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Democratic candidate for governor Jocelyn Benson has selected state Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks as her running mate. Brinks, from Grand Rapids, became Michigan’s first female Senate majority leader in 2023. The selection gives Benson’s ticket a West Michigan connection and would create the first all-woman major-party ticket for governor and lieutenant governor in Michigan. Democratic delegates will formally consider Brinks’ nomination August 29th. #Election2026
State Representative Betsy Coffia is urging Grand Traverse County Prosecutor Noelle Moeggenberg to accept state help investigating past sexual abuse at Interlochen. A recent report documented 70 allegations involving 47 adults and included allegations of sexual contact involving former Interlochen camper and donor Jeffrey Epstein. Coffia says the county prosecutor’s office is overloaded, while the Attorney General has experience prosecuting institutional abuse cases. #Crime
Petoskey will go to court if necessary to preserve public access to the popular Miracle Mile section of the Little Traverse Wheelway. The city council rejected a proposed settlement Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by property owners along the trail seeking to extinguish an easement for the route. The disputed section has been closed since erosion caused part of it to collapse in 2020. A city council member told Bridge Michigan he believes Petoskey has a strong case for preserving the public easement. Trial preparations are now underway. #Environment #RegionalGovernance
Traverse City’s city manager is organizing a statewide push to let communities impose a new tax on visitor lodging, including hotels and short-term rentals. That’s according to reporting today in the Traverse Ticker. In a Ticket interview, Benjamin Marentette says tourism brings millions of visitors and added costs for roads, infrastructure and public safety. Most Michigan communities currently can’t impose such a tax, so the proposal would require action by state lawmakers. Marentette says building support could take two to three years. #RegionalEconomy #Affordability
The Petoskey News-Review, in a story from the Evansville Courier & Press, reports today that the new federal ROAD to Housing Act may have less impact in the Midwest than in high-cost coastal states, where housing shortages, land constraints and restrictive zoning are greater. In Michigan and neighboring states, experts say its biggest effects could instead come from expanding mortgages under $100,000 and lowering costs for manufactured housing, particularly benefiting rural communities and older industrial cities.
U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin is asking Pentagon leaders to publicly confirm the military won’t be used at polling places in November. The request follows President Trump declining to rule out deploying troops during the election. #Elections2026
The community is invited to a potluck picnic at the Beaver Head Lighthouse Saturday at 1:00. Bring a dish and a chair and check out the newly reopened foyer and tower, including the restored fourth-order lens. Work on the lighthouse was done by Horst Blessing, Dan Runberg, Dave Derosia, Craig Turnbull, Mark Howie, Keith Brothers, Jamie Lapresto and Dave Case.
The Charlevoix Historical Society will explore the Golden Age of Passenger Steamships next Tuesday evening at the Charlevoix Public Library. The event will look at how steam power helped fuel prosperity and a growing demand for recreational travel in the late 1800s, and have some stories from underwater expeditions exploring Great Lakes shipwrecks. The free program starts at 6:00. #RegionalHistory
The Milwaukee Clipper cruise ship visited Charlevoix in 1943, but it was a one-time event. Photo provided by the Charlevoix Historical Society
The Eager Beaver Clean & Store has moved on to fall hours. They are now open Monday to Friday 8:30 to 6:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 3:00. #LocalBusiness |
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Now here’s a look at upcoming events on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
Airport Commission meets today at noon. Thursday, the Library Board and J-TAC both meet at 4:30. A-A meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00.
…and that is it for the week. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
Thursday, C-M-U has a Family Days event called Common Critters. Meet at C-M-U at 8:15 and be prepared to travel to Miller’s Marsh to survey reptiles, amphibians, birds, plants, and aquatic insects while exploring forests, wetlands, and other unique natural areas. Afterwards, you’ll come back to the station for lunch and discussion. Sign up is $20, which include lunch. Info on signing up is in the calendar entry online or call the station at 2325. Also Thursday, there’s Pickleball at Peaine Township Park at 9:00. There’s COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00, both at Peaine Township Hall. There’s Women’s Bible Study at 10:00 a.m. at the BI Christian Church and at 10:30, there’s Senior Tai Chi at the BIC Center. The Weekly Bocce Ball roll is on at 4:00 on the courts at the Peaine Township Park. At 6:00, there’s a session on cybersecurity and A-I for small businesses at the library. Greg Doig will help you plot a safe path through cyber risks. And, Thursday evenings are Burger and a Beer Night at the Shamrock, and there’s music at the Circle M. The Abridged Trio of Liberty’s Children will play starting at 8:00. There’s no admission fee.
The Circle M has announced a night of music for Thursday. The Abridged Trio of Liberty’s Children starts playing at 8:00. No admission charge. Graphic from Circle M
Highlights for the rest of the week include…
Friday, there’s Senior and Vets Coffee and Donuts from 8:30 to 10:30 in the Welcome Center at the BIC Center. At 9:00 A-M Pickleball Outdoors on the Peaine Township courts. Back at the BIC Center at 9:30, there’s Summer Yoga in the Theater plus Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout. At 1:00, the Stepping Stones Retreat kicks off at Tara’s Meadow. Check the calendar entry for sign-up information.
[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, at 9:00 there’s Mass at Holy Cross to celebrate The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. the Artisan’s Market is on at the Point starting at 10:00. Protar’s House will be open for tours from 1:00 to 3:00. And Saturday nights 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 Episcopal Mission at 9:00 and at the Christian Church at 10:00. Mass is at Holy Cross at 12:15. And the Amik Cultural Center is open 1 to 3 PM.
