos by guest photographers are copyrighted and you must seek their permission for re-use. This policy applies to the photos in our slide shows as well. Please do not share photos taken by guest photographers without their permission.
Rozsa Center (UPDATED): New guidelines for public events
The Rozsa Center is adjusting guidelines for public events held in the James and Margaret Black Performance Hall, McArdle Theatre or Rozsa Galleries. Click on photo above for the updated policy.
UPDATE: Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra UNQUIET EARTH concert now on video livestream
If you missed the Keweenaw Symphony Orchestra Oct. 15 performance with the Michigan premiere of UNQUIET EARTH by MIT composer, Elena Ruehr, a U.P. native, in the Rozsa Center, click on image above and on View Stream for a video recording of the entire concert on YouTube.This atmospheric work explores "the elements -- Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Ether --with a sense of both hope and concern for the planet." Also featured is William Herschel’s Symphony No. 20, an 18th century gem re-discovered and edited by Michigan Tech Physics professor, Bryan Suits. The program is bookended by the Blue Danube Waltzes and Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.
Garbage stickers to replace Hancock City garbage bags
The City of Hancock’s bag vendor has been unable to produce garbage bags on a consistent and reliable basis; therefore, Hancock has made the switch to garbage stickers instead of bags. Residents may use garbage bags of choice, with the requirement that the bags are a minimum of 1.2 mil thick and no greater than 35 gallons (bags must not exceed 30 pounds in weight). Stickers will be sold in sheets of 5 for $5 each sheet. Stickers will be available for purchase at City Hall, Holiday Gas Station, Krist Oil, Keweenaw Co-op, Pat’s IGA, Risto’s Hardware. As the current inventory of bags is depleted at the different locations, they will be replaced with stickers. City of Hancock trash stickers will need to be purchased and placed around the top of the bag where the bag ties. Please contact Hancock City Hall (906)482-2720 with any questions in regards to this change.
Oil and Water Don't Mix: Submit comments to US Army Corps on EIS for Enbridge Line 5 tunnel project
Oil and Water Don't Mix offers the opportunity to submit comments to the US Army Corps of Engineers as they prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Enbridge's Line 5 tunnel project. Click on photo above to sign (and edit if you wish) a letter that includes several good reasons against the tunnel, which could be a disaster for the Great Lakes. (Photo of Mackinac Bridge courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers)
Red Flags: Enbridge's proposed Great Lakes Tunnel Project under Mackinac Straits
If you want to learn more about Enbridge's Great Lakes Tunnel Project from scientific experts who have extensively reviewed Enbridge Energy’s proposed Great Lakes Tunnel Project for the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac, click on the image above. (Image courtesy Oil and Water Don't Mix)
UPEC livestream rebroadcast: Latest on Line 5 available on Facebook
UPEC (Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition), following a rebroadcast of a July 28th livestream hosted by FLOW and Oil and Water Don’t Mix, in partnership with the Bay Mills Indian Community, has posted the event on the UPEC Facebook page. Four first-class speakers -- FLOW Executive Director Liz Kirkwood, who hosted the session, and presenters Whitney Gravelle, President, Bay Mills Indian Community; Zach Welcker, FLOW Legal Director; and Sean McBrearty, Campaign Coordinator, Oil and Water Don’t Mix -- delivered the latest on Line 5 in this livestream. Presenters answered questions from the audience and discussed recent developments in the widespread effort to shut down Enbridge’s Line 5 in the Straits of Mackinac and stop the proposed oil tunnel. The online session was supported in part by a grant award from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation’s Natural Resources and Preservation Fund. If you missed the July 28 Livestream or the Aug. 4 rebroadcast, click on poster above to view it on UPEC's Facebook page.
Michigan’s wolf management plan: What do tribes think?
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) will present a livestream discussion with guests Nichole Biber, LTBB (Waganakising) Odawa Tribal Citizen; and Erin Johnston, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, at 8 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (CT) Thursday, July 21, on Zoom and Facebook Live. They will discuss tribal views of the DNR's proposed updated wolf management plan. Click on photo for details.
COVID case rates in 5 counties stable with low transmission as of June 28
Case rates in the past week stayed relatively stable, with all five counties served by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department in a low level of community transmission. One person died in Baraga County with COVID-19, bringing the total deaths from the virus in the region to 275. Houghton County had 39 cases in 7 days, Keweenaw County only 3. Click on image above for details.
On June 18 CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, M.D., M.P.H., endorsed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that all children 6 months through 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children and means that all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination. Read more at cdc.gov.
95 COVID cases, one death in 5-county area last week
Four of the five counties in the Western U.P. are in the medium or high community transmission level. In total 95 people in the region tested positive in the seven-day period and one person in Houghton County died. Houghton County had 46 cases in the 7-day period and moved from low to medium transmission level. Houghton and Baraga counties still have the lowest vaccination rates of the 5 counties. Click on image above for details.
Benefit for Ukraine: May 26 Evening of Art and Cinema
Yoopers for Ukraine hosted An Evening of Art and Cinema Thursday, May 26, at the Rozsa. If you missed the event, click on photo for a video from Nadia Packauskas.
UPEC Livestream Wednesday, May 25: "Mobilizing Grassroots to protect Menominee River"
A scenic view of the Menominee River, near the proposed Back 40 mine site. (Keweenaw Now file photo)
[UPDATE: If you missed this event, the video recording is available at https://www.facebook.com/upenvironment/videos/400593088651697] The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition’s Livestream Series will present “Mobilizing the Grassroots to Protect the Menominee River, at 8 p.m. (ET) 7 p.m. (CT) Wednesday, May 25, on Facebook Live and Zoom. Guest speakers are Dr. Al Gedicks, environmental sociologist and Indigenous rights activist; Anahkwet (Guy Reiter), executive Director of Menīkānaehkem, Inc.; and Dale Burie, Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River. These three activists have been fighting to save the Menominee River from the proposed Back 40 sulfide mine for gold, zinc and other metals. Learn about their struggles and get an update on the present state of their grassroot efforts to protect this beautiful river and nearby Menominee cultural resources. Facebook: https://facebook.com/upenvironment/live Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86075269466?pwd=OFZCTk1ERHdJSEJOUlNWbW5UaTA3QT09 Meeting ID: 860 7526 9466 Passcode: 2022 Click on photo above for details.
