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There was more storm recovery yesterday with continued help from the mainland. National Guard troops completed departed yesterday according to county reports, but the D-N-R team is still here. G-L-E crews cut to 40 the number of Island service locations without power. That’s the good news. The bad news is that G-L-E’s outage map says about 37 of those won’t have power restored until Saturday. Troops at the dock. Photo by Rob Cole On the mainland, the remaining outages in Charlevoix are down to just ten locations without power, but Emmet County still has 20 percent or about 2,500 locations without power. In Otsego County almost 4,000 remain without power. Overall, G-L-E reports that over 9,500 customers are still off-line. Charlevoix County officials are asking county residents to complete a self-reporting damage assessment. It’s important 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. County run assessments have begun on the mainland according to County Emergency Management Coordinator Sienna Wenz. She says they’ll begin soon on the Island as well. https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/6e1d8996f0704b9fab5395eecd63a65e T-D-S service continues to go up and down in some down island as they work to keep generators running at their island hubs in areas without power. But, service at Welke Airport and the Health Center seems to be back to normal after several days of issues. In non-storm news, Governor Whitmer was at the Whitehouse yesterday where President Trump praised her as “a very good person” who’s “done an excellent job.” Whitmer, a Democrat, and Michigan Republican House Speaker Matt Hall met with Trump to push for action on expanding Selfridge Air Base and fighting invasive Asian Carp in the Great Lakes — both of which Trump said he supports. The warm words mark a major shift from past tensions between the two, as Whitmer also used a Washington speech to criticize tariffs while urging smarter manufacturing policy. In Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan University says several international student records were unexpectedly terminated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. CMU staff discovered the issue during a routine database check. The university is reaching out to affected students and urging them to seek legal help. Officials say the change could impact visa status and the ability to stay in the U.S. Finally, this bit of non-storm local news. Rock legend and Songs from the Trail host Jackson Smith’s mom Patti Smith is releasing a new memoir, Bread of Angels, this November. The book reflects on her childhood, marriage to MC5’s Fred “Sonic” Smith, and their life in Michigan. They lived in St. Clair Shores for over a decade, where they recorded Dream of Life.
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Patti Smith, is releasing her memoir, “Bread of Angels,” on November 4, 2025.Photo by Phil McAuliffe | NJ.com |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner for the week… Today, there are parent teacher conferences at school at 3:30 and the Medical First Responders Class at 7:00. On Saturday the Heritage Group meeting at 9:30 has been cancelled, but the and 10:45 board meeting is on. A-A meets tonight 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… 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. 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.] Highlights for the rest of the week include… 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. |
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NAME OF DAY: The BIC Center Name of the Day is Ami. If that’s your name, head on down to the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice. BIRTHDAYS: Liam Hodgson Olya Stebbins are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Olya and Liam, 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: None. But, despite heroic efforts by the road crews, down-island roads still sport lots of small debris and more than a few crater-sized potholes. And we now have a number of folks for the mainland out working to clean that up and get the power back on to folks who have now been without power for more than a week. So, let’s watch out for them and be careful out there. Especially in the school zone. |
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On this day in 1998, the Good Friday Agreement brings peace to Northern Ireland. Three decades of conflict known as ‘The Troubles,’ and two years of peace talks, are resolved on this Good Friday with the signing of a power-sharing agreement between Northern Ireland’s Protestant and Catholic populations. Also on this date in 1897, after airship mania breaks out in Michigan after a claimed sighting in Alma. The next night witnesses in Benton Harbor say they saw blue, red and green lights from airships over Lake Michigan. Claims followed from Black Lake, Battle Creek, Charlotte, Comstock, Hart, Hudson, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Mendon, Middleville, Niles, Olivet, and Pavillion. All of this followed claims of similar sightings in California. No word on whether any of the airships were from China, but some turned out to be paper-bag ballons powered by candles.
Good Friday Agreement signors British Prime Minister Tony Blair, right, US Senator George Mitchell, center, and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern. Photo from bing.com (© Dan Chung/Pool/AP) |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is Chary (adjective) [CHAIR-ee], an adjective is usually used with about or of to describe someone who is cautious about doing something. How did chary, which began as the opposite of cheery, become a synonym of wary? Don’t worry, there’s no need to be chary—the answer is not dreary. Chary’s Middle English predecessor, charri [char-EE], meant “sorrowful,” a sense that harks back to the Old English word cearig [care-ig], meaning “troubled, troublesome, taking care,” which ultimately comes from an assumed-but-unattested Germanic word, karō, meaning “sorrow” or “worry,” that is also an ancestor of the word care. It’s perhaps unsurprising then, that chary was once used to mean “dear” or “cherished.” Both sorrow and affection have largely faded from chary, and today the word is most often used as a synonym of careful. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Thursday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from British Prime Minister Tony Blair: “The art of leadership is saying no, not saying yes. It is very easy to say yes.” |
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On a lighter note… What do you call an airship made up of lights? An L-E-D Zeppelin. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar for this Beaver Island Thursday, April 10th, 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 Partly sunny, with a high near 41. East wind around 5 mph. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 29. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Friday Sunny, with a high near 42. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Calm wind. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 44. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. Sunday Night A chance of showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Monday Partly sunny, with a high near 48. Monday Night A chance of showers after 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. Tuesday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. Tuesday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. |
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Out on the Big Drink… Today E wind around 10 kt becoming NE in the afternoon. Partly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Friday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. No buoys in up north, but the one in the middle of the lake down south reports a water temperature of 39 degrees. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
