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The artwork "Pathways for Reducing Emissions" by Alisa Singer, an artistic rendering of a graph that shows possible pathways to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to limit global mean temperature rise in the post-industrial era to not more than 2°C (3.6°F) -- the stated goal of the countries signing the Paris Agreement. This image is part the virtual exhibitEnvironmental Graphiti. (Image courtesy Michigan Tech University)
By Kelley Christensen* Posted March 19, 2020, on Michigan Tech News Reprinted with permission
HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech will celebrate World Water Day March 23 - 24 with speakers, an art exhibit, and a poster competition -- virtually.
Just a week after moving instruction online for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester, Michigan Technological University will celebrate World Water Day in the same fashion.
World Water Day is a United Nations event celebrated annually to raise
awareness of how important the stewardship of water is for humanity and
other creatures. 2020 marks the 12th year Michigan Tech has joined in
the celebration.
Keynote speaker Joellen Russell is using robot floats and supercomputers to measure the ocean and predict future climate. She will deliver the World Water Day keynote address via Zoom from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, March 23. Russell is the Thomas R. Brown Distinguished Chair of Integrative Science and a professor of geosciences, planetary science, hydrology and atmospheric sciences and applied math at the University of Arizona. Russell’s address will be recorded so those unable to make the live event can watch it later.
Youth speaker Sophia Kianni will give her address about climate advocacy and her experiences as a youth leader by Zoom from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 24. Kianni is a youth climate activist based in Washington, D.C., working nationally with Fridays for Future USA and This is Zero Hour and internationally with Extinction Rebellion. Kianni’s address will also be recorded for those unable to make the live event.
Student Poster Competition
The virtual student poster competition is from noon to 2 p.m. on Monday, March 23. Participants will present their posters and judges will offer their feedback through Zoom. At this time 23 students are signed up to present posters. Students will be awarded cash prizes in the following categories: original research, coursework/informational, and a people’s choice award.
Finally, each World Water Day celebration features an art show. The World Water Day 2020 art show features Environmental Graphiti -- a series of digital paintings by Alisa Singer. Singer’s works were created to enhance public awareness of the science of climate change. Each of the 23 works of art is derived from a chart, graph, map, word or number relating to a key fact about climate change. Use the interactive campus map to take a virtual tour of the exhibit.
* Guest writer Kelley Christensen is Science and Technology Publications Writer, Michigan Tech University Marketing and Communications.
Insert photos: Joellen Russell and Sophia Kianni. (Photos courtesy Michigan Tech University)
CLIMATE MODELS ACCURACY OVER TIME, by Alisa Singer. Digital Art on Metal 35.1" W X 24.8" H. (Photo courtesy Michigan Tech's Great Lakes Research Center)
By Michigan Tech's Great Lakes Research Center
The work of Chicago-based artist Alisa Singer, Environmental Graphiti, is a series of digital paintings created to enhance public awareness of the science of climate change. Each of the artworks is derived from a chart, graph, map, word or number relating to key facts about climate change. Michigan Tech’s exhibit includes 23 pieces displayed at 10 locations across campus and virtually via the interactive campus map.
Environmental Graphiti exhibit sponsors include the Great Lakes Research Center; the Institute for Policy, Ethics and Culture; University Marketing and Communications; the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Biological Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Geological and Mining Engineering and Science; College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science; J.R. Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library; and the Rosza Center for Performing Arts. The exhibit runs through May 15.
Each piece in the campus exhibit is available for purchase. Proceeds will support student seed research grants to be announced in fall 2020. To purchase artwork, contact glrcinfo@mtu.edu. Artwork sales are subject to Michigan Sales Tax.
The Environmental Graphiti exhibit is one activity planned for the University’s annual World Water Day celebration. Other World Water Day activities are being moved to virtual delivery platforms. Updates and details will be posted on the Great Lakes Research Center’s World Water Day Events website.
LANSING -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel issued the following statement in support of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order calling for a temporary shutdown of dine-in service at food and beverage establishments (and limiting restaurants to carry-out).
"My thoughts today are with the workers and businesses in our food and hospitality industries. It is heartbreaking that an industry built on service to others must be shut down to help protect and keep safe the families they call their customers and friends. In an effort to help them through this difficult and unexpected shutdown, I am asking our partners in the state and federal legislature to look for ways to help alleviate the financial impact of this shutdown. The Governor’s order was necessary and appropriate in light of the extraordinary circumstances in which we find ourselves and we will be working with our state, county and local law enforcement partners to enforce the order. I am proud of the tens of thousands of businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers who recognize the gravity of this situation and are responding quickly and without hesitation. We owe them our gratitude and support."
EXECUTIVE ORDER 2020-9: Temporary restrictions on the use of places of public accommodation also includes temporarily closing cinemas, and indoor and outdoor performance venues, libraries, museums, gymnasiums, fitness centers, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, indoor exercise facilities, exercise studios, spas, and casinos licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. The closings are to begin as soon as possible but no later than 3 p.m. TODAY, Monday, March 16, 2020, and to continue until 11:59 p.m. March 30, 2020. Click here for the full Executive Order.
HOUGHTON -- According to directives by Michigan Tech administration, all public concerts/performances/receptions in the Rozsa Center and McArdle Theatre in the Walker Arts and Humanities Center scheduled during March 16-April 17, 2020, are canceled. Student productions/concerts will not be rescheduled. The Rozsa is working with agents to reschedule Rozsa Presenting Series events for the next season. Following is a list of canceled events:
March 20: Don Keranen Memorial Concert
March 20: Superior Wilderness Reception (the art exhibition will remain open during the safety period)
March 25: The Solidarity Question (Lecture series)
March 28: Manual Cinema (In negotiation for reschedule in Fall)
April 3: Audiopharmacy (Looking at rescheduling)
April 4: Evelynn Glennie (Looking at rescheduling)
April 4: Vieux Farka Touré (Looking at rescheduling)
April 15-18: The Importance of Being Earnest
April 17: Onomatopoeia (Student Art Reception)
April 19: A Choral Kaleidoscope
April 21-22: Student Art Opening (Studio Here Now)
April 26: Theatre Appreciation Plays
Events outside the March 16-April 17 window are being considered. Updates on the status of performances and events can be found in the events calendar on the Rozsa Center webpage.
Refunds for tickets purchased for these events will be made. More information on processing these refunds will be shared within the next week. If an individual would like to donate their ticket refund to the Michigan Tech Fund (Friends of the Rozsa Center) this will be an option. Refund information will be sent out to subscribers and ticket holders within the next week. More information about the COVID-19 response at Michigan Tech can be found at www.mtu.edu/covid-19.
During an informal discussion session in February at the Portage Lake District Library in Houghton, U.P. Energy Task Force members Jennifer Hill, Marquette City Commissioner and contractor with Citizens Utility Board of Michigan, and Roman Sidortsov, Michigan Tech assistant professor of Energy, offer residents an update on the first phase of the UP Energy Task Force work on propane supply and transport. Michigan's residential propane use is the highest in the U.S. Hill and Sidortsov were not speaking on behalf of the Task Force but were relating information they have learned from being members of it. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
LANSING -- Members of the U.P. Energy Task Force will meet Friday, March 13, in Harris and Lansing to review a final technical report on propane availability in the Upper Peninsula and discuss a draft of the panel’s recommendations.