Memorial for Bill Sewell to be May 21 in Rozsa Lobby
A memorial of William (Bill) Sewell’s life will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 21, 2022, in the Rozsa Lobby at Michigan Tech. Guests are encouraged but not required to wear masks. Some masks will be available near the entrances. Attendees may sign the guest book at the south entrance (near the masks) and socialize awhile while finding a seat. A piano prelude performed by Dave Bezotte will indicate that the program is about to start. Some of Bill's friends and Michigan Tech colleagues will speak. Following the program, light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. Anyone who knew Bill and wishes to spend time with his friends is welcome to attend. Eleven members of his family members plan to be present as well. Those who wish to memorialize Bill may contact a favorite charity or the Omega House, which he helped establish. Click on the photo above to access his obituary, provided by Memorial Chapel. Photo: Bill Sewell at the tip of South Africa during the 2014 tour with Michigan Tech's choir. (Photo courtesy Ruth Robertson)
UPDATE FROM STATE OF MICHIGAN
Following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announces that all Michiganders ages 50 and up and moderately or severely immunocompromised individuals over age 12 may choose to receive a second booster vaccine. Read more at Michigan.gov.
MDHHS shares FDA’s updated guidelines for J and J COVID-19 vaccine
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is updating vaccine providers across the state about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) limiting the authorized use on the administration of the Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 vaccine. Read more at Michigan.gov.
Updates from CDC and State of Michigan
CDC Recommendation for Masks and Travel:
At this time, CDC recommends that everyone aged 2 and older -- including passengers and workers -- properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator over the nose and mouth in indoor areas of public transportation (such as airplanes, trains, etc.) and transportation hubs (such as airports, stations, etc.). When people properly wear a well-fitting mask or respirator, they protect themselves and those around them, and help keep travel and public transportation safer for everyone. Read more at cdc.gov. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) reminds Michigan residents to test, get vaccinated and boosted as COVID-19 cases are expected to rise through May. MDHHS is reminding Michiganders to participate in best practices to reduce risks of COVID-19 and prevent spread at spring gatherings including proms, graduations and other holidays and to make sure they are up-to-date on vaccines. Read more at michigan.gov.
UPDATE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Data continue to show the importance of vaccination and booster doses to protect individuals both from infection and severe outcomes of COVID-19. For adults and adolescents eligible for a first booster dose, these shots are safe and provide substantial benefit. Read more at cdc.gov. COVID-19 vaccination continues to help protect adults against severe illness with COVID-19, including hospitalizations and death, according to two reports released. Read more at cdc.gov.
Open Discussion on Ukraine today, March 8, at Portage Library
If you missed this discussion see the video recording by Evan Zimmermann of UPEC. (Click on image for link)
UPEC Livestream Feb. 24: Sarah Green speaks on MTU delegation to COP26 in Glasgow
Professor Sarah Green, second from left, is pictured here with some members of Michigan Tech's COP26 Delegation: from left, Alexis Pascaris, Jessica Daignault, Shardul Tiwari and Kathleen Brosemer. (Photo courtesy Alexis Pascaris) UPDATE: If you missed this livestream, click on above photo to access the video recording, and other UPEC recordings, on Facebook. A delegation from Michigan Tech participated in the COP26 International Climate Negotiation meeting in Glasgow in November 2021. The group was part of the Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH), which supported students to present several events at the Climate Summit and to observe formal and informal presentations by the U.S. delegation, meet people from around the world, and observe the negotiation process. Sarah Green, Michigan Tech professor of chemistry, who led MTU's delegation, presents "The Glasgow Climate Summit as experienced by MTU students" at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT via livestream on Facebook and Zoom as guest of the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC). Sarah Green is interested in all aspects of environmental chemistry from molecular analytical methods to global climate change, including the science policy interface. Dr. Green served as co-vice chair for the Scientific Advisory Panel on the Sixth Global Environmental Outlook, United Nations Environment Program. She was awarded a Jefferson Science Fellowship to serve in the Bureau of East Asia-Pacific Affairs in the U.S. Department of State (2013-14).
WUPHD advice on home testing for COVID
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) recommends residents take the following steps when testing positive on an at-home COVID-19 test: - Isolate for 5 days from the start of your symptoms or if no symptoms, the day you took the test. - Notify all your close contacts that they have been exposed and should quarantine as recommended. - End isolation only after symptoms are improved, you have had no fever for 24 hours, and continue to mask for an additional 5 days. "Home tests are a great tool for early detection and prevention of further spread; however, their results cannot be verified, meaning that positives are only considered to be suspect cases and are not included in total case counts," said Kate Beer, WUPHD Health Officer. "Home tests cannot be used to document cases for return to work letters; a follow up lab test is recommended if you need such
documentation. Due to resource shortages, the WUPHD is not currently asking residents to report
positive home tests to the agency. All residents should take precautions by staying home if you are not feeling well, masking in public or crowded spaces, following quarantine guidelines, and getting vaccinated or your booster dose. Vaccinations continue to be our best defense to reduce the severity of symptoms, prevent hospitalizations and death."
MDHHS updates COVID-19 guidance for K-12 schools
On Jan. 10, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) updated its K-12 school quarantine and isolation guidance to reflect recent updates made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The guidance modifies or shortens the quarantine and isolation periods to as short as five days in some circumstances. Click on image above for details.
5 Things you need to know about Line 5
Gov. Whitmer has ordered Enbridge to shut down Line 5 by May 12. Why? Click above for a short video and details from Oil and Water Don't Mix.
Houghton County Democratic Party
City of Hancock
Visit the City of Hancock Web site by clicking on above logo to see their news, announcements and more ...
Parade of Nations 2021 Photo Gallery from Late Edition
Click on image above to learn about Copper Country Audubon and their many birding projects, as well as local webcams for viewing birds in action.
Gratiot Lake Conservancy
Governor Whitmer accelerates "MI Vacc to Normal" plan
Photo courtesy michigan.gov.
On May 20 Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced an updated "Vacc to Normal" plan, which outlines steps Michiganders can take to emerge from this pandemic. As of June 1, capacity limits will lift for outdoor events. Additionally, indoor capacity limits will increase to 50 percent, allowing indoor social gatherings such as weddings and funerals to move closer to normalcy. As of July 1, the state will no longer limit capacity at indoor or outdoor gatherings. "As Michiganders have stepped up to get vaccinated and the CDC has released new guidance on masks, we are adapting the MI Vacc to Normal challenge to keep up," said Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Click here for details.
