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Governor Gretchen Whitmer is directing state regulators to reexamine approvals for Enbridge’s proposed Line 5 tunnel. The move follows a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that environmental reviews must more fully consider the project’s consequences and alternatives. Construction remains blocked for now. And, in a new letter to Enbridge, Whitmer called the line “a ticking time bomb in the heart of the Great Lakes,” and said it should be shut down within months after a planned, orderly transition that protects Michigan families and businesses and gets oil out of the Straits.
In another major energy dispute, Consumers Energy has delayed a state decision on its plan to sell 13 aging hydroelectric dams to private-equity-owned Confluence Hydro for one dollar each. The utility wants up to 60 days to negotiate with critics. Governor Whitmer and an administrative law judge have urged regulators to reject the deal as too risky.
The Hardware store has a Feile special running Friday through Sunday. 20% off all hats and apparel. And Deb’s Creations is running and end of season sale from Friday through Monday with 30% off all furniture.
Although it is warm today, the folks at Island Energies are reminding us that winter is coming. So now is the time to order your heating oil and propane. Reach them at 2007. And although there is talk that this winter will be warmer with less snow than normal because of the strong El Niños in the Pacific. M-Live forecasters are reminding us that there will still be cold, and lots of snow, and winter. #Energy
The Arranmore Pipe Band arrives today aboard the Emerald Isle, launching this weekend’s Irish Féile. The band marches off the boat around 12:45. Everyone is invited to welcome them at the dock—no festival wristband will be needed. #IslandEvents
Finally, a reminder about September 11th remembrance events tomorrow. A 8:30 morning gathering will take place at the Twin Towers beam outside the St. James Fire Station. At 3:30, a memorial ceremony and celebrity currach (KUR-uck) races organized by the Currach Club will honor those lost and recognize emergency responders. That’ll be at Jewell Gillespie Beach. And, on the signage system around town, there’ll be displays at the times of all the September 11th events. The impacts of the airplanes and the collapse of each of the twin towers with simultaneous posts on WVBI’s and the BIC Center’s Facebook feeds. #IslandEvents
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Now here’s a look at upcoming events on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
A-A meets tonight and Saturday at 6:00.
…and that is it for the week. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
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. Also at 10:30, there’s on Irish Mummers Workshop on the Convent Green and a Gaelic Football Workshop at 11:30 also on the Green. The Pipe Band Marches off the ferry today at 12:45, and there’s an Irish Dance Workshop at 2:00 on the Green. The Weekly Bocce Ball roll is on at 4:00 on the courts at the Peaine Township Park. And, Thursday evening at 10:30, there’ll be a Dark Sky Viewing event at the Little Sand Bay Nature Preserve. Telescopes and binoculars will be on hand, but bring your own if you have them. It’s expected to be a little cool, so bring along a jacket or sweatshirt. And your red light.
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 Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout. The Feile main events get underway Friday with registration and info at their H-Q at Holy Cross Hall. At the BIC Center Friday, Feile events include a Singing Workshop with the Singers of the Celtic group Roane. That’s up in the hangout at 1:00. At 5;45, the Bastard Bearded Irishmen take to the BIC Center stage, playing until 7;15. Then, after a break, it’s Altan for Donegal in Ireland starting at 8:00. Music at other venues includes the Arranmore Pipe Band playing at the point at 10:30 to greet the early boat, Catriona Kennedy at the Wild Strawberry at 1:00, Danny & Friends on the Museum Patio at 2:00, the Kreellers unplugged at the Circle M at 3 and Roane unplugged at Whiskey Point Brewing. The Feile tent comes alive with music at 4:30 with Latency. The Kreellers play there at 9:30. The lineup at the Beachcomber starts at 7 with Danny and Friends, Roane at 9:00 and wraps up with a Music Session led by Catriona Kenndy and Roane at 11:00. The evening lineup at the Circle M kicks off at 8:00 with Catriona Kennedy and Enda Reilly and wraps with the Stay Happy Band starting at 10:00. Down at the Brewery, Enda Reilly plays at 5:00 and there’s a surprise Traditional Irish Music Session set for the Shamrock at 11:00. Lots of other Feile events around town, too, including a raffle for the Arranmore Life Boat with the Pipe Band at the Feile tent at 7:30. A Feile wristband is required for all events. There’s a full schedule in the calendar entry in the Community Calendar online. And, amidst all of that, Friday afternoon, the B-I-C-S soccer and volleyball squads head up to Hannahville for matches that evening and Saturday morning.
