The Peaine Township Planning Commission met last evening in a regular meeting that included a series of zoning proposals to create a new commercial district in the township.  The meeting began with public comment, most of it focused on opposition to the changes. Expressing concern that the public didn’t understand the zoning process, members of […]

Debate over large-scale data centers is intensifying across Michigan, with communities and political leaders divided over the industry’s rapid expansion. Several townships, including Howell Township, have paused or proposed moratoriums on new data centers as residents raise concerns about farmland loss, energy use, water consumption, and tax incentives offered to developers. The issue is now […]

Enbridge Energy and the State of Michigan have agreed to pause state court cases over the future of Line 5 pipeline while federal lawsuits move forward. The dispute centers on whether the case belongs in state or federal court, with arguments headed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. […]

At its meeting next week on Tuesday the Peaine Township Planning Commission will consider changes to zoning on land near the municipal airport, near Sloptown Road and on Kings Highway near the stone house.  Changes proposed are from agricultural to commercial by Kings Highway and east of the airport and from agricultural to Ag-Business south […]

Weather on the mainland over the last several weeks has left Michigan’s blood supply dangerously low. Versiti Blood Center of Michigan says thousands of donation appointments were canceled, and blood can’t be stockpiled for long. Local patients still need care — for surgeries, trauma, and cancer treatments. If you’re headed across to the mainland in […]

Governor Gretchen Whitmer has unveiled Michigan’s first Maritime Strategy, a ten-year plan to grow the state’s maritime economy while protecting the Great Lakes. The plan focuses on modernizing ports, creating jobs, expanding clean vessel technology, and strengthening maritime workforce training. State officials say the strategy positions Michigan to lead maritime innovation while safeguarding the waters […]

State Representative Parker Fairbairn is raising concerns over a state health proposal he says could shortchange rural communities in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Fairbairn says the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plans to make sparsely populated counties compete with large urban areas like Wayne and Oakland counties for federal rural healthcare […]

The bone chilling cold is building ice out on the lake. And that trapped the lake freighter Algoma Intrepid Saturday afternoon off Garden Island. The Coast Guard cutter Mackinac came to her rescue later in the day. The operation was one of many conducted over the last week of cold temps as the freighters work […]

An arctic chill has settled over the Island this morning with the temperature at the BIC Center at -3 at 8:00 this morning and a wind chill at -22. Some cancellations are the result.  School is closed today and the away games at Big Bay planned for tomorrow are off (that more a function of […]

The City of Petoskey has issued a public statement clarifying its role in any potential Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity — even though officials say there’s been no known ICE enforcement action within city limits. City leaders say the letter is meant to address resident concerns and growing national anxiety, emphasizing that Petoskey police do […]