Health Department returns to 10-Day Quarantine for Covid-19
Effective May 7, the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) is recommending a return to a 10-day active monitoring or quarantine period for close contacts. The decision to reduce the quarantine period is in line with state and federal guidelines and will offer consistency across the Upper Peninsula. Close contacts can return to normal activities after the 10-day period, however, they should continue to monitor symptoms up to 14 days from their last contact with an infected person. The new recommendation will apply retroactively to people currently in quarantine. People who are two weeks past their completed Covid-19 vaccination series do not need to quarantine. For additional information please visit wuphd.org.
Gov. Whitmer introduces "MI Vacc to Normal" challenge
Image courtesy Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services (MDHHS).
On April 29, 2021, Governor Gretchen Whitmer unveiled the "MI Vacc to Normal" plan as the state continues to push toward its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of Michiganders ages 16 years or older. To facilitate this goal, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) will base future epidemic order actions on four vaccination-based milestones that, once achieved, will enable Michigan to take a step toward normalcy. Click here to read more from the Small Business Association of Michigan.
League of Women Voters, Portage Library to co-host Town Hall on "Re-Districting in Michigan" Apr. 20
The League of Women Voters and Portage Lake District Library will co-host a Town Hall presentation on "Re-Districting in Michigan" from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, Apr. 20, via Zoom. Register in advance for this meeting HERE. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you missed the Apr. 17 League of Women Voters of the Copper Country 61st Recorded Annual Meeting held at 1 p.m. on April 17, 2021, with speaker Pat Gotschalk on "The Legal Process: Thoughts on the Transition from Ruth Bader Ginsberg to Amy Coney Barrett," the recording of the meeting is available HERE.
VACCINE UPDATE: Pause in Johnson and Johnson vaccine administration locally
Because of the pause in the use of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, called for by federal health agencies, the Western UP Health Department (WUPHD) reports some changes in scheduling vaccine clinics that were announced in this column. The community vaccination clinic scheduled for Thursday, Apr. 15, at Michigan Tech's Student Development Complex (SDC) will still take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., but the Moderna vaccine will be given, by appointment, instead of Johnson and Johnson. To make an appointment, sign up for the WUPHD COVID Vaccine Waitlist here.
We have removed other announcements about Johnson and Johnson vaccine clinics until further notice. Anyone over the age of 16 is now eligible to receive a vaccine in Michigan. Click here for more details.
Vaccine availability
Copper Country Strong has updates on vaccine availability at Walgreens in Houghton and Ironwood and Snyders in Calumet. See the full list of places you can get a vaccine by visiting coppercountrystrong.com/vaccine
UPEC Apr. 9 livestream discussion on propane and electricity still on Facebook
UPDATE: The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) hosted a discussion, "Propane and Electricity: Keeping the Heat on and Powering Up Our Grid," with Jenn Hill -- a board member of the Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, a Marquette City Council member, and a member of the UP Energy Task Force -- on April 9. You can still access this livestream event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/upenvironment/videos/3803910703027349
Propane in the UP has become another battleground in the fight to close Line 5. Enbridge, the owner of the pipeline, has been waging a propaganda campaign with its allies that is meant to create fear, alarm, and confusion about what would happen to propane supplies if the line is shut down. Hill explains how the recommendations crafted by the task force on alternative sources for propane became a political football. She also discusses work done by the task force this past year on our electrical generation capacity. Will solar and wind projects become the norm? What’s in store for consumers with our widely varying utility bills? Is electrification of transportation feasible in the UP? And more ...
COVID-19 Variant B.1.1.7 identified in Houghton County
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) notified the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) that the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories identified the COVID-19 variant B.1.1.7 in five Houghton County cases.
The SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant, thought to have emerged in the United Kingdom, has since been detected in many countries and states. Compared to the original virus, the B.1.1.7 variant is approximately 50 percent more transmissible, leading to faster spread and potentially increasing the numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.
"When a variant is identified or suspected, additional measures take place, such as a strict 14-day quarantine," said Kate Beer, WUPHD health officer. "A new variant in our community is concerning since it can be related to higher transmission rates. Residents across the jurisdiction are reminded to continue practicing mitigation strategies including mask wearing, social distancing, hand washing and getting a vaccine as soon as it is available to you. These actions help slow the spread of the virus."
With the high transmission rate of the B.1.1.7 variant, vaccination is more important than ever. Vaccination is currently open to anyone 16 and older. Vaccinations can be scheduled with local providers by calling 2-1-1 or by visiting www.coppercountrystrong.com/vaccine. For more info visit www.wupdhd.org or www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.
COVID-19 Vaccines and fetal cells
At michigan.gov/covidvaccine you can find a ton of data related to the vaccines that are available to Michigan residents. One datasheet available on the website includes information on COVID-19 Vaccines and Fetal Cells. The page includes facts about fetal cell usage in the vaccine development and deployment. In addition there are links to how various faith organizations have addressed this. Click here to view COVID-19 Vaccine and Fetal Cells Data Sheet.
Beginning Monday, March 22, Michigan is expanding access to safe, effective COVID-19 Vaccine to include all Michiganders 50 and older and to include Michiganders ages 16 and older with disabilities or medical conditions that put them at high risk of negative COVID-19 outcome. Beginning Monday, April 5, all Michiganders age 16 and up who were not previously eligible will be eligible to receive a vaccine. Learn how to put yourself on your local waiting list at coppercountrystrong.com/vaccineor by calling 2-1-1.
Will getting a COVID-19 vaccine protect against new variants?
All three variants of concern are thought to have a higher rate of transmission than the SARS-CoV2 that has been circulating across the U.S. for months. This is concerning because more cases of COVID-19 would increase the number of people who need clinical care. Vaccination remains an important tool in stopping the spread of COVID-19, in addition to other protective actions like mask wearing, hand washing, and social distancing. Studies about the effectiveness of vaccines against new variants are ongoing. Read more ...
Community Art Show: "The Art of Valuing Water"
Grinnell. Acrylics on canvas, by Emily Gemignani.
World Water Day 2021 is about what water means to people and other creatures, and how we can better protect this vital resource. The Michigan Tech World Water Day Art Show is an opportunity for local artists and community members of all ages to share what water means to them through creativity and creation! Click here to view the Gallery.
