Word on the Street

WELL, HERE IT is, the end of August, the supposed deadline for a decision on the relocation of Marquette General Hospital, so it should happen this week, right?

Don't count on it, if the city's Roundhouse location is one of the two final candidates, which we hear it is.

The thing is, the City Commission's subcommittee on the hospital would have to approve a possible deal and then the City Commission as a whole would have to vote publicly on it before the city could assure Duke LifePoint that the deal is a go.

That's not likely to happen by the end of this week.

Now, if DLP has already decided it's selecting the Township site behind the Westwood Mall, that's a different story. It could happen this week.

But what we hear is that DLP is still having talks with the city over the Roundhouse site--questions answered, details clarified--while communications with the Township have been silent for about a month. That may mean DLP is totally satisfied with the Township offer while it's got doubts about the city's offer.

Or it may mean...

Oh hell, who knows what it means?
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IN CASE YOU'RE wondering why the Marquette Golf Club ended talks with Duke LifePoint a week ago, here's why.

The club, after building the highly acclaimed but financially taxing Greywalls course almost a decade ago, remains about four million dollars in debt. It's a tough nut to crack.

A substantial offer from DLP for half of the Heritage course could have solved the problem but DLP's offer was somewhere in the neighborhood of three million plus. After taxes and various costs, the club would have cleared maybe two million at most, probably less.

And they would have been left without a clubhouse and a pro shop. If they had rebuilt those and taken care of other maintenance issues, their remaining cash from the sale would barely have made a dent in their debt.

And they would have been saddled with a nine hole course and an eighteen hole course divided by a huge hospital complex which, for the next couple of years, would have been nothing more than an ugly, dusty construction zone.

Hardly a wise strategy to attract new golf club members.

What could Duke LifePoint have offered to change a few minds? "Ten million would have been a good number," according to one member, half jokingly. Or maybe not.
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THE TRIALS AND tribulations of ABC 10 continue.

News director and anchor Rick Tarsitano has left the Ishpeming-based station for a more lucrative position on Lake Michigan--Chicago's WGN.

Bigtime. Big station. And both Rick and his wife are from the Chicago area.

He'll be a sports producer there, not on the air for now, but don't rule that out in the future. He's a talent who provided some much needed stability at the chronically underfunded ABC 10.

"Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be TV journalists..."

Rick's had to walk a rocky path ever since he got into TV a few years back. He was hired as an off camera producer (for peanuts) at TV6 and struggled to get on the air, despite having a strong work ethic and obvious talent. He was frustrated. Then he was explicably canned.

Then, he caught on as a reporter at ABC10 (for fewer peanuts)...at one point considered going back to TV6...then with the departure of ABC 10's news director Cynthia Thompson, he found himself appointed the new news director and anchor and who-knows-what-else (for a few more peanuts).

And now, less than a year into his tenure, he's off to Chicago in an entirely different role.

Ya gotta be flexible as a TV journalist. And willing to live on peanuts. Small market TV does not lead to riches.

Meantime, ABC 10, the little engine that could, will continue to chug forward. A new news director and anchor have yet to be named.
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AS IF POWERHOUSE TV 6 needed any more advantages...

The Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns TV6, recently announced that it's also taken ownership of WLUK in Green Bay. Yeah, the same WLUK that used to broadcast Fox programming and Green Bay Packer games in the UP.

None of that will change because Fox UP (also owned by Sinclair) now has rights to that, but the ownership change is significant because now the news departments of TV6 and Fox UP will be able to readily trade stories with WLUK. Together, they'll be offering blanket coverage of the UP-Green Bay region.

The rich get richer.
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BY NOW WE'VE all heard the dismaying news that this upcoming winter may be as bitterly cold as last winter. So says the Farmer's Almanac which claims an 80% accuracy rate.

So what says local weather guru Karl Bohnak? Surely, he'll dispel such nonsense.

Well, as a matter of fact...no.

He says water patterns in the Pacific Ocean point toward a cold winter. Looks like we'll have a weak El Nino which also lends itself to a cold winter.

There is a greater likelihood of an eastern US-based frigid winter, rather than a Midwest-based freeze, but here in the U.P, we're still likely to feel it.

Bohnak reminds us that we had a frigid winter in '95-'96, and that was followed by record-breaking cold in '96-'97, so there's precedent for this.

Swell.

One ray of sunshine here: September should be an average month, maybe even a bit warmer and sunnier than average.

Woohoo. Let's throw a beach party just before we head down to Getz's to buy our mittens and swampers.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street as soon as it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook, and "like" it.

TWO WEEKS, MAYBE less. That's when we'll have a deal for the new Marquette General Hospital. That's when all the courting and numbers-crunching and speculating will finally end.

Two apparent candidates remain in the running for the nearly $300 million project--the Marquette Township site just behind the Westwood Mall, and the city of Marquette's Roundhouse site, on the western fringe of downtown.

The Township submitted its deal several weeks ago. Duke LifePoint, the owner of the hospital, seemed satisfied with it, and the two sides have not had substantial talks since then.

The city, on the other hand, has been having on-and-off chats with DLP in the last several weeks, but no one is characterizing those talks as negotiations. Just questions and answers.

Two weeks, maybe less. Then one of these municipalities will finally be able to start a friendly and prosperous collaboration with Duke LifePoint.
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IT'S ABOUT TO happen. After a decade-long struggle, the Eagle Mine outside of Big Bay will begin harvesting billions of dollars of nickel and copper in the next couple of months.

Have you been out there lately? The road to the mine--510 and AAA--is a startling, ten mile long, 50-100 yard swath of denuded land. The Road Commission, which is constructing the roadway with $45 million from Lundin, concedes it's wider than necessary but says that was the wish of the property owners. They wanted the timber.

Okay. We get it. This whole project is about money.

Further, one official suggested that this gash across the landscape might actually help the wildlife in the spring because the cleared area will melt before the forest does and maybe provide some early vegetation for the hungry animals. Of course, the critters, while snacking, will have to dodge the huge ore trucks roaring past at 50 miles per hour.

Let's not kid ourselves, part one. The road and the mine will have an environmental impact on what was a pristine area. How serious will it be? We don't know. Let's hope it's something less than what the environmental groups have predicted.

They're the ones who publicized the leakage of groundwater into the Salmon Trout River a couple of weeks ago. That's their job from now on: they may have lost the war to stop the mine but they'll be maintaining a close watch on every move that Lundin and the Road Commission make. They'll be ringing the alarm bells if something goes awry.

We should be thankful for them. The mine and road are realities but maybe...just maybe, the environmental damage can be mitigated by an alert and enlightened citizenry, and by an extra-conscientious mining industry that may want to extend its welcome it in the U.P.

Let's not kid ourselves, part two. The mining companies know there's a lot more ore...and money...down there. At the end of the Eagle Mine's supposed eight year life (and likely before then), the companies will be flashing more cash and asking for an extended stay in the U.P.
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NO ONE SAID it would be easy.

The July TV ratings have come in, and WJMN, the new entrant in the local TV news wars, can't be all that thrilled.

In the coveted 25-54 age demographic, which matters most to advertisers, WBUP (ABC 10) had slightly higher ratings than WJMN. Fox UP, likewise had higher ratings for its 10 pm newscast.

What that means is that TV news viewers don't readily change their news habits, even when the new competitor--WJMN--has a known and capable anchor and news director in Cynthia Thompson, a solid anchor at 11 pm in Gabe Caggiano, and an established parent station out of Green Bay--WFRV.

It'll take time.

In case you're wondering, the runaway leader in the July ratings, of course, was again TV6. That's been the case for the last half century. Tradition is hard to overcome.

On the other hand, WBUP (ABC 10) continues to compile an impressive website showing with more than two million page views last month. Needless to say, a lot more people are reading their website than are watching their newscasts.
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THE OPENING DATE for The Marq, the new farm-to-table restaurant in Marquette, was supposed to be August...but here we are in September and they're not quite ready to serve. Not even close.

Three or four months out, businesspeople are always optimistic, but then personal, financial and governmental realities set in.

The new opening date for the Marq is November.

Drop by the site of the old Rubaiyat restaurant and you'll see plenty of construction underway inside and out. The restaurant's eight investors promise that they will not overspend on the re-do of the building, which was one apparent reason for the demise of the Rubaiyat.

The restaurant's space is being opened up, however, allowing more sunlight to flow in, and recycled woods and other materials uniquely treated are being used throughout the restaurant.The Marq is also setting up a full bar for drinkers and eating customers. The design is being handled by University Michigan architecture professor Adam Fure and his wife Ellie Abrons.

Seventy-two seats total in the restaurant which will feature as much local produce and meat as Austin Fure, Adam's brother, a classically trained chef, can find. He says the menu will change regularly to reflect the fact that available produce in the U.P. necessarily changes.

Sounds like the right restaurant in the right place at the right time.

Expect hiring to start within a month.
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INCOMING NMU FRESHMEN last week quickly learned that college life is just a wee bit different from high school.

A traveling preacher out of Texas showed up on campus to noisily denounce fornication, pornography and blasphemy. He called some of the female students whores, told just about everybody they were going to hell unless they changed their ways, and saved some of his harshest words for a transgender student.

All in all, a swell couple of days of evangelism that was chronicled by NMU's North Wind newspaper.

The preacher, whose name is Chris LePelley, has apparently left town to spread the good word on other campuses. Nevertheless, some NMU students are now trying to start a group known as NMU Love. It'd be a way of saying we disagree with hate speech, biblical or otherwise.

That's fine. Or you can just ignore the hate-spewing, spotlight-loving clowns and let them shout their nonsense at the sky.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street when it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook, and "like" it.

After a year of deliberations and negotiations, Duke LifePoint has made its decision. It wants to relocate Marquette General Hospital to the Roundhouse property in Marquette.

A DLP executive will attend next Monday's City Commission meeting to make the proposal for the purchase of the property.

It is not a done deal yet. The City Commission must still accept the offer and details must still be worked out in a formal contract, but it seems highly unlikely that anybody or anything will stand in the way of a deal that means so much to the city of Marquette.

Here are some of the highlights of the proposed deal as listed in the Memorandum of Understanding:

Duke LifePoint would pay the city $4 million for the land containing
the Roundhouse site and the property on which the Municipal
Service Center stands. It's a total of 37 acres.

Duke LifePoint would drop its two Tax Tribunal cases against the city for the current Marquette General Hospital. That's a big relief to the city which was facing a major shortfall in tax revenues if DLP had succeeded at its Tax Tribunal.

The city would help DLP get a 12 year, 50% tax abatement on the
Roundhouse/MSC property.

The city would design and construct a roundabout or other signalized
entrance to the new hospital off of US 41. This would be located at
about 300 yards west of Grove Street on US 41, roughly connecting
the current MSC site and the Norlite Nursing Center.

The city would design and construct a new bridge over US 41 at
Grove Street. That means the surface intersection of US 41 and
Grove Street would be eliminated.

The city would realign Baraga Avenue to tie into Spring Street to
allow better access to the new hospital.

The current MSC building would be torn down and relocated.

Other major improvements would also have to be made--electrical, water, sewer, environmental and the like--but the deal, as it stands, has been agreed to by Duke LifePoint and a subcommittee of the City Commission.
Now, it'll be up to the full Commission to sign off on it.

The one essential piece of this agreement is that the entire development would be declared a Brownfield Project. In other words, it's being developed on devalued former industrial or railroad land.

The Brownfield designation would enable DLP to set up a so-called TIF district (tax increment financing) which would allow it and the city to recapture tax dollars on the property and pay for all of the infrastructure improvements. Total cost of all the changes and improvements: $30 million dollars.

The city seems confident that virtually none of the costs will be borne by the city's citizens.

It's long and complicated, to say the least, but the money men and women will figure it out.

Construction of the hospital and a medical office facility on the same campus will take about two years.

What happens to the old hospital and the current medical center? No answers yet.

One thing at a time.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street as soon as it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

WELL, THE RUMORS that have been leaking out over the past few weeks are true. The Landmark Inn is being sold.

The principals in the deal haven't felt comfortable in confirming the rumors until now because of the uncertainties and complications in any major transaction, and the final papers are still not signed. But it now appears the sale, which has been in the works for the last year, will be completed within the next several weeks.

