Several robins gathered in my front yard the other day, searching the cold ground for earthworms or insects. A sure sign that spring has arrived in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. While residents in our state are currently mandated by the governor’s office to stay home and safe due to the ...
First and foremost, I hope that you and your family are doing well during these uncertain times. This is certainly a new normal for all, but I believe that together we can persevere. Our community and people around the country have responded in amazing ways. If you look around our community ...
MARSHFIELD,Vt. (AP) — The sap has been flowing for weeks in trees in maple country, but syrup sales may not be so swift, with restaurants and specialty food shops closed, sugaring events canceled and fans staying home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. In the largest ...
MARQUETTE — Range Bank President and CEO, Roxanne Daust, recently announced the promotions of several Range Bank employees. “Each of these individuals brings a unique set of skills and go above and beyond living our core values each day,” said Daust. “I am pleased to announce these ...
There has been an undercurrent of dread coursing through the lives of many Americans. Our focus, of course, has been directed at the viral pandemic afflicting the global population. It’s challenging to direct our attention elsewhere for any length of time. If even for a moment, escaping news ...
Life has become unrecognizable. Marquette’s stores and cafes are closed, the streets are empty and there is an eerie, deafening, penetrating silence in the air. Through my kitchen’s window, I saw two squirrels in my backyard, looking at me, then at each other, possibly wondering why I have ...
By JACKIE JAHFETSON Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — With the dawn of April comes a new set of challenges whether it’s unemployment, isolation or the unknown of what’s to come for the world, these thoughts can trigger stress and can have negative effects on mental, physical and ...
It would be an understatement to say the coronavirus is big news. It’s everywhere you look; you cannot get away from it. (Well, actually, I hope that you can!) But there is a lot of misinformation out there, and a lot of uncertainty. It takes time to learn the behavior and characteristics of ...
LANSING — A longtime guidebook to trails on Michigan’s Isle Royale has been updated with downloadable maps and QR codes. “What we tried to do with this edition is merge the printed guidebook with digital, downloaded content,” said Jim DuFresne, the author of “Isle Royale National ...
According to the American Horticultural Society and horticultural therapists, gardening helps with diseases like migraines, depression, autism, Alzheimer’s, and provides physical, nutritional, and mental health. Gardening provides the joy of fresh air and boosts vitamin D thanks to the ...
MARQUETTE — Before the COVID-19 situation quickly escalated, 10 Northern Michigan University students and two faculty members traveled to Cuba for an environmental studies course that explored different models of sustainable community development. They had the rare opportunity to bypass ...
LANSING — Amidst shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 crisis, school districts are being forced to make tough decisions about payments to by-the-hour and contract workers. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered public schools to close until April 13, and while teachers are guaranteed salaries through ...
O'FALLON, Mo. — Older people have been far more likely to die worldwide from the coronavirus, and statistics from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services show the state is no exception. The health department on Tuesday reported 53 fatalities from COVID-19, the illness caused ...
MARQUETTE — A local organization is not only helping school children in need with pre-packaged weekly meals, but elderly folks as well in Alger County. When COVID-19 caused Michigan schools to close, in less than 24 hours the Alger County Communities That Care began brainstorming ideas on ...
A Pennsylvania nursing home where two dementia patients died over the weekend after contracting COVID-19 has struggled to contain the spread, with staff thinned by suspected infection and fears for their own safety. Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver released a statement ...
By JACKIE JAHFETSON Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — Shortly after the shelter in place order was put into effect in Michigan, Deborah Heino of Negaunee started receiving text messages from a philanthropist named Mike who was asking people who might be needing monetary support during the ...
MARQUETTE — Outdoor recreation-related companies are struggling to stay afloat amid the fallout from COVID-19. “There’s going to be a lot of sacrifices throughout this time and the sacrifices are needed,” said Jon Swenson, the director of community services in Marquette, a city that ...
“Way up on Bear Creek, watching the sun go down. Well, it makes me feel like I’m on my last go ‘round.” — A.P. Carter As the afternoon light dwindled, a drab gloom that had fallen over the scene the night before continued to hang around, as it had all day. I was determined to get ...
MARQUETTE — Warmer weather means people can sit back and enjoy the wildlife that comes to their homes, right? Not necessarily. Higher temperatures mean many animals seek food for their young. During this time, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources asks people to help their ...