Looking ahead to highlights for next week…
Monday, at 9:30, summer yoga is on at the BIC Center. It’ll be a session on Basic Flow. COA has Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. At 11:00, there’s Summer Therapeutic Chair Yoga at the BIC Center. And, don’t forget, Monday evenings are All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Beachcomber, so you can go next door to grab dinner before or after the show.
Tuesday, at 9:00 there is Pickleball on the Peaine Township Courts. At 9:30, there’s Chair Strength Training up in the Hangout at the BIC Center. C-O-A has COA Cardio Drumming at 10:00 and Art Therapy at 11:00 at Peaine Township Hall. Also, at 10:00, Babes & Toddlers mix it up at the library. At 5:00, the 2026 Islander Volleyball season gets underway as the squad takes on Munising Bapost in a home game. First service is at 5:00. And at 6:00, it’s trivia time at the BIC Center. Let’s Get quizzical starts at 6:00 in the Hangout. Sign your team up at tickets dot bic center dot org.
Wednesday, the B-I-C-S volleyball squad plays a second round of matches against Munising Baptist. Play starts at 8:30. There’s Summer Restorative Yoga BIC Center at 9:30 in the Theater. At 1:00 there is Afternoon Bingo up in the Hangout. Protar’s House will be open from 1:00 to 4:00. At 4:00 the Amik Cultural Preservation Center will be open. In our Dark Skies, tonight is the first quarter moon, the third phase of the Lunar cycle. Despite the name, you’ll see about half the moon when it comes up over Lake Michigan.
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Those are the highlights. Find a full listing of events at calendar dot W-V-B-I dot net. |
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Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Herb. If that’s your name, come on down to the BIC Center today to pick out a free drink of your choice. |
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On our Birthday List: Marlaina Cole, Lisa Gillespie, Jeannie Gillespie, Andrea Keehn and Kim Bousquet are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Kim, Andrea, Jeannie, Lisa and Marlaina, 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. There are no bridge delays. But it is busy in town when the ferries arrive and there are lots of folks out hiking and biking. So, let’s be careful out there. |
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On this date in 1920, Detroit station 8-M-K goes on the air from the Detroit News building. The station, now W-W-J, is Michigan’s oldest radio station and among the pioneers of regular news broadcasting. And on this date in 1977, NASA launches Voyager 2 from Cape Canaveral. The spacecraft goes on to visit Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune — and remains the only spacecraft ever to make close-up visits to Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 2 later crosses into interstellar space, and is now roughly 13.5 billion miles from Earth, or about 145 astronomical units (AU) away. NASA’s Voyager 2 spacecraft launches atop its Titan/Centaur-7 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on August 20, 1977. Photo provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is divulge (verb) [dih-VULJ], a verb meaning to make something known that was private or secret. You might divulge the ending of a movie to someone who hasn’t seen it yet, or a government official might be accused of divulging confidential information. The word comes from the Latin divulgare (dee-vool-GAH-ray), meaning “to make known to the people,” from vulgus (VOOL-goos), meaning “the common people.” So if you divulge something, you’re taking information that wasn’t widely known and spreading it around. |
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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 F-M radio inventor Edwin Armstrong: “It ain’t ignorance that causes all the trouble in this world. It’s the things people know that ain’t so.” |
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On a lighter note… |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Thursday, August 20th, 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? And thanks for listening. |
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WEATHER |
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[Current Condition Report, then…] |
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Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 74 by the shore, 78 inland. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Tonight A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. South wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Friday A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 74/80. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. Friday Night A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. South wind around 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Saturday A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 74/78. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of showers before 8pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 59. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 69/74. Sunday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 56. Monday Sunny, with a high near 72/76. Monday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 62. Tuesday A chance of showers. Mostly sunny, with a high near 75/78. Tuesday Night A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. Wednesday A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 75/78. |
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Air Quality Index at 7:45 was 74. |
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Fire Danger: Moderate |
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Out on the Big Drink…
Photo from the North Lake Michigan Buoy. Provided by the National Data Buoy Center |
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Today Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Friday S wind 10 to 15 kt. A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 4pm. Waves around 2 ft. Saturday NW wind 10 to 15 kt. A slight chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Waves 1 to 2 ft. Sunday NNW wind 15 to 20 kt, with gusts as high as 30 kt. Sunny. Waves 2 to 3 ft. Monday NNW wind around 10 kt becoming W in the afternoon. Sunny. Waves around 1 ft. |
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Water Temps: 70 at the mid-lake buoy southwest of Gull Island. 72 at Sleeping Bear and in Little Traverse Bay. 70 in the Straits. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
Jocelyn Benson picks her running mate for the race for governor. Petoskey prepares to fight in court to preserve public access to the Miracle Mile. And Traverse City’s city manager launches a statewide push for a new visitor lodging tax. Plus, a potluck Saturday celebrates the reopening of the Beaver Head Lighthouse tower.
Those stories along with more local news, a run down of local events, birthdays, this date in history and more are up after this global and national news… [Time check.] |
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Today’s featured image: Big cruise ships are not coming to the Island, but one did visit Charlvoix a long time ago. You can learn more about the history of cruise ships on the Great Lake next Tuesday at the Charlevoix Library. Photo provided by Charlevoix Historical Society |