UP Health System-Portage vaccine update
At this time the UP Health System-Portage, invites those interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccine to call their vaccine voicemail line at (906) 483-1775 and leave a message with name and call back number. For info on other vaccine providers click here and scroll down to HOW DO YOU GET THE VACCINE?
Vaccination scheduling help available
If you are a Michigan resident within the current prioritization category and you do not have access to the internet or need further assistance finding information on vaccination or scheduling an appointment, if available, contact the COVID-19 Hotline (888-535-6136) to speak to a 2-1-1 specialist. People in Michigan can dial 2-1-1 from any phone for help in getting information about the COVID-19 vaccine, and, if in an eligible group, can be placed on a local waiting list to receive a vaccine. Click above on Copper Country Strong for more details.
New book by Michigan Tech's Joshua Pearce
Joshua Pearce -- Michigan Tech Richard Witte Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Director of Michigan Tech's Open Sustainability Technology (MOST) Lab -- has published this new book, available in printed and digital versions.
Designed for beginners, Professor Joshua Pearce's Create, Share, and Save Money Using Open-Source Projects is filled with ways to save money by making use of free and open-source technologies on a wide range of products. The book covers the potential of DIY manufacturing and recycling projects and even how to score deeply discounted big-ticket items, including housing and electricity. All of these tricks should help people in the Keweenaw since he has tested many of them here. The book is for sale at Amazon and other book sellers in hard copy and digital copy. Click above on the book cover to see a list of places to purchase it along with many free resources from the book.
WUPHD: First and second doses of COVID-19 vaccine must be same brand
The Western UP Health Department (WUPHD) reminds people that your second dose of COVID-19 vaccine must be the same brand as your first dose. Second doses of the Pfizer vaccine are given 21 days after the first dose and Moderna is given 28 days after the first dose. Current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control recommends that the second dose not be delayed more than 6 weeks (42 days) from the first dose for either vaccine.
WUPHD was allocated the Moderna brand and does not expect to receive a Pfizer allocation from the State of Michigan. If your first dose was the Pfizer brand, the WUPHD is unable to provide your second dose. You will need to wait until your first dose provider has enough Pfizer vaccine on hand to schedule a second dose clinic. The State is working on allocating additional Pfizer vaccine to our area within the next few weeks.
WUPHD extends appreciation for continued patience from the community as local healthcare partners work through this process with the extreme limited availability of vaccine.
Click here for more info on COVID-19 vaccine and scheduling an appointment with WUPHD.
Updated MDHHS Order allows contact sports to resume with risk reduction measures Feb. 8
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS)hasupdated its current epidemic order to allow contact sports to resume as of Monday, Feb. 8, provided masks are worn during practices and competition. If masks cannot be worn, participants must be regularly tested for COVID-19 consistent with guidelines issued by MDHHS. Safety protocols like wearing masks and testing will help keep kids, coaches and families safe and allow our schools to remain open for in-person instruction. The order remains in effect through Monday, March 29. Read more...
Assistance available for businesses seeking new state and federal loans and grants
Western U.P. organizations and local governments are offering assistance for businesses to apply for new state and local grant and loan funding programs. The federal relief act signed into law in December 2020 will provide another round of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through the Small Business Administration (SBA), which are offered under similar terms as those in the original CARES Act.
In Michigan, the Small Business Survival Grant Program will support businesses and industries that have been affected by the "gatherings and face mask order" and currently need working capital to support operations after experiencing a decline in revenue.
Zero Visitor Protocol implemented for inpatients a UP Health System - Portage
For the safety of patients, employees, and medical staff, UP Health System - Portage is implementing certain visitor restrictions. Effective Tuesday, January 19, 2021, visitors will not be permitted into their inpatient unit. The previous limited visitation hours for inpatients of 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. will be suspended until further notice. Learn more about this at portagehealth.org/covid-19-information.
Health Department asks for patience with vaccine scheduling; supply is limited
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) asks the public to be patient with the process of vaccinating all who wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Due to the lack of a sufficient supply of vaccine, clinics are by appointment only. Appointments for this week have been filled. WUPHD will add more appointments as additional vaccine becomes available. Residents are asked to periodically check the WUPHD website for available clinics. Those who have booked appointments are asked to make every effort to keep the appointment and to cancel the appointment via the scheduling email if they cannot make it. Missed appointments could result in spoiled vaccine. Click here for more info.
UPDATE: MDHHS confirms new MI COVID Alert text message outreach
Monday, Dec. 21, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) confirmed the launch of a statewide text outreach aimed at increasing residents’ awareness of the state’s new exposure notification mobile app, MI COVID Alert. Click here to learn about this free app for your mobile phone. It will help us to notify each other and slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Michigan. Click here to read more from MDHHS.
Keweenaw Now begins the New Year by joining the 295 community members who signed this letter to our Western UP Health Department, health workers and frontline workers:
Thank you to the staff of the Western UP Health department for working tirelessly to keep our community safe and informed. Thank you to our local healthcare workers who daily put their lives on the line to protect others. Thank you to the cashiers, servers, and frontline workers who go the extra mile day in and day out to keep everyone safe. Thank you to teachers for working so hard for our children. Thank you to all members of our community who are making sacrifices in their personal lives, in their jobs, and in their businesses to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We appreciate the care that you show for your fellow Yoopers, and we appreciate your sisu.*
*Editor's Note: This letter is reprinted with permission. We regret that we lack the space to list all the names of those who signed.
Great Lakes MMIW Billboard Campaign seeks support
This campaign is now in the Great Lakes region to create awareness of violence against Indigenous Native women and girls. Click on photo for details. (Screenshot photo courtesy Great Lakes MMIW Billboard Campaign)
The Native Justice Coalition (NJC) officially launched their Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) Program in August 2019. The movement has been growing across Canada for several years and now the Global Indigenous Council has started this billboard campaign, which has been supported by Native American Congresswomen including Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Sharice Davids (D-KS). The campaign is now active in the Great Lakes region. The goal is to locate these billboards in rural and remote Native communities to create awareness of the ongoing violence and continued genocide that affects Native women, girls, and Two-Spirits across the US and Canada. Support is needed to pay for the billboards. Click here to learn more and to contribute if you can.
