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The first ferry trip of the season is scheduled for Wednesday with a departure at 11:20. That looked in doubt last week with Paradise Bay still covered in ice, but the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Bristol Bay came to the rescue on Friday clearing a path for the Emerald Isle to sail. WVBI’s Paradise Bay webcam capture the action. There’s a link to the video and video from the Bristol Bay in today’s script online.
The Bristol Bay in action on Paradise Bay. See the full timelapse for the day here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1834966220516544. And the view from th eBristol Bay here: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1885152562140760. Image from WVBI Paradise Bay Webcam from the BIC Center.
Michigan lawmakers have advanced a new online child-safety package of bills, this as a California jury found Meta and Google liable in a 6-million-dollar youth-harm case. Michigan News Connection’s Chrystal Blair has more on the proposal and a tragedy its backers say it would address…
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The Michigan plan includes the Online Safety Act for Kids, the Kids Code, and SAFE for Kids Act – aimed at limiting addictive features, boosting privacy and giving parents more control of their kids’ online access. John DeMay, a West Michigan father and advocate, says his 17-year-old son Jordan died by suicide in 2022 after being targeted on Instagram, coerced into sending explicit images and then extorted.
ACTUALITY: Jordan quickly realized that the young lady that reached out to him on Instagram was actually an adult male from Nigeria that’s when the extortion happened. He ended up paying them $300 dollars one time, and tried paying them an additional $55, and drained his accounts.
DeMay’s case led to multiple arrests and federal convictions, but he says prevention is the real goal. Now, he believes the California court decision could mark a turning point by focusing on how the platforms are designed, not just what users post.
Supporters of Michigan’s online safety bills say while parents play a role, many online platforms are difficult to monitor and built to keep young users engaged. DeMay says families are up against systems that aren’t designed with safety in mind. ACTUALITY: These companies are doing everything they can do to circumvent, and make it more difficult for parents to even monitor the platforms and their usage.
He adds that includes hard-to-find safety settings and algorithms that can push harmful content issues Michigan lawmakers say the new legislation is meant to address |
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Back on the Island, the roads down Island continue to be in rough shape. Both East and West side drives are riddled with extreme wash boarding and parts of East Side near the south end were flooded this weekend. Road Crews have been out clearing drainage outlets, but so far there’s been little grading possible down Island.
Spring Break for B-I-C-S wraps up today with school back in session tomorrow. It was no break, though, for the robotics team. Some members of bIrobot worked every day last week and through the weekend on improvements to their robot. They leave on Thursday for a competition at Ferris State University in Cedar Rapids. Visit TheBlueAlliance.com for links to the webcasts and find out more about BICS’s FRC team at birobot.org.
Ticket sales for the 2026 Warblers on the Water events, May 22-25, are now open. The festival features new field trips to celebrate Great Lakes Islands biodiversity. Visit store dot bic center dot org for more info and registration.
The America 250 Writing Challenge invites you to share your thoughts on America 250. Selected submissions will be compiled into a book. Check at the library for more information. |
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First your meeting planner…
Peaine Township Planning Commission meets Tuesday at 5:00. B_I_C_S Committee of the Whole meets Wednesday at 5:30. A-A meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
Monday evening is All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Shamrock. In our Dark Skies, tomorrow morning, the moon fresh from its first human fly-by in more than 50 years will be near the distinctive letter J – or fishhook – pattern of stars that makes up the constellation of Scorpius the Scorpion. Look for them before dawn. There’s more info at dark sky island dot org. Tuesday at 10:00, Babes & Toddlers mix it up at the library and there is Pickleball in the Theater at the BIC Center and, at 10:30, there’s Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout. At 2:15 there’s a Home School Meet-up at the library. And at 6:00 it’s trivia time at the BIC Center. That’s right, Let’s Get Quizzical starts at 6:00. Sign your team up at tickets dot bic center dot org.
Image from WVBI Community Calendar
Highlights for the rest of the week include…
Wednesday, there’s BINGO at 1:00 at the BIC Center. And at 5:00 it’s Time for Art, at the BIC Center. This week the first of three sessions on creating plaster molds led by Cindy Ricksgers.
