Courthouse Security Tightened, Goodbye to Dr. Dan Mazzuchi, Farewell to Joe the Cake Guy, Learning from the Jordan DeMay Tragedy, the Marijuana Price Drop, and the Ozempic Mystery
The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
A SIGN OF the times…Security around the Marquette County Courthouse is being tightened…”The County Board has agreed to limit access to the courthouse to only two entrances,” says Sheriff Greg Zyburt. The courthouse currently has nine entrances. Construction to make the changes is now underway…Two Sheriff’s deputies will be manning each of the two secure entrances…
Why the change? Volatile, sensitive cases. Threats, potential violence. Probate Judge Cheryl Hill already has a deputy standing by during her cases…The extra deputies required for courthouse duty will take them off of the road, so Sheriff Zyburt is requesting an additional two deputies to maintain adequate staffing on road patrols.
ONE OF MARQUETTE’S favorites is leaving town…Joe Heck, aka “Joe the Cake Guy,” aka Joey Black, is moving to Milwaukee to be nearer his family. It’s been a 20-year run here for Joe who achieved celebrity as a skilled baker at the Huron Mountain Bakery and the Landmark Inn, as an entertaining drag queen, and as a man who gave generously of his time and energy to charitable causes in town.
Friends--and he’s got legions of them—will be saying goodbye to him next Tuesday during happy hour at Digs, from 4-7 pm…It’s gonna be crowded, upbeat, and bittersweet.
TIME TO TAKE a step back…Jamie Weeder, the director and prime force behind the UP Shakespeare Festival and Wolf’s Head Theater Company, is taking a year off from performances to re-focus her career and re-charge her energy…She hopes to become a full-time theater therapist and may need additional academic credit to get credentialed…She’s already doing theater therapy with clients at MARESA and the Great Lakes Recovery Center…
What is “theater therapy”? It’s a program that helps people—non-actors—connect better with themselves, with others, with the world, in a theater atmosphere, with theater exercises. “I’m basically a therapist when I direct actors in a play,” Weeder says.
One other concern for Weeder: Serious theater can be a difficult sell in a small town like Marquette…Musicals and comedies are generally more appealing to a wide audience, but that’s not her thing…Still, while forging a new career path for herself, she’ll gear up for more serious theater a year from now…It’ll be worth waiting for.
A FAMILY MAN, a caring and visionary doctor, an engaged citizen, a model for us all…That was Dan Mazzuchi who died just over a week ago…What a remarkable life: a doctor, a Navy veteran, a City Commissioner, a Mayor, a member of numerous civic boards…He helped establish Marquette General’s first Emergency Department, and helped launch the Marquette Family Medicine Residency Program…
Married to his wife Connie for 61 years. They raised seven children together.
After Mazzuchi retired, he volunteered with Lake Superior Life Care & Hospice, and he helped establish Trillium House…Fittingly, that’s where he spent the final days of his life saying goodbye to cherished family and friends…A humble and generous man…If there were more Dan Mazzuchis in this world, we’d live in a better place.
MAYBE SOMETHING GOOD can come of this…A new chapter unfolding in the tragic case of Marquette teenager Jordan DeMay who died by suicide last year, the victim of a sexual extortion scheme, allegedly engineered by three Nigerians…Two of the suspects were flown into Grand Rapids last week to face justice in a federal court; the third is awaiting extradition…The story made national news.
Where’s the good in this tragedy? 1) Authorities showed that those responsible for such despicable acts, even from another continent, can be brought to justice, and 2) Through the efforts of Jordan’s parents, parents and teenagers all over the nation are learning how their lives can be ruined if they aren’t careful in their social media posts.
PROGRESS AT THE old hospital site…“Contractors are on-site continuing the removal of hazardous material, including asbestos,” says Dave Nyberg, the Director of Business Engagement and Business Development for the NMU Foundation, which is spearheading redevelopment of the hospital site…Demolition of most of the buildings should be completed by the end of the year…
Still undecided—the future of the multi-story parking garage…It could stay, or it could go.
The Foundation still doesn’t have a signed agreement with Veridea, the planned developer for the project. That’s likely to come in the next 6-12 months, after demolition is completed…In the meantime, the Foundation, the city, and demolition contractor are planning a couple of public sessions in the next few weeks to let residents know exactly what’s happening, and when.
A HAZARDOUS JOB? How about health workers?…Even before the pandemic, they suffered more nonfatal injuries from workplace assaults than any other profession—this according to the Associated Press…The pandemic, of course, made it much worse…A recent survey concluded that 40% of health workers experienced workplace violence in the last two years…Yikes.
IF YOU’VE DROPPED by the Iron Bay Restaurant and Drinkery during lunch and dinner hours this summer, you’ve likely encountered crowds and a waiting list…Another banner year for the Lower Harbor restaurant…It’s a tourist favorite because of the scenic venue and the good food…But there’s something else that accounts for the success, according to co-owner Brandon Maki. “I truly believe it’s the staff,” he says. “If you pay them well and treat them well, they’ll stay and do a good job.”…Too many restaurants, he says, ignore that advice…How about this? Dishwashers at the Iron Bay make $20 an hour during the summer, and there’s also a kitchen bonus fund charge of $1 on each bill…That money goes directly to the staff who don’t get tips.
MICHIGAN LIKES ITS marijuana…The state’s expected to pull in $3 billion in revenue from weed this year—that’ll make it the second largest market in the country behind only California, according to Axios…The problem for many retailers (and we’ve got more than a few in Marquette County) is that the abundance of retailers is driving the price of marijuana down…The average price for recreational marijuana in the state is $99 an ounce. That’s $23 cheaper than it was a year ago.
IT’S BOTH A miracle drug…and a mystery. That’s the conclusion of the New York Times in its report on Ozempic and other highly effective weight loss drugs…Ozempic was designed as a medication for diabetics, but was also found to lead to weight loss…It reduces the desire to eat…Again, doctors don’t quite understand why (which is scary) but they’ve seen that it works. And for the 42% of us who are dealing with obesity and other associated diseases, that may be enough for us to give it a try.
POEM OF THE WEEK
“I saw a man pursuing the horizon”
I saw a man pursuing the horizon;
Round and round they sped.
I was disturbed at this;
I accosted the man.
“It is futile,” I said,
“You can never —”
“You lie,” he cried,
And ran on.
—Stephen Crane
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"...parents and teenagers all over the nation are learning how their lives can be ruined if they aren’t careful in their social media posts."
I think the more important lesson is that if you aren't careful in your posts and someone does extort you, that your life is NOT ruined, and you don't need to end it. Kids are going to mess up. We have to teach them that it's not the end of the world.
More drugs for medical conditions that have safer and simpler solutions? Obese? Get help with emotional issues that can often drive overeating, get your body detoxified and your metabolism in balance through a health care practitioner skilled in doing this, eat less food and more quality food, and move more, among other things.