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The wind was blowing hard last night with some weather stations on the west side reporting gusts of almost 60 mph and steady wind at 50. Despite the blowing here and back on the mainland, G-L-E reports no active power outages this morning. Along with the wind came the lowest lows of the season so far with the municipal airport reporting a low of nine degrees. Opponents of the Line 5 project blasted federal officials Wednesday during an online hearing hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is weighing permits for Enbridge Energy to replace the four-mile pipeline segment in the Straits of Mackinac, either with a concrete tunnel or through horizontal directional drilling deep beneath the lakebed. Environmental groups call the new drilling option a last-minute change that shortens the public’s ability to respond. Supporters say both options improve safety and create jobs. The 72-year-old pipeline carries oil from Wisconsin to Ontario, and a final permitting decision is expected next spring. Meantime, State regulators are under pressure as Gov. Gretchen Whitmer urges quick approval for a proposed hyperscale data center in Saline Township, while opponents call for a slower, full review. The Michigan Public Service Commission is weighing a 19-year power contract from DTE Energy to serve the project backed by Oracle, OpenAI and Related Digital. Critics warn the rushed process risks Michigan’s grid and transparency. Back on the Island… Catherine Meintsma is once again leading the Beaver Island Wreaths Across America Project. The goal is to place a wreath on the graves of all graves of veterans on the Island. So far she has sponsors for 58 wreaths with 93 to go. There’s a link to help out with a pledge in today’s script on line or go to Wreaths Across America dot org and search for Beaver Island.
Beaver Island Wreaths Across America status page. Image from Facebook post by Catherine Meintsma And, now’s the time to mark your calendar to plan to attend the Elks fundraiser potluck dinner for Laura Green. It’s set for the 14th from 3:00 to 7:00 at the lodge. |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner… A-A meets tonight and Saturday at 6:00. That’s it on the meeting front this week. On the fun front today… Thursday, at 10:00, there’s pickleball in the theater and Tai Chi is in the Hangout both at the BIC Center and there is Women’s Bible Study at the Christian Church. At 3:30 it’s the Elks Hoop Shoot contest at school. Come on over to cheer the kids on. Thursday evenings are Burger & a Beer Night at the Shamrock, plus Thursday Night is time for Euchre at Whiskey Point Brewery. Cards hit the table at 7:00. Also at 7:00 at the library, it’s Teen Art Night this time working on pastel drawings of the Northern Lights. In our Dark Skies will light up Thursday Night with the December Full Moon. It’s the Wolves Moon, the Oak Moon, the Cold Moon or the Long Night’s Moon (the one nearest the Winter Solstice). Friday gets underway with Senior + Vets Coffee + Donuts is on at the BIC Center from 9:00 to 11:00. Pickleball is at 10:00 in the Theater and Chair Strength Training is up in the Hangout at 10:30. The Historical Society has their Holiday Social at 6:00 at the Print Shop, which is all decorated for the holiday including special trees for each of the Island’s non-profits. [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.] Highlights for the rest of the week include… On Saturday, the Fiero Code Club is on at the library at 1:00 with a new program alongside it called Girls that Code for girls in grades 3-12. At the BIC Center Saturday, it’s a day of Christmas fun. A special visitor from the north will arrive around 4:00 with special treats and picture opportunities for good girls and boys. At 5:30 there’ll be a Christmas Tree lighting ceremony and then at 6:00 it’s the Christmas Concert: Home for The Holidays: An Island Christmas. There’s no charge for any of this, but you do need to reserve a seat for the concert at tickets dot bic center 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, there are services at the Christian Church at 10:00 and mass at Holy Cross at 12:15. And at 3:00 it’s the Christmas Cantata. Looking ahead to highlights for next week… Tuesday, there’s Pickleball at the BIC Center at 10:00, and Babes and Toddlers mix it up over at the library at 10:00. And in the Hang Out at the BIC Center, there’s Chair Strength Training at 10:30. Wednesday, there’s bingo at the BIC Center at 1:00 in the Hangout and Wednesday evening, It’s Time for Art at 5:00 at the BIC Center. This week it’s making Christmas Post Cards and Gift Tags with printmaking and stencil techniques. |
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NAME OF DAY: Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Hendrick. If that’s your name, come into the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice, courtesy of your friends at the BIC Center and WVBI. BIRTHDAYS: Dillon Butler, Kaci Meintsma and Dena Martin are on our list today. Happy Birthday to Dena, Kaci and Dillon and, if we missed you on the list, Happy Birthday to you too from everyone at WVBI and your Beaver Island Community Center. |