WUPHD announces preliminary plans for COVID Vaccine Roll Out
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department (WUPHD) announces that initial allotments of COVID-19 vaccine are beginning to arrive across the state, with vaccinations expected to begin next week throughout the Upper Peninsula. The vaccination process is anticipated to be a large undertaking with multiple community partners involved including local hospitals, physicians, and federally qualified health centers. Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 will the first vaccine to arrive this week, followed shortly by Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine is currently approved for individuals over 16 years of age and initial allotments will be designated for those in the highest priority group as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to include Healthcare personnel, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Skilled nursing facility staff and residents. Read more...
UPDATE: Virtual tour of Sisu exhibit with artist Karen Stewart now available on YouTube
Sisu, by Karen Stewart, is at the Finlandia University Gallery until Jan. 5, 2021. (Photo courtesy Finlandia University)
If you missed the Nov. 19 Zoom reception and artist talk by Karen Stewart, on her exhibit, Sisu, featured as the 30th Annual Contemporary Finnish American Artist Series Exhibition at the Finlandia University Gallery, you can now view on YouTube a video tour of the exhibit with Stewart explaining some of her paintings. The exhibit continues until January 5, 2021. Appointments for a private viewing of the exhibit can be made with Gallery Director Carrie Flaspohler at (906) 487-7500 or by email at gallery@finlandia.edu.
Karen Stewart’s realistic portraiture seeks to embody her subject’s sisu, a Finnish concept described as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, bravery, resilience, and hardiness in the face of adversity. Combining art historical references with the personal stories of her subjects, Stewart’s portraits of women chronicle the struggles as well as the joys inherent in life. Read more HERE. Take the virtual tour HERE.
Liquor licenses, permits suspended for businesses for violations of MDHHS Emergency Order
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) has issued emergency suspensions of the liquor licenses and permits held by three Michigan businesses in Lakeview, Houghton and St. Joseph. Licensees’ multiple violations of the current Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Emergency Order include: allowing non-residential, in-person gatherings; providing in-person dining; failure to require face coverings for staff and patrons; and failure to prohibit patrons from congregating. The Houghton business is KMPD, Inc. d/b/a Rock House/Mine Shaft located at 915 Razorback, Houghton. The Commission issued an emergency suspension order of the Class C and SDM liquor licenses with a Specific Purpose Permits (Food and Bowling), Outdoor Service Area Permit, Sunday Sales (P.M.) Permit, Extended Hours Permit, Additional Bar and Dance-Entertainment Permits, on November 25, 2020. Allowing this activity to continue could create additional outbreaks of COVID-19. Click here for details.
If you have any questions about what went into effect Nov. 18, read these frequently asked questions for the Nov. 18 Face Masks and Gatherings Order.
Undaunted by Sunday's very cold winds in Houghton, a group of concerned voters gathered at the Houghton County Courthouse for the "Every Vote Counts" Vigil. Michigan Tech student Zachary Olson spoke about the need to "stay calm and stay committed" during the upcoming election and to oppose interference in voting or voting results. Barry Fink, president of the League of Women Voters of the Copper Country, offered a brief historical background on voting rights and voter suppression, noting that voting rights are still under attack today in the U.S. The Rev. Bucky Beach, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, spoke of the need for a welcoming environment for voting -- free from intimidation. He led the group in singing a line from a song inspired by Wendell Berry: "What we need is here." Click on photo above for a video of the event.
Michigan Healthcare Systems issue Joint Statement on COVID-19 Policies
The following statement, posted Oct. 22, 2020, is made on behalf of Chief Medical Officers and Chief Clinical Officers of Michigan Healthcare Systems and Hospitals:
"As the physician leaders of hospitals and healthcare systems throughout the state of Michigan, representing 110 of Michigan’s 137 hospitals, we have an important safety message regarding COVID-19:
"We want to make it clear that regardless of state law, executive orders, or local public health directives, hospitals and healthcare systems across the state are standing as a united front in our policies and interventions in order to fight the spread of COVID-19. It is imperative that every Michigan resident join us in taking the necessary steps to prevent the spread of this deadly disease.
"Our hospitals and healthcare facilities will continue requiring staff, patients, and visitors to follow public safety protocols, including mask-wearing, screenings upon entry to our facilities, and limitation of visitors. We ask that everyone do the public version of these precautions: wear a mask, stay at least 6 feet apart, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently. We do this to keep our patients, visitors and healthcare workers safe...." Click here to read the full statement.
Michigan Dept. of Health and Human Services rules
Due to the recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling, the issuing of new orders from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and the quickly changing information, there have been many questions about what the current rules are, who is enforcing them, and what everyone should be doing. Shortly after the Michigan Supreme Court ruling against the Governor's Executive Orders, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued rules under a separate law. These rules are currently valid and replaced (almost) all of the previous Executive Orders issued by the Governor, including masking requirements (the new rules are actually MORE stringent than the Governor’s Executive Orders were). More details on the orders are available here: https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98158-541979--,00.html. Also, click above on Copper Country Strong for additional updates, including recently released new rules and guidance from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA).
Following the recent significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Houghton County, the Houghton County Board of Commissioners, on Sept. 29, issued a Resolution for the Promotion of COVID-19 Safety Measures. Here is an excerpt:
"...WHEREAS, the simple, cheap, and effective methods to slow the spread of COVID-19 are readily known and available, such as wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, frequent hand washing, and limiting gathering sizes indoors and outdoors; WHEREAS, some members of the Community have practiced good prevention methods, while a small minority of people continue to refuse, despite the risk to themselves and others; WHEREAS, efforts to trace the contacts of people who have tested POSITIVE for COVID-19 are being hampered by some Residents’ refusals to disclose who they may have spread the virus to, causing FURTHER SPREAD of the virus; WHEREAS, the impact to the local economy due to COVID-19 so far will PALE IN COMPARISON to a second wave of shutdowns by the State of Michigan, should the caseload in Houghton County not be brought under control by its OWN RESIDENTS ...." Click here for the complete Resolution.
Michigan Tech COVID tracking forms required for employees, visitors
A reminder that no one is permitted to come to the Michigan Tech campus with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. All employees are required to monitor their symptoms daily before coming to campus. The Daily Symptom Tracking Form is a short form that will help you determine if you have COVID-19 symptoms. In addition, all visitors must fill out the Visitor Symptom Tracking Form each day before coming on campus.
UPDATE from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
On Monday, Oct. 5, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Director Robert Gordon issued an Emergency Order under MCL 333.2253restricting gathering sizes, requiring face coverings in public spaces and placing limitations on bars and other venues. The order follows the Michigan Supreme Court decision on Friday, Oct 2, that invalidated COVID-19 related executive orders. Today’s order relies on authorities that were first enacted after the Spanish Flu of 1918, and that were not at issue in the Michigan Supreme Court’s decision.
