LaCombe Leaving, Earl E Byrd and Gallery Coffee Delays, Landmark Inn Thriving, Mackinac Controversy, UPHS Optimism?,Grill and Chill Generosity, and Whitefish Crisis

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

ONE OF MARQUETTE’S rising young leaders is leaving town. Andrew LaCombe, the 35-year-old news director at WLUC and an all-around good guy, is headed to Green Bay. He’ll become the new news director at WLUK where he worked as a reporter a decade ago…“My boss there recently retired after 30 years,” he explains, “and I knew if that opportunity ever came up, I would probably apply for the job.” He got the job.

It means more money, of course, but LaCombe also points to the station’s close connection to the community and a talented staff as reasons for his leaving. He’ll be keeping his home here in Marquette, and his mother and brother still live here, so he’ll be returning regularly…He’s certainly made his mark here—as co-President of the Rotary club, president of the Symphony Board, a cellist in the symphony, a cello instructor, a Board member at the Children’s Museum, a marathon runner…and, oh yeah, as news director of one of the most dominant small market TV stations in the nation.

“I feel good about what we’ve done here,” he says. “What we’ve tried to do over the last few years is emphasize quality over quantity, and I think people have noticed that. And in this polarized political world, we’ve tried to stay above the fray. And I think we’ve succeeded.”

LaCombe’s departure, following Elizabeth Peterson’s exit just a few months ago, means that WLUC has now lost its two most important journalists this year. Doesn’t seem to matter—it has the money, the resources and the staffing to maintain its standing as the UP’s overwhelmingly dominant news source.

DON’T EXPECT EARL E BYRD restaurant and Gallery Coffee to open up in downtown Marquette anytime this summer…Both of them, according to co-owner Ana Dolaskie, are still going through the financing process, and she and her husband and co-owner Tom Dolaskie, are busy with their other commercial properties this summer (several in Munising, and Slabz at the Ramada in Marquette). “We hope to give 100% focus to Earl E Byrd and Gallery this Fall,” she says.

Earl E Byrd, a breakfast and lunch diner, will occupy the former Steinhaus location on Front Street, and Gallery Coffee will be located at the corner of Front and Washington, most recently the site of Boomerang, a retro clothing shop.

A LITTLE CONTROVERSY on Mackinac Island, according to Bridge Michigan. The Hoffman Family of Companies, a Florida-based private equity group, now owns a monopoly of the ferry boats that service Mackinac Island, and the company has raised the prices. Ferry tickets are now $38, plus a $3 convenience fee, plus additional costs for bikes or to skip the line for the boats. Businesses are worried that the rising costs will drive tourists away…Mackinac Island plays host to more than one million guests every summer.

CHILLY WEATHER SO far this summer, but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the Landmark Inn. “We had a record year for revenue last year,” says Matt Mering, one of the principals at the Landmark, “and this year so far, we’re up four or five percent. And frankly, the weather hasn't been great anywhere in the Midwest.”…The hotel undertook major renovations in all its guest rooms last year along with improvements in the Pub…The former restaurant on the first floor remains a grab-n-go breakfast cafe for guests in the morning, as well as a meeting room for businesses and private groups. No changes anticipated there.

THERE’S SERIOUS MONEY in this town, and it was on full display last evening (Thursday) at the Mariucci Beacon House’s “Grill and Chill” sold-out dinner/auction/concert…The tickets themselves were plenty expensive but then the auction items sold for thousands—Steve Mariucci’s Packer season tickets for $15,000!…Midway through the auction, Mary Tavernini Dowling, the CEO of the Beacon House, announced that the Beacon House was hoping to buy some adjacent property for eventual expansion of the facility. To be exact, they needed $375,000. Mariucci opened with $100,000…A flurry of others immediately joined in with their enthusiastic pledges—almost like a church revival…

A church revival aided by a beverage or two.

By the end of the evening, the total amount pledged had not been precisely calculated, but it seemed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of $300,000. It took about ten minutes to raise that much…As we said, that’s serious money from generous people helping patients and families who need housing while getting care at UPHS-Marquette,.

FREE MUSIC! The Marquette Symphony Orchestra plays tonight (Friday), 7:30 pm, at the Presque Isle Pavilion. It’s part of Marquette’s Art Week…Pieces composed by Mendelssohn, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Hofeldt, and more…Music under the stars (we hope)…Another free concert by the Symphony coming up on Thursday, July 10th, at 7:30—this one at the Commons. Again, free. Both concerts family-friendly.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS are way up in Michigan—almost 86,000 of them today, compared to only 20,000 in 2022…BUT, the trend is not nearly enough to reach Governor Whitmer’s ambitious goal of two million EV registrations in 2030. Not even close. And President Trump’s announced aversion to EV’s will make reaching that goal even more unlikely…The lack of public EV chargers (especially here in the UP) has been a major deterrent to EV sales in Michigan, according to Bridge Michigan, along with high purchase prices, battery repair costs, and consumer anxiety about the mileage range of electric vehicles.

PROGRESS IN NEGOTIATIONS between UPHS-Marquette and the nurses’ union? Maybe…The current agreement between the two sides has now been extended until the end of August. The original deadline was May 31st, and dissatisfaction with progress in the talks led to a recent street-side protest by nurses and medical technicians. The nurses’ primary concern: safe staffing, too many patients for the nurses to handle…The hospital administration, despite the protest, remains optimistic—“We have scheduled additional dates to meet,” says Janell Larson, the hospital’s Marketing and Communication Director, “and we look forward to continuing constructive negotiations at the bargaining table as we work towards finalizing a new agreement.”

DR. BOB LORINSER may have lost two elections to become the Congressman from Michigan’s First District, but that doesn’t mean he’s retiring from political life. Electoral politics? No, he’s done with that. Nor is he a practicing doctor anymore or a diplomat and medical officer with the State Department…but he is weighing in regularly on Facebook. “I care about issues,” he explains. “I wish politics was more about issues instead of candidates.” Amen, brother…When he’s not writing about issues that he cares deeply about, the 70-year-old Lorinser and his wife Peggy are spending time with their kids and grandkids…and travel…and some occasional golf. A retirement well-earned.

A WHITEFISH CRISIS in the Great Lakes? Seems like it…Back in 2009, almost seven million pounds of whitefish were harvested in the lakes; last year, the harvest was less than two million. That’s a calamitous decline. The primary culprit, according to Bridge Michigan, is invasive mussels at the bottom of the lakes. They have filtered away micro-organisms, creating crystal clear waters that drive away whitefish…The problem seems to be most severe in Lakes Michigan and Huron, but all lakes have been affected. Our efforts to eliminate the mussels seem, unfortunately, to be falling short.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“If you want to see an endangered species, get up and look in the mirror.”

—-John Young