The new owners, Graves Hospitality out of Minneapolis, come in with a helluva reputation for buying and then enhancing hotels. One of their former flagship properties, the Graves 601 Hotel Minneapolis, was named one of the best 500 hotels in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine.

Food and beverage is another specialty for Graves. Their Bradstreet Craftshouse Restaurant in Minneapolis was named the sixth best bar in America by Food and Wine magazine.

So, yeah, these are bigtime players with bigtime ambitions.

An interesting side note: Jim Graves, the cofounder of Graves Hospitality and the founder of the AmericInn franchise, ventured into politics in 2012.
He was the Democratic candidate opposing Tea Party goddess Michele Bachmann in one of Minnesota's most conservative districts. In spite of being outspent 12 to 1 by the incumbent Bachmann, Graves nearly pulled off a huge upset.

Maybe that'll win him some points with Marquette's progressives.

Nevertheless, anytime you have a sale like this--transitioning from a small group of local owners to a bigger, out-of-state corporate owner, you have concerns.

Will the new owners just be intent on running a slick, money-making operation with no concern for the special place that the Landmark occupies in Marquette and the Upper Peninsula? Will the new owners be as generous with their time, money and energy as general manager and owner Christine Pesola was with hers in supporting community events and organizations?

There's good reason to believe Graves Hospitality understands all this. Matt Mering, who's the vice president of food and beverage and development for Graves, is from Marquette. His mother and father live here. They know and love the Landmark Inn and have been customers for years. They understand and appreciate the Landmark as only locals can.

Will there be some changes? Absolutely. Graves Hospitality has some money and ideas to improve the Landmark. Those will be laid out in the months ahead.

As for Christine Pesola and her ex-husband Bruce Pesola, they remain as investors in the the hotel. They're not going anywhere.

For Christine, this has been a 17 year love affair with the hotel, the employees and the thousands of guests who've stayed at the Landmark Inn and enjoyed the food, drink and company there. Back in 1997, she was a self-described hippie who was suddenly thrust into the role of general manager with virtually no management experience. She learned on the job.

The hotel endured serious financial troubles in the early days but survived to become, arguably, the centerpiece of a revived and prosperous downtown Marquette.

It's a hotel that's felt equally comfortable opening up its elegant lobby to host hockey events and symphony events. Its New Years Eve parties, open to all with free admission, are legendary.

The Pesolas, along with Christine's late parents Joe and Marvelle, and minority owners Bob Cowell and Al Hunter, all made it possible when the old hotel, inhabited by pigeons, looked like it might have a date with a wrecking ball. Possibly against their better judgment, the investors spent their money and energy on a dream that, amazingly, became a reality.

Now it's a new day. Let's see what Graves Hospitality does with that jewel on top of the hill on Front Street.

(Full disclosure: I'm a very good friend of Christine Pesola.)

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street as soon as it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook, and "like" it.

THESE ARE TOUGH times for Cliffs Natural Resources but so far the local office is keeping quiet. Can't blame them. Who knows what lies ahead for them?

Here's what's been happening recently for the mining company that's long been one of Marquette County's biggest employers and most involved corporate citizens:

1) Its Duluth office, with 30 employees, is closing down. Those employees apparently are being offered jobs elsewhere.

2) Cliffs has reportedly hired Deutsche Bank to sell its coal assets in West Virginia and Alabama.

3) The company's also hired the Jefferies Group LLC to sell its Australian iron ore mines.

4) One of Cliffs' directors, Richard K. Riederer, has resigned from the board citing bullying by other board members as a reason for his departure.

5) All of this, of course, comes in the wake of the hostile takeover of the Cliffs' board by Casablanca Capital several weeks back, and the dumping of then CEO Gary Halverson.

None of these moves should come as a surprise. Casablanca, dismayed by Cliffs' dismal stock performance over the past few years, had promised major strategic changes and cuts when it seized control.

Whether those cuts will hit closer to home remains to be seen.
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SOME COMPANIES SEEM to see the future and embrace it.

A great example on Third Street in Marquette. The River Valley Bank branch recently closed down for a few months to make some remarkable changes.

When they reopen in late November, here's what we'll be seeing:

An internet café and lounge inside the bank. Yeah, that's right. Free cappuccino, free Wi-Fi, free iPad access, comfy chairs, and a fireplace. Oh, the popcorn's over there.

C'mon in, even if you're not a customer of the bank. Sit down, log on, surf the web, enjoy the java, give your feet a rest, take a break from the cold.

River Valley is calling it "the bank of the future." It'll also feature individual "teller pods," rather than a long, forbidding partition between tellers and customers. The tellers and bank managers will be out in the open and mingling constantly, rather than hidden away in their offices.

This new concept is being tried out on the East and West coast at some banks, and River Valley is now putting it into practice at their Wausau, Madison and Marquette branches.

An official says the idea is to give the bank--normally a boring, staid institution--more of a Starbucks feel. Sounds pretty good, especially when the coffee, the popcorn and the iPad access are all free.
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YOU MAY HAVE noticed that the Union Grill in south Marquette is up for sale.

Owners Terry and Christie Doyle have decided to pare back their business interests a bit with the awareness that they're not getting any younger. It was the same sort of reasoning that recently convinced Christine Pesola to loosen her ties to her beloved Landmark Inn.

The Doyles will, however, remain intimately involved with their primary business, the Vierling.

In fact, come November 15th, they'll undertake a major renovation of the kitchen at the Vierling and also of the underutilized front room which, to this point, has just been used for overflow, not for dining.

The Doyles plan to put a couple of TV's in the room, give it more of a hip, brew pub feel, and offer full dining, as well.

As for the Union Grill, which offers high quality food and barbeque in what's considered a fast-casual restaurant (slower but better than fast food, faster but less formal than a normal, sit-down restaurant), it'd be a shame to see it go. It's unique to this town.

The Doyles aren't rushing the sale--it's not even listed with a realtor yet.
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NO WORD YET on how long it'll take the city and Duke LifePoint to iron out a contract for the relocation of Marquette General Hospital.

One official suggested that the contract itself may present more difficulties than the original Memorandum of Understanding between the two parties. Let's hope that's not the case. DLP wants to start building next spring.

And let's get ready for the complaints from motorists and residents in the neighborhood of the new hospital. Erecting a bridge on Grove Street over US-41 and constructing a roundabout a few hundred yards west of there will not exactly be dust-free and congestion-free.

It'll be a mess for at least a few months.

One final thought about the entire Duke LifePoint search that has consumed the community for the last year: likely, the critical factor that turned DLP toward the Roundhouse property and away from the golf course and the township site was Roundhouse's eligibility for Brownfield funds. The township and the golf course couldn't offer that.

A Brownfield project can offer millions of dollars to a developer. That's important to a for-profit corporation.
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HOLD ON. ONE final, final observation about Duke LifePoint and the city.

City Commissioner Don Ryan's eloquent and clear-minded summation last week of the deal that was reached for the relocation of Marquette General Hospital had to remind some of us that we're losing three wise, conscientious, even-tempered commissioners this November.

Ryan, Fred Stonehouse, and mayor Bob Niemi are all leaving because of term limits. You might not have agreed with all their decisions during their tenure but you can't deny that they're smart and devoted and polite, and commission meetings have generally run smoothly.

And the city, despite some daunting challenges, is moving ahead.

Maybe our three retiring commissioners could move to Washington DC and teach those clowns how a government is supposed to be run.
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A WORLD PREMIERE in Marquette!

It sounds a little hyperbolic but it's true. The play Willpower takes to the stage this Thursday and Friday at Kaufman Auditorium.

It was written by Marquette novelist Tyler Tichelaar. The director is Moire Embley, the musical director is Jeff Bruning. They're both locals. The actors are local, the singers are local.

So yeah, this is local and it's original.

The story itself isn't too bad, either. It's about Will Adams, a young man in Marquette at the turn of the 19th century who overcame a mysterious, crippling disease to write poetry, essays, magazine articles and an operetta.

At the end of his life (at age 32), he was paralyzed from the neck down, but he was still determined and creative.

A lesson for all of us. And we'll be the first to see it this Thursday and Friday at Kaufman.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street as soon as it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

WANTED: DIRECTOR OF a tourism bureau in the upper Midwest in one of the most livable communities in the nation, on the shores of one of its most scenic lakes. Summer and winter tourism are growing here. Huge opportunity for the right person. Salary won't make you rich but you will be comfortable.

Well, the search has been on for several months now and the Marquette County Visitors and Convention Bureau Board has reviewed a few dozen candidates for its executive director position. At last word the board has now come up with a couple of final candidates.

Problem is, neither one of them reportedly has serious tourism experience, neither one of them is local, and one of them, if given the job, would commute to and from Marquette.

Say what?

The actual ad that the CVB has published calls for three years of tourism experience, significant knowledge of Marquette County, and an absolute willingness to travel 60 days a year and work on weekends.

So what's the story here? Why are there no qualified candidates? Is there a problem with the search effort? The salary? The benefits? The board members?

Who knows?

The current director, Pat Black, is leaving before the end of the year. She's got enormous institutional knowledge that she needs to pass along. The learning curve will be huge. Her successor should have been chosen by now, and that person should be a hospitality professional, preferably from Marquette County.

It sure seems like an exciting and challenging job in a wonderful community where good jobs are sometimes rare. Who's interested?
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TIME'S RUNNING OUT if supporters of the proposed boathouse on Lake Superior want to get the plan approved before the November election.

The current commission almost certainly would approve the boathouse--with only commissioner Sara Cambensy likely dissenting--but it has only three more regular meetings before the election, and the Planning Commission still has to give its approval before the City Commission can vote on it.

Three commissioners, all supporters of the boathouse, are stepping down in November. Will their replacements be as sympathetic? Will the boathouse become a campaign issue?

The Upper Peninsula Community Rowing Club never thought it would come down to this. They thought the boathouse would be an obvious enhancement to the city, at no cost to the taxpayers...with no serious opposition.

Wrong.

Opponents spoke up. Loudly. They started a petition drive. They wanted no further development of any kind on the shoreline.

So the Rowing Club changed its plans. It scaled back the size of the boathouse, it moved it adjacent to the Hampton Inn where it would be less conspicuous. It offered to raise the money for it, build it, maintain it, open up most of it to the public, donate the facility to the city and then lease it back...and they offered their first born child to the city.

Okay, the last part isn't true.

But the point is, the club is offering a helluva deal to the city with a minimal environmental impact. It's hard to believe that this commission, or the next commission, would turn it down.
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A BIG SURPRISE at ABC 10.

The newly appointed news director is Greg Peterson, a news veteran who, at one time or other, has worked at all three stations in the market, as well as the Mining Journal.

He's also worked as a freelancer and he recently started a news blog, Upper Peninsula Breaking News.

He's a newshound, with forty years in the business.

What's surprising about the hire is that Peterson is an activist, with plans to make ABC 10 an advocate for open public records and aggressive investigative journalism.

Generally, broadcast TV stations shy away from controversy. They have sponsors to answer to.

It'll be interesting to see what Peterson is able to do, especially given the limited resources he'll be dealing with at ABC 10. The station is notoriously underfunded, and is actually run by its parent station downstate in Alpena.

Peterson will also be anchoring ABC 10's newscast within a few weeks.
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AS IF CLIFFS Natural Resources needed more bad news.

Its stock price earlier this week dropped to a 52 week low of $12.73 a share, and yet TheStreet Quant Ratings still lists the stock as a "sell." Why? Because it has poor profit margins, weak cash flow, high debt management risk, and most notably, a continued slackening of demand in China.

Other than that, things look rosy.

Locally, there's been no comment from Cliffs after a tumultuous several weeks that saw a hostile takeover of the mining company by the hedge fund, Casablanca Capital.

Casablanca has said it wants to shrink the company and sell off some assets. Does that mean there'll be changes at the Empire or Tilden Mines? Are any jobs on the cutting block? No one's talking.
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IT MAY HAVE taken Ken and Sue Schauland almost three years to finally break ground on the Nestledown Bed and Breakfast on Lakeshore Boulevard, but they certainly aren't wasting any time.