The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. with U.P. members of the Task Force in the Wolf Conference Room at the Island Resort and Casino, W399 Highway 2 and 41, in Harris, and Lansing-area members in the Lee Walker Conference Room on the atrium level of Constitution Hall, 525 West Allegan Street, Lansing. There will be a public comment period at both locations beginning at 11 a.m.
The Draft Recommendations of the Upper Peninsula Energy Task Force Part I - Propane Supply contains proposed actions the Governor, Legislature, and state agencies may consider pursuing to better track and anticipate supply and demand, minimize disruption impact, and provide a more cohesive plan for those who are disproportionately affected by high energy costs in the U.P.
This slide from the presentation at Portage Library lists some of the propane issues that could be included in the Task Force report. Click on photo for larger version. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
Public comments on the recommendations section of the draft document can be submitted via email to EGLE-UPEnergy@Michigan.gov. All comments submitted through April 6 will be considered by the Task Force for possible inclusion in the final report, which is due to the Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by April 17. The submission date was extended to allow for a longer public review period.
People who need special assistance to participate can contact Kimber Frantz at 517-284-5035 in advance of the meeting.
Gov. Whitmer’s Executive Order outlined specific goals for the U.P. Energy Task Force:
Assess the U.P.’s overall energy needs and how they are being met.
Formulate alternative solutions for meeting the U.P.’s energy needs, with a focus on security, reliability, affordability, and environmental soundness. This includes, but is not limited to, alternative means to supply the energy sources used by U.P. residents, and alternatives to those energy sources.
Identify and evaluate potential changes that could occur to energy supply and distribution in the U.P.; the economic, environmental, and other impacts of such changes; and alternatives for meeting the U.P.’s energy needs due to such changes.
The draft propane document is the first of two reports the U.P. Energy Task Force is to submit to the Governor. A full report on overall U.P. energy issues and alternatives is due March 31, 2021.
Please send your comments regarding the work of the UP Energy Task Force to: EGLE-UPEnergy@Michigan.gov. Comments submitted via the above email address will be shared with all UP Energy Task Force members. Comments submitted will become part of the public record and subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
From: Finlandia University President Philip Johnson:
HANCOCK -- According to the latest (March 12) coronavirus (COVID-19) response update from Finlandia University President Philip Johnson, Finlandia is taking steps to ensure safety and wellness for the Finlandia campus and community.
Effective today, March 12, Finlandia University is implementing the closing of Finlandia Hall. All students will be required to vacate the residence hall by no later than Tuesday, March 17, at 5 p.m.
Class instruction is transitioning to online. The following are excerpts from President Johnson's March 12 letter to the Finlandia community:
a) Face-to-face classes, labs, and clinicals are cancelled Friday, March 13, through Tuesday March 17. Faculty will transition their courses from face-to-face to Canvas, the online learning platform, during this time period.
b) Classes will resume as fully online through Canvas on Wednesday, March 18, and continue through the remainder of the semester. Faculty understand that moving their courses to the online platform can be an unsettling disruption for students. In response, the University is building support tools and processes designed to encourage continuous learning and minimize disruption. Faculty and advisors will continue to work during this transitional time and are available to students through established office hours and electronic communications.
c) The delivery of science labs, studios, and clinicals will be determined within the respective department and communicated through their respective faculty or deans.
d) Students enrolled in a second half wellness course are asked to speak to their advisors regarding alternatives.
e) Graduating seniors are asked to continue working with their faculty advisors as they continue working towards a successful completion of their final year. Deans will be working with faculty to ensure minimal disruption occurs during this final leg of their academic journey.
All higher risk faculty and staff are encouraged to seek potential arrangements to work remotely. This request can be made to the Office of Human Resources at (906) 487-7339 or alyson.delandsheer@finlandia.edu. Any student who has been exposed to a known case of COVID-19 or may be exhibiting symptoms of fever, coughing, or difficulty breathing is asked to report to Dean of Students Erin Barnett at (906) 487-7231 or erin.barnett@finlandia.edu. Anyone who is ill is asked to stay home.
Administrative and other offices remain open and operations continue. Academic support and tutoring will be available via video and teleconferencing. Students awarded Federal Work Study will receive further guidance in a separate email.
Effective immediately, campus events are limited to 25 persons or fewer unless otherwise authorized. The Honors Banquet scheduled for April 17 will not be held as currently configured. Alternatives are being investigated. Decisions regarding commencement activities will be made by April 3.
Updates will be provided. Stay informed by visiting finlandia.edu/coronavirus and regularly checking campus mail.
Click here to read the complete letter from President Johnson.
From: Valoree Gagnon, Director, University-Indigenous Community Partnerships, Michigan Tech Great Lakes Research Center:
"The KBIC Tribal Water Day that was scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, March 13, in Baraga has been cancelled. There is no word on rescheduling it at this time but we will keep you updated if we hear any news."
HOUGHTON -- In an effort to protect the health and safety of our community from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), effective Monday, March 16, 2020, Michigan Technological University will suspend all face-to-face instruction and move classes to a virtual instruction environment. This arrangement will remain in place until Friday, April 17, 2020. The University will decide by April 10, 2020, whether to extend the time period.
"We must all stay vigilant to help protect each other and our community from the potential effects of this virus," said Michigan Tech President Rick Koubek. "Michigan Tech’s COVID-19 response team, consisting of University leadership and public health officials, has reviewed and is modifying as needed our plans for preventing the contraction and/or spread of COVID-19. Six University task forces have prepared for and are responding to implications and impacts on the campus community."
The University is taking this preemptive measure to mitigate potential impacts associated with the spread of the virus. Michigan Tech students are currently on Spring Break and the vast majority of them have traveled outside the Houghton-Hancock area. As there is no way to definitively know who, if anyone, has been exposed to COVID-19, the University is limiting the amount of time students will spend in close proximity to each other for at least 14 days after Spring Break ends.
"We are working closely with Michigan Tech to monitor developments related to COVID-19," said Pete Baril, director of community planning for the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department. "We thank them for their proactive approach in helping mitigate the impacts associated with the spread of the disease."
Michigan Tech students are permitted to return to campus, and each student is expected to make the choice that is best for their personal situation. On campus, the University strongly encourages all students, faculty, and staff to practice appropriate social distancing and enhanced preventative public health and hygiene measures. Because the University’s priority is the community’s health and safety, high-risk populations, as identified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are encouraged not to return to campus. All dining services and residential housing will remain open and operational.
At this time, Michigan Tech Athletics will not cancel or postpone any on- or off-campus athletics events and will remain in normal operation, consistent with guidance from the NCAA, GLIAC, and WCHA. The Athletics department may revisit this decision based on NCAA, CDC, or Western Upper Peninsula Health Department guidance, or as the situation warrants.
The health, safety and security of Michigan Tech
students, faculty, staff, and fans will continue to guide the
University’s decision-making process moving forward. The University is
working closely with the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department and
following the guidance of the CDC in monitoring COVID-19 developments.
Please
keep in mind this is a fluid situation and circumstances can change
rapidly. The most up-to-date information -- including President Koubek's message to faculty, staff and students -- is available at
mtu.edu/covid-19.
