From studios in the BIC Center on America’s Emerald Isle, this is the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for Wednesday, March 18th, 2020.
First, some news…
Confirmed COVI-19 cases in Michigan are now at 65 with new ones in Ortsego and Grand Traverse county up north. Closures on the island now include the library and soon, Power’s Hardware.. The library will be closed through the 30th. They are working on plans to make a “take out” service available for books. Power’s is open for curbside service through 3 pm on the 21st. Then, they will be closed until further notice.
Townships have issued a joint press release that details what they are doing to respond to COVID-19. All non-essential Township meetings have been cancelled. There will be a meeting of the Beaver Island Emergency Services Authority on Thursday at 2 at the Peaine Township Hall. The public is invited to attend by calling in to a conference line. The number is 415-464-6800. Then you’ll need to punch in 49782# for the participant code.
C-O-A office is open for now and director Kathy Ehinger is available to help you with errands if you are a senior concerned about going out. Just give her a call at the office at 448-2124 or after hours on her cell phone at 231-620-5199.
The Health Center has established protocols for responding for patients that may have the virus. There is a separate screening room and a separate entrance will be used. Remember, if you think you may have the virus, you should call the Health Center at 2275 before coming in and follow their directions. For more tips from our health center pros on what to do, listen to our Beaver Island Perspectives program with them first broadcast on Friday. It’s available as a podcast on W-V-B-I dot net. Just go there and click on the podcasts menu.
Both Island Airways and Fresh Air are continuing passenger and cargo service for the island. They ask you not to fly, though if you have any symptoms or know you have been exposed.
Dalwhinnie’s and the Shamrock plan to be open for take out service. Dalwhinnie’s service is clustered around lunchtime from 10 to 1 Wednesday through Sunday with a limited menu-but they are trying to accommodate special requests. Shamrock will be open Thursday through Saturday from 5 to 7 with a single item on the menu each day. Call the restaurants for details and to place your order.
The BIC Center will remain open, but until further advice from the health department, no more than five guests can be in the building at any one time. As a result, all activities have been cancelled, but the center will be available if you need internet access, a PC or a printer. The restrooms will also be available. Small group meetings are OK, too, but you should coordinate those with the front desk. All other activities are cancelled for now, so no Pickleball, no Games Galore or Arthritis Foundation Exercise program. And, no movies. All of this is subject to change of course. We’ll keep you posted.
In state news, Michigan’s governor has now banned gatherings of 50 or more people in the state. Violators of the order are subject to a misdemeanor that includes up to 90 days in jail and or a fine of up to $200.
The governor has also lifted weight restrictions on cargo trucks to allow more efficient delivery of coronavirus supplies. She says additional closure orders and bans are possible, but for now golf courses get to remain open SO, in this frustrating time, you can go play a frustrating game.
Now, here’s what’s happening on your island… Well, pretty much nothing. Library closed. No word on the resale shop, but we assume they will be closed. Pickleball cancelled. Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program off.. Games Galore. Not so many. Ladies Shuffleboard shuffles no more. No Euchre cards. No crafty quilters. Thursday, as we noted, the B-I-E-S-A is meeting at 2 at Peaine Township hall. Public is to attend by phone. Info is available in the News section of our website. Sunday, services at Holy Cross are suspended for now, but you can watch the stream on News on the Net of mass celebrated at the regular time. We are checking on what the Lighthouse Fellowship and the Christian Church are doing. For now, their times and details are on the calendar.
You can find more information on all of these events and everything else that’s happening on the island at calendar dot w-v-b-I dot net.
Weather, here there and everywhere – presented every day with the support of your McDonough’s Market:
Today Cloudy, with a high near 42. South wind around 10 mph. Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. East wind around 10 mph. Thursday Rain likely after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Thursday Night Rain before 5am, then rain, possibly mixed with snow. Low around 23. East wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Friday Snow before 8am, then a chance of snow showers after 8am. High near 30. Windy, with a northwest wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Blustery. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 29. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 21. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 36. Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Monday Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Monday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Tuesday A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 40.
TRAFFIC: None. Nada. Zip. Critter count: 3 deer rushing the fields on Sloptown road this morning. Let’s be careful out there
BIRTHDAYS: Brian Cole, Kathy Richards, Tyler Bousquet, Shyeanne Woodring and Hannah Middleton are celebrating today. Happy birthday to each and every one, and, if we missed you on the list today, Happy Birthday to you, too, from all of us at WVBI and your Beaver Island Community Center.
ON THIS DAY in 1965 a Soviet takes the first spacewalk. Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov emerges from his spacecraft and spends 12 minutes suspended in outer space, with only a tether connecting him to his craft. It’s humankind’s first “extravehicular activity,” or EVA.
WORD OF THE DAY: abbreviate (uh-BREE-vee-ayt) which means to make briefer; especially : to reduce (a word or name) to a shorter form intended to stand for the whole. Abbreviate and abridge both mean “to make shorter,” so it probably will come as no surprise that both derive from the Latin verb brevis, meaning “short.” Abbreviate first appeared in print in English in the 15th century and derives from abbreviātus, the past participle of Late Latin abbreviāre, which in turn can be traced back to brevis. Abridge, which appeared a century earlier, also comes from abbreviāre but took a side trip through the Anglo-French abreger before arriving in Middle English as abreggen. Brevis is also the ancestor of English brief itself, as well as brevity and breviary (“a prayer book” or “a brief summary”), among other words. (merriam-webster.com)
Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Wednesday…
Here’s a thought for the day: “Remember, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your attitude, and all that extra stress is gone.” On a lighter note: How did Mark Twain protect his farm? He bought Huckleberry Finn-surance.
SAD TROMBONE SFX EDIT.FLAC
That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for Wednesday, March 18th, 2020. I’m Kevin Boyle reporting from the pest free Hogarth Pest Control Studios of the Voice of Beaver Island wishing you a great day and asking: why not go ahead and make it the best day ever? And, thanks for listening.
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