Ken and his crew have been out there almost every day in the last few weeks, and the B & B is rapidly taking shape. They're planning on getting it covered before the snow falls and then finish it up this winter and spring, and be open for guests by early summer.

It'll feature six guest rooms in the main inn, another one over the garage, and a sauna in the basement. A distinct Scandinavian theme.

Believe it or not, it'll be the only B & B located in the city limits of Marquette.

Across the street from the beach? Along a walking and biking trail? A half mile from a cute downtown flush with good restaurants and bars? Not a bad location. It sure seems like they won't have much trouble attracting guests.
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NO CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY yet at the much anticipated dinner theater planned for the closed-down Delft Theater on Washington Street.

Owner Tom Vear has the design and financing in place. What he doesn't have yet are final agreements from all the governmental and quasi-governmental agencies involved in getting the theater built.

Soon, Vear says. Soon.

Maybe within a week or two, but don't ask about an opening date. Earlier this year, it was supposed to be this fall and...uh...checking the calendar, we see that it's now...fall.

That's what you get when you mix heavy doses of business and government, with a touch of optimism.

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

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AN "ICONIC STRUCTURE." That's how Duke LifePoint describes the yet-to-be built Marquette General Hospital. Architecture buffs gotta love that.

Right there on US 41, less than a mile from downtown Marquette, we'll have the UP's answer to the Opera House in Sydney and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole but it's good to know the new MGH isn't going to be simply a big, functional box. It'll be impressive. It might even be pretty.

DLP still intends to break ground next spring. That may be a little ambitious given all the state bureaucratic hoops they still have to jump through, all the hearings, all the continued negotiations with the city. DLP and the city want the process to be deliberate and transparent.

Problems inevitably crop up. Right now, for instance, some folks at Chippewa Square are wondering if the new bridge at Grove Street will limit access for their tenants and clients. The city will have to provide reassurance.

Also undecided is where the new Municipal Services Center will go. There are plenty of sites available, but the city would like to team up with another governmental entity--like the county, state or school district--to build a bigger, combined facility to reduce costs for everybody.

Lots of wheeling and dealing lie ahead before the iconic structure on US 41 starts taking shape.
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AMID ALL THE excitement about the plans for a brand new Marquette General Hospital, here's something that MGH management can't be all that thrilled about.

Becker's Hospital Review has announced their ratings for what they're calling "National Patient Engagement" for hospitals nationwide. The criteria are readmissions rates, patient satisfaction, and the extent to which the hospitals offer information and tools to help patients engage in self-care.

Marquette General Hospital was ranked.....743rd in the nation. Not exactly a ranking that you'd proudly post on the wall of your lobby.

The top three in the nation, no surprise, were three different branches of the Mayo Clinic.
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THE MARQUETTE CONVENTION and Visitors Bureau, after a long, trying process, has apparently hired a new executive director to succeed Pat Black.

The deal isn't finalized yet but no problems are expected.

The person, with no direct tourism experience, is from Garden and will be commuting to Marquette for at least the first six months. All of which raised initial concerns by some in the tourism business here.

Now, some background on the selection process. It was conducted by Stang Decision Systems, a local firm that helps companies across the nation select better employees. Stang uses a comprehensive and highly scientific method to rate the candidates for a particular job.

It involves not only the traditional resume questions but also a lengthy personality assessment and a problem-solving component, as well as interviews for the finalists.

It's a system that has worked well. Stang is building a stellar national reputation.

In the case of the CVB director's position, the person with the highest ranking was the person who was ultimately offered the job. The CVB Board could have chosen a lower ranked candidate but decided not to.

The commuting issue was definitely a red flag, but it was dismissed because the candidate was so damned impressive.

One other thing: Spencer Stang, who runs the company, says direct experience (say, working in a tourism bureau) can be highly overrated when searching for the right employee. You'd much rather have a smart, personable candidate with transferable skills and leadership qualities, than a less impressive candidate who's already working in the industry.
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STANG DECISION SYSTEMS may be a model for what Marquette is hoping to attract in the years ahead.

Marquette's SmartZone is probably six months away, maybe less, from attracting start-up high tech companies to the city. The financing for the citywide program and the appointment of a board to run it still have to be ironed out, but there's plenty of momentum there.

Local officials are already looking at potential entrepreneurs and angel investors.

What gets them excited is the MTEC SmartZone experience in Houghton and Hancock over the last 12 years: more than 40 companies and 400 jobs created, and millions of dollars generated.

No, Houghton-Hancock is not Silicon Valley, but it's not bad for a region that's considered by many to be located at the end of the earth.

Marquette would like some of that action. Likely entrepreneurial candidates here? The life sciences for one--more companies like Pioneer Surgical, Frontier Medical and RTI Surgical. Other possibilities that would seem to fit are Sports Medicine, Information Technology, Social Media and Natural Resources.

The word is out. Marquette will be trying to lure smart, young, high tech entrepreneurs looking for tax breaks and an appealing (sometimes chilly) outdoor lifestyle.
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SPEAKING OF ENTREPRENEURS, Jesse Schramm is a classic case of a young man who's done well.

He runs Checker Bus and Checker Transport, both of which have radically upgraded transportation services in Marquette, and he operates about 150 housing units in the city. He's also a developer.

He's also running for one of the vacant City Commission seats this November. Sure seems like the Commission could use a young, entrepreneurial business voice during its deliberations. There haven't been many over the last several years.

But that brings us to this little twist in the story: Schramm and his wife are contesting their city taxes on four properties before a Tax Tribunal, and Schramm is also suing the city over its planned relocation of a recycling
center near one of his properties. So he's suing a city that he hopes to soon represent.

Probably not the best timing if you're hoping to win political office.

Schramm concedes that, but offers no apology. He's a businessman who feels that too often, the current politicians don't understand and appreciate how difficult it is to run a successful business. He has a point.

How much sympathy and support does he have? We'll find out November 4th.
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GOOD LUCK TO Marquette's world class marathoner, Tracy Lokken.

On Sunday, he'll be competing in the Twin Cities Marathon, which will include the US Masters Championship for men over 40 years old. Lokken, who trains right here on the sometimes frigid streets of Marquette, has won the Masters three times and has to be considered one of the favorites again.

Despite the fact that he just turned 49. That's remarkable because he'll be up against men who are 40, 41, and 42. Aren't you supposed to decline with age?

Not Lokken. He ran his best time ever, 2:21, just last year in Duluth. He ran a 2:22 in Boston. That's well under the world record of just under 2:03, but that was set by a 30 year old man.

By the time you're approaching 50, you're supposed to be settled in your easy chair, drinking beer, packing on the pounds, and dreaming of your glory years.

Not Lokken. He runs as many as 140 miles a week in preparation for races. On 49 year old knees, with a 49 year old heart.

One more thing to consider. The world record for a 50 year old is 2:19:29. Next year, Lokken, if he continues to improve with age, could be flirting with that record.

Amazing. The man deserves a parade.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

YOU MAY HAVE noticed that big hole next to the big pile of dirt in the parking lot in front of the Westwood Mall on US 41.

Nope, it's not gonna be an Olive Garden. (For some reason, that seems to be on a lot of wish lists.)

What it will be is a new branch of Aspen Dental Management, a corporate dental chain with about 400 offices in more than 20 states.

Aspen will arrive here with a less than stellar reputation--chronic complaints, a class action lawsuit, and an unflattering report two years ago by Frontline and the Center for Public Integrity--Patients, Pressure and Profits at Aspen Dental.

A quote from the report: "...The same business model that makes Aspen Dental accessible to people short on cash can also lock people into debt and has led to complaints of patients being overcharged or given unnecessary treatments. Former employees say Aspen trained them in high pressure sales..."

Aspen has admitted no wrong.

It markets itself to moderate to low income patients, many of whom may have neglected their dental health for a long time. The U.P. probably has plenty of such patients. Let's hope that Aspen's somewhat dismal reputation is more hype than reality.
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WE'LL BE WITNESSING a lopsided political forum Thursday at Peter White Public Library. It'll be tilting to the left.

The American Association of University Women and the Upper Peninsula Children's Coalition are co-sponsoring the event. They invited candidates for the UP's House seat, two local State Senate seats, and four State House seats.

Fourteen candidates all told, seven Democrats and seven Republicans.

The problem is, all but one of the Republicans has begged off of the event, claiming a conflict of some sort.

Pete Mackin, who's challenging incumbent John Kivela for his State House seat, is the only Republican promising to show up.

Here's a guess at what happened. The two sponsoring groups sound kinda liberal, don't they? Maybe the Republicans don't believe they'd get a fair shake with the questions or the audience. In fact, a couple of years ago, one of Republicans reportedly felt he got a raw deal on the questions at the forum.

It's too bad. The forum will be televised by Charter Cable and aired several times before Election Day. We need to know who we're voting for.

While we're on the subject, why is there no forum for City Commission candidates? It's an important election for a city dealing with major issues, and the candidates are interesting and diverse. But what exactly do they stand for?

Looks like the minority of us who go to the polls will just vote on the basis of friendship or name recognition or eenie-meenie-miney-moe.
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NOW, SOME ENCOURAGING news.

The Warming Center for Room at the Inn has just opened on Washington Street downtown across from the Food Co-op.

The Room at the Inn provides beds for the homeless and transients at a rotating group of churches throughout the year, but what the volunteer agency has needed is a place for their clients to go every morning when they have to vacate the churches.

That's where the Warming Center comes in, and just in time for winter. It's now providing breakfasts seven mornings a week, plus showers and rest rooms, and a social worker.

More services and longer hours for the Center are planned in the months ahead.

Yeah, you gotta admit we're a pretty good town with individuals and companies stepping up to offer their help for the less fortunate.

The biggest donor? Cliffs Natural Resources. In fact, the Warming Center wouldn't have happened without Cliffs.

Makes you wonder whether the new, budget-slashing management of Cliffs will be as generous with community outreach dollars as Cliffs has been in the past.
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OUR SUMMER MAY have been short and cool but the Isle Royale Queen III apparently had a good season, nevertheless.

More passengers and more revenue in its third season.

The big difference this year was free food on several of the cruises around Marquette's harbor. In some cases, it was local restaurants providing the food at no cost; in others, the cruise line paid.

Regardless, it was good for advertising and marketing and good for the passengers. After three years (and many of us worried it wouldn't last that long), the Isle Royale Queen III is building a strong bond with the business community in Marquette. They need each other.

By the way, the man at the helm of the 81 foot boat on Sundays this summer was Captain Bill Carmody, who also, you may have heard, finds time to preside as the chief judge of the 11th Circuit Court. He says the Isle Royale Queen III provides therapy for him.

Only in the U.P.
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(CORRECTION: The first version of this story was incorrect. Your intrepid, and apparently blind, reporter misread the results.)

MARQUETTE'S MARATHONER TRACY Lokken had an off day at the Twin Cities Marathon over the weekend.

He finished in a time of 2:31:10, about ten minutes slower than his alltime best time.

Slacker.

He finished second in his class of men, 45-49. These are the best runners in the nation.

Why the slow (!!!) time? He reportedly told one observer he felt fine but just had no speed. So it goes.

Back to the grind. Now there's Marquette's winter to look forward to. Ice and snow have never slowed Tracy. You'll see him on the streets--he's the guy with the 1% body fat. Wish him well if you get a chance.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street as soon as it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

TOO BAD ABOUT the wet and blustery weather this week because Marquette is on display before 1000 of Michigan's movers and shakers.

You may have noticed them on the streets and in the restaurants, bars and hotel lobbies--members of the Michigan Municipal League. They're politicians, city officials and lobbyists from all over the state. Only rarely do they venture this far north for their convention.

In a very real sense, Marquette is a poster child for city revitalization and can provide lessons for other languishing cities and towns.

You don't have to go back very far--30 or 40 years--to remember when Marquette's waterfront was an industrial slum and its downtown was all but dead. Today? A brilliant and striking contrast.

The often unappreciated partnership between government and private enterprise has led the way.
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THE MUNICIPAL LEAGUE has just published a book, The Economics of Place: The Art of Building Great Communities, and no surprise, several pages are devoted to the turnaround in Marquette.

