TV6 Anchor News, the “Titty-Twister” Allegation, the Ore Dock Laser Show, and Marquette’s Mysterious Population Loss
The latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell.
CHANGES ARE COMING to TV6. Gradually. A new male anchor has been hired but he’s being worked in slowly. We might not see him on air until December… The meteorologist to replace Karl Bohnak? Could it be Noel Navarro, who’s been filling in capably during the evenings in recent weeks?... Maybe, maybe not… “All options are on the table,” says GM Rick Rhoades. “Finding the talent—the right news talent—is difficult.”
MEANTIME, JENNIFER PEREZ, the morning meteorologist, has been named the chief meteorologist—a promotion for the Puerto Rican-born Perez who arrived in the UP years ago as a news reporter, then transformed herself into a solid meteorologist and morning personality.
ELYSE CHENGERY, ONE of the anchors who recently departed TV6 amid the vaccine mandate/sexual harassment turmoil, has announced via social media that she’s got some exciting news as she enters a new chapter in her life. A new job presumably, but she doesn’t say what it is or where.
She does, however, thank the UP for welcoming her into their homes while casting more of a shadow on her time at the TV station. She refers to degrading racist and sexist comments at work… “For just one example, when a coworker tells you he’s going to give you a titty twister,” she writes, “and your chest is looking big. I will tell you this right now. IT’S NOT APPROPRIATE.” …Uncertain from her posting whether she’s referring to just one person at the station, who’s been terminated, or more than one person.
SARAH BLAKELY, ANOTHER anchor involved in the mass exodus, has landed a good job—as expected—here in the UP. She’s the new Legislative Aide and Constituent Services Liaison for State Representative Greg Markkanen… Good for her, good for the UP.
NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN NMU and the faculty union continue to drag on… “We made a proposal a week ago,” says faculty spokesperson Leslie Putman, “and we thought we were very close to an agreement, but we haven’t heard from them since.” …She says only three issues separate the two sides… Negotiations began back in March. The faculty has been working without a contract since July.
HOW CAN YOU not love this? The laser light show on the Ore Dock last week. It was a demonstration of what could be done if Travel Marquette bought or rented a set of lasers… Gorgeous… “We wanted to see what it would look like and if it would be well-received,” explains Travel Marquette’s director Susan Estler… Yep, it was well-received…. Still needed: approval by Travel Marquette’s Board of Directors and by the city… If the lasers are bought, they could be used for special events all over the county. Estler’s hope is that, if approval is granted, the lasers could be displayed again on the Ore Dock as early as Black Friday next month.
A GOOD SUMMER for tourism in Marquette. The numbers (as measured by hotel occupancy), of course, were much higher than pandemic-plagued 2020, but slightly down from 2019. But with more expensive room rates, the revenue was higher than ever.
THE SAME WITH Mackinac Island. Hotel revenue this last summer on pace to exceed 2019…. And the ferry rides? “Absolutely crazy,” says Chris Shepler, the operator of Shepler’s Ferry. “We set records for our all-time busiest summer in the history of the company.” ….So tourists are finding it difficult to vacation in Paris, Tuscany, or Thailand. Instead, they’re coming to Mackinac Island and Marquette. All righty then.
WE’VE ALL BEEN wondering how the heck Marquette—supposedly one of the hot spots in the upper Midwest—could have lost population in the last decade. That’s what the recent census concluded…Now, maybe we have an answer as explained by the increasingly popular online publication, Rural Insights (run by former NMU president David Haynes)…. “Whisperers are telling us,” he writes, “that the census for Sault Saint Marie, Marquette, and Houghton may have been undercounted in 2020 because like other university towns, many students were not on campus during the county due to COVID and declining enrollment.” …The undercount for Marquette, according to Haynes, may have totaled as much as 2,000.
(NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT) An oldish man, suffering from chronic back, hip, and leg aches, submits himself to an intense three hour session of Thai massage and body work by therapist Chris Ray at Be Well on Third Street… Intense? Absolutely. Relaxing? Nope, not at all… A lot of jabbing and prodding by fingers, hands, elbows, knees, feet…. The immediate outcome: some slight disorientation, body feeling like a noodle. The outcome four days later: aches and pains reduced by 75%. (NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT)
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