Word on the Street

Still no update on the tragic hit-and-run accident in Big Bay a few weeks ago that took the life of Robin Rahoi, the NMU dietician. Her body was found in the snow in the early morning of December 17.

The last we heard from the State Police shortly after the incident was that a suspect vehicle had been recovered. That's it.

I asked Detective Sergeant Paul Campbell if possible suspects had been interrogated. He wouldn't say; they've conducted many interviews.

Is the suspect (or suspects) local? Were there two people in the car? Are authorities trying to determine who was actually driving? Was Ms. Rahoi hit while she was walking on the road after her car broke down? Was she dragged a long distance by the suspect vehicle? These are all reports coming from residents in Big Bay but all are unconfirmed. Detective Sergeant Campbell wouldn't comment.

He did say the case is moving toward resolution, and an arrest or arrests would be made in a reasonable amount of time. What is "reasonable"? He wouldn't say whether that means weeks, months, or longer.
----------------------------------------------------

Some of us go to Florida for vacation. Others go to the Caribbean or Hawaii or Europe.

Or you can be like Bob and Peggy Lorinser who've been attracted to such getaways as Pakistan and South Korea....and up next, Baghdad. They might want to consider looking for a new travel agent.

Actually they're not vacationers. A couple of years ago, these longtime Marquette residents (he's a doctor, she's been a housewife and mother) decided to take an unconventional turn in their lives. They joined the Foreign Service of the State Department.

Why? A sense of service to the country, and a sense of adventure.

Damn, why do the rest of us suddenly feel so inadequate?

Their adventure continues in April when they leave the garden spot of South Korea (and the madman with the nuclear weapons to the north) for the resort town of Baghdad, which has been seething with conflict and violence for the last decade.

We wish them well at their new post. They make us proud.
---------------------------------------------------
Have you heard about "suspended coffee"?

It's something that was started on the Internet a while back, the latest iteration of pay-it-forward.

Coffee-buyers give coffee shops extra cash to pay for future customers who may be short on funds and want to come in out of the cold.

Sue Kensington, the owner of Hot Plates, loved the idea and pitched it to Theo McCracken of Dead River Coffee. He loved it. He's now set up a jar for "suspended coffee" cash. Last I checked it was full.

Kensington's pitching it to other merchants, as well.

Marquette's not exactly a magnet for the homeless and indigent in the winter, but McCracken says, yes, he does have customers who are struggling and would love to have a free, steaming cup of coffee.
--------------------------------------------------
An update on WJMN's plans to start a brand new news department in the Upper Peninsula:

The CBS station is now advertising in TVjobs.com for a news director-anchor to launch a news department early this year. Whether that means January, February or May, we don't know.

An executive with the station would only tell me that when they're ready to make that announcement, they'll do so publicly, with full details. Over the last couple of months, they've been talking to current and former TV6 employees about possible employment.

The TVjobs.com ad, by the way, mentions that WJMN's newscasts will run weeknights, in the early evening and late night. In other words, no morning newscasts and no weekends. At least to start.

When WJMN does launch, it'll join a threeway competition with TV6 (NBC) and TV10 (ABC). Marquette is a tiny TV market (180th out of 210) but apparently the guys with extra money in their pockets see enough promise here to make the investment.
-----------------------------------------------------

What's wrong with this picture?

Well, it's Teal Lake in Negaunee and the photo was taken on January 8th.

So?

So, there's not a single shanty out there. Apparently even the hardiest of ice fishermen don't find much pleasure outside when the wind chill is minus 15.

They're waiting for the big warm-up this weekend when the mercury soars to...uhh, freezing.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

WLUC staffers are still trying to digest the implications of the resignation of their news director on Friday.

Regena Robinson, who'd held the position for two and a half years, unexpectedly announced that she'd be leaving the job within two weeks. Later that morning, she told some employees that, in fact, she was leaving that very day. She cleared out her office on Saturday and she's now gone.

What happened? She'd only say that she resigned and she was moving on. To where, she wouldn't say, nor would she say whether she was staying in the TV news business.

The truth was, her tenure at WLUC had been marked by some dissension and a major rift in the newsroom. That's not all that uncommon in the TV news business, but Robinson's journalistic skills and management style never won her full respect among the veterans in the newsroom.

Who's going to be the next news director? Good question. Anchor Steve Asplund, who once held the ND job, would be a likely and welcome in-house candidate, but station CEO Rob Jamros and the new owners, Sinclair Broadcasting, may have other ideas.
-------------------------------------------------------

We're enjoying a respite from the frightful cold of the polar vortex of just a week ago but TV6 weather guru Karl Bohnak says don't put away your thermal underwear and knit caps just yet.

Things are setting up, he says, for a stretch of similarly frigid weather later this month or in early February.

How cold was last month here in the UP? The coldest December in a quarter century, a full seven degrees below average.

Long range forecasters are strongly suggesting that we could have a series of delayed springs in the years ahead--ie winters will last longer.

Bohnak says, yeah, there's a lot of winter left.

How about global warming? Does it figure into this at all? Bohnak doesn't buy it. He claims there's been no significant warming of the earth for the last two decades
----------------------------------------------------

So what's happening with the old Delft Theater in downtown, the one that's been vacant for a couple of years?

Tom Vear, who owns the building along with Donckers next door as well as other properties in town, has a plan.

For a dinner theater. With 250 seats, some in the balcony. Also a bar.

The idea would be to show movies--old classics, maybe new classics--on a huge screen while patrons are enjoying a first class meal and drinks.

Sounds a little off-the-wall, but off-the-wall can be good sometimes.

Vear, who's applied to the state for grant money, expects to present his plans to the City Commission later this month.
-------------------------------------------------------

A little bit of a hiccup at Sol Azteca, the new Mexican restaurant overlooking the Lower Harbor.

The restaurant doesn't have its liquor license yet and apparently some patrons were trying to take matters into their own hands. Literally.

They were arriving at the restaurant with their own alcohol and telling staff that it was fine--the patrons would provide their own liquor and the restaurant would provide the tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Hey, everybody does it here! A great deal all around.

Except, of course, for the fact that it's illegal.

The restaurant manager, who's from out of state, made a call to the city and got the true story.

Next thing you know, Sol Azteca posts a sign instructing customers to leave their booze at home.

Crowds are still big there, by the way. Is it just the honeymoon phase or is this the real deal?

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

If there's one issue that provokes anxiety among Marquette city officials, merchants and even residents, it's the future home of Marquette General Hospital.

Duke LifePoint officials, who are working with a site development company, were in town this week checking out potential locations. Reportedly there are about thirty possible sites, about a dozen of them within the city limits, and the remainder outside. A hospital campus would require forty acres or so.

Marquette wants to keep the hospital in town. Badly.

The hospital, with more than 2000 employees, represents a huge tax base for the city. It also provides major support for surrounding businesses. And, of course, an in-town location would likely (though not necessarily) be more convenient for most of the city's citizens.

As for Marquette Township, officials there are excited about the prospect of the hospital relocating there. They met with the LifePoint officials this week and specifically discussed two locations, one of which would be on the property for a proposed 70-90 million dollar, mixed-use development behind Lowes. The hospital would effectively be the anchor of that development if that's the direction LifePoint chose to go.

The decision will be made in Brentwood, Tennessee, the headquarters for LifePoint. When? Likely within three to six months.

City officials and Township officials are holding their breath.
--------------------------------------------------

There's gotta be something in the air. Like resignation fever.

Last week it was TV6 news director Regena Robinson unexpectedly bidding farewell to her staff. On Monday of this week, ABC10's news chief Cynthia Thompson did the same. Her last day is Friday.

She didn't say where she was going or what she would be doing next.

She did tell me she was staying in the U.P.--this is her home--and that on Monday, her first official day off, she'd probably be working out, getting her nails done and maybe taking down the Christmas tree. She seemed to be in uncommonly good spirits.

You could easily speculate that she might be taking the news director/anchor job at WJMN, the CBS affiliate that's aiming to launch a UP newscast in the first quarter of this year. If she is, she's not saying, nor is WJMN.

Who's Thompson's successor at ABC10? Nobody knows but whoever it is will face a daunting challenge.

