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There was more steady progress yesterday on storm recovery with all power now restored on the west side. There are now just seven service locations on the Island showing as without power on G-L-E’s outage map with recovery time shown as no later than Sunday. Island outage map from GLE. Graphic captured from GLE Website
As the recovery continues, Charlevoix County and Island township officials are asking Island residents to complete a self-reporting damage assessment…but only for your property. They ask you to leave inspecting seasonal residences to the Fire Department as, even though G-L-E is almost showing full power restoration, there may still be some hot lines down on the ground. The damage assessments are needed to secure state and federal funding to recover from the extensive damage to infrastructure in the area. There’s a link to the survey in today’s script online. https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/6e1d8996f0704b9fab5395eecd63a65e
On the mainland, there are still more than 7,500 G-L-E customers without power. More than half of those locations are in Otsego county with restoration target dates stretching out to Sunday or still not set.
GLE Outage Map. Graphic captured from GLE Website
As Northwest Michigan continues to recover from the great ice storm of 2025, utility officials say preparing for the next one starts now. That means upgrading the grid—burying lines where possible, trimming trees, and using better storm forecasting. Consumers Energy officials say it’s cheaper to prevent damage than repair it after the fact. But some critics argue utilities need to move faster and spend smarter, especially as climate change makes severe storms more common. Officials say long-term resilience also depends on state and federal funding—and decisions by lawmakers to support stronger, more reliable infrastructure.
And, in some interesting non-storm news, two Traverse City organizations are working to position itself as a leader in the future of drone technology. Northwestern Michigan College and Traverse Connect say new FAA rules could soon allow drones to fly beyond visual line of sight—opening the door to expanded use in delivery, agriculture, and emergency response. A state-backed competition this May will test drone flights across water, air, and land, starting in Alpena and ending at Camp Grayling. Leaders say northern Michigan’s landscape and infrastructure make it an ideal testbed for this growing $9.4 billion industry.
Drone over construction site. Photo from droneblog.com |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner for the week…
The Heritage Group has a 10:45 board meeting on Saturday. A-A meets Saturday night at 6:00. Next Week, School Board meets Monday at 6:30. Waste Management Committee meets Tuesday at 1:30. B-I-A Board meets That afternoon at 4:00. St. James Board meets Wednesday at 5:30. Medical First Responder Class meets at 7:00. The Library Board meets at 4:30 as does the Joint Telecommunications Advisory Committee. Medical First Responders class is at 7:00. AA meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00. That’s it on the meeting front. More details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
Friday, seniors and veterans can enjoy Coffee & Donuts at the BIC Center starting at 9 AM. Pickleball at 10:00 and the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program at 10:30 are at the BIC Center in the Theater and Hangout, respectively.
[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, the Fiero Code Club is at the library at 2 PM. And it is Throwback movie night at the BIC Center with the classic An Affair to Remember starring Kerry Grant and Deborah Kerr. And, in our Dark Skies, the moon will be full Saturday night. It’s the Seed Moon, Pink Moon or Sprouting Grass Moon. There’s more at Dark Sky Island dot org.
[On the radio, tune in for Country Classics at 5:00 Saturday evening with host Sheri Timsak. At 7:00, Jackson Smith and Steve Girbach are in with Songs from the Trail. 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 brings folks together for worship, with services at the Christian Church at 10:00 and Mass at Holy Cross at 12:15.
Looking ahead to next week…
Monday, Cardio Drumming is at 10:00 in the theater at the BIC Center. Then at 5:00, there’s Qigong [chi gong] Practice lead by Tina Carlton. Qigong, is a traditional, ancient Chinese medicine practice using gentle movement, meditation, and breathing to promote mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Tuesday, Talking Threads is on at Peaine Township Hall at 9:30. Babes and Toddlers mix it up at the library at 10:00. There’s Pickleball at 10:00 in the theater at the BIC Center and the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program at 10:30 in the Hangout followed by Senior Tai Chi at 11:30. At 2:30, it’s Story Time returns to the library.
