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Thursday, October 22, 2020

Rozsa Center to livestream Jazz in New Formations Oct. 23-24

The Rozsa Center will livestream Jazz in New Formations at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 23-24. (Poster courtesy Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts) 

The reality is that all music has been happening in "new formations" lately. Musicians all over the world are collaborating remotely, making videos and recordings with musicians they might not have otherwise worked with, in groups they might not have otherwise played with. Michigan Tech jazz students can relate. After a concert recorded remotely spring of 2019, these musicians wanted to find a way to rehearse and perform in person. Slit masks for mouthpiece access and bell covers that boast "MTU Jazz" have allowed them that opportunity.

More importantly, each big band was split into multiple bands to form smaller sized groups. This has offered the opportunity to explore the fun, danceable, and singable New Orleans brass band styles both past and present, as well as octet music composed by tenor saxophonist Benny Golson for his friend Dizzy Gillespie in 1957.

MTU's premier jazz ensemble, the Jazz Lab Band, will perform Miles Davis' iconic Birth Of The Cool album, originally written for 9 musicians. The performance will feature every member of the Lab Band rotating in and out of the line-up. The concert will happen live and in real time both nights of the Rozsa's usually close and cozy backstage jazz concert series. 

One thing that quarantine has made clear is that musicians need an audience. The show will be broadcast live, and it will have the energy of a live performance without having an in-person audience. The Rozsa Center invites you to join via live stream.

Stream on the Rozsa event page by clicking on the "View/Stream" button, or for a more interactive experience, visit the Rozsa facebook page and look for the Jazz in New Formations livestream.

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Virtual Informational Session and Public Hearing on permit for L'Anse Warden Electric Company is Oct. 21; comment deadline extended to Nov. 4

This aerial photo shows the location of the L'Anse Warden Electric Company Generating Station in L'Anse, Michigan. The photo is taken from the Fugitive Emissions Control Plan for the facility. In the upper left, the location of the photo is shown in relation to Keweenaw Bay, where the town of L'Anse is located.

L'ANSE, Mich. --  The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) Air Quality Division (AQD) will hold a Virtual Information Session and Public Hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, for the draft renewal of a Renewable Operating Permit (ROP) for the operation of the L'Anse Warden Electric Company, LLC, L'Anse. The ROP is for  the operation of a solid fuel, 324 million BTU per hour boiler to produce steam and to power an electrical generator. The generator is rated at 22.0 megawatts. The boiler has the capability of burning tire-derived fuel (TDF), railroad ties, wood chips, wood fines and bark, and natural gas.

This photo shows the location of the Fuel Aggregation Facility in relation to the Generating Station of the L'Anse Warden plant. See the Fugitive Emissions Control Plan for the facility.  

The boiler is controlled by a multicyclone followed by a three (series) section electrostatic precipitator. The draft permit is intended to simplify and clarify the facility’s applicable requirements and will not result in any air emission changes at the stationary source. The ROP public notice documents can be viewed on the AQD web page at: http://www.michigan.gov/air. Choose the "Permits" Tab, then "ROP Public Notice Documents." The responsible official of the stationary source is John Polkky, 157 South Main Street, L'Anse, Michigan 49946.

You may attend the meeting by going to https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o5K7BBTfSb-J8JBCNfis1w or you may join by phone at 213-787-0529 and use access code 881478#. Contact: Ed Lancaster, Air Quality Division, LancasterE1@Michigan.gov or 906-250-5124.

The public comment period has been extended to Nov. 4, 2020. Written comments on the draft ROP are to be submitted to Ed Lancaster, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, Air Quality Division, Marquette District Office, 1504 West Washington Street, Marquette, Michigan 49855, or via e-mail to LancasterE1@Michigan.gov

Editor's Note: For background on the controversy surrounding the air pollution from this plant in the past search Keweenaw Now in the upper left corner of this page with the keyword "L'Anse Warden" for previous articles.