ABC10 has long been underfunded and undermanned (though improving), while TV6 is a powerhouse in terms of staffing, resources and ratings, and WJMN will likely enter the competition with more-than-adequate funding and a determination to finally loosen TV6's longtime stranglehold on this TV market.
------------------------------------------------

Remember Eric Dompierre? He's the young man with Down Syndrome who inspired all of us in 2012 as a player on the state champion Ishpeming Hematite football team.

So what's he doing these days? Sitting around, playing video games and eating Cheetos while dreaming of the glory days?

Not really. He's continuing his education in Transitions 2 at MARESA, a program that teaches special needs individuals how to budget their money, how to cook and how to get jobs.

He's also interning at the Blood Center at Marquette General Hospital. He's about to start interning at Anytime Fitness in Harvey.

Oh, and he's also washing dishes at Wawonowin Country Club in Ishpeming, and he may work as a bag boy there again this summer.

He drives everywhere. He lifts weights. He plays in a weekly basketball league.

Yeah, sounds like we have a role model for our young people. Eric's inspiring story continues.
-----------------------------------------------------

The timing might seem a bit odd, given that the wind chill is hovering around ten degrees, but a new frozen yogurt shop is going in on the corner of Washington and Third Street.

It'll be called Yoop-Phoria. Self-serve yogurt. You select one of eight flavors, then you add any of more than 30 toppings, then you weigh it, and then you pay, based on the weight.

You can do it with cups or muffins and they'll also offer smoothies.

Sounds like fun. It's all the rage in other parts of the country, and is apparently succeeding even in cold weather towns. You can get your dose of Yoop-Phoria on or about April 1st, just about the time the ice starts breaking up in Lake Superior.

You got news? Email me at briancabell.com

A bizarre, sad and ugly story is unfolding at WLUC-TV.

Seems that prior to her abrupt resignation just over a week ago, news director Regena Robinson, who is African-American, received three racially charged letters signed by bogus names targeting her and other members of the news department.

Ugly, vile stuff.

Robinson turned the letters over to the State Police who have been investigating ever since.

The letters, which were written in cursive, apparently all came from the same person.

A lot of unanswered questions here. A lot of speculation as to who wrote the letters, as well.

Robinson, who's still in town, isn't commenting publicly. State Police visited her home a few days ago looking to get "elimination" fingerprints; in other words, Robinson's prints would be on the letters since she handled them, but were there any other prints?

WLUC so far has made no official comment on the case.
--------------------------------------------

A sad day, as well, for downtown Marquette. Farmer Q's, the little grocery store specializing in produce, announced that it's closing down.

Two reasons for the shutdown. First, Tom Brian (he and his wife Susan are the owners) was offered another job in the fruit industry downstate. It's reportedly a great opportunity.

And second, the last several months for the store have been "painful," in the words of Ms. Brian.

Farmer Q's, which sells produce grown downstate, has been locked in a continuing, nasty battle with the Marquette Food Co-op and local farmers who don't want the downstate produce sold at the Marquette Farmers' Market.

The two sides exchanged charges and counter-charges, the Downtown Development Authority tried to mediate the dispute but without much success, and everybody emerged from the unseemly mess looking bruised and beaten.

Farmer Q's says it's had enough. It's shutting its doors within two weeks.
--------------------------------------------

With the impending closure of Penney's at the Westwood Mall later this year, the inevitable questions arise: Will another store move into the Penney's space? How will the new vacancy affect traffic at the mall? Is the overall viability of the mall threatened?

Let's be honest. The mall first opened back in the 70s and has been expanded a couple of times since then, but it's decidedly dated. It can't possibly complete with the huge, modern malls in Appleton, Green Bay and Detroit...and unfortunately that's where thousands of Yoopers end up doing their shopping.

On the other hand, even with several current vacancies, the mall is more than 90% occupied...at least it will be until Penney's departs. That's not bad.
And at least one more tenant is getting ready to move in.
Another point: You want to criticize the Westwood Mall? Go take a look at the malls in Houghton and Escanaba. By comparison, Westwood seems to be thriving.

A final point that could profoundly impact the future of the Westwood Mall:
The proposed mixed use development--retail, office, hotel, convention center and residential--behind Lowes is scheduled to start up within a couple of years. That will feature big, modern, upscale stores, the kind that have lured shoppers to Appleton, Green Bay and Detroit.

The kind that could eventually spell the end of the Westwood Mall.

The key words for the new development, though, are "proposed" and "scheduled." It's easy to draw up plans with pretty buildings while tossing around impressive dollar figures and getting everybody excited. It's much tougher to bring those plans to reality.

Anybody remember the grandiose plans for the ore dock--the high priced condos, the retail stores, the scenic promenade? How's that working out so far?
----------------------------------------------------

Speaking of closures (seems to be a theme here), it's now been fourteen months since the last function was held at Upfront, one of the premier properties in downtown Marquette.

The former dining, banquet and live music venue, a handsome building overlooking Lake Superior, just sits there silent and unused.

The official word from the office of owner Rhys Mussman is that the building is not for sale and that "something may be in the works" and someone may be interested in leasing the building.

A couple of words about that. Business people will tell you that virtually every business is always for sale...for the right price. And, something is always in the works.

Mussman, who has a vacation home in Big Bay and likes the U.P., won't provide any details about his or anybody else's plans for Upfront. He's simply holding on to the darkened, multi-million dollar building for now. No money coming in.

Wealthy people can afford to do things like that.

You got news? email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Bonanza Steakhouse, one of Marquette's most popular restaurants for the last couple of decades, is shutting down this weekend.

A manager at the restaurant Friday afternoon would only confirm that employees had been told Sunday would be their last day of work. Economic reasons brought about the shutdown.

The announcement comes on the heels of two other well-regarded businesses announcing last week that they, too, are shutting down--Penneys at the Westwood Mall and Farmer Q's downtown.

Two things seem clear. The economy here is still anything but robust. And operating any business is tough even when customers like your products and your service.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The UP 200, one of Marquette's signature events, is shrinking.

With three weeks before the sled dog race, only nine mushers have officially committed to it. Five others might join them, and race officials are searching for others.

Last year there were seventeen entrants. Just a few years ago, the numbers were in the high twenties and low thirties.

So what's happening?

For one, there's competition from races in Duluth, Newberry and the Keweenaw. For another, the prize money--$34,000 total for both the UP 200 and the Midnight Run--isn't turning many mushers' heads, though the money is comparable to other races, if not better.

Pat Torreano, who heads up the sled dog association here, points to a few other factors:

1) The economy. Sled dog racing is an expensive hobby. Tons of dog food, sometimes exorbitant vet bills. You might have noticed that very few hedge fund CEO's and Internet billionaires are into mushing.

2) Some of the veteran mushers are getting old. It's tough work to drive a dog team 250 miles through the snow and cold.

3) The younger mushers are more into "party racing." That's what Torreano calls it. Those are races run in stages, thirty or forty miles at a time, then you stop, rest for the night with great food and accommodations (maybe a drink or two), then get up, refreshed, the next morning for the next stage. That's a far cry from driving a team 125 miles through the snow and cold, then collapsing in exhaustion, only to get up and do it all over again.

The UP 200 may be at a crossroads. Even Torreano admits it may have to change.

She and Marquette city officials aren't panicking yet but they're concerned. The crowds still love the race (we can cheer and ring our cowbells for ten minutes, then duck inside for a cozy dinner), but the mushers not so much.

This year's UP 200 is February 14th, Valentine's Day.
----------------------------------------------------
The public announcement hasn't been made yet but Cynthia Thompson will be the new news director and 6 pm anchor for WJMN.

WJMN, a CBS affiliate, will launch its first ever newscasts in the UP within a couple of months.

Thompson recently resigned as ND and anchor at ABC 10 and a couple of decades ago, she anchored the news at WLUC. She knows the UP, she knows news, she's "old school" which means she cares more about actual news events and proper writing than she does about social media.

Whoa. Could be a trend.
--------------------------------------------------

The investigation into the racist letters received by TV 6 is still open, according to the State Police. Whether the letters actually contained specific threats against the former news director, Regena Robinson, and other members of her staff, is unclear. In any case, no arrests yet and no one's talking.