A quote: "Today, the city of Marquette essentially owns and controls its entire waterfront, a fact that has had a profound impact on its sense of place as a scenic waterfront community."

The book goes on to praise the city's brownfield cleanup, its embrace of its historical heritage while welcoming new development, and its promotion of the city as an outdoors community flush with bike trails everywhere.

Also mentioned: brew pubs ("Brew pubs have just gone nuts here"), the Landmark Inn ("History and architecture buffs have made it a favorite spot on the circuit of national historic hotels"), the remarkably popular and sold-out Beerfest ("The only problem might be too much success"), and the Vierling ("They actually still walk down to the harbor each day and get the fish fresh off the dock").

We've got a lot to boast about. Now, if we could just do something about the rain and the wind. And the icebergs in the harbor on May 30th.
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A NEW CHAPTER on the city's future was being written this week at M Bank on Washington Street.

About twenty heavy hitters (annual income of $200,000 or net worth of $1,000,000) gathered to hear a pitch to become angel investors in Marquette's new Smartzone.

Angel investors invest in small, start-up companies in need of cash.

The Smartzone, with substantial financial incentives for high tech entrepreneurs, will be taking shape over the next six months throughout the city.

You like high tech? You like taking a bit of a gamble on smart people with new ideas? You like investing locally? You got an extra 50 grand burning a hole in your pocket? This is an opportunity to make a difference to your net worth, and to your hometown.
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WE DON'T WANT to jump the gun on this but it sure looks like the once controversial and much delayed boathouse on Lake Superior, near the Hampton Inn, will become a reality within a few years.

The Marquette Planning Commission and the City Commission have now approved the plan to lease the boathouse to the Upper Peninsula Community Rowing Club.

Issues may still crop up but it appears that final approval of the rezoning of the site by the City Commission is all that remains. That should come at its October 27th meeting, just before the next election which, with new members, could have thrown the entire issue into doubt.

What you're hearing now is a collective sigh of relief from the rowers who've been planning this for four years and struggling to get it through the City Commission for eighteen months.

Most of the criticism died when the UPCRC agreed to build the boathouse but let the city maintain ownership of the property.

One teeny, tiny obstacle remains. The club has to raise a paltry $600,000 over the next few years to build the boathouse. Here's a guess: these women (and the club, for some reason, is mostly women) will do it ahead of schedule. They're a smart, tenacious, and well-connected bunch.
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SO YOU STILL can't order a Corona with your burrito at Sol Azteca?

Nope. Management at the Mexican restaurant which opened since last winter (sans alcohol) bought a liquor license a few months back from a Gwinn business, but has still not gotten state approval to actually sell liquor.

The food's been good and inexpensive but management is frustrated because they're losing money. They say several tourists have sat down to order, then gotten up and left upon learning that alcohol wasn't on the menu.

Here's the back story. Sol Azteca management has gone to State Representative John Kivela looking for help. Kivela inquired and learned the Liquor Control Commission has denied the restaurant's application for a liquor license. No reason was given to Kivela.

Now the license denial is going through the appeal process. No word yet on when that will be completed.

So Sol Azteca has a liquor license but they can't use it, at least not yet.

In the meantime, they'll ply you with soft drinks and water. Yum.
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CONTRARY TO EXPECTATIONS a few months ago, the tiny but much loved Huron Earth Deli on South Third Street is still open.

The owner thought she would close down and complete the sale of the building to an out-of-state couple within a few weeks.

It's taken longer than anticipated but the sale is still going to happen. Meantime, Huron Earth Deli's doors are still open with a limited inventory, including its near legendary crawfish chowder.

The new owners, by the way, will be also operating a food-related business on the site. That's good news for the neighborhood, certainly a better choice than a dental office or an auto supply shop. Or a bar.

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

If you want to receive Word on the Street when it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

A COUPLE OF months ago, Democrats were high on ousting incumbent Republican Dan Benishek in Michigan's First Congressional District.

They were pouring money and staff into the U.P. and northern Lower Michigan. They had an attractive, moderate candidate in Jerry Cannon who boasted law enforcement and military credentials as well as an outsider's status at a time when all of us were sick and tired of all the insiders in Washington DC.

So what the hell happened?

Word comes this week that some of the Cannon campaign staff are being pulled out and re-directed to other Democratic campaigns around the nation.

This, on top of a Roll Call report that $425,000 of anticipated pro-Cannon ads were being cancelled.

And this: Benishek has raised about twice as much cash as Cannon.

And finally this: the Rothenberg Political Report had been rating the First District race as "tilting" Republican. Now the rating is Republican "favored."

We don't have many reliable public polls up here, but apparently national Democrats have been doing some internal polling, and they're not encouraged. Thus, they're shifting some of their resources to other, apparently more promising races around the nation.

Unless the tea leaves are lying, this is shaping up as a nightmarish November for Democrats.
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A NICE LITTLE display of bipartisanship in a ceremony in Marquette last week.

The Michigan Municipal League awarded its Legislator of the Year award to Republican State Senator Tom Casperson. Casperson accepted the award, but then called on Democratic State Representative John Kivela to come up and share it with him.

Casperson said he couldn't have done it without Kivela and other members of the U.P. delegation, both Democrat and Republican.

Huh? Can you imagine Nancy Pelosi calling on John Boehner to share an award with her, or Mitch McConnell singing the praises of Harry Reid?

Here's something else to consider. Kivela's a former auto mechanic, Casperson's a former logging truck driver, State Rep Ed McBroom is a dairy farmer, and State Rep Scott Dianda was a heavy equipment operator.

Not a lawyer in the bunch, no Ivy League educations, either. They're Yoopers from different parties who disagree on many issues but they get along. Actually like each other. Maybe there's a lesson there.
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DON'T LOOK NOW, but Ishpeming is slowly re-shaping its image, building by building.

Aided by grants from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, developers are spending more than a half million dollars on re-doing the facades and interiors of four buildings downtown.

The biggest is the Gossard Building, formerly known as Pioneer Square. Years ago, it was a factory manufacturing women's undergarments; now it's a remarkably attractive home to about fifteen businesses--some of them artsy and entrepreneurial.

Developer Paul Arsenault is hoping the building, which honors its historical roots, will infuse a youthful, artistic energy into downtown Ishpeming.

He'll need some help. The town has some dedicated developers and businessmen and women, but driving through downtown, you're still going to see plenty of vacant, if not dilapidated, storefronts, and hardly a pedestrian on the sidewalks.

Maybe the Gossard is a sign of things to come. Who wouldn't want to see the revival of a once thriving downtown Ishpeming?
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EVERYBODY LOVES LISTS.

Here's one of the latest. CreditDonkey, a bizarrely named website offering consumers financial news and advice, has just listed the Top Ten Happiest Cities in Michigan (population over 20,000).

Marquette placed eighth. Walker took first, Midland second and Allen Park third.

So you're asking, How do you determine who's happy?

CreditDonkey (seriously, change the name) listed several criteria including crime rate, household income, divorce rate, commute times...and the number of restaurants in town per inhabitant. Yes, we are generally going to be happier if we have more dining choices when we go out.

Here's the kicker: Of the top ten cities, Marquette had the most restaurants per capita. To be exact, we boast one restaurant for every 303 residents.

No surprise, we also had the shortest average commute time--12 minutes--and one of the lowest crime rates--one violent crime for every 1025 inhabitants.
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YOU MAY HAVE seen Gale LaJoye working out recently at the YMCA in Marquette. Our world-renowned performance artist (clown? mime? silent actor?) is whipping himself into shape for what promises to be a grueling 48 show run at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis next January and February.

It's the longest run at a single venue LaJoye's ever done. Apparently, after 25 years, there's still a huge demand to see his one man show, "Snowflake",
based on a simple, decent man who used to walk the streets of Marquette. Audiences from Japan to Mexico and from Hong Kong to Great Britain have given him standing ovations.

LaJoye, who's 64, says his body is still holding up after all these shows--1500 and counting--but he's now convinced that next year will be the last for "Snowflake." Of course, he's said that for the last six years as well, but this time, he really means it. Really.

Regardless, he expects the final show, appropriately enough, to be here in Marquette. And then, eschewing retirement, LaJoye says he'll move on to something else. When you're a performance artist, what are you gonna do? Sit on your butt?

If you've got news, email me at briancabell@gmail.com

If you'd like to receive Word on the Street when it's posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

BIG CHANGES ON the restaurant scene in Marquette. The latest? The Union Grill on US 41 has been sold to the owners of the Steinhaus, the German restaurant downtown.

No, that doesn't mean the Steinhaus, with a growing and enthusiastic clientele, is moving. It's staying right where it is.

Justin Fairbanks, the chef and owner of the Steinhaus, says the Union Grill location will be used to prep food for the Steinhaus, and also for catering and special events, as well as the processing of local meats. The Steinhaus is big on that.

But there's more. The new location (no name yet) will also open for lunch and will also retail meats, cheeses and specialty foods. Marquette foodies are jumping for joy.

But wait, there's more!

Fairbanks and his family have also bought the Dancing Crane Farm in Skandia. He'll now have a ready supply of local produce (though they're not yet set up for winter crops) and a coffee roaster.

In economics, they call this "vertical integration." In culinary circles, they call it "farm to table" or "farm to fork."

Whatever, it's an exciting and possibly game-changing development for the restaurant business in Marquette.

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SO PROBUILD IS closing down in the middle of November. No surprise, given the intense competition for builders and contractors at that location on US-41. Lowes and Menards are literally a (long) stone's throw away.

Now begins the speculation on who might move into that prime spot.

In the lead, early on, is Costco. That rumor is rampant. Marquette Township officials have heard it but know nothing about it. Costco corporate officials in Washington state are saying nothing about it and wouldn't say anything, anyway, until they got permits.

It does seem that the ProBuild site might be a little small for a Costco, doesn't it?

Also in the running on the rumor circuit is a Meijer hyperstore. There are 100 of them downstate. Why not one in Marquette Township?

Oh, there's also the perennial rumor about the Olive Garden moving in.

And this just in! Saks Fifth Avenue is moving to the ProBuild site! No, wait, it's Bloomingdale's!
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YOU MAY HAVE noticed the big tent that's sprouted up next to Coco's.

Turns out it's for a big Halloween party this Saturday night. Everyone's invited (in costume preferably) and reportedly at least 200 revelers are expected.

Don't worry, it'll be fully enclosed, with heaters inside. To say nothing of the body heat that'll be generated.

More important, perhaps, is that the tent will go up again next spring as a new wedding venue in Marquette. Coco's management says they already have two weddings booked for the summer.

Coco's, by the way, had been up for sale for well over a year. No takers at the asking price. Owner Jackie Gonda (with her husband Patrick) took it off the market a few months ago. They're staying, she insists, and expanding the restaurant's operations.

Why not? It's a huge piece of property in an ideal location, across from the beach and just down the block from the Nestledown B&B which should be opening early next summer.
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TV6 HAS ADDED a new face to its 6 pm newscast.

She's Sophie Erber, fresh out of Florida. Welcome to five months of winter, Sophie, and by "winter" we don't mean 63 degrees and gloomy skies, we mean 4 degrees, 150 inches of snow, and occasional white-outs.

For now, she's co-anchoring only the six o'clock newscast with Steve Asplund but plans are for her to possibly co-anchor the 7 pm and 11 pm newscasts, as well.

So far, she comes across as attractive, poised and confident. The chemistry with the other anchors isn't quite there yet, but she certainly seems to have a future.

Suggestion: Don't let her be just a pretty face, a news "presenter." Give her serious reporting responsibilities. Investigative work maybe (something sorely lacking in the UP). Get her fingernails dirty.

TV6 would benefit, and so would she.
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DOWN THE BLOCK, Greg Peterson, the new news director at ABC 10, is trying to inject a greater aggressiveness into his tiny staff of seven.

Peterson, himself, is out on the streets. A few weeks ago, he accosted Congressman Dan Benishek and quizzed him on climate change. The interview lasted for more than a minute, an eternity on local newscasts. Critics might have thought it was embarrassing and inappropriate, but it did get ABC 10 quoted in the Huffington Post.

