State new case data released yesterday showed a big drop in the number of new cases, but a slight uptick in deaths. There were an average of 1,920 new cases and 16 deaths each day during the seven-day reporting period. Charlevoix saw an average of just under seven new cases a day and no deaths. Meantime, hospitalization utilization continued to look good with normal numbers over all and a drop in COVID-19 occupancy statewide. No changes locally with just three COVID-19 patients at McLaren and none at Munson. And, nothing new from the Health Center. No known active cases on the island.
Buyers hoping to get in line to order Ford Motor Company’s popular all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup learned this week the price of the base model is going up 17.5 percent. The automaker blames inflation for rising costs, like the extra $4 billion it is spending on commodities like steel and aluminum. Indeed, Michigan’s top five publicly traded companies cite inflation as the reason they have raised the price on products, everything from surgical equipment to breakfast cereal.
Charlevoix will soon have a representative among the global contingent living aboard the International Space Station. Josh Cassada will be one of four astronauts to spend six months aboard the ISS. A 1993 grad of Charlevoix High School, he’s
the pilot for an upcoming SpaceX Crew-5 mission that will launch in September.
A reminder that stargazers will be treated to a double-header of spectacles this week, as the last meteor shower of the summer shares the sky with the final super moon of the year. The August full moon will hit its peak on this evening just after 9:30.
The annual Perseid meteor shower will peak Friday into Saturday overnight with as many as 90 colorful meteors per hour over peak nights. The moon’s light will obscure some of the Perseids’ shooting stars during the nights of their maximum activity, but don’t give up on your stargazing — meteor rates will still be better than pretty much any other night this year. The best time to watch will be just after midnight early Saturday morning.
Now, here’s a look at what’s happening on your island…
Here’s your meeting planner for the week: Nothing, nada, all done for the week. We’ll have your planner for next week tomorrow, and one thing you may want to include a Community Open House being hosted by the island’s Planning Commissions. It’ll be a chance to learn about and provide input on the updated Master Plan for the island. Mark your calendar for the 17th from 2:00 to 6:00 right here at the BIC Center. If you can’t make that time, there’s a link in the calendar entry online that can use to provide input.
On the fun front today, Thursday, the original island Farmer’s Market is on at Paradise Bay Coffee Shop from 8:30 to 10:30. Senior Tai Chi is on up in the Hangout at the BIC Center at 9:30. At 10:00 at the Library there’s the Summer Story Hour with its ocean theme for this summer. Stories, activities and more at your district library. And, Pickleball is from 10 to noon on the municipal tennis courts. Elks club meets at 5:00 at the Peaine Township Hall. Last, but certainly not least for tonight is the BIC Center WVBI Secret Garden Summer Gala, Tickets are sold out, but if you have them remember things kick off at 6:00.
Friday, the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program starts up in the Hangout at 9:00 and runs until 10:00. Summer Yoga is on at 9:30. Tennis starts at 10:00 and runs to noon over on the municipal tennis courts. Homecoming events kick-off with the first games of the Mike Perdue Memorial Softball Tournament at 2:00 over at Bud McDonough Memorial Field.
Saturday, Pickleball is on over on the municipal tennis courts from 10 to noon. Also at 10:00, the softball tournament continues with a great concession stand open this year for refreshments and lunch.
Sunday there are services at Holy Cross, the Christian Church, the Episcopal Mission, and the Lighthouse fellowship. Times and more details are in the calendar. The Annual Bocce Ball Tournament is on at Peaine Township Park is on Sunday starting at 11:00—hopefully using the new Bocce Ball court for at least one field. Lunch is included in your registration. Sign up with Frank D’Andria. Also, the downtown farmer’s market is on from 11 to 3. And the Homecoming Chicken Dinner is on from 4:30 to 7:00 at Holy Cross Hall.
And, a final calendar note… to great music events still on deck for August at the BIC Center. The RFD Boys will be here on Saturday the 20th—they were a sellout last year—and then on the Tuesday after that, Mark Ortwein and his Jazztet will play at the BIC Center. If you saw him play with the St. James Jazz ensemble at the brewery earlier this week, you’ll want to see him again—and if you missed it, well, here’s your chance. Tickets for both shows are at tickets.biccenter.org.
ON THIS DAY in 1973, American Graffiti cruises into theaters. Writer/director George Lucas takes moviegoers back to the early 1960s with stories of drive-ins, high-school sock hops, and cruising the strip. The cast includes Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Mackenzie Phillips, Harrison Ford, and Cindy Williams.
MERRIAM-WEBSTER WORD OF THE DAY: alleviate (verb) [uh-LEE-vee-ayt] which means “to make something less painful, difficult, or severe” or “to partially remove or correct.” Now for a bit of light reading. Alleviate comes from Latin levis, meaning “having little weight.” (Levis also gave rise to the English adjective light, as in “not heavy.”) In its early days, alleviate could mean “to cause (something) to have less weight” or “to make (something) more tolerable.” The literal “make lighter” sense is no longer used, and today only the “relieve” sense remains. Incidentally, not only is alleviate a synonym of relieve, it’s also a cousin; relieve comes from levare (“to raise”), which in turn comes from levis.
Now, to wrap up for this for Beaver Island Thursday…
Here’s a thought for the day from filmmaker George Lucas: “You can’t do it unless you can imagine it.”
On a lighter note: Why did the dandelion quit dating? It kept getting blown off.
That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for this Beaver Island Thursday, August 11th, 2022. I’m Kevin Boyle reporting from W-V-B-I’s Langford Family Studios wishing you a great day—and asking you: why not go ahead and make it the best day ever? And, thanks for listening.
Weather:
Today
Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Tonight
Clear, with a low around 58. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday
Sunny, with a high near 76. North wind around 5 mph becoming south in the afternoon.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 57. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Saturday
A 50 percent chance of showers after 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 75. South wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62.
Sunday
Partly sunny, with a high near 76.
Sunday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 61.
Monday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 78.
Monday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 62.
Tuesday
Sunny, with a high near 79.
Tuesday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 62.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 78.
Out on the Big Drink:
Today
N wind 10 to 15 kt. Sunny. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Friday
Variable winds 5 kt or less. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.
Saturday
S wind around 10 kt. Showers likely, mainly after 1pm. Waves around 1 ft.
Fire Danger Level: High
Water Temps: 63 at White Shoal, 69 in Little Traverse Bay and 69 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island.
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