Meantime, the bigwigs from the station's new owner, the Sinclair Broadcast Group, were in town this week.

Of course, it was a rah-rah session, but many staffers came away impressed. Sinclair seems to genuinely care about news (though with a distinctly conservative bent) and it has plenty of experience running small market TV stations.

A new morning co-host, Sam Bauman, also made his debut alongside Vicky Crystal and Shawn Householder. Bauman's 23, out of Granville, Ohio, and a graduate of Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.

He's getting acclimated. He finds the weather cold and the people warm.

Yeah, that's just about right.
------------------------------------------------------
Buck Levasseur, the creator and star of Discovering, has had a tough couple of years.

Like debilitating back pain, four back surgeries, five months in a nursing home, loss of his job and loss of a lifestyle that he loved.

Well, he's still around and living at home in Skandia but now he uses a walker, a cane or one of those motorized chairs. Thirty-two years of lugging a thirty pound camera and a fifteen pound tripod through the wilds of the UP will do that to you.

You want to see him and thank him for his decades of bringing the great outdoors to us on TV? He'll be at the Marquette Regional History Center's fundraiser at Kaufman Auditorium on January 30th. Jack Deo will present a tribute to him.

You want to help Buck with his enormous medical bills? UP Whitetails Association is holding a raffle for him. Phenomenal prizes.

Buck's not really depressed, by the way. He misses his old life, but he's still got his memories and his friends. And they've all got stories that could take you well into the night.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Fallout continues in the wake of Farmer Q's closing up shop downtown.

The shutdown was precipitated, the owners say, by the persistent opposition to them by local farmers and the Marquette Food Co-op at the Farmers' Market.

Farmer Q's sold produce from downstate. Their fruit and vegetables were attractive and popular but they weren't technically "local." Foul, cried the local farmers. Unfair!

Well, they won. Farmer Q's has pulled up stakes and abandoned Marquette and the Farmer's Market.

Which means, according to one wag on Facebook, that we'll now have a scintillating selection of cucumbers, zucchinis and handmade soap to choose from at the Farmers' Market. A bit of an exaggeration, perhaps, but there's some truth to it.

Farmer Q's plentiful and colorful fruits and vegetables drew many of us to the market on Saturday mornings. Now, that draw will be gone, the crowds could very well shrink, and the market, which the Downtown Development Authority has turned into a remarkable success, could suffer in the short run.

The question that has to be asked: Who is supposed to benefit from the Farmers Market?

1) The local farmers, who are from outside the city and don't pay city taxes? They pay less than three dollars a day for a booth at the market.

2) The local merchants (like Farmer Q's) who do pay city taxes?

3) Or the customers, who reside mostly within the city?

The answer is probably all three but the emphasis should be on local merchants and customers. They're paying the taxes.

We all love local farms and local produce, but something got out of whack here. We needlessly lost a taxpaying vendor that many of us loved.

And then there's the case of Garden Bouquet, the downtown flower and art store that's noticed a big decline in sales on Saturdays when the Farmers Market is up and running. The store hasn't been able to get a booth yet so it finds itself paying taxes for a market (featuring out-of town-florists) that is actually hurting its business.

Ironic, frustrating, and yes, out of whack.
------------------------------------------------------

We're barely halfway through winter, and already Marquette Area Public Schools have used up eight snow days. They're allotted six for the year.

No reason to panic yet. Last year the district used ten snow days (Was the winter that bad?) and had to extend the school year by three days in June.

This year, the district might be able to squeeze in another school day or two during President's Day weekend in February or on Good Friday. The administration will talk to the union about that.

But otherwise, the school year will just be extended beyond the official last day of June 10th. More snow days to come? If so, just tack them on to the end and hold off on the family vacation.

The recent days off, of course, have been for "cold," not snow. If the National Weather Service predicts a wind chill of minus 25 degrees or colder at the bus stops, that's enough to cancel school, per administration policy. Fifteen minutes outside in that kind of cold can give Junior frostbite.

Better safe than sorry even if it means delaying summer vacation.
----------------------------------------------------------

Are you looking for a local business success?

Look no further than the Blackrocks Brewery. The brewery opened three years ago and quickly became a favorite among craft beer afficionados.

Then last September, it began mass producing its Coconut Brown, Grand Rabbits, 51K, and a specialty brew...and the beer was flying off the shelves.
Merchants couldn't keep it in stock.

That early fever has abated somewhat but demand is still outstripping supply. Blackrocks is now distributing to stores from Munising to Bessemer with the expectation that it'll be the entire U.P. within months, and then it's across the bridge to the Lower Peninsula.

The brewery recently acquired some new fermenters so production, which is now at about 20,000 cans a week, will increase to 30,000. Eventually, it expects to reach 50,000.

By the way, Blackrocks will release a new beer, unidentified so far, this summer.

The lesson here: Brew a good beer, market it properly, and people will drink it. By the case.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

What we have long feared is now just about upon us.

The Empire mine is closing. There are really no ifs, ands or buts about it. Barring a miracle, it's shutting down.

Cliffs' partnership with ArcelorMittal will end on December 31st which means there will be no more customers for Empire's pellets. The mining costs at Empire were just getting too expensive.

Of course, there will always be the doubters, deniers and skeptics--"Cliffs is just making idle threats!"--but the evidence is overwhelming.

Executives have been meeting with Empire workers for the last few weeks and the message has been simple and direct: prepare for the shutdown by the end of the year, and for many of you, prepare to lose your job. You'll get advance warning sometime during the year, but then you'll be out.

Seniority and job classification will determine who stays and who goes. Some of the Empire workers will shift over to the Tilden mine.

Executives have also been meeting weekly to plan for a smooth and painless shutdown. It won't be painless, but they're doing their best.

How many employees will lose their jobs? Management won't say and they're hoping for some early retirements, but 500 is probably a reasonable guess. Five hundred well-paid wage-earners is a lot for Marquette County. The west end will probably be particularly hard hit.

Cliffs is working with the Lake Superior Community Partnership and other agencies to aid in the transition. Not any easy task.

NMU economics guru Tawni Ferrarini says the county will be hard-hit in the short run but will recover because it's diversified its economy over the last decade.

Good for us. Not so good, unfortunately, for the hundreds of workers who may be forced to leave the area because they'll need to put food on the table for their families.
-----------------------------------------------------------

You might have noticed there was no new construction at the Founders Landing site this last year. A sign of problems?

No, according to the developers. They're just playing it conservatively. They want to make sure they have reservations on at least half of the units in a building before they start construction.

In fact, they have now sold all of the condos in the existing buildings (though at least one of the units is up for re-sale), and they have a couple of reservations for the next building, Gaines. The hope is, they'll start building Gaines this spring. After that, it'll be the final building in the development, Adams.

Prices on the condos--$300,000 to $800,000. A nice little tax infusion for the city of Marquette.

As for the office-retail-restaurant complex next to the Hampton Inn, construction won't start until an issue with the 240 space parking garage there has been resolved. The city and the developers are trying to deal with that.
------------------------------------------------

Marquette has a serious rooting interest in the upcoming Winter Olympics, and one woman, in particular, is a huge fan.

Shani Davis, the 31 year old speedskater who's already won two gold medals and two silvers, went to Marquette High School and NMU while he was training for the Olympics.

In a recent interview with MotorTrend.com, he gave a shout-out to Aoy, the owner of the Rice Paddy. She's a great friend who makes him great food, he said.

In fact, Shani and Aoy have known each other for more than a decade. She fed him well during his early years before he became an Olympic champion. He still comes up to visit once a year and stays with her and her husband, Greg Trick. He phones her throughout the year.

He considers her a second mother; she calls him "Brown Sugar."

Aoy says Shani is everything a mother would want her son to be--helpful bringing the groceries in, helpful in cleaning the house. And his Olympic fame? She says it hasn't changed him in the least. He's the same, sweet guy he's always been.

What's his favorite dish at the Rice Paddy? Anything she cooks.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

The Bureau of Light and Power has a few people scratching their heads.

Here's the background: Marquette has a fireworks committee charged with trying to fund the city's fireworks display every July 4th. It costs about $30,000. That's a lot of money for a small town, and there's no public funding for it.

That means concerned citizens have to go begging merchants and residents every year to cough up the money needed for the fireworks. It's a tough and tedious job.