Editor's Note:Keweenaw Now will continue to post updates on COVID-19 developments in the university and local community in this column or in our right-hand column.
BARAGA -- The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) Natural Resources Department (NRD) will present a Tribal Water Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, March 13, at the Ojibwa Casino Bingo Hall in Baraga. The event is free and open to the public.
Here is the Agenda:
8 a.m. - 9 a.m. -- Doors Open. Please take this time to view the display area and network.
9 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. -- Welcome and Importance of Protecting and Healing Our Waters. Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Tribal Council Leadership.
KBIC Water Walkers: Raising Awareness to Protect Nibi.
9:30 - 10:30 a.m. -- Developing Water Quality Standards. Alan Walts, Director, Tribal and Multi-media Programs Office, EPA. 10:30 - 11:10 a.m. -- KBIC Water Quality Standards Development. Cory McDonald, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University.
11:10 - 11:50 a.m. -- KBIC Fisheries Program: State of the KBIC Fisheries Program, Past, Present and Future.
Gene Mensch, KBIC NRD, Fish Biologist
Karen Anderson, KBIC NRD, AIS Specialist.
Noon - 1 p.m.: Lunch Provided
1 - 1:30 p.m. -- Assessing Climate Vulnerability through Science and Ojibwa Knowledge. Rob Kroll, Policy Analyst, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC).
1:50 - 2:10 p.m. -- Wetlands as the Ojibwa Medicine Cabinet. Karena Schmidt, KBIC NRD Ecologist.
2:10 - 2:40 p.m. -- Panel Discussion on Community Environmental Monitoring Program:
Geri Grant, Superior Watershed Partnership Matt Johnson, Lundin Mining Community Foundation of Marquette County Evelyn Ravindran, KBIC NRD.
2:40 - 3 p.m. -- An Update on Perfluouroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). Tom Asmus, Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
3 - 3:20 p.m. -- Bridging Knowledge Systems and Expertise for Understanding Landscape Contamination. Judith Perlinger and Noel Urban, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Michigan Technological University.
3:20 - 3:40 p.m. -- National Marine Sanctuary -- a Keweenaw Lake Superior Designation? Bill Rose and ERika Vye, Great Lakes Research Center, Michigan Technological University.
3:40 - 4 p.m. -- Closing Remarks. For questions, please contact: Stephanee Cree at (906) 524-8700 or scree@kbic-nsn.gov
By Scott Wendt, Michigan Tech Manager of Health and Safety, Environmental Health and Safety Posted in Tech Today on March 3, 2020
HOUGHTON -- A community outbreak of the respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus, COVID-19, has continued to spread to multiple countries. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) continues to closely monitor developments. At this time, the CDC has issued additional Level 3 Travel Health Notices for Italy and Iran. Currently, the CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to the following countries: China, Iran, Italy, and South Korea.
Consistent with the CDC recommendation, Michigan Tech is issuing a University-wide travel restriction for Italy and Iran. Michigan Tech travel restrictions are also still in place for China and South Korea. The restriction applies to faculty, staff, and students. If you have essential travel scheduled to one of these countries, please contact the Office of General Counsel at 906-487-2318.
The University administration continues to monitor the situation for developments and will update the campus community as necessary. For Michigan-specific information on the coronavirus, please visit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services webpage.
To get more information and view all updates from Michigan Tech, visit: mtu.edu/covid-19
LANSING -- The U.S. Supreme Court today agreed to review a lower court’s decision that found the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional, at the urging of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and 19 other attorneys general and the governor of Kentucky, who collectively filed the petition for review.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Dec. 18, 2019, decision in Texas v. U.S. held the ACA’s individual mandate -- requiring people to obtain health insurance coverage -- unconstitutional and called into question whether the remaining provisions of the ACA could still stand, including those that protect and provide coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions.
"Though this decision fell short of an expedited review, I am pleased the Supreme Court will nonetheless review this case," Nessel said. "The Affordable Care Act provides essential protections for millions of Michiganders with pre-existing conditions. Ensuring those safeguards are maintained is critical to caring for our state’s residents as well as the health of our country."
Nessel and the coalition petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case because the lower court’s ruling causes uncertainty that may harm the health of millions of Americans, as well as doctors, clinics, patients and the health care market. The Supreme Court granted the coalition’s request but declined to expedite its review and consider the case by the end of the court’s current term in June as it was also asked to do.
The lawsuit was filed by a Texas-led coalition and supported by the Trump administration, which argued that Congress rendered the ACA’s individual mandate unconstitutional when it reduced the penalty to $0. They further argued that the rest of the ACA should be held invalid because of that change.
The Fifth Court determined the individual mandate was unconstitutional but declined to rule on the ACA’s remaining provisions, instead opting to send the case back to the Northern District of Texas to determine which provisions of the 900-page law were still valid. Those provisions include coverage for the 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, subsidies that help working families afford health care, investments in public health programs to prevent and combat public health threats like the opioid epidemic, and support lab capacity and immunization infrastructure for threats like novel coronavirus.
Unless the court orders otherwise, the case will be reviewed in October at the earliest.
Inset photo: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. (Photo courtesy Michigan.gov)
Dana Ferguson, Democratic District 1 Congressional candidate, is pictured here with his wife, Kristi, during the Feb. 21 Friendraiser for his campaign, held at The Orpheum Theater in Hancock. (Photos by Keweenaw Now)
HANCOCK -- An enthusiastic crowd of about 75 supporters filled The Orpheum Theater in Hancock on Feb. 21 to hear from Dana Ferguson, Democratic District 1 Congressional candidate, and to enjoy listening and dancing to two local bands at a Friendraiser for the candidate.
The Thimbleberry Band, led by Oren Tikkanen, center, played music for dancing while supporters gathered to meet Candidate Dana Ferguson at the Feb. 21 Friendraiser in The Orpheum Theater in Hancock.
Ferguson introduced himself as a native Yooper with progressive working class values and spoke about growing up in Negaunee, attending Northern Michigan University in Marquette and working as union laborer in construction and carpentry:
During the Feb. 21 Friendraiser for his campaign, District 1 Congressional Candidate Dana Ferguson outlines some of his ideas for building a strong economy for the District, which includes the Upper Peninsula and parts of Northern Michigan. (Videos by Keweenaw Now)
Ferguson then spoke about another issue important to him and his family -- health care:
Dana Ferguson speaks about the high cost of health care and why he believes in a single-payer system to make health care affordable.
Ferguson concluded his presentation by pointing out that none of the issues really matter if we don't address the reality of climate change now and embrace the Green New Deal, which offers an economic opportunity to prevent negative effects of climate change.
Dana Ferguson notes the importance of addressing climate change and realizing it offers an opportunity for change and economic progress. He concludes by asking those in the audience to support his campaign with actions as well as donations.
Valorie Troesch, a member of the Houghton County Democratic Party, organized the event for Ferguson along with several other volunteers, including Barb Turuc-Mills, Janeen Stephenson, and Horst Schmidt.
