My unease grew as I scrolled through the news notifications on my phone on the evening of March 11, 2020, the lit-up screen a bright contrast to the surrounding darkness. “Tom Hanks tests positive for COVID-19.” “NBA suspends season.” “Restrictions announced on travel from ...
The first day of March seemed to completely fulfill the beginning of that well-known cliche about the month: “In like a lion, out like a lamb.” Writing the first half of this old saying in my journal last Sunday was a bit trite, but completely irresistible as winds howled, clouds filled the ...
For me, there’s no shortage of things to love about secondhand items. There’s the mysteries, the stories, the joyful coincidence of the perfect object somehow finding its way to you, the chance to give something another use, a new life. And whether an item comes from a thrift store, a yard ...
MARQUETTE — Local book lovers: Make note of this. The Upper Peninsula Publishers & Authors Association has announced the Second Annual U.P. Notable Books List. UPPAA Publications Chairman Mikel Classen of Sault Ste. Marie initiated the list as a response to the lack of representation ...
EDITOR’S NOTE: Christie’s Chronicles is a new monthly column by Journal Staff Writer Christie Mastric that will run the last weekend of each month. At first I balked about naming my column Christie’s Chronicles, as I realize that alliteration is overused in literature. But that’s what ...
ESCANABA — Escanaba Junior and Senior High School art teacher Cathy Uhazie has been leading her students through muraling projects for 18 years. Over the past three years, Uhazie’s students have painted nine murals throughout the school. Mural topics relate to school activities, groups and ...
LANSING — Michigan Department of Transportation snowplows now will have a special and personal touch on the department’s interactive Mi Drive map. Inspired in part by TrafficScotland.org, MDOT has started giving snowplows unique and creative names on the Mi Drive map. Current names include ...
Broken icicle fragments were scattered across the frozen ground, glinting in the winter sunshine. The remaining ice on my roof was melting, falling almost rhythmically into a pool near the icicle fragments. This moment seemed to sum up the unusually gentle weather that’s taken place this ...
MUNISING — Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore has a new trail for snowshoe users. The trail has been a year in the making, and travels through a variety of habitats of beech, maple and conifer forests. The trail offers visitors a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the quiet and solitude of the ...
MARQUETTE — For those who want to get outdoors and enjoy a little history on the way, “A Walk on the Snow and Back in Time” will be offered at 6 p.m. Wednesday by the Marquette Regional History Center. The public is invited to join in a snowshoe hike with Dr. Jacquie Medina, professor ...
Dysania: The state of finding it hard to get out of bed in the morning. “On Mondays, my dysania can cause me to reach for the snooze alarm upward of five times.” This little-used word and fitting usage example resonated with me as soon as I read it on the Wayne State University Word ...
The final days of 2020 seemed to dwindle quickly. But the last little bit of the year offered up a few incredibly bright winter days. Sunshine had returned, sparkling upon the all-encompassing blanket of pure white snow. It was a powerful sun, bold and bright, against a pure blue backdrop of ...
MARQUETTE — The city of Marquette was recently awarded $300,000 to build a new inclusive playground at Mattson Lower Harbor Park. The grant money was awarded through the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, which provides funding to projects that involve natural resource protection and ...
The winds are howling. A fresh new blanket of snow has transformed the world overnight. This seems to be a picture-perfect restoration of winter weather after the previous day’s unusual warmth transformed the area’s lawns from a crisp white to a soggy green. It’s seemingly ideal ...
MARQUETTE — The 100DayProject, which invited participants in recent years to take part in a creative undertaking daily for 100 consecutive days, is changing a bit for 2021 — as is the case with many events and activities. Local artists Ann Russ and Catherine Benda are once again launching ...
The wind’s powerful gusts were lending motion to tree branches, power lines, and even the festive decorations that adorned many homes in the area. It was a frigid day, but amazingly, the sun was out. Even though it didn’t seem to provide much warmth in the face of such intense wind, it ...
HAMILTON, Mont. — Debora Lay had no idea where her decision to adopt three Bureau of Land Management donkeys a couple of years back was going to lead. Dr. Irmak Birey certainly didn’t know that one of those donkeys was going to lead her to author a book that could change the lives of ...
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hallie Thomas barely resisted the urge to run over and hug Jamie McKenzie on Nov. 23 when they met at AdventHealth Orlando — three months after both donated a kidney to save the life of each other’s loved one. Thomas, a 34-year-old teacher from Winter Garden, gave one of ...
The clock didn’t even read 5 p.m. yet, but the sun was already sinking, hanging low above the horizon. When I looked straight ahead, the sky was already a deep, dusky blue. But as I turned to peer through my rearview mirror, I could see the rainbow of sunset hues lighting up the sky, a ...
This is a snowy owl that was rescued and brought to the Chocolay Raptor Center in Harvey early Thanksgiving morning. It was emaciated and weak, but tolerated gavage therapy and was getting stronger. Gavage therapy uses a small tune placed through the nose or mouth. The raptor center hopes ...