For better or worse, it's a new day and a new approach for the UP's ABC affiliate which has had a remarkably strong web presence but woefully weak ratings for its newscasts.

Suggestion to ABC 10: Trade your $37.50 news set (also known as "Flowers in a Pot next to a Pole") to Zach Galifianakis for his Between Two Ferns set. Between Two Ferns is decidedly more attractive than what you've got now.

If you've got news, email me at briancabell@gmail.com

If you wanted to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

DRIVE BY THE Shiras Steam Plant and you'll notice a big hole in the ground just northwest of the plant. It's huge actually.

Crews have been excavating it for the last month and have removed about 12,000 tons of contaminated soil. They also recently came across two massive concrete vaults filled with what looked like black sludge--water and "heavy bottoms" was the terminology used. It's all apparently the byproduct of natural gas production that took place here decades ago.

The Marquette city gasification plant, which was first licensed back in 1867, was located here. Nobody's quite sure when the plant stopped operating but it was long ago, which means the two chambers full of sludge have just been sitting there, hopefully undisturbed, since then.

We shouldn't be surprised by this, of course. Marquette's coastline was an industrial slum, rife with contamination, just a few decades ago.

The sludge is being deposited at the Marquette County landfill site.

Indiana Michigan Power Company owns the property and has undertaken the environmental remediation voluntarily. The company applied for a permit to dig up the site to replace two culverts that had degraded over the years. The job is turning out to be little bigger than they expected.

Lotta questions here. What exactly is in the soil? What exactly was in the vaults? Had they been breached? Any need for concern since the site is nearly adjacent to Lake Superior? The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is overseeing the process. Answers forthcoming.
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GET PREPARED TO pay higher electric rates in the U.P. starting December 1st, unless we get a last minute reprieve from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Rates will likely soar in the eastern U.P, and rise more moderately in Marquette.

The reason behind the increases is complicated but basically it's because We Energies wants to close down its old, inefficient, coal-fired Presque Isle Power Plant but we, the customers, need to keep it open, even though it's a dinosaur. And we'll have to pay for it.

The rate increases will anger homeowners and possibly discourage business development.

Ah, but here's the bright side! It'll force us to confront reality. We need to build new, modern power plants in the U.P. to help us break our dependence on Wisconsin.

The new plants (plural) will likely be powered by natural gas. Maybe by wind, even solar. Energy companies are out there, ready to build.

But it'll be a Michigan solution giving the U.P. the opportunity to seize control of its destiny.

That's what U.P. legislators and the governor's office, together, are working on now. In the meantime, unfortunately, we'll have to pay more--maybe a lot more--to turn on our lights.
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THE SHAKEUP CONTINUES at Cliffs Natural Resources.

Casablanca Capital staged a coup a couple of months ago when it assumed control of the board of directors, ousted the CEO, and promised cuts.

The cuts in personnel are taking place all across Cliffs' North American operations, and they've now hit home. Jennifer Huetter, the district director for public affairs, was recently let go.

You'd know Huetter from the Cliffs' TV commercials she's done over the last couple of years. She also appeared recently on the U.P.'s Dancing with the Stars.

She's smart and well-regarded. She'll land on her feet.

As for Cliffs, which has endured turmoil and a drastic plunge in its stock price, the jury is still out.
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MARQUETTE IS LOSING one of its "cool" stores.

Switchback, which specializes in used outdoor and athletic equipment--kayaks, skis, camping gear--is closing up shop this month and relocating to Grand Rapids. That's where the owner is from.

But don't despair. A non-profit store known as Revolutions is taking its place. It's already up and running at the Masonic Square Mall on Washington Street.

And Revolutions offers something different: not only sales of used equipment but also programs to help youngsters learn how to repair their bicycles and skis.

Come to think of it, that might be "cooler" than Switchback.
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GENERALLY YOU DON'T advertise that you're looking for a job unless you're actually looking for a job.

WJMN anchor Gabe Caggiano begs to differ.

His resume and resume tape are listed on Medialine, a website for broadcasters seeking employment in the TV industry.

Caggiano expressed surprise when asked about the listing and said, regardless, it didn't mean anything. He insisted he was very happy at WJMN and had no plans on leaving.

Caggiano is a talented but well-traveled journalist who's also done some TV acting and has cut a music album.
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SPEAKING OF HOLLYWOOD, you may have noticed a vaguely familiar face on a recent episode of The League, a comedy on FX about a group of fantasy football players in Chicago.

She wasn't on the screen very long--just a few seconds--and she didn't say a word, but it sure looked like Regena Robinson, whose stormy tenure as news director at WLUC ended several months ago.

We'd heard she had left the U.P. for Los Angeles. It's apparently true.

Robinson touted herself not only as a journalist but also as a poet, a pageant queen, a motivational speaker and an inspirational blogger.

Now she can add "actress" to her resume.
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YOU GOTTA HAND it to head coach Jeff Olson and the Ishpeming Hematites. They've now won 30 straight football games--a U.P. record--and are aiming toward their third straight state championship.

Olson's built a dynasty, and it hasn't been because he's got the biggest and fastest athletes around. Not even close.

No, he's got only six players who tip the scales at more than 200 pounds, and he's got plenty in the 130-160 range. His Defensive Player of the Year is an inside linebacker who barely stretches to 5'9" and weighs in at maybe 175 after a hearty spaghetti dinner.

None of the Hematites is blazing fast. They're just quick and smart and tough. They block and tackle better than their opponents. No showboating. They're Yoopers, through and through. You'll find kids like them all over the U.P. every Friday night in the fall.

But high school football is all about coaching. A great coach like Olson can transform modestly talented and undersized athletes into a great team.

That's what they have in Ishpeming these days: a great team that's rewriting football history in the U.P.

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

If you want to notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

ONE OF MICHIGAN'S most forward-thinking businessmen is moving to Marquette this month from his longtime home in Grand Rapids.

His name is Richard VanderVeen. He's the guy who had those windmills erected in Mackinaw City--the first privately funded wind power project in the Great Lakes region. He also founded Michigan's largest wind farm in Gratiot County. Some have dubbed him the "Godfather of Wind Power".

He's also gotten involved in solar power. And in a sustainability project in Costa Rica. He's got a social conscience.

Better yet, he's not just a rah-rah advocate. He actually makes things work, and he makes them profitable.

So why are he and his wife moving to Marquette? Three reasons, he says: 1) They have family here--a daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild, 2) He adores flyfishing (He was a friend of John Voelker) and 3) He wants to get involved in community-building, and he sees Marquette and the U.P. perfectly positioned for growth.

Which has the Smartzone advocates thrilled. They're anticipating an upsurge in the number of small but ambitious tech firms locating here in the next few years, and VanderVeen, who's an attorney by trade, wants to help them with legal issues, governmental regulations, market planning, and cash raising. Oh, and he'd also like to invest in some of them.

Yeah, he kind of sounds like a guy who'd be an asset to the community.
--------------------------------------------

TUESDAY'S SNOWFALL DIDN'T help but the removal of toxic materials from the former Marquette gasification plant near the Shiras Steam Plant continues on schedule.

So far, they've removed 57,000 gallons of contaminated water containing volatile organic chemicals and something called poly nuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Bad stuff.

They've also transported 12,000 tons of soil with a thick residue of tar to the Marquette County landfill.

The water and the soil, according to the DEQ, were pre-tested to make sure they weren't too toxic.

The DEQ says it's satisfied with the removal and disposal process so far, especially pleased because Indiana Michigan Power is doing it of its own volition. Total price likely exceeds one million dollars.

The huge hole there will be filled up with clean soil. The future of the site, once remediated, is uncertain. It could be green space, or even development.

A final note: the site's groundwater, which is moving slowly toward Lake Superior, is still contaminated, and likely will be for decades to come. Test wells will monitor it continuously.

Our coastline may be pretty but it's certainly not pristine.
------------------------------------------

GREAT NEWS FOR Marquette Mountain and just in time.

The ski hill has acquired a liquor license and is now in the process of getting full approval from the state. Their expectation? To start serving liquor when they open up for skiing which, judging by the white stuff outside our windows, might be pretty soon.

Normal opening date is Thanksgiving weekend.

Marquette Mountain lost its liquor license earlier this year when former manager Vern Barber left to take a job at Mount Bohemia. The license was in his name.

But now, after a few anxious months, everything seems to be back on track.
In fact, Marquette Mountain is now advertising for a bar manager and bartenders.

One of the perks? If you work there at least 15 hours a week, you get a free ski pass.
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ELEVEN MONTHS AFTER settling in on Third Street, Ron's Taco Shop has vacated and is moving to a new location on Washington Street--the former location of Farmer Q's.

No word yet on when it'll reopen because a kitchen has to be installed. The original reopening date was November 11th. They've got a ways to go yet.

They're also looking for some financial help. They've joined up with a gofundme.com website, asking fans and supporters to donate $30,000. At last glance, they had commitments for $195.

Ron's, which had been a late night student favorite on Third Street, will be joining a crowded and increasingly competitive dining scene downtown. There are now at least a dozen restaurants within an easy, five minute walk of the new Ron's location.

Good luck to all the restaurateurs. Good eating to the rest of us.
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AS FOR THE old Ron's site on Third Street, landlord Don Potvin confirms that Johnny Dogs, a highly regarded little restaurant in Munising, has expressed interest in moving in.

Not a done deal yet, Potvin says, and the empty site has to be cleaned before a new occupant can move in. Attempts by WOTS to contact Johnny Dogs haven't succeeded yet.

Johnny's had nothing but rave reviews in Munising. It's creative and tasty, and more than just gourmet hot dogs. It's also burgers, sandwiches, whitefish and also something called "Piggy Fries"--housecut French fries topped with cheddar cheese, smoked pulled pork, ranch dressing, and orange pop BQ sauce.

No sprouts, no kale, no coconut water.

If a deal is worked out, here's a guess: Johnny Dogs will be a huge success on Third Street.
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THE BEACON HOUSE will be moving from its Third Street address once the hospital moves to its new location just off of US 41.

In fact, the Beacon House expects to actually construct a new building on the hospital campus, itself. Supporters will soon be announcing a capital campaign to fund the building.

You'd be hard-pressed to come up with a better cause. For the last 12 years, the Beacon House has been providing friendly, comfortable and convenient housing for hospital patients and their families. 175,000 guest nights, all told.

Now, if plans work out, the patients and their families will be living even closer to their hospital services. Win-win. The city of Marquette wins, too: a brand new hospital with brand new, convenient lodging for visiting patients and their families who will likely want to sample the remarkable attractions of the city.

The Beacon House is also hoping to open up a gift and coffee shop in the hospital lobby, with proceeds supporting the Beacon House.

Eventually, the current Beacon House will be sold (with an empty MGH, that'll be a lot of vacant real estate in that neighborhood), but it'll remain open and operating until the new campus site is ready to welcome patients.

If you've got news, email me at briancabell@gmail.com

If you'd like to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

THE FORMER VINEYARD is soon to be Spirits.

That'll be the new name of the party store just off of Grove Street and US-41. The new owner, Ed Jakubiszyn, a former health care worker who's made a sharp left turn in his career path, hopes to have Spirits open before the new year.

The shelves are mostly empty now but they should be filled within the next few weeks.

The new store will, of course, feature liquor, wines and beer, as well as convenience foods. Craft beers will be a specialty, and if you have a particular wine you like, Jakubiszyn says he'll find it for you and order it.

You'll notice the interior has been totally re-done. It's fair to say, the Vineyard, for all its charm and familiarity, was seriously due for an updating.
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NOT SO FAST on the re-locating of Ron's Taco Shop to downtown Washington Street.

It was scheduled to reopen earlier this month after a kitchen was installed, but the owner of the property reports a problem or two has arisen with the new tenant.

The deal's not dead, but it is uncertain at this point, according to the owner.

Ron's, meantime, has gone silent on its Facebook page. The last update, provided on November 9th, reported that "the reopening...will be coming soon!"

Stay tuned.
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AND WHAT ABOUT the Upfront?

Realtor Dan Keller reports two serious potential buyers, one from the U.P., the other from downstate, both with a background in food service.