"Dana is exactly what we are always looking for in a political candidate," Troesch told Keweenaw Now. "He is a native Michigander; he's lived, worked, and raised his family in the UP; and he knows better than any other candidate in this race what matters most to the people here. I don't think we can find anyone more sincere and authentic. He is eminently electable. He is the most progressive candidate running for Congress in the 1st District, and he isn't from Wall Street."
Candidate Dana Ferguson pauses for a photo with Valorie Troesch, right, and Barb Turuc-Mills, both members of the Houghton County Democrats. Turuc-Mills assisted Troesch in organizing the Feb. 21 Friendraiser event.
"Equally important to people of my generation, Dana represents the future," Troesch continued. "We complain that young people are not getting involved in politics and here is Dana. His values and the policies he supports -- single payer health coverage for everyone, recognizing that the climate crisis is both urgent and an unparalleled economic opportunity for the 1st District, among others -- are the policies that the next generation will fight for and enact. Dana is our candidate. I hope that voters in this district support him in the primary election in August and then do so again in the general election in November."
Troesch added her appreciation for the many people who helped make the Friendraiser a success, including Mike Shupe and The Orpheum, the musicians of the Cheap Therapy and Thimbleberry bands, emcee Bill Fink, the sponsors and hosts of the event, the dessert makers (for the silent auction), and the committee who helped put it all together.
"Everyone was so willing to contribute in whatever way we asked," Troesch noted.
Janeen Stephenson, Houghton resident, who also helped Troesch organize the event, expressed her strong support for Ferguson's values and his campaign.
"I have witnessed how much energy and commitment Dana Ferguson has as he campaigns for Michigan's First District for the U.S. Congress," Stephenson said. "I am confident he will work tirelessly for expanded health care, fair taxes, economic opportunity and the progressive values I hold dear if he is elected. Let's support him in the primary and as our voice to beat Jack Bergman."
Following his presentation, Ferguson fielded some questions from the audience at the Friendraiser:
Dana Ferguson replies to audience questions on the economy and environment, infrastructure, communication, and voter turnout.
Mike Lahti of Hancock, former Democratic State representative for Michigan's 110th District, attended the Friendraiser as a supporter and expressed his endorsement of Dana Ferguson for the 1st District U.S. Congressional seat.*
"I think he's a straight-talking native of the U.P. who's concerned about the District having good-paying jobs and a good environment," Lahti told Keweenaw Now. "He would give us quality representation in Washington."
Mike Lahti, former Democratic State representative for the 110th District, and his wife, Sharon, both Hancock residents, attended the Feb. 21 Friendraiser for Dana Ferguson in the Orpheum Theater. Seated behind them are Ami Wisti, left in background, former aide for former 1st District Democratic Congressman Bart Stupak, and Ruth Wisti. Judge Mark Wisti (Amy's husband and Ruth's son) is recovering from surgery.
Following the question session, the Cheap Therapy band provided lively dance music for the remainder of the evening.
Cheap Therapy musicians play a variety of popular songs and dance tunes during the Feb. 21 Friendraiser for Dana Ferguson. Both bands, Thimbleberry and Cheap Therapy, volunteered their performances for the event.
Tom Collins, second from left in the photo above, a member of the Cheap Therapy band and a Calumet resident, was enthusiastic about Ferguson.
"Dana is coming from his heart and Upper Peninsula life experience," Collins said. "He is a good choice to represent us in the US Congress!"
Linda Rulison, Houghton County resident, who attended the Friendraiser with her husband, Dave, commented on the success of the event.
"Dana's event at the Orpheum was both fun and informative," Linda Rulison noted. "The turn out and support for him was overwhelming. We got to hear not only Dana's personal story that has brought him to this point but also what he wants to accomplish for Northern Michigan and the U.P. He is a U.P. native who lives here, raised his family here -- and he understands what it means to be a Michigander, unlike our current U.S. representative in Congress."
Hancock resident Linda Belote was very impressed with Ferguson and his values.
"I was so pleased to meet Dana Ferguson and to have a chance to explore his views," Belote said. "He is a thoughtful, caring person who does not dodge hard questions but gives straight answers in a strong but humble manner. It was so refreshing to hear him talk about things I care about. I am hopeful we can replace President Trump's 'yes-man' Jack Bergman with a person who will genuinely represent us, his constituents, and will vote for women's rights, and work to protect our precious environment for the benefit of generations to come."
On his Web site, Ferguson has expressed how growing up in the UP shaped his values.
"This is where I learned what is important to me," he writes. "It’s where I learned my work ethic, my love of nature, and my respect and appreciation for a simple life."
Ferguson also notes his campaign does not accept corporate or PAC money.
* Editor's Note: While individual Democrats have endorsed Dana Ferguson in his campaign for Congress, the Houghton County Democratic Party does not officially endorse a candidate until after the Primary Election of Aug. 4, 2020.
Consistent with the CDC recommendation, Michigan Tech is issuing a University-wide travel restriction for the entire country of South Korea. The restriction applies to faculty, staff, and students. If you have essential travel to China scheduled, please contact the Office of General Counsel at 487-2318.
At this point in time the CDC lists both China and South Korea as Warning Level 3. The University is still restricting travel to the entire country of China. Previous communication regarding travel restrictions to China was issued on Jan. 31.
The University administration continues to monitor the situation for developments and will update the campus community as necessary. For Michigan-specific information on the coronavirus, please visit the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services webpage.
More information -- including a Feb. 26 email to Michigan Tech students, staff and faculty from Scott Wendt, Michigan Tech manager of Health and Safety, Environmental Health and Safety -- and all Michigan Tech University updates are available here.
LANSING -- Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) today warned Michigan residents to watch for scams related to the coronavirus disease 2019. These scams include websites selling fake products, and fabricated emails, texts and social media posts used to steal money and personal information.
The emails and posts may be promoting awareness and prevention tips along with phony information about cases in residents’ neighborhoods. They may also ask for donations to victims, provide advice on unproven treatments or contain damaging attachments.
"While the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 is real, there have been no confirmed cases in Michigan," said Nessel. "Do NOT fall for these scams. In fact, this is the perfect example of criminals preying on people’s fears. Don’t give a single piece of personal information to anyone reaching out to you regarding coronavirus."
The Federal Trade Commission has offered the following tips to help you avoid these scammers:
Don’t click on links from sources you don’t know;
Watch for emails claiming to be from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or experts saying they have information about the virus;
Ignore online offers for vaccinations; and
Be alert to "investment opportunities."
"While the current risk of COVID-19 in the United States is low, we are working with our local and federal partners to make sure our public health system is prepared," said Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, chief medical executive and chief deputy for health at MDHHS. "The best way Michiganders can stay healthy is to wash their hands often with soap and water, cover their coughs and sneezes, stay away from people who are sick and stay home if they are not feeling well. For accurate, up-to-date information, visit the CDC’s website or the MDHHS’ webpage."
Regardless of who they claim to be, people who text or email asking for personal or financial information should be treated as potential thieves who may be trying to steal someone’s identity. Resist their believable scenarios and confirm the identity of a contact by independently speaking with the identified source. Do NOT provide any personal information to people who call or email seeking it. Remember, identity thieves are crafty, and they may attempt to contact people numerous times using various aliases.
For more information and tips, please read this Consumer Alert from the FTC.
