Michigan health officials are warning about a rise in measles and whooping cough cases as childhood vaccination rates decline. Vaccine coverage for measle, mumps and rubella is down to 79 percent and for whooping cough it is at 72 percent. The state has reported nine measles cases so far this year and hundreds of whooping cough cases. Experts urge parents to get kids vaccinated, especially before summer travel and gatherings.
It was 80 degrees downstate Thursday, but winter still had a grip on the Soo Locks. Packed ice delayed big freighters like the James R. Barker for eight hours. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used a tugboat to break up the ice and clear the Poe Lock, the only lock open this time of year. Two new ice-rated tugs are expected later this year to help speed up spring shipping. The Soo Locks reopened for the season March 21 and handle more than 4,500 ships and 80 million tons of cargo each year.
Ice field at the Soo Locks’ big Poe Lock yesterday. Photo by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
In Detroit yesterday a former Detroit nonprofit executive was sentenced Thursday to 19 years in prison for stealing over $40 million meant for riverfront projects. Investigators say William Smith used the money for luxury goods and side businesses. His theft delayed parts of the Detroit Riverwalk. Smith must also repay $44 million after pleading guilty to wire fraud and money laundering.
Former Detroit Riverfront Conservancy CFO William Smith. US Attorney photo
Down in southwest Michigan, the owner of the former Consumer’s Energy Palisades Nuclear Plant is getting another 47-million dollars to restart the facility. It’s the third installment of a 1-point-5-billion-dollar federal loan package backed by Governor Whitmer. Chrystal Blair has more…
Now owned by Holtec International, the plant in Van Buren County is expected to supply enough power to serve about 800 thousand homes. But environmental and Indigenous groups are voicing frustration after a federal panel recently denied a full hearing on petitions challenging the restart. Kevin Kamps of the nonprofit Beyond Nuclear is among those in opposition.
“A recent analysis by Dave Lochbaum, who is retired from the Nuclear Safety Program at Union of Concerned Scientists, placed Palisades at something like 84th out of 105 reactors in the country. So, his analysis was they’re more like in the bottom rung of the industry, actually.”
Holtec says before its 2022 shutdown, Palisades was ranked in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s highest safety category and was a top-performing plant in the industry. Palisades is set to reopen in October, becoming the first U-S nuclear plant to restart after being decommissioned.
Punkin Shananaquet, a member of Michigan’s Indigenous community, emphasizes that for many Native people, the issue isn’t just about public safety. It’s also about honoring the sacredness of the land and water – and educating the next generation about protecting the earth.
“We just can’t be pushed through, you know, the corporate world, because they have no spirit. We have spirit. We are the ones with the feelings for this place.”
Holtec International maintains the Palisades restart is being made possible by broad local support, citing not only the energy it will produce, but the jobs, economic growth and tax revenue for the area.
Down in TC, Northwestern Michigan College’s Native American Student Organization will host its annual pow wow tomorrow in Traverse City, celebrating Native American graduates. The event will feature drumming, dancing, storytelling, and vendors. It starts at 1 p.m. on N-M-C’s Front Street campus, with the Grand Entry at 2:30. The public is welcome.
Also in T-C, Traverse Connect is hosting a free drone demonstration May 6th at Discovery Pier. The “Skyline & Shoreline” event will showcase drones used for search and rescue, water sampling, and underwater mapping. It starts with networking at 9 a.m., followed by live flight missions at 10. Partners include N-M-C, the Coast Guard, and drone company Blueflite. Registration is required. There’s a link in today’s script online.
A reminder that the Beaver Island Wildlife Club’s annual tree and shrub giveaway is set for May 3rd and 4th that’s next weekend. The planst will be at Levi’s shed on Paid Een Ogs Road. They’ll have 300 shrubs plus 150 trees. Saturday is for members only — but you can join for just $25. Supplies are limited and must be picked up in person.
Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
AA meets Saturday at 6:00 and next week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday same time. Medical First Responder Classes continue next week, too: Wednesday and Thursday at 7:00. 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, there’s an Edible Book Party at the library at 1:00. Choose a book, character, or scene and create a treat, dish or snack to share with others. Then catch the food-themed movies at the BIC Center afterward, as part of our Read It & Reel It Book & Movie program. Showing at 2:00 is Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It’s raining food in Swallow Falls which may be too much of a good thing. Rated PG. At 6:00, it’s Julie and Julia, the story of a blogger cooking her way through Julia Child’s famous recipe book. Rate PG-13. And, the Fiero Code Club is also on Saturday. That’s at the library at 2 PM.
[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. And, Dark Sky Week wraps up with a new moon making for a beautiful night of star gazing (if the clouds stay away).
Looking ahead to highlights for next week…
Monday, at 5:00, there’s Qigong [chi gong] Practice at the BIC Center 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. At 2:30, it’s Story Time at the library.
Wednesday, there’s C-O-A bingo at 1:00 in the Hangout at the BIC Center. At 5:00 Wednesday evening head to the commons at B-I-C-S for the annual sports awards.
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.
NAME OF DAY: The BIC Center Name of the Day is Catherine. If that’s your name, head on down to the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice.
BIRTHDAYS: Tom Speck and April Burgess are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to April and Tom 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.]
TRAFFIC: None. But cleanup work continues, especially down-island. So, let’s be careful out there.
On this day in 1901 The Detroit Tigers play their first opener at the rickety Bennett Park at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. Playing in the newly formed American League, they squared off against the Milwaukee Brewers. The roster was sprinkled with names like Pop Dillon, Doc Casey, Ducky Holmes, Sport McAllister, and Davey Crockett. It also featured three guys named Kid (Kid Gleason, Kid Elberfeld, and Kid Nance). The manager was 33-year-old “Gentleman George” Stallings. The opener was originally scheduled for the 24th, but heavy rain caused a postponement until the next day, which was bright and sunny. A perfect day for a ballgame.
Detroit Tigers first opening day. Image from Detroit Historical Society
Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is
Travail (noun) [truh-VAIL] a noun meaning a difficult experience or situation. Travail traces back to trepalium [treh-pal-ee-oom], a Late Latin word for an instrument of torture. We don’t know exactly what a trepalium looked like, but the word’s history gives us an idea. Trepalium comes from the Latin adjective tripalis [trh-pal-ees, which means “having three stakes” (from tri-, meaning “three,” and palus, meaning “stake”). Trepalium eventually led to the Anglo-French verb travailler [trah-va-ay], meaning “to torment” but also, more mildly, “to trouble” and “to journey.” The Anglo-French noun travail [trah-vay]was borrowed into English in the 13th century, along with another descendant of travailler, travel.
Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Friday…
Here’s a thought for the day from Robert Noyce, who on this day was granted a patent for silicon-based integrated circuits: “Don’t be encumbered by history, just go out and do something wonderful.”
On a lighter note…
Why was the integrated circuit always getting in trouble? It had a chip on its shoulder!
That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Friday, April 25th, 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
Showers likely, mainly after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 50. North wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers before 11pm. Cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind around 10 mph.
Saturday
Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 49. North wind 10 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 33. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon.
Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40.
Monday
A 30 percent chance of rain after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55.
Monday Night
A chance of rain and thunderstorms before 8pm, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 8pm and 2am, then rain after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46.
Tuesday
Rain, mainly before 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 52.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Wednesday
Sunny, with a high near 46.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Thursday
A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 51.
Fire Danger Level on the Island set at Low.
Out on the Big Drink…
Today
NNE wind 5 to 15 kt. Showers, mainly after 3pm. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Saturday
N wind 10 to 20 kt. Partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny. Waves 1 to 3 ft.
Sunday
Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less.
Monday
S wind around 15 kt. Partly sunny. Waves 1 to 2 ft.
Tuesday
SSW wind around 20 kt becoming WNW in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 25 kt. A chance of showers. Waves 4 to 5 ft.
Water Temperature: 38 mid-lake…
Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org