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TRAFFIC: The W-V-B-I virtual octo-copter reports…no delays inbound or outbound to the airports. The Island Beltway is running smoothly and there are no bridge delays. But, the roads are super slick with another fresh coat of snow so, let’s be careful out there, especially in the school zone. |
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On this date in 1838… about 140 American and Canadian “Patriots” crossed the river from Detroit and seized part of Windsor during the Patriot War. They burned a militia barracks, but were quickly met by 130 local militiamen under Colonel John Prince. The Patriots were defeated, and four captured fighters were executed on the spot—sparking outrage on both sides of the border. Other prisoners were later tried in London, with sentences ranging from execution to deportation to Tasmania. J.C.H. Forster’s depiction of the storming of barracks by Patriot forces at the beginning of the Battle of Windsor. Image from Fort Malden, NHSC, Parks Canada via waybacktimes.com |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is frowsy (adjective) [FROW-zee]. It’s an adjective meaning messy, dirty, or unkempt. The word has been around since the late 1600s, originally describing musty or stale smells—Benjamin Franklin even used it that way. Over time, frowsy also came to describe appearance, from disheveled hair to untidy rooms. Charles Dickens used it often, and both meanings are still in use today. |
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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 singer Carl Perkins, who on this day in 1956 wound up in an impromptu recording session with Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley and Johny Cash: “If it weren’t for the rocks in its bed, the stream would have no song.” |
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On a lighter note… How do snowmen get to work? On their icicles. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Thursday, December 4th, 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 A 30 percent chance of snow showers, mainly before 7am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 25. Wind chill values as low as -6. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Tonight Snow showers likely, mainly after 4am. Mostly cloudy, with a temperature rising to around 27 by 1am. Windy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph increasing to 30 to 35 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 45 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Friday Snow showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 30. Windy, with a west wind 25 to 30 mph decreasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Friday Night Snow showers before 4am, then a slight chance of freezing rain. Low around 23. Breezy, with a southwest wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of around an inch possible. Saturday A slight chance of freezing rain before 7am, then a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. Breezy, with a northwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Sunday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 17. Monday A chance of snow showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 29. Monday Night Snow showers likely, mainly after 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 23. Breezy. Tuesday A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Tuesday Night A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. Wednesday A chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 31. Breezy. |
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Air Quality Index this morning was 0. |
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Out on the Big Drink… |
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Today WNW wind 20 to 25 kt becoming W 15 to 20 kt in the afternoon. A slight chance of snow before 10am. Widespread freezing spray before 7am. Waves 5 ft subsiding to 2 ft. Tonight SSW wind 15 to 20 kt increasing to 25 to 30 kt after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 40 kt. Snow likely, mainly after 5am. The snow could be heavy at times. Waves 2 ft building to 11 ft. Friday WSW wind 25 to 30 kt decreasing to 20 to 25 kt in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 35 kt. Snow likely. Waves 11 ft subsiding to 4 ft. Friday Night SW wind around 20 kt becoming WNW after midnight. Snow, mainly before midnight. Waves 3 to 4 ft. Saturday WNW wind 15 to 20 kt. A chance of snow, mainly before noon. Waves 2 to 3 ft. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report… Powerful winds and single-digit temps overnight, but no reported outages from GLE… Line 5 opponents take aim at a new plan for the Straits segment… pressure builds on state regulators over a massive hyperscale data center in Saline Township… plus an update on Wreaths Across America on Beaver Island and details on an upcoming Elks fundraiser for Laura Green All of those stories plus a run-down of local events, birthdays and more all after this global and national news update from F-S-N. It’s [timecheck]. |
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Today’s featured image: Wreaths Across America works to put a Christmas wreath on the grave of every vet. Catherine Meintsma is leading the effort on the Island. Image from Wreaths Across America |