[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.]
Highlights for the rest of the week include…
Saturday, the Artisan’s Market is on at the Point starting at 10:00. At 10:30, Feile events get underway with Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the BIC Center, with the inductees lead in by the Arranmore Pipe Band. All are welcome for that event. Events at the BIC Center after that are: At 12:30, the Tides That Tie podcast will record live on the BIC Center stage with guests the band Altan and the Beaver Island Irish Dancers. At 2:30, Catroina Kennedy will be up in the Hangout for an Irish Language Workshop. At 5:00, the new band Latency plays in the BIC Center Theater. It’s made up of the Island’s Hillary Palmer and Shawn McDonough alongside artists from Arranmore. The day wraps up at the BIC Center with the Kreellers taking the stage at 9:00. A Feile wristband is required for entry to all events except the Hall of Fame induction. In addition to music at the BIC Center, there’s music all over the Island. At 12:00, the Stay Happy Band will serenade your lunch at the Wild Strawberry. At 2:00, Enda Reilly will have songs and Irish folklore stories on the Porch at the Print Shop Museum. At 3:00, Danny and Friends with the Pipe Band will be at the O’Donnell Farm and Roane is at the Circle M. The Bearded Bastard Irishmen will play unplugged at Whiskey Point Brewery at 5:00 followed by Catriona Kennedy and Enda Reilly at 6:30. At 7:00, the Pipe Band plays at the Hall and the Stay Happy Band with the the Beaver Island Irish Dancers are at the ‘Comber. Altan takes the stage at 7:30 at the Feile Tent followed by the Bastard Bearded Irishmen at 9:30. Roan is at the Beachcomber at 9:00 followed by a music session there with them and Catroina Kennedy. Also at 11:00, a traditional session at the Shamrock led by a surprise guest. And, if you get hungry amidst all that activity, don’t forget about the dining options at the Feile Food Department at the Hall, plus Saturday nights are Prime Rib Night at the Shamrock, and the Circle M will be open for its last night of the season.
[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. And the Beaver Island Dark Sky Festival gets underway with a session on the Drake Equation at 5:00 out at the Beaver Island Retreat. All are welcome. What’s the Drake Equation? It’s a theory from 1961 on estimating the number of communicative extraterrestrial civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy.
Looking ahead to highlights for next week…
Monday, COA has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. At 11:30, the Beaver Island Soccer and volleyball squads take on Ojibwe in away action. Dark Sky Festival events continue at 2:00 with a Solar Telescope viewing at the Retreat. At 5:00 at the retreat there’s a session o Light Pollution basics. Learn about the impact of unneeded light in our night skies. At 6:00, the Episcopal Mission has a book study on the book forgiveness. That’s at the Print Shop Museum. And evening Dark Sky events include a session at 7:00 on Green Laser Stargazing, and at 10:00 the scopes come up for an evening of telescope viewing…both of those activities at the retreat. And, don’t forget, Monday evenings are All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Beachcomber.
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 has COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. Also, at 10:00, Babes & Toddlers mix it up at the library. At 2:00, the Dark Sky Festival has Solar Telescope viewing at the Retreat. Then there’s Astro Fun Facts at the library at 5:00, a session on Family Stargazing at the Retreat at 7:00, and then Star Themed Music to Stargaze By at 8:00, also at the Retreat.