Under MCL 333.2253, if the MDHHS director determines that control of an epidemic is necessary to protect the public health, the director by emergency order may prohibit the gathering of people for any purpose and may establish procedures to be followed during the epidemic to insure continuation of essential public health services and enforcement of health laws. Gordon shares more about the reasoning behind the order in a recent column.
Violations of this order are punishable by a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than six months or a fine of not more than $200, or both. Violations of this order are also punishable by a civil fine of up to $1,000. This order is effective immediately and remains in effect through Friday, Oct. 30. Individuals with suggestions and concerns are invited to submit comments via email to COVID19@michigan.gov. Details can be seen by clicking on Copper Country Strong above.
Houghton County is at a critical time. Please follow the guidelines for masking, social distancing, and personal hygiene. The recent cases in Houghton County are spreading rapidly throughout the community. These are not exaggerated numbers. The only path through this pandemic is for everyone to take personal responsibility for slowing the spread of the virus. Each individual -- young, old, student, employee, everyone -- must contribute to the cause or the spread will continue as we have seen recently. Yes, it is inconvenient, yes, you may miss out on something, yes, your plans may have to alter. But, only together with everyone’s help, can we move forward towards a return to normal. Follow these guidelines:
1. Wear a mask (MHDDS orders require masks in all businesses, workplaces, and schools) 2. Avoid public gatherings (MDHHS orders limit indoors (10 people maximum) and outdoors (100 people maximum)) 3. Keep at least 6 feet away from others indoors or outdoors 4. Wash your hands frequently 5. Stay home if you are sick 6. Cooperate with contact tracing.
"Seven Generation River" -- Sustainability Film Series discussion online May 21
Image courtesy greatlakesnow.org
UPDATE: UPEC May 12 virtual discussion on Line 5, tunnel regulation now online
This Enbridge photo shows a company diver inspecting the Line 5 pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac. (Photo courtesy Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition)
The Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC) presented "Line 5: What’s the fuss? A virtual discussion" Tuesday, May 12. The online presentation, by Jeff Towner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers retired wildlife biologist, and Mike Ripley of the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA) is now available on UPEC's YouTube channel. Towner and Ripley discuss the controversy over re-permitting Enbridge’s Line 5 oil pipeline, which now passes through the Upper Peninsula and crosses the Straits of Mackinac, to be moved to a proposed tunnel under the Straits. Towner explains the regulatory path Enbridge has to go through for the Line 5 tunnel approval. Ripley discusses tribal efforts to shut down Line 5 because of the dangers a spill would pose to their fisheries, which they operate under rights afforded them by the Treaty of 1836. Jeff Towner has extensive experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service throughout the U.S., as well as in wildlife work in Africa. Mike Ripley is an Environmental Coordinator for the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority (CORA), a position he’s held since 1996. CORA represents five tribes in Michigan with regard to the tribes’ commercial and subsistence fisheries in the 1836 treaty-ceded waters of Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior.
Update: Michigan Tech's Guy Meadows on Michigan's lake levels; Apr. webinar now online
Engineer Guy Meadows, Michigan Tech University Robbins professor of Sustainable Marine Engineering and the founding director of the Great Lakes Research Center, discussed Michigan’s lake levels from 1938 to present to inform coastal communities, property owners and community planners at Michigan’s High Water Summit held April 28 -- a webinar town hall focusing on shoreline erosion and permitting.That webinar is now available here on YouTube.
Celebrate the U.P.! with UPEC on line Apr. 25
Celebrate the U.P.! virtually.
Celebrate the U.P.! 2020 (Virtually) with the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC). The April 25 event is now available on YouTube here. Guest speakers are as follows:
--Keynote speaker Monica Lewis-Patrick, President and CEO of We the People of Detroit: "Water as a Human Right."
--Sarah Green, Michigan Tech Professor of Chemistry who recently took a group of students to the COP25 climate conference in Madrid: "International Climate Action."
--Angie Carter, Michigan Tech Assistant Professor of Social Sciences: "Cultivating Connection: Strengthening Our Regional Food System."
--UPEC Annual Membership Meeting. Updates from Board Members.
--Short videos: "Homespun Responses in an Extraordinary Time." Local people show how they turned Michigan's pandemic stay-at-home order into a positive experience.
It's 1900. Beneath the gorgeous new Red Jacket Opera House -- Calumet Theatre -- copper miners work night and day. Finnish miner's daughter Lilly is at the center of these two plays, "Calumet 1900" and "Sarah Bernhardt 1911," and an interim act taking place in the social hall for Finnish immigrants. Click here or on book cover above for more info on the latest plays from Mary Jane Williams. Available at North Wind Books in Hancock for $25. UPDATE:A black and white edition is available on Amazon.com for $10.99.
Saving Copper Country birds at Portage Library
New films on Portage Lake District Library windows save birds. (Photo courtesy Portage Library)
Birds hitting windows is one of the leading causes of their death. Birds see a reflection of the outdoors in a window so they try to fly right through. The Portage Lake District Library has had many bird strikes, especially on the bridge side near trees. A Copper Country Audubon member who worked at the library requested help to prevent these bird strikes. Stencils of hawks and other things can be put on windows to help prevent bird strikes, but none are as effective as a new product that birds see but humans can't: Bird’s Eye View® window films -- six-inch plastic films that look like frosted glass. They are clean, easy to install and non-adhesive -- so they remove easily. The films work by reflecting ultraviolet light that birds can see as a bright blue glow across the window surface. Having the films on large windows reduces window strikes by up to 80 percent. Copper Country Audubon members donated 30 films to the Portage Lake District Library to help prevent bird strikes. They have a decorative design so they do not obstruct the beautiful views from the library windows. Window films were also put on some of the worst windows at Michigan Tech. For more information about Copper Country Audubon contact Dana Richter, 482-3361 or dlrichte@mtu.edu.