Consumers are encouraged to file consumer complaints online with the Michigan Department of Attorney General or call 877-765-8388.
Inset photo: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. (Photo courtesy michigan.gov)
The UP Energy Task Force holds a meeting on Sept. 20, 2019, at Finlandia's Jutila Center. Representatives of Plains Mainstream Canada, Enbridge, and SEMCO Energy Gas Co. gave presentations at this meeting on their companies’ roles in supplying propane and natural gas to the U.P. Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) took public comments. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)*
HOUGHTON -- On Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, come to the Portage Lake District Library from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. to learn about and discuss the work of the UP Energy Task Force. Members of the Task Force will give an overview of the UP energy system and an update on the first phase of the UP Energy Task Force on propane supply.
This meeting is an informal session, open to the public. No one will be speaking on behalf of the Task Force. It is an opportunity to learn and discuss.
The UP Energy Task Force was created by Michigan Governor Whitmer's Executive Order No. 2019-14. Its opening statement reads:
"The residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula ("UP") deserve an energy supply that is affordable, secure, and environmentally sound. Today, however, they face significant challenges in these respects. For several reasons, including the region’s expansive geographic reach and low population density, the UP has struggled with energy affordability and infrastructure development, and parts of the UP have some of the highest electricity rates in the nation. These prices, coupled with relatively high poverty rates in certain areas, have resulted in UP residents paying a disproportionate amount of their monthly income on energy costs."
The charge to the Task Force according to section 2(a) of the Executive Order is to:
• Assess the UP’s overall energy needs and how they are currently being met.
• Formulate alternative solutions for meeting the UP’s energy needs, with a focus on security, reliability, affordability, and environmental soundness. This shall include, but is not limited to, alternative means to supply the energy sources currently used by UP residents, and alternatives to those energy sources.
• Identify and evaluate potential changes that could occur to energy supply and distribution in the UP; the economic, environmental, and other impacts of such changes; and the alternatives for meeting the UP’s energy needs in response to such changes.
The Task Force is directed to complete its final report in two stages. First, the Task Force is required to submit a propane plan to the Governor by March 31, 2020, focused on alternative means to supply propane to the UP consistent with section 2(a) of the Executive Order. The Task Force is required to submit the remainder of its report, by March 31, 2021.
Send your comments regarding the work of the UP Energy Task Force to: EGLE-UPEnergy@Michigan.gov Comments submitted via this email address will be shared with all UP Energy Task Force members. Comments submitted will become part of the public record and subject to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.**
Editor's Notes: * Click here to see the minutes from the Sept. 20, 2019, UP Energy Task Force meeting in Hancock.
** Visit EGLE's UP Energy Task Force page to learn about their work and find links to meeting agendas, minutes and presentations.
HANCOCK -- Join supporters and friends in support of Dana Ferguson, Michigan 1st District Democratic Candidate for US Congress, at the Friendraiser beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at the Orpheum Theater/Studio Pizza, 426 Quincy St. in Hancock. This is a great way to enjoy some live music and complimentary pizza with fellow supporters!
Music will be provided by the Thimbleberry Band from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and by Cheap Therapy from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. Bring your dancing shoes and dance for Dana!
Michigan 1st District Congressional Candidate Dana Ferguson addresses Houghton County Democrats at their Feb. 5, 2020, monthly meeting at the Super 8 in Houghton. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
"Dana is a lifelong resident of the 1st District," says Valorie Troesch of Dollar Bay. "He knows the everyday struggles that people in this district face because he has lived those same struggles. It is time for the people of the 1st District to have a Representative in Congress who is one of us, who will stand up for us, and who will be a voice for those who are too often voiceless. This is why I support Dana and why I’m asking you to help by coming to this fundraiser at the Orpheum on February 21st or, if you can’t make it, by supporting his campaign in any way you can."
Ticket donations are $25 Single, $100 Family, $250 Supporter, $500 Host, and $1000 Partner.
HOUGHTON -- Michigan Tech’s Rozsa Center and Department of Visual and Performing Arts are pleased to present a family-friendly event of music, poetry, storytelling, puppetry and more on Saturday, Feb. 15.
At 7:30 p.m. the Superior Wind Symphony will perform a concert of original Latin American music by celebrated Guatemalan composer Raúl López Colibrí. The compositions are arranged by Michigan Tech's Director of Bands Mike Christianson with children’s choir direction by Dr. Amanda Plummer.
In a pre-concert "fiesta party" at 6:15 p.m. local poet, formerly of Guatemala, Hugo Gordillo will present Fiesta, his collection of children’s poetry on which the music was based. The party is hosted by Hugo Gordillo and Christ Alquist, with crafts, storytelling, and more fun, in the Rozsa lobby -- making this truly an event for the whole family. Poems and children’s stories will be read in both Spanish and English, and the entire evening will be the culmination of work by poets, Spanish language professors, theatre and fine art professors, and local and Guatemalan poets, writers, artists, musicians, and students.
Hugo Gordillo says, "All of the happiness of the world fits in a small party for children. (Toda la felicidad del mundo cabe en una pequeña fiesta para niños.)"
International collaborators include Raúl López Colibrí, Mike Christianson, Hugo Gordillo, Lisa Gordillo, Patricia Helsel, Christopher Plummer, Amanda Plummer, Leyre Alegre, and the Superior Wind Symphony. In addition Patricia Helsel will present a live shadow-puppet performance during the concert.
Winter Carnival visitors inspect the first place overall winner in the month-long snow statue competition, "Dongson Fishing Village," by the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity in Hancock. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
By Mark Wilcox* Posted Feb. 6, 2020, in Michigan Tech News Reprinted here with permission.
HANCOCK - HOUGHTON -- The winners have been announced in the Snow Statue Competition at Michigan Technological University’s Winter Carnival. This year’s theme is "Discover What Shines from Prehistoric Times."
For the third time in the past four years, Phi Kappa Tau was the overall winner of the month-long snow statue competition. Their statue, "Dongson Fishing Village," is located outside of the fraternity house in Hancock.
Details, including ice sculptures, from Phi KappaTau's winning snow statue, "Dongson Fishing Village," in Hancock. (Photo by Keweenaw Now)
There were three divisions in the month-long competition -- men, women and co-ed. Prizes were awarded to the top three statues in each division. The top three scores among all the statues were placed in the overall month-long category.
Second place in the overall division went to Tau Kappa Epsilon for their statue titled "Stone Age." Third place went to the co-ed team of Sigma Tau Gamma and Alpha Gamma Delta for "Wooly Mammoth Surrounded by Saber Tooth Tigers."
Phi Kappa Tau and Tau Kappa Epsilon placed one-two respectively in the Men’s Division. Third place was Delta Sigma Phi for "Dinosaurs."
The Sigma Tau Gamma and Alpha Gamma Delta team captured first place in the Co-Ed Division, followed by Sigma Phi Epsilon and Delta Phi Epsilon for "Caveman Around a Fire with Tools, Crafts and Cave Paintings," while third place went to Delta Zeta and Triangle for "Ice Age."
Alpha Sigma Tau was the lone entry in the Women’s Division with "Jurassic Park."