Their engineers and architects have toured the premises trying to determine what might be done to the property and at what price.

No offers yet. The price of the property remains at $3.9 million.

In the meantime, more than 40,000 square feet of space downtown remain vacant, including the city's best banquet facility. Marquette's tourism industry will suffer as long as that space remains unused.
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THIS NATION'S BEST university-based invention program may well be the one just established at Northern Michigan University.

Invent @ NMU opened up a month ago at the corner of Presque Isle and Fair Streets. Founding Director Dave Ollila is the guy in the charge.

You may know Ollila as founder of Viosport. He popularized helmet-cams and invented back country skis. He started a video-sharing service five years before YouTube started up. He's got 12 patents. He knows a little something about making things.

And that's what Invent @ NMU is all about: making things. Widgets.
Hardware. You got an idea? Say, maybe a device to improve a golfer's putting stroke or a pan that never burns fried eggs? Then bring it in to Invent @ NMU.

The staff, consisting of Ollila and NMU students, will do the research and analysis and tell you whether your invention already exists, whether there's a market for it, and whether you'd be able to produce it at a cost-efficient price.

They'll charge you, but it'll be a helluva lot less than you'd pay otherwise, and they'll save you money--and anguish--on an invention that had no future.

Sixteen inventors have walked through the doors of Invent @ NMU so far. Ollila says if two of them actually brought their invention to market, that would be a good percentage.

All inventors, even Thomas Edison, have experienced many more failures than successes. But all you need is one.
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FOR A TOWN that already has more restaurants per capita than most other Michigan municipalities, Marquette's cup continues to runneth over.

You ready for the Nutty Goat?

Yep, that's the name of the coffee house-diner replacing the old Huron Earth Deli on Third Street. Sometime next month is the anticipated opening date.

A young couple with limited restaurant experience is diving in headfirst with a restaurant that will offer breakfast (crepes, anyone?), lunches (sandwiches and such), and dinners (tapas, maybe), as well as coffees, teas and juices.

Good, healthful, wholesome foods. Farm-to-table. Who, besides McDonalds and Burger King, isn't promising farm-to-table these days?

The new owners will be working hard and long (they're the only employees so far) to make the place welcoming and comfortable. Stop by in a month or so to say hello and to sample their crepes, tapas and lattes.
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QUICK! WHERE'S THE only barbeque restaurant in town?

Not the Union Grill. It closed down a few weeks ago.

No, it's Rollin' Smoke, a tiny drive-through on Wright Street that used to house Cruise n' Coffee. It's in a near-invisible location, now that most of the Wright Street traffic takes the little bypass to and from US-41.

The business plan, devised by owners Tom and Vanessa Curry, is a little different, as well. They close down between July and September while they hit the road for festivals, fairs, parties and other events that have proven much more lucrative than their drive-through business on Wright Street.

They're now open five days a week. Before too long, they anticipate only three days a week. After that, who knows?

We need barbeque in town. Anybody got a spot with foot traffic or car traffic? How about just any spot that's easier to find than Waldo?

SALT OR NO salt?

Sol Azteca, the Mexican restaurant overlooking the Lower Harbor, got the good news last week that, at long last, it will soon be able to serve margaritas...and Corona and anything else containing alcohol.

Its liquor license was finally approved.

The restaurant has been open for a nearly a year but it took several months to buy a liquor license, and then when it came up for approval before the Liquor Control Commission, it was turned down. Reason unknown.

In any case, it appealed the rejection and won.

Sol Azteca, at last report, was waiting for the actual license to arrive. When it does, it can go out and start stocking its bar and serving its customers. Best guess is that will happen next week.

Word was, some of the restaurant's customers over the last several months got up and walked out upon learning alcohol wasn't available. Many others loaded up on spirits downstairs at L'Attitude before or after their Mexican meals.

But it's a new day at La Azteca and not a moment too soon. It's tough to pay the bills at a high profile location when you're selling tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
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SPEAKING OF TIMING, how about a new toy store setting up in Marquette just one month before Christmas?

It's Great Turtle Toys, which was hurriedly stocking the shelves at the location of the old Food Co-op on Monday. It'll open this week.

It's actually a pop-up store, meaning it's only a temporary store for now, unless the owner decides to extend his stay. An employee says they'll see how sales go.

No sign outside yet. Inside, you'll find games, toys, remote control devices, etc. You gotta admit, it's something Marquette needs, especially this time of year. It's kinda like Toys "R" Us, only one billionth the size.

Incidentally, there's another Great Turtle Toys on Mackinac Island and in Clarkston.
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PREPARE FOR MORE changes at TV 6.

The station's new co-anchor at 6 pm, Sophie Erber, will also be co-anchoring the 7 pm and 11 pm newscasts with Greg Trick, starting December 10th.

That's a good indication that management likes the reaction they've been hearing about Erber who arrived here several weeks ago from Florida.

By the way, you wanna get into TV? TV 6 has reporter openings at two of its bureaus. Abby Miller left her Iron Mountain job last month, and Sara Blakely is leaving her Houghton post on December 5th.

News Director Steve Asplund says the two reporters just decided to move on. So it goes in a business where smart, young people can look forward to job that pays in the low 20s (at best) and offers every other holiday off (maybe).

Oh, and there's also the snow and the cold. And the equipment to lug around. And all of us critics out there who don't like the way you look and sound.
---------------------------------------

TALK ABOUT ELECTION intrigue.

Things are still being sorted out in Ishpeming, almost a month after the election. First unofficial returns of the voting had Mayor Mike Tall beating challenger Justin Koski for a council seat 964-961. Then the official county tabulation came in and results were reversed: Koski 960, Tall 955.

Now it gets more complicated. The state still has to certify those results, likely in December, and when that happens, Tall, the apparent loser, will ask for and be granted a recount.

But wait! Before that happens, the new councilman, apparently Koski, will likely be sworn in which means that if by some chance he loses in the recount, then he will be booted out of his seat before he even gets it warm.

And there's more! In the election, no one ran for the two-year-term seat, so it's now vacant. That means the new council (with Koski as a new councilman) will have to appoint someone to the two year seat. And who's among the likely candidates for that seat? Mike Tall, that's who.

Ah, politics. Ya gotta love it.
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ANY DAY NOW, we should be hearing from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. They'll tell us how much of a rate increase we'll have to pay to keep the outdated, costly and under-utilized Presque Isle Power Plant open.

The deadline for the notification is December 1st, although that could be pushed back to January 1st.

We don't want the damn plant but we've got to keep it open for the sake of the grid and for the reliability of the power supply and....blah blah blah.

What's especially outrageous is that FERC initially ruled that the UP would have to pay virtually all the costs for the plant. That could be especially tough on businesses and people on a fixed income.

UP and Michigan politicians are twisting arms to make sure that doesn't happen.

We'll see. It's inevitable we'll have to pay more for our electricity. It's just a matter of how much more.
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THE COGNITION BREWING Company in Ishpeming is just about ready to open, but not quite.

They're still working on the venue which is the long-vacated tap room of the old Mather Inn. Should be a great space when they're ready.

They're also dealing with getting their liquor license approved. They expect no problems with that. We wish them well.

They had been hoping to open in November, then it was Christmas, now it's January. In the meantime, they're waiting for their outdoor sign to arrive, their redoing their website, they've hired an operations manager, they're setting up their online store (selling growlers and such), they're....well, they're doing everything but opening their taps and selling beer.

So it goes with a new business.
--------------------------------------------

SPEAKING OF WHICH.

The Marq, Marquette's much anticipated farm-to-table restaurant, remains a work in progress.

The original hoped-for opening date was August which means today must be August 121st.

There's still work to be done inside and outside and oh yeah, there's also that pesky and familiar little item known as a "liquor license" to be dealt with. But it's going smoothly, we're told. Sure. Okay.

Best guess for an opening date? February.

Foodies are counting the days. One more thing: the interior of The Marq, featuring blacks and golds, is unlike anything else you'll see in town.

Just a tease.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS week.

Let's call it a candid conversation about our community's hospital, with the voices of people from the inside--employees who work at UP Health System Marquette, formerly known as Marquette General Hospital.

We've all heard the murmurings, mumblings and grumblings within the hospital over the past few years, and they seem to have gotten louder since Duke LifePoint took over. But understandably few of the hospital's nearly 2000 employees want to voice their criticism publicly. They worry that they might lose their jobs.

And the media, who have their own economic concerns, also seem reluctant to take on what is arguably the most powerful institution and business in the county.

So we'll take a crack at it.

A couple of notes first. The four employees who spoke to us did so anonymously. We'll call them Doctor A, Doctor B, Physician Assistant, and Nurse.

After we conclude with their comments, we'll get responses from hospital CEO Ed Banos.
----------------------------------------------------

WHAT MANY OF us have heard anecdotally over the last couple of years, especially recently, is that doctors are leaving the hospital. Quitting. Bailing out.

"Absolutely," says Doctor A. "It's not normal turnover. Doctors are fed up. It hasn’t been good and now it's getting worse."

"There's definitely been a spike in 2014," Doctor B agrees. "People are always coming and going, but we’ve lost some key doctors recently, and many of them were people we spent a long time trying to recruit. A big part of it is a lack of respect. The administration makes it clear that everyone can be replaced at any time. You can hit the road if you don’t like it."

So what's caused the problem? Is Duke LifePoint the culprit here? Well, that may be a little simplistic and unfair.

"The transition to Duke LifePoint has been rocky," the Physician Assistant concedes. "But nonprofits are being bought up by for-profits all over the country. This kind of transitioning is taking place everywhere, not just in Marquette County. When you make changes like this, people get apprehensive because you wonder whether the administration is looking for people to cut."

The Nurse noticed the change almost immediately. "When Duke LifePoint took over, they told us we had to get our nursing budget under budget," she says. "Otherwise, we were told they'd start slashing the staff. They were threatening people. I have a lot of friends whose positions were eliminated and some of them were awesome people."

"Ed Banos recently told a meeting 'We're going to get rid of negative people,'" Doctor A explains. "That sure seemed like a threat. If we try to bring issues up, we're reprimanded, we're called naysayers. A nurse recently brought up a problem and she was called a troublemaker. But she was right!"

The Nurse has kinder words for the CEO. "I have seen Ed Banos around. He seems to be putting in an effort, but the rest of them (the administrators), we never see them. I don't even know who they are. And the problem is, they're making staffing decisions without knowing what it takes to work on the floor."

"Comunication is essential," the Physician Assistant tells us. "The senior administrators need to let us know what we're doing and why, and they should listen to us. They don't do that very well, especially the senior staff. We never see them."

Possibly the biggest problem, according to the four employees, lies in the fact that the hospital is now owned by a for-profit, out-of-state corporation.

"Every decision comes out of Tennessee now," Doctor B says. "That's made a huge difference."

"Our supervisors and managers here have no say," the Nurse agrees. "Nobody at the hospital has any say. Everybody is a number. Everybody is replaceable."

"We're now practicing corporate medicine," Doctor B continues. "It's all about money. It used to be, What can we do for the community's benefit? We used to feel that we had a medical mission. No more. That feeling is gone."

"It's all about money," Doctor A says. "See more patients, earn more money, but do it with less staff. What can we do about it? We can leave or we can do what they want. We have to see more patients, we have to make more money. We're being asked to make a profit on people's suffering."

The single, indisputable fact is that Duke LifePoint is in business to make money. It has to be concerned with the bottom line. That's the nature of the beast. Increasingly, whether we like it or not, that's American medicine in the twenty-first century.

"An administrator said to me, 'What can be done to increase your productivity and our revenue?'" the Physician Assistant tells us. "It’s that simple. We all realize that’s what they want and if we want to keep our jobs, that’s what we have to do."

"There's a constant pressure to see more patients," Doctor B says. "It’s always, 'Can you see two more?' We’ve always been encouraged to increase our patient load but now the emphasis has really changed. It's always 'Can you squeeze a few more in?'"

And for the doctors who aren't seeing enough patients, there can be consequences. Their performance and salary are determined by their total of Relative Value Units (RVU's) which takes into account the number of patients seen and the severity and complexity of the patients' conditions. Doctors are encouraged to boost their RVU's.