Finlandia University
Portage Lake District Library
Buffalo Reef Task Force to hold public meeting July 31 on saving fish habitat from stamp sands
The Buffalo Reef Task Force will hold a public meeting to discuss three alternatives tentatively selected for further analysis in the fight to save Buffalo Reef -- an important natural reef near Gay, Mich., where historic copper mine tailings (stamp sands) are threatening to destroy spawning habitat and recruitment areas important to Lake Superior whitefish and lake trout. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. (EDT) TONIGHT, Wednesday, July 31, at the Lake Linden-Hubbell High School, 601 Calumet Avenue, Lake Linden. In February, the task force issued an alternatives analysis which briefly described 13 strategies for managing historic copper mine tailings threatening to destroy spawning habitat and recruitment areas important to Lake Superior whitefish and lake trout in and around Buffalo Reef. Maintenance dredging has been ongoing this summer in the harbor and the trough area to buy time to develop a long-term solution to the stamp sands issue. Click here for details.
Jack Parker: 1930-2019
Keweenaw Now file photo courtesy Jack Parker.
Keweenaw Now wishes to extend our deepest condolences to the family of Jack Parker of Twin Lakes and Baltic, who passed away on April 20, 2019, at the age of 88. Born in England, Jack was a miner of great expertise, who loved the outdoors and cared about the environment. Click here to read our Dec. 6, 2010, article about Jack.Keweenaw Now also published several letters to the editor from him. Click here to read his Obituary.
Dance Zone Marquette
Click on logo above for info on dances and schedules of events.
Bipartisan climate legislation has been introduced in Congress -- H.R. 7173, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend approach that -- if passed -- would help us make significant progress toward our big goal: keeping warming to 2ºC. The bill will put a price on carbon, a key step to quickly reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. It also will protect about 2/3 of our UP households, including most lower income households, from rising energy costs. CCL will be sharing more about how to support this bill, will be contacting Rep. Bergman urging him to sign on as co-sponsor, and will be writing letters to the editor. Bergman needs to hear from as many of his constituents as possible, so he knows how much this issues matters to us. You can read about the bill at energyinnovationact.org and then call Congressman Bergman and ask him to co-sponsor H.R. 7173.
Gustavo Bourdieu , 74, a resident of Hancock, passed away suddenly on Monday, September 17, 2018. Gustavo was born in Buenos Aires, Arge...
From Michele Bourdieu, Editor:
Many thanks to all who attended our Memorial for Gustavo on Sunday, Oct. 21. Thanks also to all who have sent lovely cards, email and Facebook messages of condolence and more. In addition to taking photos for Keweenaw Now, Gustavo kept computers running and technology up-to-date for Keweenaw Now's postings. We miss him very much for so many reasons.
Copper Country Recycling
Click on logo above for info on Copper Country Recycling. (Logo courtesy Copper Country Recycling Initiative)
The Copper Country Recycling Initiative (CCRI), a group of local citizens working together to promote recycling in the Copper Country, urges residents of the Keweenaw to save natural resources and energy and to help extend the life of the landfill by integrating the three "Rs" into their daily life: Reducing, Reusing, and Recycling. CCRI has worked to implement cardboard recycling at the Houghton County Transfer Station and Chassell and curbside recycling in Hancock and Houghton, as well as E(lectronic) Waste collection; and, in the near future, there are plans for household hazardous waste and tire recycling. The CCRI brochure, (available on the CCRI website here) lists what is recyclable along with what to do with batteries, bedding, books, cellphones, clothing, construction material, Electronic waste, glasses, medication, motor oil, packing material, printer cartridges, and more. There is also a sign-up for their mailing list.
Copper Country GoFundMe campaigns continue
The Foss home and garage next to Ripley Falls. (Photo courtesy Houghton County Commissioner Tom Tikkanen. Reprinted with permission.)
Fundraiser to help Ripley family: home damaged by flood, waterfall
Click on photo above to learn how you can help.
Brockit.com
See photos of volunteers working to help families impacted by the June 17 flood on the Facebook page for brockit inc. Thanks to Adam Johnson of brockit for sharing photos and his aerial video.
Slide Show: Keweenaw March for Our Lives
In solidarity with the March for Our Lives in Washington, D.C., on March 24, 2018, more than 200 participants marched across the Portage Lift Bridge from Houghton to Hancock, Michigan, and back. Click on photo and follow arrows for the slide show.
See KNSC updates on trail conditions and photos on the Maasto Hiihto blog.
Kids, parents enjoy 2018 Barneløpet ski race at Maasto Hiihto
Skiers of all ages take off for the 11th annual non-competitive Barneløpet ski race on Feb. 11. (Photo courtesy Arlyn Aronson)
Kids and parents braved a chilly, windy Sunday, Feb.11, for the 11th annual Barneløpet children's ski race at Maasto Hiihto -- hosted by the Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club, Sons of Norway, and the City of Hancock and sponsored by Portage Health Auxiliary. Click on photo above for more photos of the event taken by Maasto groomer Arlyn Aronson.
Slide Show: Sister March: Jan. 21, 2018
Click on above photo to access our new slide show of the Sister March. Click on this lead bridge photo in the slide show. Click info icons for captions. Follow arrows to the right to follow the march.
Slide Show: Art, Culture, Oct.-Nov. 2017
From arts and crafts to film and dance, Keweenaw Now's SLIDE SHOW: Art, Culture Oct. - Nov. 2017 presents photo highlights of art and cultural events we attended in the Copper Country during the fall of 2017. Click on the above photo of Ginger and Mike at the opening of their SewCranky shop in Hancock and follow the right arrows to see all the photos. Info icon gives you the captions.
New book by Nancy Langston
Click on book cover above to learn about Nancy Langston's latest book. (Book cover image courtesy Nancy Langston)
New book by Cyndi Perkins
Book cover courtesy Cyndi Perkins and Beating Windward Press.
New Novel by Kristin Neva
"Copper Country" is the second novel in Kristin Neva's Copper Island Series. Click on book cover to go to the Amazon.com page for the book. (Book cover courtesy Kristin Neva)
Copper Country, by Keweenaw author Kristin Neva, is the second novel in her Copper Island Series, following Snow Country (see ad below). Two main characters, Aimee and Russ, appear in both novels. Neva continues to describe life in the Keweenaw, including the influence of Finnish names and culture. Click on book cover image above to learn more or purchase the book on Amazon.com.
"Snow Country" -- A Copper Island Novel
Set on the Keweenaw Peninsula, this inspirational novel features contemporary Finnish-American and Yooper culture while exploring themes of love, loss and faith.
Calumet Art Center
Click on logo above to learn about the Calumet Art Center's many activities and classes.
