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After a day of no power for some and blinking lights for most, the entire Island went dark around 5:00 yesterday. But, the G-L-E crews battled the weather and got things back online for most by 9:30 or so last evening. At 8:00 this morning, G-L-E’s outage map show 53 locations on the Island without power and just over 2,800 customers system-wide offline. The bulk of the outages on the Island appear to be on the south end of Mrs. Reddings Trail with a few folks on the North Shore and on the south rim of Paradise Bay also out. M-Live says about 100,000 locations are without power statewide.
BLE Power Outage Map at about 8:00 this morning. Screenshot from gtlakes.com Between power and the storm, yesterday saw a lot of closures including the library and the Community Center and, eventually, the gas station. But everyone plans to be open today. The National Weather Service in Gaylord says more snow is on the way starting this afternoon with an additional 4-8″ across parts of the northwest lower and eastern upper by Wednesday evening with localized higher amounts possible. Snow covered roads and low visibility under snow bands may result in hazardous travel at times this evening and on Wednesday. Their map shows an additional 3 to 6 inches for the Island, but their online forecast says it will just be a few inches.
Additional accumulation is on the way according to the NWS in Gaylord. Graphic from Gaylord NWS Office The News-Review reports that Petoskey’s annual Christmas Bird Count wrapped up December 14th, with 18 volunteers tallying a record 58 species across the area. Highlights included Iceland gulls, pine grosbeaks, and a rare cackling goose. Organizers say the data helps track long-term bird population trends across northern Michigan. A count on the Island was also planned, but so far no word on its results. And, in good news for the lakes, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission says sea lamprey numbers are back down to pre-pandemic levels after control efforts resumed. That’s according to reporting from I-P-R’s Anna Busse. Surveys show populations dropped across most of the Great Lakes, following a spike during COVID when treatments were limited. Officials say ongoing lamprey control is critical to protecting the region’s fish and fishing economy. Meantime, Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued their annual report on the Great Lakes, highlighting the cleanup of Muskegon Lake and the challenge of dealing with PFAS contamination. A link to the full report is in today’s script online. |
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Now, here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle… First your meeting planner… A-A meets Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00. That’s it on the meeting front through end of the week. On the fun front today… Tuesday, there’s a movie and game marathon at the library starting at 9:00 in the morning. Come to the library for some Christmas break fun. There’s Chair Strength Training at the BIC Center at 10:30 and it’s time to get quizzical at the BIC Center at 6:00. It’s the island’s favorite trivia game with brain teasers and lots of laughs. Sign your team up at tickets dot bic center dot org. Wednesday is New Year’s Eve. The BIC Center will be closed, but WVBI will have special lineup of New Year’s Eve countdown shows together with a count down to midnight. And you can enter the libraries Find the Bear contest by going outside to spot the Big Dipper in the night sky and then report your sighting at the library. Looking ahead to highlights for the rest of the week… Thursday is the first day of 2026. The BIC Center will be closed. Friday gets underway with Senior + Vets Coffee + Donuts is on at the BIC Center from 9:00 to 11:00. Pickleball is on hiatus until January 6th, but Chair Strength Training is up in the Hangout 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.] 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, movies are on tap. At 3:00 it’s Disney’s Freakier Friday with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s rated PG-13. At 6:00 it’s Jay Kelly, a comedy with George Clooney and Adam Sandler that tells the story of a famous movie actor on a journey of self-discovery. Rated R. And if you are looking for a special night out for the first Saturday of the New Year, it’s also 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, 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. Looking ahead to highlights for next week… Monday, there’s all you can eat pizza and salad night at the Shamrock. Pizza begins at 5:00. |
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NAME OF DAY: Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Neal. If that’s your name, come into the BIC Center to pick out a free drink of your choice. BIRTHDAYS: Kelly Becker and Steve Irmscher are celebrating today. Happy Birthday to Kelly and Steve 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: 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 for sleigh traffic. |
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On this day in 1924, astronomer Edwin Hubble makes the groundbreaking announcement that fundamentally changes understanding of the universe. He reveals the existence of other galaxies beyond the Milky Way, expanding the known universe and opening new frontiers in astronomy. Hubble’s discovery marks a pivotal moment in the field, leading to the realization that the universe is vast and ever-expanding.
A collection of images of other galaxies from the Hubble Space Telescope. Image from European Space Agency |
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Our Merriam Webster Word of the Day is charisma (noun) [kuh-RIZ-muh]. It means a special magnetic charm that draws people in and sparks admiration. The word comes from Greek, meaning “favor” or “gift.” Originally, charisma referred to a spiritual gift, but today it’s about social grace — the kind that helps leaders inspire followers or helps a job applicant stand out in an interview. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Tuesday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day from Edwin Hubble: “All nature is a vast symbolism: Every material fact has sheathed within it a spiritual truth.” |
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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 Tuesday, December 30th, 2025. I’m Kevin Boyle reporting from W-V-B-I’s Langford Family Studios asking you: why not go ahead and make it the best day ever? And thanks for listening. |
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Today Snow showers likely, mainly after 4pm. Cloudy, with a high near 23. Blustery, with a northwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Tonight Snow showers likely, mainly before 1am. Cloudy, with a low around 17. Blustery, with a northwest wind 15 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Wednesday A 50 percent chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 22. Wind chill values as low as zero. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Wednesday Night A 20 percent chance of snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 12. Wind chill values as low as -6. Blustery, with a northwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. New Year’s Day Partly sunny, with a high near 19. Breezy, with a west wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Thursday Night A 30 percent chance of snow showers before 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 14. Breezy. Friday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 22. Friday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 16. Saturday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 24. Saturday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 18. Sunday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28. Sunday Night Cloudy, with a low around 21. Monday Mostly cloudy, with a high near 28. |
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Air Quality Index this morning was 0. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report… After an evening outage across the Island afew folks are still waiting for power as the Island’s hard working G-L-E team works to get the power back on this morning. More snow is on the way, with travel impacts expected. In other news, the results are in from Petoskey’s Christmas Bird Count, with a record number of species spotted, and good news from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission: sea lamprey numbers are back down after pandemic-era spikes. We’ll have details on all of that… …plus 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: Near five foot drifts on a porch on Greenes Bay. Photo by Kevin Boyle |
