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The Emerald Isle’s first official roundtrip of the season leaves Charlevoix this morning at 8:30, and she heads back across at 11:20, her new earlier departure time from the Island. She headed out yesterday from the Island on a repositioning cruise to get ready for today’s trip. The 11:20 Island Departures are Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the rest of this month. The first half of May will have 1:20 departures on all days except Tuesday and Thursday. Double trips (and the 11:20 morning departures) start May 18th.
The Emerald Isle heads out yesterday for its first crossing of 2026 to be ready for round-trips starting today. Photo from WVBI Paradise Bay Webcam at the BIC Center
As we continue to deal with the remains of our mid-March blizzard, all the moisture and recent rain has parts of downstate Michigan dealing with severe flooding. Dozens of roads and bridges have been closed across central Michigan, with rivers like the Cass, Tittabawassee, and Bad River running high. In Frankenmuth, water levels rank among the highest ever recorded. Conditions are improving as waters recede, but officials warn drivers to avoid flooded roads and respect closures.
Michigan Senator Elissa Slotkin says she’s considering a possible presidential run in 2028. In the meantime, she’s taking her message to voters in places like Iowa, meeting with Trump supporters to better understand what Democrats need to do to win back the Midwest. Slotkin says the party must reconnect with voters and chart a new direction ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
Michigan officials are exploring the use of artificial intelligence to flag potential fraud in the state’s food assistance program, but legal experts say the technology could misidentify people who actually qualify. Michigan News Connection’s Chrystal Blair has details… |
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They caution that many payment issues are not fraud at all. Michelle Gilman is a legal expert on public benefits law, and she says many cases labeled as fraud are actually overpayments.
“Overpayment and underpayment, which are also a problem – but one we don’t hear much about – are usually the result of innocent errors, given the complexity of these very complicated programs.”
A 2024 report from the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center pointed to the risks of using A-I to determine eligibility for SNAP benefits. One of them is the biases of the humans training the machines. The Michigan League for Public Policy reported that as of July 2025, over a million Michiganders participated in SNAP. The state of Michigan has been down this road before – and not without consequences. A decade ago, the state’s unemployment system falsely accused tens of thousands of residents of fraud, leading to financial hardship and years of legal battles. Gilman points out the impact is still being felt.
“And the consequences of that were very dire, and people are still waiting for compensation for the damages that they suffered from that system.” Gilman says as A-I expands into public benefits, strong oversight is critical – noting people have a legal right to understand and challenge decisions that affect their access to food assistance.
“I mean, I encourage everyone to push for their rights to the fullest extent of the law, but that can be hard when you’re trying to work, and get child care, and struggling with transportation, and just the realities of trying to make it day to day.” |
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Rebakah Sager with The Michigan Independent contributed to this report.
Northwest Michigan Works! and Walstrom Marine have launched the region’s first federally registered marine services technician apprenticeship. The program combines hands-on training with classroom instruction, including 6,000 hours of on-the-job experience and more than 400 hours of coursework. Organizers say the effort is designed to build a skilled workforce and open the door to long-term careers in the region’s marine industry. You can find more information about this and other registered apprenticeships AT n-w-m dot org forward slash apprenticeships. https://nwm.org/apprenticeship
If you’re heading up to Petoskey, you should plan for some construction detours downtown. Work is set to get underway on Howard Street between Michigan and East Mitchell, including major upgrades to water and sewer lines, new pavement, sidewalks, and landscaping. The Howard and Mitchell intersection will be closed, with barricades in place at several nearby streets. On-street parking is also limited, but businesses remain open. The project is expected to wrap up by mid-June, and a full detour map is available at petoskey dot us.
