Navarro is Bohnak’s Successor, Bogus Unemployment Claims Total $4 Billion, Township Gets a Park, and a New, Classy Dining Experience in Town
The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
CHANGES AT TV 6…A new anchor, Cody Boyer, hired, fresh out of Montana… He’ll be anchoring the 11 o’clock news to start, probably as early as later this week. Then, likely, more newscasts will be added for him… Also, Cameron Chinn is the new weekend meteorologist.
But, of course, the big news that we’ve been awaiting: Noel Navarro--formerly the weekend meteorologist and lately filling in for Karl Bohnak in the evenings—is the new, permanent evening meteorologist… “He always brings energy to our newscasts,” says News Director Andrew LaCombe, “and he connects with our viewers and loves the UP”…. He’s solid, knows his stuff. Enthusiastic… A worthy successor to Bohnak? We shall see.
To be clear, Jennifer Perez, who provides the weathercasts on the
morning news, remains the chief meteorologist at the station--a
position that Bohnak also held during his tenure at TV6.
No surprise: Ratings for TV6’s newscasts, even after the nightmarish August/September with anchor resignations and vaccination and sexual harassment controversies, have not suffered one bit… The station, after 65 years, remains the big dog in town.
SOMETHING THAT MANY of us suspected. The state paid out nearly $4 BILLION in improper unemployment claims in the last year—this, according to the Office of the Auditor General…. 347,000 residents received those payments, and officials say it’s unlikely the money will ever be recouped…. Predictable: the pandemic presented us with a financial crisis—some feared a Depression—and we had to respond quickly…. Maybe a little too generously, though.
REASON TO CELEBRATE. Marquette Township may be getting a new 16 acre park just south of the movie theater. If all goes as planned, the DNR Trust Fund will buy it from property owners Jim and Tonya Ross who would donate 30% of the proceeds to the park and the community… 16 acres could be turned into soccer fields, a dog park, pickleball courts, anything the community wants.
“I’m most excited about how so many people want to get involved in this process,” says Township planner Jason McCarthy…. It won’t happen overnight. McCarthy estimates it’ll be 3-5 years before the park opens.
EXPANSION AT EVERYDAY Wines has begun. The wall to an adjacent space has been busted through… The new space will allow the store to double its craft beer selections, along with offering more gourmet foods and charcuterie, and within a few weeks, a cheese wheel so that we can buy freshly sliced cheese… Gosh, we’re becoming very sophisticated here.
WE’RE NUMBER ONE! Or pretty close to it, anyway… About 10% of all new Covid cases in the US are now occurring in Michigan, even though we’re only 3% of the population. Not good… Marquette County’s doing a little better than the Lower Peninsula but not by much—we’re averaging 55 daily cases per 100,000 people here (according to the NY Times)… The rate for the entire nation is only 28 cases.
The sad thing is, not even our best epidemiologists quite know why.
AND FOR THOSE who still insist that vaccinations should be strictly a personal decision—“My body, my choice!”—there remains this one stubborn, indisputable fact: Those who are unvaccinated are much more likely to get Covid (six times as likely, by latest statistics) than those who are vaccinated. That means they’ll be far more likely to transmit it to the rest of us… So “personal” decisions do have consequences for others… Kinda like cigarettes and secondhand smoke.
But we’ll continue resisting the vaccinations, allowing the vaccines to wear off and new variants to emerge. And we’ll reap what we sow.
EMPTY SHELVES IN many of our stores. We know why: the pandemic broke down the worldwide supply chain and it’s taking a while to build it back… It’s not quite as severe as the “toilet paper crisis” last year, though. At least, not yet. There’s still food on the shelves… “We should have everything you need for the holidays,” says Econo store manager Zach Quinnell. “But it might not be the brand you usually get.”
A crazy suggestion out of left field—Maybe buy as many local products and foods as possible this holiday season. Help the local artisans and farmers… Then you won’t have to worry about ships stuck in harbors, and trucks stranded in parking lots.
PRETTY IMPRESSIVE. AS recently reported in Rural Insights, three of NMU’s graduates are now city managers in Michigan…. Nick Sizeland (Grosse Pointe Park), Mitch Foster (Ludington), and Brian Chapman (Sault Ste. Marie) are all NMU alums… Public Administration and Politics majors… For a university best known for its medicinal plant chemistry major and its “outdoorsy” atmosphere, NMU isn’t doing badly with its traditional curriculum, as well.
A NEW EXPERIENCE for discriminating diners in town. The Cellar Restaurant at Zephyr opened with a soft launch last weekend… Cozy, intimate, with a fixed price menu, wine pairings… Friday and Saturday nights only…Classy surroundings, delectable food (Chef Ryan Howe) that will vary weekly… Is there a market for it here? We hope so… Word of warning: If you’re a chowhound who adores all-you-can-eat establishments, this ain’t the place for you.
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Controversy usually breeds gawkers. I am not surprised that TV6 ratings did not plummet immediately. But I have to wonder about the long term effect. Loyalty to Bohnak is palpable, and rightfully so, as he is a master in his craft.
Jennifer Perez technically took Karl Bohnak’s place… Navarro is only the evening meteorologist… 2021 & it’s still a man’s world… I’m ashamed of you