"And they have a scorecard at the end of the month," Doctor A explains. "The fewer the patients, the worse. Names and identities are attached to the scorecards, so everybody knows the score. They try to shame you. It's like churches that used to publicize who put how much into the offering plate."

So is there something wrong with encouraging doctors to be more productive?

"Absolutely," says Doctor A. "Patients get the idea that we have to hurry up because we have other patients waiting so when they're talking to us, they leave things out. And then we as doctors are going to miss something because of the pressure to hurry up."

Clearly, there is pressure--to see more patients, to make more money, to make certain the hospital is economically viable.

"It’s a competitive market," the Physician Assistant points out. "Duke LifePoint is worried about Aspirus. Its just like Walmart in competition with Target."

"There's a fear of Aspirus," Doctor A agrees, "a fear that Aspirus is stealing our patients. And that's a possibility because patients are fed up with the long lines, the long waits, and appointments that are too short. The lack of attention. I don't blame them."

The picture they paint isn't pretty, but they concede that this may not be just a local problem.

"For a city this size, this is a good hospital," the Physician Assistant tells us. "We're blessed to have the physicians and the technology we have. Yes, we have egos and problems, but that’s probably like everywhere else. My feeling is the major villain in all this is the insurance companies and federal government with Medicare and Medicaid. They force us to treat patients like numbers, not individual patients."

The doctors are less kind.

"The Hippocratic oath says nothing about money," Doctor A says. "We all swear by it, but that's not how we're allowed to practice."

"I'm not really optimistic about the future," Doctor B says. "How can you recruit doctors to a damaged place full of bitter doctors?"

And the Nurse has the final word. "The hospital today is not about taking care of people. It's all about big money, big business." She pauses. "You know, I love my work. I love taking care of people but everything has changed and it's sad. It's really sad."

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NO SURPRISE, CEO Ed Banos has a different take on what's happening at his hospital.

Unusually high turnover among doctors? Not really. "We've had some specialists who've decided to leave recently," he explains, "but overall turnover has been normal. And those who decided to leave left for good jobs."

Banos says he and an outside group have done their best to gauge employees' morale, and their conclusion is that it's actually rising.

"This has been a busy summer and a busy fall, and people have been working a lot of hours, but overall I think we're doing well," he insists. "And our patient satisfaction scores are improving. When I came here a year and a half ago compared to now, our quality scores are up."

How about the criticism that Duke LifePoint is pushing the staff to see more and more patients?

"I'd like to say its like that in any business," he explains. "We’d like them to see more patients and serve more patients. There are standards in this business and we want our doctors to perform what a normal practice can do. We’re trying to stop patients from migration. We don't want them to go to Green Bay."

As for the charge that the hospital is trying to weed out staff members who are maybe...too negative, Banos doesn't deny it.

"We make thorough evaluations of all of our employees and we take those evaluations seriously," he says. "We have a commitment to quality. We want to make sure we’re all on the same page here. We want to act as a team. If not, then maybe some employees might find that they're not the right fit for our hospital."

He says he understands that transitions can be difficult and that he, himself, is still relatively new to the hospital, but he insists he's trying to build a positive relationship with his staff.

"I can't get out and see all 2000 employees every month," he tells us. "I do structured rounds and informal rounds every month and and we have employee forums. I try to get out as much as possible, especially in departments under stress."

So ultimately, why is there such vehement criticism of the hospital and the way it's now operated?

"I think it’s only a small minority who aren’t happy in their jobs," Banos concludes.

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SO THERE YOU have it. Two very different sides of the issue.

Now, you could conclude that the four employees, from different departments, are not representative of the rest of the hospital, and that maybe they're just whiners.

Or on the other hand, you could decide the CEO is oblivious or disingenuous, and Duke LifePoint is nothing but a cold-blooded, cold-hearted, money-grubbing corporation.

It goes without saying that all big businesses and all big institutions have problems. Employees are frequently critical of management. Who hasn't thought, at one time or another, that his or her boss was an idiot?

But the internal, critical noise does seem to be a little louder here.

Transitions are tough. Maybe we'll get over it. A brand new, state-of-the-art hospital, still at least a couple of years away, will certainly help.

It's just that hospitals occupy such a special, unique place in their communities.

We care deeply about them because they take care of us. And this is our hospital in our community.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell and "like" it.

THE DEAL TO sell the Landmark Inn, announced a few months ago, still hasn't been finalized but it's getting closer. The transfer of the liquor license and a few other minor details are all that need to be ironed out.

Graves Hospitality, which is buying the hotel, hopes to have it done in January...or by March at the latest.

Meantime, they're going ahead with transition plans. The Landmark's senior managers have undergone Graves training, the corporate chef has come in to take a look at the Landmark, and Graves executives are planning changes at the Landmark's upscale restaurant, Capers.

They won't be specific about their plans yet, but they do anticipate a significant change in the physical layout of the restaurant, as well as in the menu and the price point.

Translation: Graves wants Capers (Will they change the name?) to be younger, hipper, more welcoming, and less expensive.

Let's be honest. Even those of us who love the current Capers have to admit it's a little staid and stodgy, entirely appropriate for special occasions and big budgets, but less so for the younger, on-the-town crowd who are seeking an appealing destination for food and drink.

The man who will be managing the new food and beverage operations at the Landmark is Mike Mering. He's a local boy who's coming home after a decade in Chicago where he's most recently been the general manager of The Bedford, a highly-regarded "New American" restaurant.

Why the return to the U.P? He wants a lifestyle change--the outdoors, the friendliness, the ease of getting around. Yeah, we can relate to that.
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A SIMILAR STORY over on Third Street.

Superior Productions, a video production house, has been bought by B.J. and Kristen Alden. They've renamed it Northcoast Post.

The Aldens have family here in Marquette and also downstate but for the last 15 years or so, they've lived in Atlanta, where B.J. worked as a producer on CNN's Larry King Live, and in Los Angeles where he worked at FUSE, a video music channel.

Enough of the big city life, they say, enough of the glitz, glamor and insecurity.

They'll jointly operate Northcoast Post where B.J. will produce and edit, and Kristen will be art director and graphic designer. They'll continue to work with Superior's local clients--weddings and such--but they've also lined up corporate and institutional clients from across the nation. They can offer them high end design, graphics, and animation.

The Aldens are young, talented and energetic.

And what do they like about Marquette? Life is easy here. Their home, work, and children's school are all within blocks of each other.

Can't really say that about Los Angeles and Atlanta.
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WE SENSE A trend here.

Young people re-locating to a spot that, ten years ago, was considered too remote to offer a rewarding professional challenge.

That's what the new Smartzone will be all about--luring young, web-savvy, high-tech entrepreneurs to Marquette with the promise of resources, counsel, and networking that might ensure success.

Next step for the Smartzone is appointing a board of directors and finding an executive director. That should come within the next few months. After that comes the push to find the smart young guys and gals with great ideas and a little bit of money.

Can high-tech and web-related businesses succeed in Marquette? Hell, yeah. Take a look at 906 Technologies, Elegant Seagulls, Stang Decision Systems, RTI Surgical, Frontier Medical Devices, Biotech Navigators, Devicepatent. com, and others.

Yes, you can make money here, and live within five minutes of where you work, and buy a nice house for under $200,000...if you can put up with five months of winter.
----------------------------------------------------

ANOTHER TREND.

Making technical education sexy and appealing here.

There are too many college graduates out there with sociology and literature degrees, and heavy student debt, who can't find appropriate jobs. You'll see them working at box stores, selling computers and TV's, or working as baristas at Starbucks.

The jobs simply aren't out there for them. But there are jobs, here in the U.P, for plumbers, auto technicians, and heavy equipment operators. Jobs that can pay $50,000 a year and more, and allow you to stay here where you want to live.

That's where the Career Technical Education (CTE) committee comes in. They got together a year ago--five of them--to get schools and colleges in the U.P. to focus more on good technical training because that's what local companies said they wanted and needed. They had the jobs but they couldn't find trained people to fill those jobs!

Now CTE has 19 members and about 30 companies working with them, and they're busy.

Ishpeming High School now offers a Geometry in Construction class that has students building and renovating structures. Marquette High School will offer the same class next year. NMU offers an auto technician program that gives the students paid internships at car dealers. An HVAC program may be next.

Programs at Negaunee High School, Marquette High School and NMU offer students the opportunity to get their high school degrees while simultaneously getting college credit in clinical science or industrial maintenance, tuition free.

And these kids will find jobs and make some money, enabling them to buy their computers from those frustrated sociology majors at the box stores.
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REMEMBER THE DOUG Garrison Show?

It was a slick, locally produced interview show that ran on TV6 for more than two years but then went off the air about a year ago.

Well, it's back on Local 3, the CBS station, and Garrison, who's talented and ambitious, hopes and thinks this time he'll get solid support from his employer. At TV6, he had to buy the half hour of time from the station, pay all the employees and then go out and sell commercials.

At Local 3, all he has to do is produce and host the show. The station picks up the costs and sells the commercials.

The show has aired a only couple of times so far, at 6:30 pm on Sundays before 60 Minutes--a great time slot but it's been irregular because it's frequently pre-empted by NFL football. After football season, it should air regularly.

The UP needs locally produced shows about the UP, but they need to make money. Maybe this will work.

Oh, rumor has it that some clown from Word on the Street will be on this Sunday's edition of the show.

(Correction: Garrison's show aired on TV6's sister station, Fox UP.)
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CALLING ALL CONTRACTORS.

The city needs someone to build a brand new, relocated Municipal Services Center. The old one's being torn down to make way for the new hospital.

The budget for the new building is $18 million, so if you've got a power saw and a hammer and some nails, you might want to put in a bid.

The city hopes to narrow it down to five companies a little later this month, then choose the builder by the end of January.

Site of the new building is still undetermined. City officials say they'll hold a town hall meeting before they make a final decision on the site. Understandably, they don't want to step on too many toes here in town.
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A FINAL NOTE that may further help explain why big city boys and girls are fleeing to remote outposts like the Upper Peninsula.

Reporter takes his vehicle into Pomp's Tires suspecting he needs new tires for the winter. At the very least, he'll get them rotated.

After ten minutes, reporter is informed by Pomp's employee that tires still have plenty of tread. No need to buy new ones.

Great. Reporter saves a few hundred bucks. So just rotate them.

Twenty minutes later, car is ready, tires are rotated. Mechanic reminds reporter to bring the car in after 50 miles to get lug nuts adjusted.

Great. Will do. The bill says $24.00.

Reporter: "Okay, how about I pay by debit card?"

Mechanic: "Oh no, it's free. You owe nothing. You bought the tires a couple years ago so it's free. Don't forget about the lug nuts."

Reporter, his wallet untouched, leaves shop thinking, Golly, we sure live in a nice community.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

HARD-CORE NEWSPAPER lovers in Marquette County are grieving.

After December 28th, out-of-town newspapers will no longer be trucked up here, except on Sundays.

Mader News Agency, the Green Bay newspaper distributor, says it doesn't make economic sense for them to make the trip anymore. The trucks will bring the papers as far as Iron Mountain but no farther.

Maybe we can find the Pony Express or a team of sled dogs to finish up the last 50 miles or so.

If we needed further evidence that the paper version of newspapers is dying, this is it. Mader says publishing and printing costs are too high, circulation is declining, and free Internet access to news is cutting into newspaper readership.

On the surface and in the short run, this is good news for the Mining Journal. It'll be the only game in town.

But for those of us who've been desperately clinging to our pulp-based New York Times or Detroit Free Press or USA Today, well....we'll now have to join the rest of the under-50 crowd, and click on to our computers or iPads for news.
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IT'S NOT LIKE we didn't know that mining could be hazardous to your health, but the latest study provides a few more facts.

It's a $5 million dollar, six year study conducted by the University of Minnesota and funded by the Minnesota state legislature.

The findings? Miners on the Iron Range of Minnesota working around taconite dust are more than twice as likely as the average person to get mesothelioma, a rare cancer.

The good news? The afflicted miners' families were not affected by the taconite exposure, nor were the surrounding communities. Just the miners themselves who were exposed to high levels of airborne mineral fibers.

