TV6 Olive Branch to Bohnak, Women Rule the Morning, the "Missing Middle" Homes, Raising the Minimum Wage, and the Smoke
The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell
"IT’S TIME TO give Karl and his audience what they deserve.” That’s TV6 General Manager Rick Rhoades talking about how to make things right with Karl Bohnak, the longtime TV6 meteorologist who was unceremoniously terminated almost two years ago when he refused to get a Covid vaccination. Corporate policy required the vaccination.
What Rhoades is suggesting is maybe a 60 minute tribute (on TV6 naturally) to Bohnak and his 33-year history as the Upper Peninsula’s pre-eminent meteorologist…“We want to celebrate what Karl has given to the UP and what he’s meant to all of us,” Rhoades says. He adds that firing Bohnak was one of the hardest tasks he’s ever had in his professional career.
So, Karl, what say you? “Rick Rhoades and I are good,” he replies. “I’ve got no problem with him, but I now have a commitment to WZMQ 19 (where he contributes regular weather features) so…” Does that legally prohibit him from working on a special program with his former employer, TV6? Bohnak either doesn’t know or won’t say…But he does conclude with this: “I don’t know what’s gonna happen down the road so I guess you could say…I’m open.”
WOMEN RULE IN the morning…That’s the only conclusion you can arrive at when you watch TV6’s Morning News. They’ve just added another female anchor, Mandy Koskela, to their two-hour newscast…She joins anchors Elizabeth Peterson and Pavlina Osta, chief meteorologist Jennifer Perez, and live reporter Tia Trudgeon…Not an ounce of testosterone there…
General Manager Rhoades says the station wasn’t looking specifically for another female…“We’ve been looking to fill that spot for six months,” he explains. “We interviewed several people, male and female. It just turned out that Mandy was the best candidate. We’re thrilled to have her.” She joins a show that already has gangbuster ratings…As we said at the top, Women Rule.
AN UPDATE ON that plethora of million-dollar homes for sale in Marquette County that we mentioned recently…We’re told that a cozy little shack on Pinton Lane just sold for $1.9 million…Cash.
SO, WHAT ABOUT the rest of us looking for more reasonably priced houses? The so-called workforce or “Missing Middle” houses? Why aren’t they building more of those, say, in the $250-300,000 range?…Retired builder and developer Lynn Swadley, who developed Harlow Farms, has a concise answer: Materials worldwide are too expensive, and there’s a serious shortage of labor, especially in the UP.
“The average cost to build a new home here,” Swadley says, “is at least $500,000, and that’s not a custom home. And nobody’s getting rich off of that sale.”…But are there new homes anywhere being sold in the high-200s? Yep. “If you’re talking about a big market with national builders, using manufactured homes, you could do it,” Swadley says…But in a small, underpopulated market like the UP, no, it can’t be done without substantial government assistance.
A BIG DECISION ahead for the Michigan Supreme Court…The justices will be considering whether a recent legislative act to raise the minimum hourly wage from $10.10 to $13.03 is constitutional. Tipped workers would be paid a minimum of $11.73 an hour, under the new law…The law, according to Bridge Michigan, also contains paid sick leave requirements…Critics contend that raising the wages, especially for tipped workers, will increase prices, and likely cut down on tipping.
IN CASE YOU’RE wondering, the average per capita income in Michigan is $35,000. The average household income in the state is $63,000…You’re thinking about buying a home on that income? Forgetaboutit.
OH, ONE MORE bit of news while we’re discussing money: Pay for interns (Interns!!!) is now $111 an hour for hedge fund firms on Wall Street…That’s 29% higher than last year…It appears, thank goodness, that Wall Street is very healthy, and that our ambitious, young financial titans of tomorrow will have sufficient cash to get their $1000 suits dry-cleaned and their $300 shoes shined.
WORD IS OUT that as many as five local attorneys may be applying to succeed Judge Jennifer Mazzuchi as Circuit Court Judge. She’s leaving her post in November…The latest to apply? Patrick Crowley, who’s been the Public Defender here for almost five years…“I don’t like bullies,” Crowley tells you. “The court system and the bureaucracy are very complicated for the average citizen. We need judges who can explain what the hell is happening.”
STILL SMOKE IN the air here but it’s slowly getting better. The Air Quality Index here in the UP rose above 200 (unhealthy) earlier this week but it’s been dropping ever since—between 70 and 125, depending on who’s measuring and where. It will likely stay at that level over the Fourth of July holiday…“The air is not perfect by any means,” says NWS meteorologist Matt Zika, “but it looks like most of the smoke is now being shunted to the south and the east. That’s good news for us.” Good for us especially with the fireworks show on Monday night, the parade on Tuesday, and the laser show on Tuesday night.
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Karl who?
An apology to Karl Bohnak would be nice. Turns out, NOT getting the experimental mRNA therapy was a wise move.