Solution! Why not have BLP allow its customers to donate a dollar a month, or even five, to fund the fireworks? A check-off system, a voluntary tax.

Other municipalities do it downstate. It's simple, it's effective, and it eliminates the need for the yearly begging.

Well, the fireworks committee suggested this solution to the BLP board but the utility's executive director, Paul Kitti, responded that the board, without even a formal proposal in hand, had voted no to the idea. Just...no.

No reasons given.

Kitti hasn't responded to a couple of phone calls yet.

Meantime, some concerned citizens are suggesting that the BLP board elections later this year, which would normally draw yawns, may draw considerable interest...and some new candidates...this year.
---------------------------------------------------------
The back-and-forth p*ssing match between the local farmers and the backers of Farmer Q's continues unabated. It's a dispute that reflects poorly on both sides.

Jeff Hatfield of Seeds and Spores says he, for one, would have preferred that Farmer Q's stayed and continued its participation in the Farmers Market--if Farmer Q's had agreed not to sell downstate produce that competed directly with produce from the local area.

In other words, cherries and plums from downstate would have been fine at the market, but not carrots and lettuces that were also being grown by the locals.

Seems like it would have been a reasonable solution but because of strong--maybe unreasonable--personalities, it could never be worked out. Too many insults, too many threats, too much bad blood.

Ironically, both sides were convinced that the Downtown Development Authority, which runs the market, was against them.

Oh well. Farmer Q's is gone, along with their appealing bounty of downstate produce. It seems likely that the market crowds--which averaged more than 600 each Saturday--will diminish somewhat without that attraction.

Maybe someone else can step into the breach, with the downstate fruits and vegetables--but without the rancor.

Maybe we can stop the insults and anonymous emails. Maybe we can grow up.
-----------------------------------------------------

WJMN, the CBS TV affiliate, is moving ahead with its plans to start up a U.P. newscast.

It's found the site for its studio and offices in a strip mall at the corner of US 41 and Wright Street, just across from the Cenex station. It's leased three units at the mall and combining them into one.

Meantime, the station is seeking an anchor/reporter, a meteorologist, a sports anchor and an engineer, among others, to join news director and anchor Cynthia Thompson.

Station executives had said they wanted to launch the newscast in the first quarter of this year. Seems a little ambitious with only seven weeks to go, but we'll see how quickly they can put it together.
---------------------------------------------------------

If you're a wine drinker, you may have heard that the state legislature recently passed a "corkage fee" law which would allow you to bring your own bottle of wine into a restaurant. For a fee imposed by the restaurant.

The idea being, if you've got that special bottle of wine or champagne that you've been saving for that special birthday or anniversary, you can bring it to your favorite restaurant, and the restaurant would simply charge you a "corkage fee" to open it.

The fee might be $25, more or less.

It's a very civilized thing to do.

One problem: the bill was signed into law by the governor in late December but it doesn't take effect until March 14th. There are reports that at least one local restaurant jumped the gun on the law and has already started charging corkage fees for outside wines.

The Liquor Control Commission says that's grounds for a steep fine, or suspension or revocation of a liquor license.

It's probably best to wait until March 14th.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

It's been almost two months since the hit-and-run death of Robin Rahoi in Big Bay and still, no charges have been filed.

Family and friends of Ms. Rehoi, along with residents of Big Bay, are confused and dismayed by the delay. What's holding things up?

Michigan State Police refuse to saying anything publicly about the case but they do, in fact, have a suspect. They're awaiting results of forensic testing to firm up their case. After that, we can expect charges to be filed.

All along, police have known the principals involved in the case. Big Bay residents were able to tell them that both Ms. Rahoi and occupants of the suspect vehicle had attended a party in town that night.

Ms. Rahoi drove home first but her car broke down in the snow. She got out of the vehicle and was attempting to walk home apparently when she was struck by another vehicle also leaving the party.

Whoever hit her left her body in the snow and drove away.

It's horrible. It's distressing. Authorities are just making certain that when they do make an arrest, the case is airtight.
----------------------------------------------------------

It'll be two months, maybe three, before officials decide on a new location for Marquette General Hospital.

Thirty original site proposals are being whittled down to a handful.

Among the proposals? A site in Sawyer. That's certainly too far from Marquette. The same, in all likelihood, with the suggested site at the old airport behind TV6.

Marquette Township has offered up a couple of parcels (40 acres are needed for the new hospital) but there are concerns about locating a hospital in the township. Namely, infrastructure--water and sewer lines may not be adequate. And would the new hospital feel comfortable with a mostly volunteer fire department?

Which leads most who've studied the issue to believe that Duke LifePoint will likely keep the new MGH within city limits. The Cliffs Dow property (if it can be cleaned up) and the Roundhouse property are clearly in the running. A site out by the ski hill is another possible location.

And then there are those who are still stubbornly holding out hope that Duke LifePoint, after considering all the alternatives, will say, what the hell, let's just keep MGH in its current location and spend a couple hundred million dollars improving and expanding the facility.
--------------------------------------------------------

Westwood Mall, which is facing the discouraging closure of J.C. Penney in the next few months, may have some good news on the horizon. It's hoping to welcome a couple of new stores this year.

Famous Footwear is a definite. Construction is well underway and jobs will soon be available. It should open this spring.

Another store, featuring clothing, is a possibility. Negotiations haven't been completed yet.

Even together, of course, they wouldn't begin to make up for the loss of J.C. Penney, one of the longtime anchors at Westwood.

And then there's the case of Radio Shack which reportedly is going to shutter 500 of its stores nationwide. Could the outlet at Westwood Mall be a candidate? It'd be naïve to think otherwise. But let's hope not.

The fact that one, and maybe two, national chain stores are moving in, is a good sign that marketers still have some faith in a mall that--let's be honest--could certainly benefit from a facelift.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

The folks at WLUC have certainly shown their muscles in the last month.

Total page views on their website in January: 7.7 million. That's about 250,000 a day. Back in 2004, the same website was getting 250,000 a month.

A 30-fold increase in ten years. Yeah, that's pretty good growth.

A couple of caveats here: Last month's total exceeded the previous record by about three million, and it was inflated by the cold weather and the school cancellations.

But still.

How's that compare to the other major online news source in this region, the Mining Journal? Hard to tell, hard to find an apples-to-apples comparison, and the editor didn't return a call to discuss the issue.

But anybody who's observed the two websites recently can't help but conclude that WLUC's site is more robust and more current than the Mining Journal's. The Mining Journal's website sometimes goes unchanged for hours or even longer; you get the impression that someone's gone home and turned the lights out.

What the newspaper does have, on the other hand, is longer, more comprehensive, and frequently more insightful stories than the TV station's site. John Pepin, in particular, will give you stories with information you won't find anywhere else.

And when was the last time you read a genuine investigative piece on wluctv6.com? Go ahead, keep thinking. It'll take a while.

The bottom line, though, is this. WLUC is taking its web platform seriously; the Mining Journal, it seems, is not. The newspaper seems to regard its website as an inconvenient appendage to its core product, the actual "paper."

If you've studied the recent history of newspaper circulation and broadcast news ratings--in contrast to the explosive growth of online news consumption--you can't help but conclude that TV stations and newspapers need to massively redirect their resources to their online product soon, like yesterday.

If not, they're going to slowly slide into irrelevance and obsolescence. Ask yourself, how many of today's 20-year-olds are suddenly going to wake up when they're 30 or 40 and say, "Yeah, I think I'll order a subscription to the Mining Journal and have it delivered to my home at 2 in the afternoon! Great idea!"

None of them will. They'll be getting their news on their iPads, their cellphones and their laptops, or whatever new gadget the tech wizards have designed by then.

(Full disclosure: I was the news director at WLUC from 2004-2011.)
----------------------------------------------------

It's been a roller coaster week for our hometown mining company.

Maybe you haven't heard but there's been a hostile takeover attempt underway at Cliff's Natural Resources. Casablanca Capital, an activist hedge fund that owns about five percent of Cliffs, isn't happy with the company's performance, its dividends or its plans for the future.

In fact, Casablanca wants Cliffs to spin off its international businesses. It also nominated its own candidate for CEO who eventually lost to the company's candidate, Gary Halverson.