Midnight in the Pawn Shop
Deborah Frontiera, author of "Living on Sisu," has recently published this short novel for mature readers. Click on book cover above for more info. (Photo courtesy Deborah Frontiera)
Offer from Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society
Book cover designed by Avis L. West of Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society. Photograph courtesy Michigan Technological University Archives.
This publication by the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogical Society (HKCGS) can be yours for free with a minimum $50 donation to the Italian Hall Memorial Fund. The book tells about the families of Italian Hall victims and includes historic photos. If you wish to donate and receive a copy of the book, please click on book cover above for the HKCGS order form, complete the form, print it and mail it to the address on the form. See story about the memorial and other ways to donate here.
Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District announcements
UPDATED: Attention Hancock Residents: Waste Management Garbage and Recycling
Waste Management Garbage and Recycling new schedule for Hancockstarted on Sept. 12, 2016. - All items need to be out by 7 a.m. -Weekly same day pick up for garbage and recycling (using a new dual garbage truck) -Pick Up Day Change affects some neighborhoods: -East of Elevation Street will be on Monday. -West of Elevation Street will be on Wednesday. *Pick up for residents living on Elevation, S. Elevation and N. Elevation Streets will be on WEDNESDAY. -Any container will work for recycling. Some people are painting or taping (recycling) on the bins they now use or you can purchase a new recycling bin from McGann’s or Risto’s. -Single stream will continue for all items including glass and clean pizza boxes! -Service is also available to small commercial. -The City still has a recycling drop off at the DPW Garage (1601 Tomasi Drive) QUESTIONS: Call Bill Marlor, DPW, 482-1480 or Glenn Anderson, City Manager, 482-1121. Click here for Waste Management's new list of acceptable and unacceptable items for recycling. Thank you for your participation.
Slide Show: Christmas in Calumet 2016
Click on the photo above to see our slide show of Calumet on Dec. 3: the Poor Artists Sale, Santa, and art gallery exhibits. Click on any photo and follow the arrows. To read captions, click on the info icon.
Slide Shows: Family fun with science, more ...
Our recent slide shows highlight the Keweenaw Science and Engineering Festival (KSEF) and Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) community events held Aug. 4 - 6, 2016; the 2016 Keweenaw Science Fair winners honored by Carnegie Museum; and the Lake Superior Celebration at GLRC in April 2016.
The new slide shows can be accessed as follows: Click here or on the photo above for the slide show of the Aug. 5, 2016, Keweenaw Water Festival at Michigan Tech's Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC). Click here for the Aug. 4 and Aug. 6 Keweenaw Science and Engineering (KSEF) family events held in Houghton's Kestner Waterfront Park, and click here for photos of some 2016 Science Fair winners and highlights of the April 26, 2016, Lake Superior Celebration sponsored by the Lake Superior Stewardship Initiative, Michigan STEM Partnership, the Copper Country Recycling Initiative and more. For each slide show, click on the first photo in the album and click the info icon in the top right corner for the caption. Then click on forward arrows to view the photos as a slide show.
Eagle Rock, 2010: Slide show
In May 2010, concerned Native and non-Native citizens camped, prayed and planted a garden at Eagle Rock, an Ojibwa sacred site, which was blasted for the portal to the Rio-Tinto-Kennecott Eagle Mine. The mine, now in operation, was sold to Lundin Mining Corporation of Toronto. Click on photo above to access a photo album on Eagle Rock protests in May 2010. Click on the first photo in the album and then on the info icon to view captions if they are not visible on the right. To view the photos as a slide show, click on the forward arrows.
Click here for the latest news on Save the Water's Edge.
A Rascal's Craft
The poetic musings of Eelu Kiviranta, a Finnish immigrant and self-proclaimed rascal. Side-by-side Finnish with English translation by Lillian Lehto. Introduction by Steve Lehto. Includes "The Copper Country Strike of 1913." Available from Amazon or the translator, 1419 Yosemite, Birmingham, MI 48009, $19.95. Click on cover to see Youtube video.
Distant Drum
Original clothing and wall pieces custom designed and sewn by Andrea Puzakulich in the Keweenaw for 25 years. Distant Drum is located in Hancock's Historic E.L.Wright Bldg. Open most weekday afternoons. Call ahead.
New edition of book by Steve Lehto
Click on book cover to access Steve's Facebook page on the Italian Hall disaster.
Click here to see Steve Lehto's YouTube video about Italian Hall.
Keweenaw Adventure Company
Red Circle Consulting
Mike Lahti at State Farm
Copper Country Community Arts Center
Click here to visit the Community Arts Center on Facebook.
Keweenaw BEST!
Michigan League of Conservation Voters
What Is Sustainable
Author Richard Adrian Reese recounts how his life took a new direction after 9 years of simple living in the Keweenaw -- and offers a new worldview for a sustainable future.
Welcome to our Keweenaw Now blog. This site, the sequel to the Web site www.keweenawnow.com, officially began on September 1, 2007. The Blogger format allows you, our readers, to comment on any post. Read our articles here and send us your comments and suggestions! Comments are reviewed by the editor. They must be related to the article and not contain advertising links or objectionable text. If you click on the headline of an article, it will go to the article's own (archive) page, where comments appear and where you can reply to them. Click on the comment link below the article to send us a comment. Sometimes the number of comments is indicated on that link on the home page. It may take some time for comments to appear.
In addition, Keweenaw Now offers editing -- including editing of scholarly papers in various fields -- and some translation services. We can also help you write or edit the text on your Web site.
Email Keweenaw Now Editor Michele Bourdieu, Ph.D., at keweenawnews@gmail.com with your suggestions and requests.
Yoopers for Ukraine to hold Vigils marking 2 years of Ukrainian resistance
Saturday, Feb. 24, marks two years of Ukraine's defensive war against Russian aggression. Yoopers for Ukraine is joining with 180 cities across the Globe to promote the "Believe in Ukraine" campaign. Supporters of Ukraine are invited to participate in the following events this weekend: Candlelight Vigils to be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24, at Veterans Park in Houghton and a sunrise community prayer service at 7 a.m. at the Peace Pole in Houghton. All are invited to the Pier in Houghton (near Portage Lake District Library) at Noon on Saturday, Feb. 24, for "73 minutes for 730 days of Resilience." This event is part of Klych, a movement working on building strong relationships with activists and organizations aiding Ukraine, as well as organizing long-term projects.
Blog Archive: Click on arrows for links to articles published that week.
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