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Superior people

Block Party set for Saturday

MARQUETTE - The Silver Creek Neighborhood Block Party will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Silver Creek Church, 219 Silver Creek Road, in Harvey.The entire community is invited to this free event. Activities include a backpack and school supply distribution, food, music, games and other giveaways. Children will also receive a coupon for two free outfits from Silver Creek Thrift and, through the support of the Superior Health Foundation, a personal hygiene kit. Children must be present to receive backpacks and supplies. Non-profit agencies will be on hand at the event to provide ...

Local group holds tour of productive home

MARQUETTE - The Fether home along Woodland Avenue is not your typical city yard. Instead of a manicured lawn and trimmed hedges, it has black raspberries, pear trees, honeybees and chickens.And, of course, chicken eggs.Jake Fether, who lives with his wife, Kate, and children Liam and Cora, talked about their "Yarden" - sort of a cross between a yard and a garden - during a Wednesday tour sponsored by Transition Marquette County, a local group concerned about climate change, food sustainability and related issues."Lawns don't really do anything for you," Fether said. "I'm trying to grow ...

Just the facts, please: Our future depends on good journalism

MARQUETTE - Here's a mystery for you: why would somebody like me or my bright and talented colleagues choose the worst job in America for a career?Yep. Newspaper reporter has been at the very bottom of the Jobs Rated report for the last three years, No. 200 out of 200 jobs ranked.The report analyzes each job's emotional and physical environment, income, outlook and 11 stress factors to determine which professions are among the least desirable.After newspaper reporter, CareerCast.com ranks logger, broadcaster, radio DJ, enlisted military personnel, pest control worker, retail sales, ad ...

Stop spreading hate: Why words matter, even on social media

MARQUETTE - If you'd like to get an idea of how much hate and ugliness exists in this world, you need not look further than social media. My feed on Facebook and Twitter is constantly riddled with it. Backhanded comments. Name-calling. Threats of violence. Political bashing. Racism. Sexism. Homophobia. I see it every day. While much violence and vile behavior exists out in the "real world," as we've seen in recent weeks with terrorist attacks, mass shootings, unwarranted killings by cops on citizens and citizens on cops dominating the news cycle - a lot of our world's problematic ...

Convention experience new for Rep. McBroom

CLEVELAND - While some delegates return to the Republican National Convention every four years, for some, including Michigan State Rep. Ed McBroom, the experience is brand new.McBroom is representing the Upper Peninsula in at the convention in Cleveland alongside Escanaba resident Judi Schwalbach. While Schwalbach is a frequent attendee of the convention, McBroom is still learning the ropes."This is the first time I've ever been at a convention, so it's kind of a learning experience yet. Whereas for Judi a lot of this stuff is old hat for her, and I'm busy studying the order of ...

Vintage console donated to history center

MARQUETTE - The Marquette Regional History Center has grown by about 115 pounds, but those pounds contain a lot of history.Jim Gleason, who formerly worked for WDMJ AM, has donated a 1948 Gates Radio Model SA50 dual-speech input console used at that station to the center.Gleason, now chair of the Electronic Media/Broadcasting Department at Delta College in Bay City, said although it was time to reduce clutter at his home, it also was time to bring the vintage machine back home to Marquette.The Lake Superior Broadcast Company started radio station WBEO in Marquette in 1931, which was ...