But the takeover attempt remains alive.

Meantime, Cliffs laid off 500 employees in Canada and cut its capital spending by $425 million. Sounds bad.

But then the company just reported that profits and revenues are up. That's good.

Then again, the stock price is still languishing around $23 a share. That's bad (especially for us stock wizards who jumped in at $78, $57 and $35 a share).

However, the price has been rising in recent days. That's good.

Halverson, the new CEO, will be in Marquette next month, to explain it all.
Suggested bullet points for his speech:
     "We've gone through some tough times."
     "We're turning it around."
     "The long term future looks good."
     "Oh, sorry about having to close the Empire mine."
-----------------------------------------------

If you're looking to sell your million dollar home in Marquette or the surrounding townships, good luck.

Appraiser Bruce Closser, who spends his time compiling such statistics, tells us no home here sold for over a million dollars last year. In fact, none sold for over $700,000.

Only about a dozen, he reports, sold for over $400,000.

Seems a little surprising. We get the impression sometimes that big money is discovering Marquette. Apparently, not yet.

That's not to say there aren't million dollar homes out there. They just haven't been listed by a realtor and sold for that amount in the last year.

Average price for a home here is $165,000 which is actually more than the average in Green Bay, Lansing and Detroit (where you can buy a home for a shiny nickel and a cup of coffee).

What lies ahead for the real estate market in Marquette? Slow but steady growth, between zero and six percent a year, according to Closser. You won't get rich in residential real estate here but you won't go broke, either.
-----------------------------------------------

If you missed it, last weekend was classic Marquette.

The 19th century met the 21st century, all within 24 hours. Sled dog racing with the UP 200 and the Midnight Run on Friday night, and then a snowboarding and skiing competition in the Downtown Showdown Saturday evening. All in the heart of downtown.

A great show, a wonderful showcase for Marquette in the middle of winter. And yeah, it was cold, like 5 degrees, which kept the crowds down, but if you love winter and you love spectacles, you couldn't have found a better place on earth (except maybe for Sochi).

On Saturday, in an outside VIP bar at Range Bank, they were serving ice cold beer to scores of satisfied customers. Only in the U.P.

All the events were a tribute to the volunteers and merchants who spent countless hours and thousands of dollars making the weekend happen.

By the way, there's a good chance the Downtown Showdown will be extended an extra block next year, allowing the skiers and snowboarders to start their run at the Landmark Inn, and then turning left and finishing at the bottom of Washington Street.

More speed, more fun, and hopefully a few more degrees in temperature.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Don't be surprised if the biggest, most publicized issue in this year's City Commission election is marijuana. Namely, decriminalizing marijuana possession in the city of Marquette.

The newly formed group, Legalize MQT, is planning to run a slate of three candidates for the three open commission seats.

All three will favor making possession of 2.5 ounces of marijuana or less nothing more than a civil infraction with a fine of $100. Just a ticket, in other words. No court appearances, no community service, no probation, no criminal record, and of course, no jailing.

Attorney Brian Bloch, physician Curt Marder and recent NMU graduate Mike Marthaler are behind the move and Marthaler, in fact, will be one of the three candidates. The other two candidates (not Marder and Bloch) will likely be named in the next few days.

Legalize MQT, which raised almost $1000 in a fundraiser last week, will hold further events in the months ahead and will provide logistical support and mount a mailing campaign for its slate of candidates.

Legalize MQT tried to sell its agenda to the current City Commission in December but found no interest. That's what brought about the election campaign. The non-profit group is also looking to put a decriminalization referendum on the Marquette ballot in 2016.

Similar marijuana decriminalization laws are now in effect in other college towns--notably Ann Arbor and Madison.

Is Marquette, which prides itself on being progressive, ready for such a change? We shall see. What might be concerning is if the marijuana issue dominates the election campaign at the expense of other, more substantive issues.
-------------------------------------------------------

Yeah, they tell us that all the confusion and incompetence that accompanied the rollout of Obamacare has been ironed out.

Well, there's still confusion and inexplicable disparities among locals.

Case number one, a 60 year old Marquette woman who just signed up for coverage. She'd previously been covered by her husband's employer, but her husband just turned 65 and is now covered by Medicare. She went to an insurance agent (at City Insurance) and found a policy for herself with a $338 monthly premium and a $4000 deductible.

She's thrilled, loves her policy. Not only that but her son got essentially the same policy for less than half the price, and after subsidies, will be paying less than $100 a month. He's thrilled, too.

Case number two, a retired Big Bay couple, both around 60. They're not so thrilled.

They previously had a policy with a $415 monthly premium and a $5000 deductible (for the two of them) but were told, with the advent of Obamacare, their new policy would now carry an $897 monthly premium and an $11,700 deductible. Yikes.

They're not so happy and don't understand why they're paying for maternity coverage.

Turns out, with all the rollout problems, they got a one year reprieve on their Obamacare coverage. Still, they're wondering, why were they assigned such a huge increase? And why can't they choose the kind of coverage they want?

The disparity in cost and coverage does seem strange and needlessly confusing since they're all Michigan residents, and all the same age.

Best advice: Go to a local insurance agent and have her/him explain it and sign you up. No fuss, no muss, no extra cost, no pulling your hair out.
---------------------------------------------------------
Vision, determination and drive. That's a pretty good way to describe Nheena Weyer Ittner.

She's the lady who brought us the Upper Peninsula Children's Museum.

And now, eight years after the idea was born, she's brought us (with the help of Stu Bradley, Brad Jackson and a bunch of kids) the Marquette Skate Park.

She and the others had to go out and find $300,000 from the city, foundations, companies and individuals for the park. It wasn't necessarily the most popular cause in town--skateboarding teenagers with trousers hanging down around their knees generally don't win a lot of sympathy from older folks.

But Nheena and the others managed to track down the money and got the park built. All because of vision, determination and drive.

Seems they're still about $30,000 short, due to change orders and unexpected last minute costs.

If you want to help out, they're having a party and an auction Thursday, the 27th, at the Blackrocks Brewery Cannery on Washington Street. That's the old Coca Cola building. 5-7:30 pm.

You'll be able to learn something about the beer business, enjoy a brew or two, help out the kids, talk to Nheena and figure out how she does it: how she just plows ahead, against all odds, and gets things done.
---------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of admirable women, how about Aoy LaChappelle, the owner of the Rice Paddy?

She's heading back to her native country, Thailand, this weekend, with $7500 in hand. That's money she and her friends have raised from her customers over the last year or so.

She'll be spending it on shoes, socks, uniforms and food for kids in her hometown of Phraputthabat. It's a pilgrimage she makes every two years.
She's done well for herself (working 80 hours a week) in Marquette; she continues to spread the wealth to the less fortunate back home.

She's someone who could probably win the mayor's race in both Marquette and Phraputthabat.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Huge news from Cliffs Natural Resources.

The Empire mine, which had been scheduled to close by the end of the year, will now remain open until at least the end of 2016. There's an option for a third year, as well.

The last minute agreement with ArcelorMittal was announced Thiursday morning.

The agreement means 700 miners won't be losing jobs by the end of the year.

Cliffs officials had previously said an agreement with ArcelorMittal was a very remote possibility and they had been making plans for the shutdown of the mine.

A relative calm has descended upon the newsroom at WLUC.

Steve Asplund, the hardest working man in the news business, has been named the news director at the station. Rather, re-named. He was news director for a few years back in the mid-90's, as well.

And don't worry, he'll remain as the 6 pm anchor. What most viewers don't realize is that Asplund's most important work has always been done off-camera, as assignment editor, producer, writer, photographer, editor, fill-in engineer, snow plow operator. Hell, if TV6 had a cow out back, Asplund would be milking that in his spare time.

He works 70-80 hours a week. No lie. He loves his work, he loves the station.

That's why it was almost criminal what he had to endure for the last two years during the tenure of the former news director, Regena Robinson. For some reason, Robinson locked Asplund, the assistant news director, out of the entire decision-making process in the news department. The hostility was palpable.

Maybe it was a personality clash. Regardless, it was a waste of Asplund's skills and enthusiasm, and it made for a very uncomfortable newsroom because Asplund was universally liked and respected by both the veterans and the youngsters in the news department.