Thursday the robotics team is off for Ferris State and their second competition of the season. Women’s Bible Study is on at 10:00 at the Christian Church. There’s Pickleball at the BIC Center at 10:00 in the Theater. At 10:30 up in the Hangout there’s Senior Tai Chi. Thursday evening, there’s Pickleball at 5:00 in the Theater at the BIC Center. Afterwards, you can grab the burger & a beer special at the Shamrock starting at 5:00, and its Euchre Night down at Whiskey Point Brewing. Cards hit the table at 7:00.
[Thursday evening on the radio, drop in for W-V-B-I’s newest music show. It’s The Underground with Leila Freijy. It’s the underground sound of grunge and more from the 80s and 90s with special features every week. Tune in at 7:00 for two hours Underground.]
Friday, the robotics team is competing at Ferris State. Visit b-I-robot dot org for info on how to watch online. Senior + Vets Coffee & Donuts is at the BIC Center from 9:00 to 11:00. There’s Pickleball at 10:00 and Chair Strength Training at 10:30.
[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.]
Saturday, the Fiero Code Club is on at the library at 1:00. There are two movies showing at the BIC Center, both as part of the libraries Big Read project on Survival. The 3:00 show is the Disney classic Swiss Family Robinson. It’s rated G. Then at 6:00 it’s Tom Hanks in Cast Away. Hanks plays a FedEx exec who winds up on a deserted island after his plane crashes. It’s rated PG-13. And, remember, Saturdays are Prime Rib Night at the Shamrock.
[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 Christian Church at 10:00 and mass at Holy Cross at 12:15.
Looking ahead to highlights for next week… Looking Ahead to next week |
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Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Nina. If that’s your name, come on it to the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice. |
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On our Birthday List today we have Karen Slanga, Nathan McDonough, Tucker Hogarth, Tina Carlton and Amor Legaspi. Happy Birthday to Tina, Karen, Amor, Tucker and Nathan 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 and there are no bridge delays. But, hey, let’s be careful out there, especially in the school zone. |
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On this date in 1917, the United States declared war on Germany, entering World War One after years of neutrality. German attacks on American ships pushed Congress to act. Over the next year, two million U.S. troops would head to Europe—helping turn the tide of the war.
“Fast Convoy,” oil painting by Burnell Poole, 1918 (NH 42690-KN). Image from Naval History and Heritage Command |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is the verb cotton (verb) [KAH-tun]. To cotton on to something means to begin to understand it, while cotton to something means to start liking it. The word comes from an Arabic term for the cotton plant and entered English as a noun in the 1300s. Before long, it became a verb—first meaning to form a soft, fuzzy texture on cloth. By the 1600s, it had taken on a more figurative meaning—developing a liking for something. And by the early 1900s, it came to mean catching on or understanding. So if you’re starting to get it—you’re beginning to cotton on. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Monday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day, from Woodrow Wilson, who was president during World War One: If you lose your wealth, you have lost nothing; if you lose your health, you have lost something; but if you lose your character, you have lost everything. |
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On a lighter note: 6:30 is my favorite time of day… Hands down. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Monday, April 6th, 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? |
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Today A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly after 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northwest 15 to 25 mph in the morning. Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 30 mph. Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. West wind 10 to 15 mph. Tuesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 26. South wind around 10 mph. Wednesday A chance of snow showers before 11am, then a chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Wednesday Night Showers, mainly after 8pm. Low around 39. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Thursday A 30 percent chance of showers before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 43. Breezy. Thursday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. Saturday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 36. Sunday Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 47. |
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Out on the Big Drink for the first day of the ferry season… |
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Today WSW wind 5 to 10 kt becoming NNW 15 to 25 kt in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 30 kt. Waves 1 ft or less building to 4 ft. Tuesday NW wind around 10 kt becoming WSW in the afternoon. Waves 1 ft or less. Wednesday S wind 15 to 20 kt. Waves 2 to 3 ft. |
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Air Quality Index at 6:30 this morning was 8. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
The ferry season is back on—thanks to an icy assist from the Coast Guard. We’ve got the dramatic video from Paradise Bay. Plus, new Michigan legislation targeting social media safety for kids, rough road conditions down Island, and what the bIrobot team has been up to over spring break—details coming up.
…all of that along with a run-down of local events, birthdays and more after global and national news from F-S-N. [Time check.] |
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Today’s Featured Image: The Bristol Bay in action on Paradise Bay. Image from WVBI Paradise Bay Webcam from the BIC Center. |