MANISTIQUE — Michigan’s first rail trail is 50 years old. Some residents who live near the Haywire Grade, a multi-use trail that crosses the Upper Peninsula north to south from Shingleton to Manistique, are glad the trail is getting the recognition it deserves. “I’d say over the ...
By GARY GERARD HAMILTON Associated Press NEW YORK — When DJ D-Nice decided to start playing music live on Instagram amid countless closures due the worldwide pandemic, he did it in part to ease his loneliness and boredom given his own gigs had dried up. At first, the audience for his ...
By CHRIS HUBBUCH Associated Press MADISON, Wis. — It’s 48 degrees, and Ed Hopkins is looking for ice. There’s no shortage of it here along the shore of Maple Bluff, but a pair of eagles perched several hundred yards out hint at open water. According to custom, the lake is ...
The sun is shining, the air seems to hold the promise of spring and I find myself smiling at the sight of a couple walking a pair of large, shaggy dogs along the newly dry roads and sidewalks. It almost seems like a regular day in late March until I notice the empty streets, parking lots and ...
By The Associated Press From finding ways to help others cope to sheltering in place to canceling events, hereís a look at some of the ways the entertainment industry is reacting to the spread of the coronavirus, which most people recover from but can cause severe illness in the elderly and ...
My alarm didn’t go off. I looked at the clock. It was 7:15 am. “Oh, no!” I thought. “I am going to be late for school!” When I spoke with my mom, she told me that we weren’t going to have school for three weeks. I was excited. Three whole weeks off from school! It has now been ...
From Northern Michigan University MARQUETTE — NMU alumna Elle Gallager recently found herself on lockdown in the Veneto region of northern Italy, one of the first COVID-19 hot spots in the country. The May 2019 graduate had traveled there for a unique au pair cultural exchange ...
By JENNIFER JOHNSON Michigan Department of Natural Resources MARQUETTE — When I first decided to write this story, I wanted to describe how I bring my daughter, Rhiannon, ice fishing and the amazing bond that comes with it. However, that would be telling only part of the story. I am ...
NEGAUNEE — Kevin Baker, a seventh-grader at Manistique Middle School, is the new champion of the Upper Peninsula Community Education Association’s Spelling Bee Finals, which took place on Wednesday at Negaunee High School. Put on by the Ishpeming-Negaunee-NICE Community Education ...
Houghton and Keweenaw counties exhibit a vast historical mining heritage and unmistakable exquisite beauty fanned out from the west to the northeast over what is commonly referred to as the “Copper Country.” The copper mining tradition here is displayed prominently in the holdings of the ...
Across southern portions of Schoolcraft and Delta counties, U.S. 2 skirts the beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline, providing access to a range of places to explore for everyone from campers and birdwatchers to boaters, history buffs and anglers. The city of Manistique, the county seat in ...
If you’ve ever pictured yourself riding up a highway along some beautiful windswept coastline, to the top of a mountain with a commanding view, then you may well enjoy the magnificent beauty of the Keweenaw Peninsula. From just outside Mass City in Ontonagon County, M-26 winds north through ...
In the mid to late 19th century, the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway had established a station at Lake Gogebic, the area was known then for its mining, and the small locality boasted a population of 40 souls. The U.S. Postal Service office here was dubbed “Ballentine” in honor of ...
By NANCY SARNOFF Houston Chronicle AP Member Exchange HOUSTON (AP) — On a recent Friday morning Sam Scott walked through his house for the last time. The Houston Chronicle reports he grabbed a dust mask from his car and entered through the open garage. The door had buckled during ...
Those of us with outdoor-loving pets know the downside to all that freewheeling frolic: muddy paws, tangled fur and often much worse. Animal behavior experts have many theories on why some dogs roll in noxious odors. Some researchers posit that getting one’s neck into a smell is an ...
LOS ANGELES — Writer-producers Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd were mulling ideas for the 2009 TV season when they landed on an intriguing sitcom approach, one revolving around an extended family and done in the “mockumentary” style made popular by “The Office.” “All these ...
NEW YORK — Cooped up at her Bronx home with her daughter and a niece because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli says she has lowered the “volume and speed” of her life. She is arranging books in alphabetical order, planting legumes on her balcony and listening to ...