But he kept his head down, worked his 70-80 hours a week, and now he's got the job he deserves. WLUC is the better for it.

(Full disclosure: I was the WLUC news director from 2004-2011)
----------------------------------------------------------

Meantime, a former TV6er, Rick Tarsitano, who was surprisingly terminated by Robinson a year ago, is in negotiations to become the new news director at ABC10.

He's been a reporter at ABC10 for the last year, but in the wake of Cynthia Thompson's resignation as ND, Tarsitano was appointed interim news director and has done a creditable job. Now management wants to make him the permanent news director.

No one could quite figure out why he was forced out at TV6. Another personality clash? The fact was, Tarsitano was one of the most talented reporters in Marquette when he was let go.

Now we're going to see what kind of management skills he has. He'll be facing a stiff challenge: ABC10 doesn't have nearly the money or resources that WLUC has, and it'll be facing a brand new competitor when WJMN starts its UP newscast in the next month or so.

And who is WJMN's news director and anchor? That's right, Cynthia Thompson, formerly of both ABC10 and TV6. TV news in the Upper Peninsula is a never-ending merry-go-round.
---------------------------------------------------------

It's been a weird season at Marquette Mountain.

The best snow in years and yet the numbers are down. Way down.
Vern Barber, the GM, figures the mountain has attracted almost 30% fewer skiers and snowboarders this season.

Go ahead, take a guess why.

Yep, it's too freaking cold even for skiers. When you consider that the thermometer has climbed above 30 degrees for only a few days in the last three months, and has generally stayed below 10 degrees, it's easy to understand why we've stayed off the mountain.

The only thing that's kept Marquette Mountain afloat this season has been its ever-expanding race schedule. Teams, young and old, come here from all over the Midwest to race. And unlike the casual skiers, the racers don't have a choice; even if it's minus 10 and the wind is howling, they're going to be racing (and spending money in Marquette) because they've already registered and paid the fees.

Barber says this is the coldest winter he's experienced in his 32 years on Marquette Mountain. Sounds about right.
------------------------------------------------------

You got a great story to tell?

You'll get your opportunity to tell it and preserve it for posterity when National Public Radio's StoryCorps trailer rolls into town this July.

StoryCorps brings people together--parent and child, brother and sister, friends, teacher and student, neighbors-- to sit down and tell their stories.
It might be a childhood memory, it might be a hunting story, it might be something traumatic.

But the stories are usually evocative, poignant and fascinating.

StoryCorps is hoping to find 200 such stories in the U.P. A couple of them will likely end up being broadcast on NPR nationwide. The rest will be taped and stored at the Library of Congress. They'll become a part of this nation's history.That's pretty cool.

Participants will also be given a copy of the interview--something to hand down to your grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Public Radio 90 will be announcing in the next couple of months how you can sign up for StoryCorps.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Over the last week you may have noticed sign-holding demonstrators outside the Planned Parenthood offices on Third Street. They're from Forty Days for Life, an anti-abortion group. They'll be there for another month.

No incidents, no problems so far. Just a quiet, heartfelt protest.

The demonstrators say they've heard enthusiastic support from honking, passing motorists while also encountering a little opposition from the occasional, opinionated pedestrian. Nothing nasty, though.

And inside the clinic, workers say nearly every day, someone comes by with cookies, a salad or flowers to show support for what Planned Parenthood in Marquette does. One businesswoman has even pledged ten dollars a day to the organization for every day that the protest outside continues.

So it's a peaceful, respectful standoff between two groups that disagree on an extremely important issue. Kinda nice to see, especially when you consider that such disagreements in other places around the globe--like Iraq, Ukraine, Central Africa and China--frequently result in threats, assaults, jailing and even death.

-----------------------------------------------------

Let's hope the Farmers Market fracas that broke out last summer and continued into the winter is over.

A committee considering new rules for the market will present its proposals to the Downtown Development Authority board on Thursday.

Here's what to expect. An increase in the fees for each vendor, but nothing exorbitant. Last year, the fee worked out to less than three dollars per site each Saturday. It'll be more this year and, let's be frank, if you can't afford ten dollars a day for a vendor's fee, you probably don't have a viable business.

Between five and seven more vendors' sites will be opened up this year. That's good. There's been pent-up demand to sell at the market.

The set-up of the market will be different this year, hopefully to facilitate better traffic among the vendors.

Finally, (Controversy alert!!) there will likely be an opportunity for a vendor selling produce from downstate to set up at the market. This was the issue, of course, that created a nasty dispute between Farmer Q's and local farmers last year and ultimately resulted in Farmer Q's closing up shop.

The DDA is in the difficult position of trying to please both the local farmers, who generally oppose competition from downstate, and local shoppers, who love the fresh produce from downstate.

Sure seems like the best and fairest solution is to allow downstate produce at the market unless and until it competes directly with local produce. Then it has to be pulled. Some local farmers say that's precisely what they'd like to see.

The new regulations should come out Thursday, the 13th. Applications for spots at the market can be submitted on Monday, the 17th.
-----------------------------------------------------

If you were hoping that this recent respite from our brutally cold winter was an indication that an early spring was on the way, well, good luck with that.

Weather guru Karl Bohnak says this winter weather pattern--long, frigid periods interrupted by a few days of relief--will likely continue through March into April.

Spring will probably arrive later than usual.

The problem is, the Pacific Ocean just south of Alaska is warm. That keeps Alaska warm, and in turn, keeps us cold. That's just the way it is, and it's going to stay that way.

Wonderful. Can't wait until summer arrives in September.

Something else that's notable. Even though it's been frigid, snowfall is actually down in Marquette County this winter. Like, about 30 inches below average at the Negaunee weather station.

There's still plenty of snow on the ground because the temperatures haven't allowed much melt (at least until Monday), but there hasn't been a serious system snowfall all winter. Just two inches here, five inches there. Nickel and dime stuff, Bohnak calls it. Strange winter.
----------------------------------------------------

And how's the winter affected the Marquette Golf Club?

Surprisingly, it hasn't been too bad.

Craig Moore, the superintendent for the grounds, says they've checked and there appears to be no serious ice accumulation on the course. The heavy snow pack is protecting the grass. That's good news, although winter's not yet over. In past years, significant parts of the Heritage and Greywalls course were damaged because of ice.

When will Heritage open up? Likely in mid-April unless we get another unwelcome visit from the polar vortex. Greywalls will follow a couple weeks later.

As for the persistent and pesky rumors that the MGC is on shaky financial ground, office manager Amy Burdick says absolutely not.

Three straight years of profits, she says, and last year play on the two courses was up 10%, revenue was up 5%.

Membership dues are slow in arriving, as usual. Only 180 have coughed up their money so far; there were 575 paying members last year.

Maybe when we can actually see a blade of grass poking through the snow on the course and the temperature starts hovering above a balmy 40 degrees, we'll start thinking about golf.
---------------------------------------------------------

More on the winter theme.

Marquette's new and heralded German restaurant, Das Steinhaus, has made it through the slow season. The entrepreneur and chef Justin Fairbanks concedes there were a couple of dreadfully slow weeks in January, but business through December exceeded expectations, Valentines Day was a record for them, and business has clearly picked up in the last month.

Then, there's this: Das Steinhaus has added a lunch in the last few weeks, their Sunday brunch (sometimes featuring lobster benedict) has exploded in popularity, the staff has increased from 6 to 16 over the last several months, they're now making their own desserts and their creative cocktail selection is becoming legendary.

The NMU influence is substantial here. The staff includes two NMU grads and three current students. Fairbanks, himself, attended NMU but never graduated when he found himself cooking more than studying. He ended up getting his education at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.

Oh, one more thing that you can't help but admire. Das Steinhaus offers 60 different beers, all craft beers or imports. You want a Bud Light or Miller Light? Sorry, they don't carry it. They'll steer you to something else.

German food's not for everybody--especially those who love fresh, crisp vegetables and lean, rare cuts of meat--but you can't help rooting for this place. It's local, it's ambitious, and it's different from every other restaurant in town.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Well, they're getting closer.

WJMN, the CBS station in the Upper Peninsula, has announced it'll be starting its first-ever UP newscasts in April.