Wednesday, there’s Summer Restorative Yoga at 9:00 and Summer Therapeutic Chair Yoga at 11:00, and at 1:00 there is Afternoon Bingo all of those at the BIC Center up in the Hangout. At 2:00, the Dark Sky Festival has Solar Telescope viewing at Whiskey Point Brewing Company. At 3:30, the Lego Club is on at the library. At 4:00 the Amik Cultural Preservation Center will be open. At 5:00, there’s a Dark Sky Festival Session on Telescope Basics at the Retreat followed by Family Stargazing at 7:00 and Milky Way Core Stargazing at 9:15. And evening Pickleball remains on the calendar. That starts at 7:00 on the outdoor courts at Peaine Township Park. |
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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 Edith. 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: Dawn Johnson, Steve Drost and Bill Kohne and are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Dawn, Bill and Steve, 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. And, Feile Road Closures start today at 6:00 with Bonne Street, the road up the hill past Holy Cross shut off, but Beach Parking still available via Main Street. Friday and Saturday Bonner and Main Street from the Hall down to the Print Shop will be closed 11:00 to 11:00. And, of course, lots of Feile folks all over downtown. So, let’s be careful out there.
Road closures are planned starting today. Let’s be careful out there. Graphic from Emerald Isle Irish Feile |
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On this date in 1813, American naval forces defeat a British fleet in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. Commander Oliver Hazard Perry captures all six British vessels and sends the famous message, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” The victory gives the United States control of Lake Erie and clears the way for the recapture of Detroit. Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial was established to honor those who fought in the Battle of Lake Erie, during the War of 1812, and to celebrate the long-lasting peace among Great Britain, Canada and the U.S. The Memorial, a Doric column, rising 352 feet over Lake Erie is situated 5 miles from the longest undefended border in the world. Photo from National Park Service |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is loath (LOHTH), an adjective meaning unwilling or reluctant. For example: She was loath to leave the Island before the festival ended. Don’t confuse today’s word spelled L-O-A-T-H with loathe with an E oat the end. Loath, usually spelled without an E, describes how you feel about doing something; loathe, with an E, is a verb meaning to hate or strongly dislike something. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Thursday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from Oliver Hazard Perry: “If a victory is to be gained, I will gain it.” |
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On a lighter note… |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Thursday, September 10th, 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 70 at the beach and 73 in the woods. West wind around 10 mph. Tonight Clear, with a low around 55. West wind around 5 mph becoming south after midnight. Friday Sunny, with a high near 73/77. Southwest wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Saturday A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 71/75. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. Sunday Mostly sunny, with a high near 67/71. Sunday Night A chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Monday Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69/71. Breezy. Monday Night Showers likely before 8pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 8pm and 2am, then showers likely after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 58. Breezy. Tuesday Showers likely. Partly sunny, with a high near 67/70. Breezy. Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 67/69. |
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Air Quality Index at 6:57 was 6. |
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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 NW wind around 10 kt. Sunny. Waves around 1 ft. Friday SW wind around 15 kt. Sunny. Waves around 2 ft. Saturday S wind 15 to 20 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 30 kt. A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Waves around 3 ft. Sunday NW wind around 10 kt. Mostly sunny. Waves around 1 ft. Monday E wind 10 to 15 kt becoming SSE in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 kt. Showers likely. Waves 1 to 2 ft. |
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Water Temps: 70 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island, 69 at Sleeping Bear, 70 in Little Traverse Bay and 68 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…
Governor Whitmer orders another review of the Line 5 tunnel and calls the existing pipeline a ticking time bomb. Consumers Energy delays a decision on selling 13 hydroelectric dams. And the Irish Féile (FAY-luh) begins as the Arranmore Pipe Band arrives today. Plus, Island sales, a winter reminder and notes on tomorrow’s September 11th observances.
Those stories along with more local news, a run down of local events including the Feile, birthdays, this date in history and more are up after this global and national news… [Time check.] |
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Today’s featured image: Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial stands on fellow Great Lakes Alliance Member South Bass Island as we mark the anniversary of vistory in the Battle of Lake Erie during the War of 1812. It stretches into a dark sky, also reminding us that the first island Dark Sky Festival spins up right after the Féile on Sunday. Photo from National Park Service |
This post was updated to correct the time of the 9-11 gathering at the Fire Station to 8:30
