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Republican candidate for governor John James has selected state Representative Jay DeBoyer as his running mate. DeBoyer represents parts of St. Clair and Macomb counties and chairs the state House Oversight Committee. He previously served as St. Clair County elections clerk and owns a small business. James says DeBoyer will focus on government waste, fraud and abuse. Republican delegates will vote on his nomination for lieutenant governor at their state convention August 22nd. #Election2026
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has charged five noncitizens accused of voting in the 2024 election, along with a U.S. citizen accused of illegally registering her noncitizen husband. The cases grew out of 38 referrals to Nessel’s office. Ten have been closed without charges and 22 remain under investigation. Nessel says noncitizen voting remains rare, but those who knowingly violate election laws will be prosecuted. #Election2026
This summer’s Canadian wildfire smoke cost Michigan an estimated $6.6 billion — more than any of the other nine states studied by the Anderson Economic Group. Researchers say Michigan was hit harder because dense smoke lingered here longer, cutting productivity, causing illness and reducing activity at businesses and outdoor events. The study covered the 10 U-S states most heavily impacted and reported total economic impact of over 38 billion dollars. Northern Michigan was among the areas repeatedly hit by unhealthy air, but the study does not provide a separate loss estimate for northwest Lower Michigan. #Environment #Economy
Martin’s Bluff has gotten a makeover. Peaine Township crews have cleared the walking trail, repaired and painted the picnic table, removed a dead tree and fallen limbs, and replaced and extended the split-rail fence at the overlook. Some stump removal will finish the project soon. Possible improvements to the path down to the beach are also being discussed. Supervisor Maria Dal Pra says its all part of a broader project to improve recreation and accessibility opportunities in Peaine. #Recreation
Peaine Township has completed improvements at Martin’s Bluff. Dillon Butler and Neil Pettey hauled the needed equipment in and out, and some neighbors helped with the work and encouragement. Photo provided by Peaine Township
Perseid Meteor Shower fans gathered in large numbers last night at Little Sand Bay and got quite the show. The official peak was last night, but tonight should be good as well. The Dark Sky Project will be at the Little Sand Bay trail head again this evening. Be sure to use your red lights to walk in to the site. #DarkSky The Wild Starwberry Café has new hours: Monday to Saturday 8:00 until 2:00 and Sunday’s 8:00 to noon. Happy hour is 2:00 to 4:00 with half price beer and wine. |
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Now here’s a look at upcoming events on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
A-A meets Saturday at 6:00 and next week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday same time. Also next week, Irish Heritage Group meets at Peaine Township Hall Monday at 5:30. Waste Management Committee meets at 1:30 on Tuesday and the Peaine Township Board meets that evening at 5:30. Airport Commission meets Wednesday at noon. Thursday, the Library Board and J-TAC both meet at 4:30.
…and that is it for the week. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
Friday, there’s Senior and Vets Coffee and Donuts from 8:30 to 10:30 in the Welcome Center at the BIC Center. At 9:00 A-M Pickleball Outdoors on the Peaine Township courts. Back at the BIC Center at 9:30, there’s Summer Yoga in the Theater plus Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout. The Quilt Show Continues today and tomorrow from 11:00 to 4:00 at the Beaver Island Gallery. At 7:00 at the library, author and poet Steve Brown will read from some of his work and answer questions. Also at 7:00, TUNES Presents an outdoor concert at Gene Masta’s garden. Songs, Steps & Strings will feature internationally acclaimed musicians performing Irish, Appalachian and Great Lakes traditional music and dance. It’s presented in partnership with the Northwoods Music Collaborative. Bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy the music, the garden and the company of Islanders. Your free will donation will help support Tunes.
As part of its week of music workshops, TUNES presents a multi-artist concert in the garden. Image from TUNES via WVBI Community Calendar
[On the radio, Kick off your weekend with our fantastic Friday lineup! After the 6:00pm news, enjoy “That Thing with Rich Appel” featuring top forty hits from the 70s. At 9:00pm, tune into “The Titus Jennings Experience” offering music from all genres, followed by “The Midnight Special” with Marilyn Rea Beyer at 11:00pm for music, farce comedy, and late-night escape.]
Saturday, at 9:00 there’s Mass at Holy Cross to celebrate The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. the Artisan’s Market is on at the Point starting at 10:00. Also at 10:00, there’s a writer’s workshop at the library with author Steve Brown. At noon, TUNES has a Guitar & Chorded Instrument Workshop at the TUNES Studio with Brian Miller. It’ll be an interactive, hands-on learning experience designed to help participants master the fundamentals of guitar chords and their application in music. Open to all levels. Registration is required. There’s a link in the calendar online. Protar’s House will be open for tours from 1:00 to 3:00. And Saturday nights are Prime Rib Night at the Shamrock.
The Annual Quilt Show is at the Beaver Island Gallery open every day 11:00 to 4:00 through Saturday. See the latest work from Island artists and the first and latest quilt made by students at BICS. Photo by Lois Stipp provided by Beaver Island Gallery
[On the radio, tune in for Country Classics at 5:00 Saturday evening with host Sheri Timsak. At 7:00, take a trip back to the best of the 80s and 90s with the Mix Tape show (that’s a 120-minute TDK cassette tape for those in the know) hosted by WVBI’s Adam Pettigrew. Mark Beltaire takes over at 9:00 with Rockin’ the Boat and continues at 10:00 with the Blues Cruise. Cousin Dan wraps up the evening with the Too Good Radio Show starting at 11:00.]
Sunday, there are services at the Episcopal Mission at 9:00 and at the Christian Church at 10:00. Mass is at Holy Cross at 12:15. And the Amik Cultural Center is open 1 to 3 PM.