April 1st? April 10th? April 30th?

Don't pin them down. They're still trying to hammer together a studio and offices off the highway west of Marquette. They're referring to it as WJMN-TV Plaza, a bit grandiose perhaps when you consider that its actually a triple unit at a strip plaza across the street from a gas station.

Still, it's exciting for UP news viewers. Nexstar Broadcasting, which owns WJMN, is a serious broadcasting conglomerate with 74 stations nationwide. They're clearly hoping to make a dent in the domination of WLUC in this market. They'll also be taking on ABC-10 which has also been showing signs of life in the last couple of years.

Cynthia Thompson, who's worked at both ABC-10 and WLUC, is the new news director at WJMN. She's in the process of hiring her staff.

The station will be offering only Monday through Friday newscasts at 6 and 11, at least initially.

While the construction and the hiring continues, the branding is complete: WJMN will now be known as "Local 3." Kinda catchy it although it's not as cuddly as "Someplace Special."

Two sites remain in the running for the location of the future Marquette General Hospital.

One of the sites is in the city of Marquette, the other is in Marquette Township.

The precise sites have not been officially identified. In fact, neither MGH nor Duke LifePoint Healthcare, which owns MGH, has officially announced that they're down to two choices.

Several weeks ago, the list of potential sites stood at 30 plus. It was to be narrowed to a dozen or so, then to maybe five. All of the sudden, it now stands at two.

A consulting firm out of Nashville is making the re-location analysis for Duke LifePoint and this week met with representatives of both Marquette and Marquette Township.

Still plenty of work to be done. Both sites reportedly have plenty to offer.

And it would be an understatement to say that both municipalities will also have plenty to offer the hospital. It may come down to money, tax breaks.

The city badly wants to keep the hospital, the township would love to steal it away.

It'll be a $290 million dollar investment by Duke LifePoint. The final decision on the site will likely come within two months.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Interesting developments on the hospital relocation front.

Last week, Dana Young, an official out of Nashville identified as Duke LifePoint's site selector, told the Lake Superior Community Partnership that the site survey team had narrowed the search for a new MGH location down to two sites--one in the city of Marquette, one in Marquette Township.

Three smart, well-connected civic leaders who were at the meeting said the message was unambiguous, unmistakable. And they were surprised that the official was so candid about the process especially since MGH has been so hush-hush about it.

But clearly MGH is not calling the shots here; its the folks in Nashville, the home of Duke LifePoint, who are making the important decisions.

Talk to Marquette City Manager Bill Vajda, though, and he'll tell you he hasn't been informed that it's down to two locations. He doesn't believe it.

And check with Jason McCarthy, the planner and zoning administrator for the Township, and you'll hear the same thing. He doesn't buy it.

So was Young mistaken in his presentation to the Partnership? Seems unlikely. He's doing the work on the ground here.

Was he lying? That's not a good way to endear yourself to some of the shakers and movers in the community.

Maybe it's gamesmanship. Was he deliberately trying to set up a desperate, give-em-whatever-they-want competition between the city and township? Cynics might think so.

Was he speaking without authority? It's possible.

Or was he simply telling the truth as he saw it last week? Also, possible. In fact, likely.

Regardless, it's a big deal. A $290 million big deal with huge ramifications regardless of where the hospital ultimately locates.

Speaking of which, the Marquette Golf Club board meets Wednesday. On the agenda: the visit to the golf course last week by the hospital site survey team. Does Duke LifePoint want to buy part of the golf course? Is the golf club, which is saddled with debt, interested? Would the members vote to sell?

Stay tuned. Things get interestinger and interestinger.
--------------------------------------------------------

Who wants to be a City Commissioner in Marquette?

Mayor Bob Niemi, Fred Stonehouse and Don Ryan are all leaving at the end of the year which means three spots will open up.

But so far only one candidate, Mike Conley, has taken out a packet to file for candidacy.

At least a couple of marijuana-decriminalization candidates have previously expressed interest in running; so far nothing from them.

A group hoping to elect a young, progressive slate of candidates hasn't made a move yet, either.

There's plenty of time to file, though. The deadline is April 22, and all you need to get on the ballot is 25 signatures.
---------------------------------------------------------

Activity at Upfront had locals excited last week. The lights were on at the shuttered former restaurant, nightspot and banquet hall, leading some to believe that maybe it was re-opening. Or it had been sold. Or....

Or nothing.

Turns out there was concern about frozen pipes and the fire suppression system at the club. Workers were there to take care of it.

Damn.

A spokesperson for Upfront still insists, however, that something may be in the works. We'll believe it when we see it.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Speaking of frozen, go out and take a look at the administrative building at the Cinder Pond Marina in the Lower Harbor.

See that large, horizontal crack on the right side of the photograph? That's new. It apparently happened last week during a cold spell. And there are other smaller cracks, as well.

The Parks and Recreation Department has moved equipment and files out of the building, condemned it temporarily and is now waiting for a structural engineer to show up and take a look.

How serious is the problem? They don't know yet. But from the outside it doesn't look good.
----------------------------------------------------

Okay, so it's 25 degrees and the snow's coming down an inch an hour. That means it must be time for Frosty Treats on Third Street to make its seasonal opening.

Right you are.

After all, spring's right around the corner. Monday's opening was actually a week later than usual, but you can hardly blame the owners for the delay. This has been a cold winter; they had to wait for things to warm up a bit.
------------------------------------------------------------

That empty space at Peter White Public Library where Tu Kaluthia used to serve delicious food and drinks is still up for grabs.

Other businesses in town have made inquiries about it but the library hasn't been able to reach an agreement with them yet.

The library would like whoever operates the café to keep it open 40 hours a week. That's been a sticking point.

That, and the fact that the café operator isn't going to get rich in the location.

The library is still eagerly looking for an entrepreneur. So are library patrons.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

The site selector for the new $290 million hospital may have left town but the courting continues.

The Upper Peninsula Medical Center is among the most prominent and ardent courters.

The Medical Center, which is owned by about 40 members (mostly physicians) and provides offices for more than 100 physicians, has come up with four different site plans for Duke LifePoint. Three of them would keep most of the current buildings on the site but provide space for an eight story, 600,000 square foot hospital. One of the plans would simply allow the razing of the property so that Duke LifePoint could build a brand new complex.

Duke LifePoint and Hugh Miller, the executive director of the Med Center, have been in regular contact with each other for the last few months. Another consultation is expected next week.

The Med Center badly wants the new hospital to locate on its grounds or at the very least, nearby. If the new hospital were to re-locate, say, in Marquette Township, a substantial number of the doctors would likely leave the Med Center. That would devalue the Med Center and probably open it up to other types of offices outside the medical profession.

And what about Duke LifePoint's reported interest in Marquette Golf Club?
Well, the site selector recently visited the golf course, consulted with golf course officials, gazed at the snow and trees and said he would be back in touch within 30 days. Who's courting whom here? Good question.

Marquette Township, the other player in this competition, has attractive sites available just off US-41, near Lowes and the Westwood Mall. The Township, which has been growing by leaps and bounds in recent years, would love to lure the hospital away from the city...and has the land and enthusiasm to do it.

It may simply come down to dollars. Who will offer the better deal in terms of acquisition costs, taxes and tax abatements?

Regarding the recent presentation by site selector Dana Young at the meeting of the Lake Superior Community Partnership: Most of the civic and business leaders left that presentation believing that Young had told them there were only two specific sites left in the running for the hospital.

Wrong. What he actually meant, and what he clarified after the presentation, was that two municipalities, Marquette and the Township, were still in the running. Big difference. Big miscommunication, especially when you're dealing with a fierce competition for $290 million.

One final note. After all the sites are visited, all the numbers are crunched and the courtship process plays itself out, there are still some--Marquette City Manager Bill Vajda, among them--who believe that Duke LifePoint might say, what the hell, let's stay put and rebuild at the current site.

Stranger things have happened.

A quick about-face for Farmer Q's.

The last we heard, the little store on Washington Street cherished for its fresh downstate produce had closed up shop.

The announced reasons? Co-owner Tom Brian had gotten a good job downstate, and he and his wife Susan said they were fed up with the shoddy treatment they had gotten from some of the local farmers, the Food Co-op and the Downtown Development Authority.