Down in T-C, two new members are joining the planning commission, but not without debate. One commissioner raised concerns about geographic, professional, and age balance on the board, while others pushed back—saying labeling candidates that way could discourage volunteers. Despite the discussion, commissioners voted six to one to approve the appointments, filling two open seats through 2028. |
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Now here’s a look at events happening on your Emerald Isle…
First your meeting planner…
B-I-C-S Committee of the Whole meets Wednesday at 5:30. A-A meets this evening, Thursday and Saturday at 6:00. Locations and more details are in the calendar entries online.
On the fun front today…
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.
Highlights for the rest of the week include…
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 library’s 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…
Monday evening is All You Can Eat Pizza and Salad night at the Shamrock. This week is international Dark Sky Week. Celebrate with special displays at the library and the BIC Center, and learn more about the importance of our Dark Skies 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. |
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Today’s BIC Center Name of the Day is Danielle. 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 Adelaide McCafferty, Fletcher Randall, Conlan Wearn and John Campbell. Happy Birthday to Adelaide, John, Conlan and Fletcher 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 still rough, even after some initial grading on Monday. 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 1959, mathematician and computer scientist Grace Hopper meets with top programming experts at a two-day conference, helping shape the future of computing. The group builds on her earlier work to develop COBOL — a groundbreaking language that will make computers more accessible for business and government use.
Grace Hopper was a Navy Rear Admiral. Photo by US Navy from Wikipedia |
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Our Merriam-Webster Word of the Day is ephemeral (adjective) [ih-FEM-er-ul]. Something that is ephemeral lasts for a very short time — brief or fleeting. You might use it to describe a beautiful sunset or a moment that doesn’t last long. The word comes from the Greek ephemeros [eh-FEM-er-oss], meaning “lasting only a day.” It entered English in the late 1500s and has kept that meaning ever since. |
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Now, to wrap up for this Beaver Island Wednesday… |
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Here’s a thought for the day, from Admiral Grace Hopper: “A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” |
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On a lighter note: Why do old programmers love COBOL? Because it still works… and nobody dares touch it. |
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That’s the W-V-B-I Community Calendar Report for this Beaver Island Wednesday, April 8th, 2026. The Community Calendar will take a two-day break while we head out for robotics a competition at Ferris State. We’ll be back Monday. Until then, 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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Today Snow between 8am and 2pm. High near 44. Breezy, with a south wind 15 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Tonight Rain, mainly before 2am. Low around 35. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Thursday Mostly cloudy through mid-morning, then becoming sunny, with a high near 39. Breezy, with a west wind 15 to 20 mph. Thursday Night Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming east after midnight. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 38. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon. Friday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 30. Saturday Sunny, with a high near 40. Saturday Night A chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Sunday Showers, mainly after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. Sunday Night Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Breezy. Monday Showers likely. Cloudy, with a high near 48. Breezy. Monday Night Showers likely. Cloudy, with a low around 33. Breezy. Tuesday A chance of rain and snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 38. Breezy. |
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Out on the Big Drink … |
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Today-Gale Warning SSE wind 15 to 20 kt. Snow showers likely before noon, then scattered rain showers between noon and 1pm. Waves 2 to 3 ft. Thursday WSW wind 10 to 15 kt. Mostly cloudy through mid-morning, then becoming sunny. Waves 2 to 3 ft. Friday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Mostly sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Saturday Variable winds 5 kt or less. Sunny. Waves 1 ft or less. Sunday S wind 15 to 20 kt. Showers. Waves around 3 ft. |
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Air Quality Index at 6:30 this morning was 18. |
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Photos from webcams at wvbi.net and mackinacbridge.org |
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Coming up in our Community Calendar Report…
Ferry service resumes round-trip service today with new departure times for the Emerald Isle…
Downstate flooding is forcing road closures across central Michigan…
Senator Elissa Slotkin looks ahead to a possible presidential run…
And if you’re headed to Petoskey, expect construction delays downtown.
…all of those stories 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: The Emerald Isle heads out yesterday for its first crossing of 2026 to be ready for round-trips starting today. Photo from WVBI Paradise Bay Webcam at the BIC Center |
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