Wednesday, there’s C-O-A bingo at 1:00 in the Hangout at the BIC Center. Time for Art is at 5:00.
Thursday, there’s Pickleball at 10:00 in the Theater at the BIC Center and Women’s Bible Study at the Christian Church also at 10:00. Thursday evening it’s Burger & a Beer at the Shamrock at 5 PM and Euchre Night at WPBC at 7. |
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NAME OF DAY: The BIC Center Name of the Day is Gene. If that’s your name, head on down to the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice.
BIRTHDAYS: Bailey McDonough, Melissa Coffel and Theresa Sirvatis are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Theresa, Melissa and Bailey, and if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you, too, from everyone at WVBI and your Beaver Island Community Center! [And, here’s a way to send special birthday wishes to someone on the island: The B-I-C-S National Honor Society will put up a sign in their yard in exchange for a donation of $10 or more to the Build a Cure for Cancer fund. Contact N-H-S president Alyssa Martin for more details. You can reach her through the front desk at school.] |
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TRAFFIC: No delays inbound or outbound to the airports, but the down Island roads are still in pretty shaky shape. Debris all over the place by the side of the road and lots of potholes and wash boarding. And, still crews out there working to clean all of that up. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On this day in 1976, just days after forming Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.) with his friend Steve Jobs, computer hobbyist Steve Wozniak hand-builds and offers to the public a new machine boasting a 1MHz CPU and 4KB standard memory, dubbing it the Apple I.
Apple-1 Personal Computer. Photo from bing.com |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is Kitsch (noun) [KITCH]. Kitsch refers to something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often cheap or tacky. Kitsch also refers to a tacky or lowbrow quality or condition. Have you ever browsed through a flea market or thrift shop? If so, chances are you’re well-acquainted with kitsch, the various bits and bobs of popular culture—fuzzy dice, plastic flamingos, cartoon-themed plastic lunchboxes, etc.—that enjoy widespread popularity but don’t hold much cultural esteem. Or maybe you’re a fan of (what some might call) cheesy movies—action movies and rom-coms that score big at the box office but are panned by critics—kitsch often applies to them, too, as well as to “lowbrow” art of all kinds. English users borrowed kitsch in the early 20th century from German; according to scholars the word was popularized by Munich painters and art dealers in the 1860s and 1870s who used it to refer to popular and cheap artwork. The word’s earlier origins are found in the German verb kitschen, meaning “to slap something (such as a work of art) together” as well as “to scrape up mud from the street.” Despite these muddy origins and the disapproving tone with which kitsch is often deployed, kitsch is not quite the “dirty” word it once was—kitsch today is as likely to be celebrated as it is to be derided. |
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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 Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak: “The easier it is to do something, the harder it is to change the way you do it.” |
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On a lighter note… Did you hear that McDonalds is working with Apple to create a huge gaming computer. They’re calling it the Big Mac. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for this Beaver Island Friday, April 11th, 2025. 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. |
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Today Sunny, with a high near 45. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 29. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 43. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. Saturday Night A 20 percent chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind around 5 mph. Sunday A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Sunday Night Showers likely, mainly after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Monday A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 45. Monday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30. Tuesday A chance of showers before 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 27. Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 40. Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. Thursday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. |
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Out on the Big Drink… |
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Today Variable winds 5 kt or less. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Tonight Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly clear. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday Night SSE wind 5 to 10 kt. A slight chance of rain after 1am. Waves 1 ft or less. Sunday SSE wind 10 to 15 kt. A chance of rain, mainly after 1pm. Waves around 1 ft. Sunday Night SSE wind 10 to 15 kt. Rain likely. Waves 1 to 2 ft. Monday SW wind 15 to 20 kt. A chance of rain. Waves 2 to 4 ft. Monday Night WNW wind 20 to 25 kt. A chance of rain. Waves 4 to 5 ft. Tuesday NW wind around 25 kt, with gusts as high as 35 kt. A chance of rain. Waves around 5 ft. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