In the all-nighter statue competition, St. Albert the Great University Parish captured their fourth-straight overall victory as well as winning the Co-ed Division. Second place overall and in Co-ed went to Pavlis Honors College for "Dig Site of Dinosaur Bones." Lutheran Campus Ministry ELCA took third place in both divisions with "The Golden Ratio."
In the Men's Division, the Society of American Foresters took first place with "Lake Sturgeon," followed by the Society of African American Men for "Dino Egg," and Mama's Boys (East McNair 4th Floor) finished third with "Dig Site."
The Society of Women Engineers won the Women's Division category for the statue "Cave."
For the complete list of Winter Carnival statues, and more photos, visit the Carnival web page.
*Author Mark Wilcox is a News Writer, Michigan Tech University Marketing and Communications.
The scenic Menominee River, not far from the proposed Back 40 mining project site. (Keweenaw Now file photo)
LANSING, Mich.; KASHENA, Wis. -- In its efforts to protect the Menominee River from the dangers of Acid Mine Drainage and to save sacred cultural sites near the river from being destroyed, the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin (MITW) is still pushing back against a federal and state permitting process that ignores their concerns about Aquila Resources' proposed open-pit sulfide mine threatening both Wisconsin and Michigan, the two states bordering the river.
On Monday, Jan. 27, 2020, the US 7th Circuit Court of Appeals (for the Eastern District of Wisconsin) rejected the Tribe's appeal challenging the federal government’s decision to delegate to the State of Michigan primary authority over Aquila's wetlands (dredge-and-fill) permit, on a bi-state waterway.
The Court's opinion is based on the fact that, in 1984, Michigan was allowed authority to regulate wetlands under Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act.* This means that the former Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), was allowed to issue Aquila a wetlands permit that affects the Menominee River, which forms the border between the two states, and the Menominee Tribe's burial grounds, ancient agricultural sites and ceremonial sites -- some of which have already been deemed eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places -- located in Michigan near the proposed site for the Back 40 Mine.
This
ancestral burial mound is one of the Menominee sacred archaeological
sites located very near the Menominee River and near the proposed site
for the Back 40 mine on the Michigan side of the river. (Keweenaw Now file photo.)
In their Jan. 27 ruling denying the Tribe's appeal of a previous ruling by a lower, district court, the judges of the 7th Circuit Court even admitted that the Tribe, who had written to both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers with their concerns about the injustice of Michigan's authority over this permit, had been given the "runaround" by the federal agencies.
The 7th Circuit Court states, "The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s sincere efforts to protect its cultural heritage ran into a legal labyrinth and regulatory misdirection. Had the federal agencies provided a meaningful response to the Tribe’s concerns, perhaps this suit could have been avoided. But in light of the regulatory scheme that we cannot change, the resolution of this case is clear. We cannot review the agency action here. In these circumstances, the Tribe is left to pursue its challenge in the Michigan administrative system and state courts. And we are left to AFFIRM the judgment of the district court."
According to Al Gedicks, professor emeritus of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and executive secretary of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, "The court recognized but failed to correct the environmental injustice of the EPA's failure to provide for tribal consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)."
On the following day, Jan. 28, the Menominee Tribe issued a press release stating their objections to the Circuit Court's ruling. The Tribe claimed their appeal asked the Court to require the federal agencies to assume primary control over the wetland permit and permitting process from the State of Michigan and to require consultation with the Tribe under the National Historic Preservation Act regardless of which government entity issues the permit.
"This permit affects so many people, interests and the environment, especially sites critical to the Tribe’s culture and history," said Chairman Douglas Cox, Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. "Due to the vast negative impact this permit will have, it is important that the process follow the intentions of the Clean Water Act and not be controlled only by the State of Michigan. The Tribe’s interests are not fully protected by pursuing a futile petition to the agencies or by being forced into a state process where federal laws, meant to protect the Tribe, will not be applied."**
Cox added, in a conversation with Keweenaw Now on Jan. 31, that the Circuit Court's decision does not affect the Tribe's continued efforts to challenge the wetlands permit, now under the successor of the MDEQ, Michigan's Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).
"We're still fighting in the Michigan court through the contested case on the wetlands permit," Cox said.
Concerning the Circuit Court ruling, Janette Brimmer, an Earthjustice attorney representing the Menominee Tribe in their litigation on the wetlands permit, said, "At least they recognized that the Tribe 'got the runaround' from agencies, and we agree with that statement."
Brimmer told Keweenaw Now this week that the Tribe has submitted briefs to the adminstrative law judge in the Michigan contested case against the wetlands permit. This is a joint contested case that includes, with the Tribe, the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River and adjacent landowner Tom Boerner.
"We plan to pursue the same jurisdictional argument -- that the Army Corps should be in charge of the wetlands permitting process," Brimmer said. "Earthjustice is still working with the Tribe to explore their options. We're not giving up."
Menominee Tribe origins, water quality tied to river
In an Aug. 30, 2019, letter to the Eagle Herald of Marinette, Wis., Menominee Tribe Chairman Cox described why the risk this mine poses to cultural resources and the environment is too great:
"The mouth of the Menominee River is the place where the
Menominee originated as a people. We remain inextricably tied to the
river, and to our ancestral land along the river. Sacred mounds, burial
sites, dance rings, and raised agricultural beds grace the landscape as a
testament to our presence even today. These irreplaceable cultural
resources are located at and nearby the proposed mine site, and are
eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places.
There is no other site like it in the entire State of Michigan."
This photo of the Menominee River was taken near prehistoric agricultural sites located on State of Michigan land near the proposed mine site. Archaeologists have estimated gardens were planted here between 1100 and 1300 A.D. (Keweenaw Now file photo)
Cox added, "Aquila’s
plan to construct an open-pit sulfide mine just 150 feet from the east
bank of the Menominee River in Lake Township, Michigan, would entail
digging a massive hole, to extract gold, zinc and copper from sulfide
ore using cyanide at the mine site. The company is openly contemplating
potential future expansion of the project. It is all but certain that
the Back Forty Mine will result in long-term water quality
contamination. Once abandoned, sulfide mines like this invariably
release toxic pollution and leave the local people with the aftermath --
contaminated water, dead wildlife and the financial costs of cleanup."
Cox has also spoken out at public hearings on Aquila's other state permits for the Back 40. In his statement at EGLE's June 25, 2019, consolidated public hearing on
three of the permit applications (the amended Part 632 mining permit,
the air permit and the dam safety permit), Cox asked EGLE to withdraw
all the Back 40 permits because of the project's potential to destroy
cultural sites and the environment.
Dawn Wilber, Menominee tribal member who joined Menominee tribal members
Wayne Swett and Jwin Zillier in a 48-mile canoe trip on the Menominee
River last July to call attention to opposition to the Back 40, told
Keweenaw Now this week that she was disappointed in the Jan. 27 Circuit Court decision.
"I don’t understand why," Wilber said. "The Federal government is not holding up their end (of the Treaties). They need to be held to it just as the Native community is. We are not giving up."