Turns out, there was a little more to the story than that.

Whatever the reason, they ain't leaving town. They've closed on the property now occupied by Cliff's Muffler Shop in south Marquette.

Farmer Q's is coming back to life. It should be open by Mother's Day but they won't be taking part in the Farmers Market.

Which is just as well. They had had a rocky relationship with some of the farmers and the DDA, which runs the Farmers Market. They should stay as far apart from each other as possible.

The new location is little more than a glorified gas station at this point but they'll fix it up. Most important, it's got a large parking lot out front, something the market didn't enjoy on Washington Street.

All in all, it's good news for fruit and vegetable lovers in Marquette.
------------------------------------------------------------

The race for the six county commission races is starting to shape up.

Three of the incumbents, Steve Pence, Gerald Corkin and Bruce Heikkila have all filed their papers to run.

And five other candidates have taken out packets, indicating a possible run.
The most notable of the five--former Marquette Mayor and City Commissioner Johnny DePetro.

DePetro says he hasn't decided 100% whether he's running but he's talking to friends and constituents who are encouraging him to run.

If he does, it would set up an interesting race in the First District: the incumbent Pence, one of the UP's sharpest and most respected attorneys, taking on DePetro, one of the city's most likable and folksy politicians.

DePetro says he's got nothing against Pence--he's voted for him in the past--
but he just likes working in government. If he does run, it'll be a race of interesting and sharp contrasts.
----------------------------------------------------------

While Lundin Mining and the city of Marquette continue working on an agreement to allow Lundin's trucks to use the city's roads on their way from Eagle Mine to the Humboldt Mill, there's increasing focus on a bypass. The bypass would divert the trucks around the northern edge of the city.

The proposed bypass would take the trucks off of 550 near Sugarloaf Mountain, westward and then south to US-41 around Midway Drive.
The trucks, estimated to be about 90 a day, would therefore miss the most populated and congested parts of Marquette.

Lundin, for its part, says it's concerned right now with finding a tentative route for the trucks. Once that agreement is reached with the City Commission, then it will turn to the bypass.

The good news for Lundin and city officials? So far, environmentalists haven't raised any objections to the bypass. Activist attorney Michelle Halley says that issue is not on her plate, and Save the Wild UP is likewise not involved. At least not yet.

Something's going to have to give. Lundin's Eagle Mine is a reality. It starts up within six months or so, and that means huge trucks, loaded with nickel and copper, will be taking to the roads, past homes and businesses. Ninety a day--that's almost one every 15 minutes.

That's a quality of life issue--something we take very seriously in Marquette.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Talk about a slap in the face.

The U.P.'s favorite mining company, Cliffs Natural Resources, got word last week that, effective April 1st, it will no longer be listed on the prestigious S&P 500 stock exchange.

It's being demoted down to the S&P midcap 400. That's an exchange that, frankly, most casual investors have never even heard of.

Why the demotion? Cliffs is just not worth as much as it used to be, what with its stock price struggling to climb above $20.

Anybody remember the days when the conventional wisdom around here was you'd never lose on Cliffs stock, and you'd likely get rich on it? Yeah, well, times have changed.

The stock price has been languishing for years, Cliffs management just recently had to deal with hostile takeover attempt by an activist hedge fund, and now the company's been booted down to the minor leagues of stock exchanges.

The good news in all this? The Empire mine is staying open and the U.P. is keeping hundreds of well-paying jobs. At least for now.
-----------------------------------------------------

Clark Park--or the Clark Lambros Beach Park as it will officially be known--is one step closer to reality.

Both the state senate and the house have now passed appropriations bills that include funding of the park. Minor differences in the bills have to be ironed out, which should be no problem, and then the bill goes to Governor Snyder for his signature.

It's a helluva deal for Marquette, thanks to longtime businessman Clark Lambros, who died more than a year ago, and his partner, Michele Butler.

Clark wanted the park. Michele is making it happen.

With the help of the DNR Trust Fund, Clark and Michele are giving 17 acres of property at the confluence of the Dead River and Lake Superior to the city. Twelve of the acres will go the park; the adjacent five acres will go to a trail system.

Seventeen acres worth somewhere around $1.5 million. Yeah, that's a nice little gift.

It'll include rest rooms, showers, a pavilion, picnic tables, barbeque grills and a kayak launch.

Planning and design details still have to be worked out with the city, but Butler hopes the project will be finished by late fall.

Lambros is one of those people who made Marquette the very special city that it is today.
--------------------------------------------------------

That empty space at Peter White Public Library that Tu Kaluthia used to fill is getting a new tenant within a month.

The new café? Paladino's.

It'll be the creation of Andrew Sear, the current chef at the Irish Rover and former chef at Capers. He's planning on offering soups, salads, sandwiches, desserts and coffee.

Finally, after a four month hiatus, we'll have some nourishment and aromas at the library.

Sear, by the way, has even grander plans. He, along with roofer and developer Dan Perkins, is hoping to open up a "healthy comfort food restaurant" in Ishpeming within the year. The exact site is not yet determined.

Sear is also involved in plans for a multi-acre produce garden with green houses in Ishpeming.

Exciting plans. We'll see if they pan out.
-----------------------------------------------------

It's becoming the "it" spot to be on Sunday mornings.

The Northland Pub at the Landmark Inn has been offering Bloody Mary Sundays for the last few months--make-your-own-Bloody-Marys, along with a jazz duo from 11 to 3.

A great combination.

How do you make a Bloody Mary? Well, lessee, here are some of the ingredients: celery, carrots, pickled onions, pickled beans, pickled mushrooms, pickled asparagus, cheese, red and green peppers, fiery olives and bacon. Bacon? Hell yeah, drop a couple strips in your Bloody Mary.

Basically, it's a buffet to help you purge the demons from the night before.
---------------------------------------------------------

If you're not a sports fan, you probably haven't noticed, but ESPN UP, which is sports talk radio here, has made some changes lately.

Ryan Mayer is the lone host on theSports Pen on weekday afternoons. It used to be two hosts who tried--often in vain--to engage listeners calling in. You kinda felt sorry for them because it was a beg-fest at times. Please call in! Here's our phone number for the 42nd time this hour!

Mayer says he's not going to beg. He'll welcome calls if they come in but otherwise he'll rely on scheduled interviews with sports figures and journalists, as well as input from the audience via social media.

Is the new format successful? No way of knowing. Listener ratings in the UP are notoriously unreliable.

One thing ESPN UP does have to clean up, though, is its recorded one minute clips from previous shows that it continues to play over and over and over again. Two weeks ago, they played a clip from the Colin Cowherd show in which he rated his top 10 teams from midway through the NFL season. That was back in November!

A couple of days ago, they played a segment of an analyst back in January telling us who might win the gold medal in hockey in the Olympics.

Enough. Show some respect for your audience.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Silence on the Hit-and-Run and a Vacation in Baghdad

TV6 Shakeup, Cold Weather Breakdown, and a Dinner Theater on the Horizon

Where's the Hospital Going and Where Are the News Directors Going?

Racist Letters at TV6 and the Closing of Farmer Q's

UP 200 Is Looking for Dogs, Thompson Has a New Job, and Buck's Back

Farmer Q's Fallout, School Snow Daze, and Beer Bonanza

Empire Shutdown, Founders Build-Up, and Shani's Shout-Out

BLP's Baffling Response, Farmers' Market P*ssing Match, and Corkage Confusion

Hit and Run Update, MGH Options and Famous Footwear

Website on a Roll, Cliffs on a Roller Coaster, and Snowboarders on a Rail

Marijuana, Obamacare and Two Extraordinary Women

Empire to Stay Open

Asplund Takes the Reins, Marquette Mountain Takes a Plunge, and StoryCorps Comes to Town

Abortion Vigil, DDA Dilemma, Patient Golfers, and Das Steinhaus

CBS Newscasts Start Next Month

And Then There Were Two (Potential Hospital Sites)

Hospital Machinations, Frozen Marina, and Frosty Treats

Medical Center Makes Push for Hospital Site

Farmer Q's Returns, DePetro Mulls a Run, and Lundin Negotiates

Cliffs Demotion, Clark's Devotion, and a Bloody Mary Potion