The researchers strongly recommend that potentially exposed miners use respirators and other protective gear.

Cliffs Natural Resources says that's precisely what they do here in Marquette County: use respirators and conduct regular screenings with chest x-rays and breathing tests. Cliffs, which cooperated with this latest study, also says it supports continued studies on taconite exposure.

One other, unexpected finding in the Minnesota study: miners exposed to the ultra-fine dust particles had a 30% higher death rate from heart disease than the average worker.

Again, sadly, no huge surprise. Working at a mine is an inherently risky job.
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A QUICK COMPARISON of Delta airfares, roundtrip, to Detroit:

Leave Escanaba Dec 19, return Dec 21
     $447
Leave Marquette Dec 19, return Dec 21
    $584
That's a difference of $137.

Leave Escanaba Jan 1, return Jan 8
    $213
Leave Marquette Jan 1, return Jan 8
    $385
Difference? $172.

Leave Escanaba Dec 29, return Dec 31
    $517
Leave Marquette Dec 29, return Dec 31
    $1083
A difference of a mere $566. Pocket change.

It's crazy. The reason for the disparity, of course, is that Escanaba's airport (as well as Iron Mountain's and Houghton's) is federally subsidized. It gets almost three million dollars a year to keep the airlines at their facility, and keep their airfares artificially low.

It's all part of the Essential Air Service program, designed to guarantee air service to rural communities. Which is great, except that it punishes BIG, MASSIVE, HUGE airports like Sawyer International, which isn't considered small enough to qualify for EAS money.

Yeah, we're really big, like three flights a day.

Sawyer management also points out that our airfares are driven up because of supply and demand. Flights out of Marquette are usually full. Escanaba's aren't.

So that begs the question, why don't they bring more planes up here? That's a possibility.

Not only that, but with fuel prices now plummeting, maybe Delta and American will finally cut us a break on fares.

Yeah, and pigs will finally learn how to fly.
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IT AIN'T OVER til it's over.

That's the lesson the Upper Peninsula Community Rowing Club has learned yet again.

The rowers thought they were all set to start raising private funds to build a boat storage house (to be owned by the city) on the beach next to the Hampton Inn.

The City Commission, after a long, tedious process, finally approved the plan allowing the club to build the boathouse and then lease it back from the city. High-fives all around.

Well, the opposition never quite went away, and they're now circulating petitions to revoke the lease, or put it up for a vote of the people. The opponents have a daunting challenge--they need more than 1300 signatures of registered Marquette voters within a month or so. That's 10% of the voters.

Meantime, the two sides are hurling charges of misrepresentation, lies, and intimidation at each other.

Although it's debatable, the boathouse, as planned, does not seem obtrusive or unsightly. It'll cost taxpayers nothing. It'll provide boat storage space for the public (for a fee) and for the NMU rowing team, and also access for the handicapped. And it'll keep the rowers--a genuine asset to the community--in town.

Sure seems like a great idea, but if you believe that Marquette's coastline should be pristine and inviolable--and the rowers should just take a hike--then maybe another building on our shores is a problem.

Something else that's hurt the rowers' cause: the building of the Founders Landing condos a couple of years ago to a height that wasn't expected. A lot of residents were irate about it at the time but city officials, in response, just seemed to shrug their shoulders.

Distrust of our government? Nah, it doesn't seem possible.
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THE ORIGINAL REPORT out of ABC 10's newsroom was "hard times and mutiny."

Turns out that was a bit over-stated, but there is dissension within, and it concerns the new news director Greg Peterson, who's been known to step on a few toes from time to time.

Peterson has taken an aggressive approach to the news, which is not a bad thing. But at times, it's been a highly personalized and journalistically unsound approach, according to the critics.

They emphasize that Peterson knows news and has aggressively found news for ABC 10 but the presentation of the news has sometimes been sloppy, even unethical.

It should be noted that newsrooms are rarely mistaken for prayer circles or Kumbaya sing-alongs, but the rift at ABC 10 seems a little more serious than normal.

Strange: repeated attempts to contact Peterson on Tuesday failed. Staff members didn't know where he was or when he'd return, and he wasn't answering his cell phone.
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FOODIES REJOICE.

Spice Merchants, a brand new store featuring spices, teas, rubs, soups, chocolates and gifts, has opened downtown on Washington Street.

Looks pretty, smells great.

The owners are Mike and Carolyn Carl. She's a kitchen designer and he's been a commercial fisherman and schoolteacher. They both went to NMU, then migrated south to Florida before hearing the call to return north.

Now they're store owners, and Spice Merchants, which operates about 20 other stores, seems like a genuine enhancement to downtown, something that will attract both locals and tourists.

You looking for a Cranberry Maple Rub? Now you know where to go.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook, and "like" it.

COUNTY ROAD 595 ain't dead yet, not by a long shot.

The Marquette County Road Commission is getting ready to sue the Environmental Protection Agency which rejected the proposed 595 cut-through in northern Marquette County in 2013.

That's right, a county agency is going to be suing a federal agency

Interesting. And what's more interesting is that the money behind the lawsuit will be coming from private interests, specifically the timber industry.

State Senator Tom Casperson (Republican) is the man behind this unusual private-public collaboration, and State Representative John Kivela (Democrat), who's been privy to the talks, fully endorses the suit as well. They insist the EPA was just flat-out wrong in rejecting the proposed road.

Background: CR 595 was proposed in 2011 as a way for Kennecott Minerals to transport its ore from the Eagle Mine near Big Bay down to its mill near the old Humboldt mine--a 22 mile road that would have been a shortcut through wilderness and kept the heavy trucks away from Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming. It would also have been used by other trucks, loggers in particular.

It was a plan that had the full support of city and county officials, as well as US Senators Levin and Stabenow (Democrats) and Congressman Benishek (Republican) and Governor Snyder (Republican). Nearly a consensus.

Not quite. Environmental groups, including Save the Wild UP, opposed it, as did the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community....and ultimately, and most importantly, so did the EPA. The feds ruled that the road would be impinging on wetlands.

So County Road 595 died. Almost. Now its being revived, thanks to the efforts of Casperson and some county officials.

The recent accident involving a mining truck on CR 550 that tied up traffic for hours might generate more support for 595. None of us wants those big-ass trucks anywhere near town.

So the battle is back on. Environmentalists versus a business/government coalition that's well-funded and, to be honest, probably has more popular support than the environmentalists. Will that be enough to prevail over the EPA in court?

We'll see.
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REACTION CONTINUES TO come in from our roundtable discussion about the hospital three weeks ago.

Analytics tell us that more than 20,000 people, the overwhelming majority from Marquette County, have read the blog, which means nearly one in three residents here read it. More than 170 posted comments. It's fair to say we all care about our local hospital.

It was the first agenda item for the hospital's Leadership Meeting shortly after the blog was posted. No word on what was said or suggested at the meeting.

Otherwise, hospital executives are offering no official reaction except to say that "internal" discussions are taking place.

Oh, and CEO Ed Banos and Chief Nursing Officer Dagmar Raica brought in Jimmy Johns sandwiches to a group of nurses the day the blog was posted.

And the exodus of doctors from the hospital continues. Dr. Richard Rovin, a neurosurgeon, is the latest to close up shop.
-----------------------------------------------

THE TRAGIC ROBIN Rahoi hit-and-run case has been settled in criminal court, and now it appears that it's nearing resolution in civil court, as well.

In fact, it'll be settled out-of-court for an undisclosed sum. The settlement will not be anything substantial, from what we're hearing, because there just wasn't much money to get.

Michael Nelson of Big Bay received a nine month jail sentence, plus two years probation, for the hit-and-run killing of Rahoi, an NMU employee, just about a year ago. Rahoi was walking along a dark road when she was struck by a vehicle driven by Nelson.

The vehicle left the scene. Rahoi was left to die.

Rahoi's three children had filed the civil suit, not because they were looking for big money or vengeance, according to their attorney Steve Pence, but because they were hoping Nelson would take responsibility for having taken their mother's life.

Nelson all along has insisted he never realized he had struck a human on that dark night.

So it goes.
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WHAT THE HECK happened to Ron's Taco Shop?

The little diner was in the process of relocating from Third Street to Washington Street downtown when suddenly, amid rumors, the move ground to a halt.

The last posting on Ron's Facebook page came way back on November 19th when the owners said they were working on the kitchen, the floors and the walls, with an anticipated opening around the Christmas holidays.

Not likely. The landlords at what was to be the new location now say they don't want to talk about Ron's.

The landlord at Ron's old location is still grumbling about unpaid bills.

And those of us who liked the fare at Ron's Taco Shop are searching instead for our beloved taco trucks.
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ONE OF DOWNTOWN'S stalwarts, Moonstone Gallery, is closing up shop on Wednesday, Christmas Eve.

Jeweler Ann Kuhnly says nine years is enough. She'll still be making her own jewelry and selling it at art fairs and such, but operating a store downtown is just not working for her. The last two years in particular, when we've supposedly been recovering from the recession, have been very tough.

Apparently the millionaires and billionaires who've watched their stock portfolios soar in recent years aren't buying moderately priced jewelry in Marquette.

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A TOTALLY DIFFERENT story right next door where Spice Merchants opened up just a couple of weeks ago.

Owner Mike Carl, positioned near an overheated cash register, tells us he's having trouble keeping his spices, teas, rubs, chocolates, soups and gifts in stock. The damn customers keep buying them.

It's been busier, he's been told, than even the Spice Merchants store in Traverse City.

We'll check back with him January 15. Here's guessing he'll likely have more time to talk next month. And the month after.
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THE OTHER NEW store in town, Great Turtle Toys, may be moving next door into the Childrens Museum.

Nothing's definite yet but Ben Nye, the store owner, is interested in taking over Sprouts, the less-than-successful store on the first floor of the museum.

Museum director Nheena Ittner would welcome some sort of collaboration with Nye, but the final decision, including the financial arrangements, would have to be approved by the museum's board.

If something is worked out, Nye's shop could be in the museum, under a new, as yet undetermined name, by the end of next month.

Nye's got plenty of ideas and energy. His pop-up store, Great Turtle Toys, has done steady business since he opened up a couple of weeks ago but his quickie lease will expire on January 1st. Now he wants to stay in town.

Seems like a good fit with the museum.

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

If you want to be notified when Word on the Street is posted, go to Word on the Street by Brian Cabell on Facebook and "like" it.

Hospital Deadline, Golf Course Rejection, and Another Frigid Winter

MGH Is Counting Down, Eagle Mine Road Is Ever Widening, and a College Preacher Is Spewing Hate

Duke LifePoint Chooses Roundhouse

A New Day for the Landmark Inn

Turmoil at Cliffs, Internet Cafe in a Bank, and a World Premiere in Marquette

CVB Faces Dilemma, Boathouse Faces Possible Deadline, and ABC 10 Has a New Face

An Iconic Structure, a Dismal Rating, a Conflicted Candidate, and a World Class Marathoner

A Dental Chain with Questions, a Forum with Few Republicans, and a Haven for the Homeless

Marquette Displayed, Heavy Hitters Pitched, Rowers Relieved, and Liquor License Denied

Democrats Are Depressed, Casperson Is Classy, Negaunee Is Spending, and Marquette Is Happy

Restaurant Sale, Farm Sale, Costco Rumors, and TV News Changes

Black Sludge, Expensive Energy, Cliffs' Layoffs, TV News, and Hematites' Glory

Wind Power, Toxic Chemicals, Tacos, Hot Dogs, Beacon House and Liquor on the Mountain

Vineyard Renamed, Ron's Reconsidered, Upfront Re-Viewed, Nutty Goat Replaces and NMU Re-Invented

Tequila, Toys, Tricky Tabulations, TV, Tap Rooms, and Twisting Arms

A No-Holds-Barred Conversation About Our Hospital

Exiles from LA and Chicago, High Tech and Low Tech Jobs, Unemployed Sociologists, and Lug Nuts

Newspaper Blues, Mesothelioma Risks, Unfair Airfares, Boathouse Battle, and an Embattled Newsroom

595 Revival, Hospital Feedback, Rahoi Settlement, Museum Collaboration, and Taco Mystery