After their arrival in Marinette, Wis., on the fourth day of their canoe trip on the Menominee River last July, Menominee tribal members Dawn Wilber, right, Wayne Swett and Jwin Zillier pause for a photo with Big Bear, whose statue, a replica of the original statue on the Menominee Reservation, marks the spot where the Menominee were supposed to have originated from a bear that climbed out of the river. (File photo courtesy Wayne Swett)***
When EGLE approved the Amended Part 632 Mining Permit and the Modified
Air Quality Permit on Dec. 12, 2019, Menominee tribal member Wayne
Swett, who shares his photos with Keweenaw Now, commented, "As
far as the permit thing goes, it's a small setback. But each permit has
pages of conditions that have to be met and it will take time and money
for Aquila to meet those conditions along with all these court cases
pending."
Adjacent landowner Tom Boerner, who is involved in three contested cases against permits issued to Aquila by EGLE, has 380 acres of woodlands,
wetlands and streams and over one mile of Menominee River frontage near
the mine site. The 64-year-old Boerner says he and his family have interacted with persons
from the Menominee Nation for over 100 years.
"In my lifetime I
have witnessed the effects of atrocities committed against the Menominee
Tribe as their burial mounds that cover the area have all been violated
by persons from the State of Michigan, including Northern Michigan
University," Boerner told Keweenaw Now. "Remains, including skeletons,
were exhumed and put on display. Many of the raised garden beds have
been plowed over. Thousands of years of history have been wiped out and
what remains is under attack by persons who are not only willing to
destroy the history of the area, but must hate Native Americans and
First Persons so much that they want to wipe out the last surviving
physical history of an entire people."
Boerner added, "I believe
non-native Americans tend to discount the fact that the Menominee Tribe
has a creation story that is tied to the specific mining site along the
Menominee River and is linked to the Sturgeon in the River as well. The
Menominee Indian Tribe's creation story is as valid and meaningful to
them as the Garden of Eden is to a Christian."
Other Back 40 permits
EGLE issued a new air permit and an updated Part 632 mining permit to Aquila Resources for its proposed Back Forty mining project on Dec. 12, 2019.
The Modified Air Permit to Install (PTI), issued by EGLE's Air Quality
Division, reflects public comment on the proposed project and
changes to Aquila’s mining plan. This Permit is now in a contested case initiated by landowner Tom Boerner.
The Amended Part 632 Mining Permit, issued by EGLE's Oil, Gas and
Minerals Division, is based on technical review of the amendment
application and public comment received during 2019. This Permit is now also in a contested case initiated by landowner Tom Boerner.
However, Earthjustice Attorney Gussie Lord, director of Tribal
Partnerships in the Earthjustice Rocky Mountain Office, who represents the Menominee Tribe for challenges to the Part 632 Mining Permit, said they received on Nov. 26, 2019 -- close to three years after filing the initial petition for a contested case on Aquila's 2016 Part 632 Mining Permit, a 2-page order issuing the final decision of the Environmental Permit Review Commission. The parties had sixty days from the date of the order to appeal the decision to circuit court.
"The three-member panel was made up of volunteer panelists appointed by former Governor Snyder," Lord explained. "We filed an appeal to the Environmental Permit Review Commission with the circuit court in Ingham County (Mich.) on Monday, Jan. 27, 2020."
Meanwhile, the Amended Part 632 Mining Permit for the Back 40 -- issued by EGLE on Dec. 12, 2019 -- has a deadline of Feb. 10, 2020, if any party aggrieved by the decision would like to seek a contested case before EGLE, that is, Administrative Law Judge Daniel Pulter. Whether or not the Menominee Tribe and Earthjustice will seek another contested case on this amended mining permit is not known at this time.
Aquila's plan for the Tailings Management Facility (TMF) as submitted to EGLE for the Amended Part 632 Mining Permit as of Nov. 8, 2019. Note proximity of open pit at left and TMF in center to Menominee River. Click on image for larger version. Click here for the document with presentation on the design.
Aquila informed EGLE on Dec. 12 that it would withdraw the
project’s dam safety permit application prior to a Dec. 31, 2019,
deadline so it could incorporate information determined to be relevant
during the review of the project’s contested wetlands permit. Aquila is expected
to resubmit a dam safety permit application in 2020, That new
application will restart the permit review process from the beginning,
including new opportunities for public review and comment -- including a
public hearing.
These permits, even when issued, are all subject to conditions before they can be considered "effective," or fully granted with all conditions satisfied. So far the only permit Aquila holds that is "effective" is the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, involving water discharge to the Menominee River. The other permits are still subject to conditions.
"The MITW has sought transparency in this process since the beginning," Lord told Keweenaw Now
recently. "Aquila has withdrawn its tailings dam safety permit
application so it can incorporate information determined to be relevant
from the other permits. We repeatedly asked that Aquila do the same
during the mining permit hearing, due to the overlap between the
wetlands permit and the amended mining permit, but it repeatedly
refused, wasting time, effort and resources of all of the parties and
the state agencies involved, as we argued about potential project
elements that had long been abandoned by the applicant."
Lord noted a common tactic during the permitting process is to break
up a project into smaller bites, to create the appearance of a lesser
environmental impact -- when, in fact, the project’s neighboring
ecosystem will have to bear the full impacts of the project.
"We believe the entire scope of the project should be analyzed as part
of the required cumulative impacts assessment, not just a bit at a
time," Lord said. "The Menominee people lived on the Menominee River for
10,000 years without ruining it. We should look to their example and
leadership in decisions on environmental sustainability. We all
understand the need for development, but we also need to know the real
costs. This proposed site is right next to the river, right upon
significant cultural and historic sites that are the last of their kind
left in Michigan. In addition, the Menominee River sustains the largest
breeding population of lake sturgeon on Lake Michigan -- impacts to that habitat
could imperil the future of a species that has been around since
dinosaurs walked the earth, and currently is being considered for
listing under the Endangered Species Act."
Adjacent landowner Tom Boerner offered his opinion of the contested cases against EGLE: "In the past 3 years I have spent countless hours researching documents, compiling exhibits, preparing and filing legal briefs and being in hearings in front of an administrative law judge. In the past 3 years there were 52 days of contested case hearings in front of a judge. Add this to the other costs for the taxpayers. For the people who don’t know this: The State of Michigan defends the actions of the Permit applicant. It is the Michigan taxpayer that provides -- free of charge -- lawyers from the Michigan Attorney General’s office who have vigorously defended Aquila Resources. This happens even when persons within EGLE Water Resources Division who reviewed Aquila’s permit application wrote in their 'finding of fact and conclusion of law': The project is not consistent with the permitting requirements of Part 303, Wetlands Protection and Aquila’s permit may not be issued under this Part as Aquila’s Part 303 Wetlands Permit application did not meet the standards under Part 303 law. Then add six (6) Aquila attorneys who have no regard for the facts -- only that they win and Aquila gets to have a mine of 1080 acres only 147 feet from the Menominee River that WILL pollute forever."
Professor Al Gedicks: Dam safety permit most significant
According to Al Gedicks, who has spoken out against the Back 40 project on several occasions, the dam safety permit could end up as a catastrophe waiting to happen.
The dam safety permit is most significant, Gedicks says, since,
despite extensions, Aquila was not able to meet the Dec. 31 deadline and
must start that permit process again in 2020. He offers detailed
information on the problems with Aquila's design in an article titled
"Proposed Mine a Ticking Time Bomb," published on Dec. 13, 2019, in
urbanmilwaukee.com.