Looking ahead to highlights for next week…
Monday, at 9:30, summer yoga is on at the BIC Center. It’ll be a session on Basic Flow. COA has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. At 11:00, there’s Summer Therapeutic Chair Yoga at the BIC Center. AT 5:00 at the BIC Center for Monday Funday there’s an Artist’s Workshop on Quilting. Sign up at tickets dot bic center dot org. And, don’t forget, Monday evenings are All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Beachcomber, so you can go next door to grab dinner before or after the show.
Tuesday, at 9:00 there is Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. At 9:30, there’s Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout at the BIC Center. C-O-A activities at Peaine Township Hall are back from their summer break: There’s COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00. Also at 10:00, Babes & Toddlers mix it up at the library. At 7:30, the BIC Center stage welcomes John Ellison & the Carpenter Ants. John is famous for his many time covered hit Some Kind of Wonderful released by the Soul Brothers Six. The Carpenter Ants are West Virginia’s renowned ambassadors of Appalachian soul with their own string of hits, including every time they come to the Island. Join us for a special evening of joy, energy, and enduring spirit of American music. Showtime is 7:30. Tickets are at tickets dot bic center dot org.
Wednesday, there’s Summer Restorative Yoga BIC Center at 9:30. Also at 10:00, there’s American Mah Jongg at the BIC Center in the Hangout, and at 1:00 there is Afternoon Bingo. Protar’s House will be open from 1:00 to 4:00. At 4:00 the Amik Cultural Preservation Center will be open. In our Dark Skies, tonight is the first quarter moon, the third phase of the Lunar cycle. Despite the name, you’ll see about half the moon when it comes up over Lake Michigan.
Thursday, C-M-U has a Family Days event called Common Critters. Meet at C-M-U at 8:15 and be prepared to travel to Miller’s Marsh to survey reptiles, amphibians, birds, plants, and aquatic insects while exploring forests, wetlands, and other unique natural areas. Afterwards, you’ll come back to the station for lunch and discussion. Sign up is $20, which include lunch. Info on signing up is in the calendar entry online or call the station at 2325. Also Thursday, there’s Pickleball at Peaine Township Park at 9:00. There’s COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00, both at Peaine Township Hall. There’s Women’s Bible Study at 10:00 a.m. at the BI Christian Church and at 10:30, there’s Senior Tai Chi at the BIC Center. The Weekly Bocce Ball roll is on at 4:00 on the courts at the Peaine Township Park. At 6:00, there’s a session on cybersecurity and A-I for small businesses at the library. Greg Doig will help you plot a safe path through cyber risks. And, Thursday evenings are Burger and a Beer Night at the Shamrock. |
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Those are the highlights. Find a full listing of events at calendar dot W-V-B-I dot net. |
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Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Eleanor. If that’s your name, come on down to the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice. |
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On our Birthday List: Logan Crandall is celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Logan, and if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you too from everyone at the BIC Center and WVBI. |
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TRAFFIC: No delays inbound or outbound to the airports. The Island Beltway is running smoothly. There are no bridge delays. But, it is busy in town when the ferries arrive and there are lots of folks out hiking and biking. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On this date in 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law. Roosevelt calls it a step toward protecting families from the loss of a job and poverty in old age. Today, Social Security provides benefits to more than 70 million Americans, but without congressional action, its retirement trust fund is projected to exhaust its reserves in 2032. |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is the adjective vacuous [VAK-yuh-wus], meaning empty of thought or intelligence; lacking meaningful content or ideas. You might describe a speech that sounds impressive but says virtually nothing as vacuous. It comes from the Latin vacuus, meaning “empty” or “void” — the same root that gives us vacuum and vacant. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Friday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from Franklin Roosevelt: “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” |
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On a lighter note… When you’re eating a watermelon. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Friday, August 14th, 2026. I’m Kevin Boyle reporting from W-V-B-I’s Langford Family Studios 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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WEATHER |
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[Current Condition Report, then…] |
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Today Sunny, with a high near 75 at the beach and 80 inland. North wind 5 to 10 mph. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 66. North wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 76/84. East wind around 10 mph. Saturday Night A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 66. East wind 10 to 15 mph becoming south after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Sunday A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8am, then a chance of showers between 8am and 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 75/81. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 61. Monday Sunny, with a high near 74/81. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 65. Tuesday A chance of showers after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75/79. Tuesday Night Showers likely, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Wednesday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 73/77. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Thursday Mostly sunny, with a high near 72/76. |
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Air Quality Index at 7:30 was 34. |
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Fire Danger: High |
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Out on the Big Drink…
Photo from the North Lake Michigan Buoy. Provided by the National Data Buoy Center |
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Today N wind 5 to 10 kt. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday ESE wind 5 to 10 kt becoming ENE in the afternoon. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Sunday WSW wind 10 to 15 kt becoming NW in the afternoon. A slight chance of showers before 1pm. Waves around 1 ft. Monday NNW wind 5 to 10 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Tuesday SW wind 15 to 20 kt, with gusts as high as 30 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 to 3 ft. |
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Water Temps: 69 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island. 73 at Sleeping Bear and in Little Traverse Bay. 71 in the Straits. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
John James has picked his running mate, and Michigan prosecutors have charged five noncitizens accused of voting in the 2024 election. Also today, the staggering economic cost of this summer’s wildfire smoke, a makeover at Martin’s Bluff, and another chance to catch the Perseid meteor shower tonight.
Those stories along with a run down of local events, birthdays, this date in hisotry and more are up after this global and national news… [Time check.] |
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Today’s featured image: Peaine Township has completed improvements at Martin’s Bluff. Dillon Butler and Neil Pettey hauled the needed equipment in and out, and some neighbors helped with the work and encouragement. Photo provided by Peaine Township |