"After a catastrophic mine
tailings dam collapse in Brumadinho, Brazil, killed 270 people in
January of 2019 Brazil not only banned that design for future mines, but
mandated that every existing mine tailings dam of that design be
decommissioned. The dam collapse was the world’s deadliest in more than
50 years," Gedicks writes. "Shock waves from the collapse
of the Brazilian tailings dam continue to affect global investors and
industry associations. Yet Michigan regulators gave the design that
Brazil banned preliminary approval."****
Aquila is not authorized to begin construction of the mine and will not
be able to proceed until all permits, including the dam safety permit,
have been approved by EGLE.
Environmental, community groups protest Back 40 project
In addition to the Menominee Tribe, several water protector groups of local residents in both Michigan and Wisconsin have been protesting the proposed Back 40 mining project for several years. The Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, which includes leaders of several of these groups, has joined with the Menominee Tribe in a joint contested case against EGLE on the wetlands permit, along with Tom Boerner, adjacent landowner.
Following the Jan. 27 Circuit Court of Appeals ruling against the Menominee Tribe's federal case, Dale Burie, Coalition president, stated they agreed that the Court's decision makes clear that the 1984 federal decision to give the State of Michigan wetland regulatory authority should not be the final word on jurisdiction over the Back Forty permit application. They also agree that the Tribe got the "runaround" from federal agencies.
"The proposed Back Forty mine would affect citizens from multiple states and a sovereign nation -- this is not a decision that should be made by one state's agency, and we look forward to our rights under federal law being vindicated," Burie said. "The legal actions will continue."
The Coalition's own federal case, dismissed in the district court as was the Menominee Tribe's case, is still in litigation. The combined state contested case against EGLE's wetland permit (for which final briefs were submitted this past week) will not be decided until March or late April 2020.
Lea Jane Burie, Coalition secretary, said, "It makes no sense to put a metallic sulfide mine 150 feet from the Menominee River that feeds into Green Bay, Lake Michigan, the Great Lakes -- and affects water quality for 40 million people."
Lea Jane told Keweenaw Now she and her husband, Dale, co-founders of the Coalition, put in 12 hours a day working to fight the Back 40 Mine -- attending meetings, doing research, organizing events, communicating with the member group leaders and more.
"We're fighting the fact that Michigan was given the authority over a boundary water for two states," she said. "We're not giving up, and we're not backing down. We're in it for the long haul."*****
Water protector groups participate in community events
Besides speaking out at public hearings, local Michigan and Wisconsin residents opposed to the Back 40 mining project join parades and other community events and hold bridge walks and regular street protests -- displaying signs about their concerns for the environment, especially the river.
Despite recent cold weather, on Jan. 4, a group of residents concerned about the river did a Bridge Walk, sponsored by the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, across the Menominee River on a bridge connecting the two states.
Last summer concerned community members and their families participated in local celebration of logging heritage in order to spread the word about the need to protect the Menominee River:
Tina Lesperance, who dressed as Wally the Water Drop in the above video of the parade, says of Aquila Resources, "All I know is that we will keep fighting them until they leave. They will NEVER have a social license to operate!"
Wally the Water Drop, one of the Coalition's mascots, helps convey concerns for the Menominee River. (Photo courtesy Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River)
José the Blue Heron is another symbolic water protector mascot who appeared in community parades. He was donated by a Milwaukee artist. (Photo courtesy Save the Menominee River)
Mary Hansen, who participates in many of the community actions against
the mine, said, "We walk to save our river not only for
us but for the children to come. We walk to to save our river for the
animals, the fish that swim and for the winged ones.We walk to save our
river for the trees, the plants the flowers and for our wild rice. We
walk because we are stewards of our land, we are the water protectors."
Andi Rich commented on her photo above for Keweenaw Now: "I participate in these protests because I think it's important to show our opposition in a meaningful and visible way," Rich said. "That area near the bay is beautiful -- we always have amazing sunsets over the church, the view of downtown Menominee on 10th Ave. is a beautiful backdrop, and the people who show up are always so much fun. We share information with unknowing patrons (who are usually grateful for the info). They often do a 180 and find another place to go. We get to make the pro-miners have to justify why they think it's ok to poison people for money, and we laugh. Man do we laugh."******
Notes:
* In 1984, Michigan received authorization from the federal government to administer Section 404 of the federal Clean Water Act in most areas of the state. A state administered 404 program must be consistent with the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act and associated regulations set forth in the Section 404(b)(1) guidelines. Whereas in other states, where an applicant must apply to the U.S. Corps of Engineers and a state agency for wetland permits, applicants in Michigan generally submit only one wetland permit application to EGLE. New Jersey also has a similar exemption. Click here for details.
Mahler Resurrection Symphony: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 18, at Rozsa
This will be the first time Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony has ever been performed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It includes possibly the greatest number of performers that have ever graced the Rozsa stage. See article in our main column or click on poster above.
Declaration of Menominee County (MI) State of Emergency
On Tuesday, April 14, 2026, Larry Phelps, Menominee County Board of Commissioners chairman, declared a state of emergency due to sustained widespread and severe damage to public infrastructure caused by severe flooding in Menominee County. Numerous roads and stream crossings in the county have been severely damaged or destroyed, and conditions are expected to worsen over the next 24-48 hours posing an additional severe and imminent threat to public and private infrastructure. The National Weather Service is forecasting the Menominee River to continue to rise to its record crest of 20 feet (last reached in May 1960) by early Thursday afternoon. Flood stage of the Menominee River is 15 feet. Click on photo above to read more. The Menominee County Road Commission says minor to moderate flooding is expected over the next seven days, with rivers projected to crest mid-week. Several roadways are already impacted, with some experiencing significant washouts and closures. (Photo courtesy Menominee County Road Commission)
Indigenous Artists, Telling Stories is new exhibit in Kerredge Gallery CCCAC
Indigenous Artists, Telling Stories is on display through May 2, 2026, in the Kerredge Gallery, Copper Country Community Arts Center (CCCAC), 126 Quincy St., Hancock. Opening Reception: 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 9. The exhibit is a new display of drawings, paintings, comic books, beadwork, and regalia. Bryan Welsh, Jamie Brotherton and Journey Brotherton all have connections to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Their work is informed and deeply enmeshed in traditional ways and teachings. They share their stories through their art. Click on poster above for details on the artists. (Poster courtesy Copper Country Community Arts Center)
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.
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)
Stop EPA from rigging Clean Water Act: Comments due Feb.17
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new rules that would weaken state and tribal authority under the Clean Water Act, making it easier for oil pipeline companies to push risky projects like Line 5 and the tunnel through federal permitting, even when they threaten water quality. Right now, Michigan has the authority to deny federal permits if these projects would violate water quality standards. EPA’s proposed rule would
• Narrow what impacts states and tribes can consider
• Limit conditions that can be imposed on permits
• Speed approvals for massive infrastructure projects
• Undercut tribal sovereignty and treaty rights
Public comments on the new rules are due by Tuesday, Feb. 17. Oil and Water Don't Mix provides an easy way to make comments. Click on image above for their comment form. To learn more about the issue go to https://www.epa.gov/cwa-401/outreach-and-engagement
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.
