Westwood Mall Troubles, a Bright Light Extinguished, a New Nickname, a Puzzling Embezzlement, TV6's Continuing Dominance, Hospital Restrictions, and Maybe We're Happier?

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

WORD OF TAX problems at the languishing Westwood Mall…Delayed payments, a court hearing set…The Kohan Retail Investment Group out of Great Neck, New York now owns only the inner part of the mall because the Kohl’s, Dunham’s, and NORTHIRON Church properties have all been sold off…Two phone calls to Michael Kohan, the founder of the investment group, resulted in brusque hang-ups after ten seconds…The Kohan group has forged a reputation for buying up struggling malls across the nation, then not doing much to revive them…That sounds about right…More than half of the Westwood Mall is vacant, shoppers are few and far between.

In the past, local buyers have offered to buy the mall at a low-ball price. They were turned down…What’s next? It’s anybody’s guess. But don’t expect an influx of cash to revive a tired, old property anytime soon.

A REMARKABLE WOMAN, a gut-wrenching tragedy….50-year-old Tara Gluski, a smiling, high-spirited outdoors enthusiast, died last week in a traffic accident on US-41 near Van Riper State Park. A collision between a pickup truck and an SUV on a slick roadway…She and two girlfriends were on their way to spend the weekend in a yurt at Craig Lake State Park. “Her happiest place in the world was in that yurt,” says Todd Poquette, the Director of Adventure at the 906 Adventure Team, the group that gets kids on mountain bikes in the woods. Gluski worked with him as Adventure Coordinator. “Her life was rich. She believed deeply in the greater good, and commitment to the community. She always had a smile on her face, no matter who she was talking to, old or young, rich or poor.”

She was a prime mover, as well, in Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW), a group devoted to encouraging women to take up outdoor activities. “She’d give everybody confidence to get out of their comfort zone and enjoy it,” says Frida Waara, a realtor and activist in BOW. “She’d convince people to sleep in the snow with her! She was just sunshine for us all.”

She was involved in numerous other local organizations, as well—most of them connected with her beloved outdoors. A Yooper in the truest sense of the word.

She leaves behind her husband, David—together, they were always willing to help others, adults and children. “She could make kids follow her anywhere,” Waara says. “She helped make them stronger, she helped them make better decisions.”

She connected with people. After talking to her, they came away feeling better about themselves, and about life.

When Poquette was attempting to hire Gluski at the 906 Adventure Team back in 2019—they’d be the only two employees running the rapidly expanding, multi-state organization—his pitch to her was simple: “I said ‘I need you just in case I get hit by a bus and I’m not around anymore. And I need you to do all the shit I don’t want to do anymore.’” She embraced all the duties of her job with boundless enthusiasm, made friends with whomever she met, and looked forward to a future filled with more outdoor adventures…It wasn’t supposed to end this way.

HOORAY!!! WE FINALLY have a name! The Sentinels!…Wait…What?! Yes, the MAPS School Board, after deftly stepping through a minefield of controversy and criticism over the last several months, finally settled on a new nickname for Marquette Senior High School this week. It was a praiseworthy effort that invited input from both the community and students at the high school. And it went smoothly.

Until…one little fly appeared in the ointment at the very end. Attorney Margaret Brumm, who’s been known to march to the beat of her own drummer (sorry for two cliches in two lines), announced that she has filed for trademark rights to the “Sentinels” name as well as the two other finalist names…Why?…Why??…We’ve contacted her, and she replied by saying she’ll reveal more about her bizarre move this afternoon (Thursday). It’s baffling at this point, and downright irritating to many. Further, it may gain her press and social media coverage, but it doesn’t seem likely to help her in her bid to become the State Representative from the 109th district…Meantime, Board Chairperson Kristen Cambensy says, “We’re consulting with our attorneys to see what this all means.”

HARD TO BELIEVE…44-year-old Stacy Leigh Kangas, a former secretary in the MSHS Athletic Department, was arrested and charged with embezzling at least $100,000 from the high school…No judgment here, let’s let the story play out…But you can’t help wondering how a crime involving that much money could have stayed hidden for so long at a public high school…And as one observer put it, you also can’t help wondering how that $100,000 would have helped pay the expenses for those “pay- to-play” athletes at the high school.

IT’S LIKE THREE tiny Davids biting the ankles of Goliath…We’re talking about the latest TV news ratings in the Upper Peninsula, compliments of Comscore. WLUC remains dominant for virtually all newscasts.

At 6 pm, TV6 registers a 47% Share of the audience…WZMQ 19 gets a 3 Share…Local 3 comes in with a 2 Share…And ABC 10 counter-programs with its newscast at 5:30, collecting a 4 Share, then follows with a 1 Share at 6 pm…In other words, the three other stations, combined, attract maybe one-fifth of TV6’s audience at 6 pm…The other newscasts throughout the day show a similar, though not as overwhelming, pattern. However, TV6’s Morning News, as usual, is a powerhouse, picking up a 34 Share at 5 am, and 42 at 6 am.

It’s a shame. The other three stations work hard at gathering news, they’ve hired some talented people, and they’re determined…But when one station continues pouring money into manpower and resources, and the others don’t or can’t, the results are inevitable.

FINGERS CROSSED THAT the visitor restrictions imposed at UPHS-Marquette this week are not the start of something bigger. The hospital says there’s been a spike in respiratory illnesses (Covid, influenza and RSV) in the community, so…1) no sick visitors allowed 2) no children under 14 allowed 3) only parents, grandparents and labor coaches allowed in the Birthing Centers, and 4) only parents allowed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit…For now, wearing masks is not mandatory…UPHS has also imposed the restrictions at its Bell and Portage hospitals.

THAT CONTROVERSIAL ENERGY law that allows the state to override local jurisdictions on large-scale wind and solar projects is now in jeopardy of being overturned by the voters…According to Bridge Michigan, the State Board of Canvassers has approved the language of a proposed initiative to repeal the law…Backers of the initiative need to come up with 356,000 signatures before May 29th to get it on the November ballot…Supporters of the current law say it’s needed to help Michigan transition more quickly to renewable energy sources. Opponents say it deprives local communities of making their own land use decisions.

PLANS FOR A Wastewater Treatment Plant, adjacent to the landfill in Marquette, are moving ahead…A $7 million facility…Construction of the plant was mandated by the state to enable the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority to get rid of PFAS that are leaching into the soil and the Carp River. PFAS are potentially harmful chemicals that have been widely used by industries for decades…Mike Stannard, the director of operations for Solid Waste Management, says the plant is now being designed; bids for construction to go out later this year.

“OUR PROJECTOR IS on its last legs.” That’s Stephanie Jones, the president of the Friends of Shiras Planetarium, describing the major piece of equipment at the Shiras Planetarium, a community treasure…The state has come up with $250,000 for a new projector, the Shiras Institute has matched that with $250,000, but they’re still $200,000 short…Jones is appealing to large donors especially to get them over the hump…The planetarium serves not only local students, but students from all over the region, and the general public.

MAYBE WE’RE SEEING a change in the national mood? The University of Michigan’s survey of consumer sentiment shows an increase of nearly 29% over the last couple of months. That’s the largest two-month increase since 1991…It’s been said that the public’s perception of the economy generally lags behind the reality of the economy. Seems to be the case here…Unemployment, inflation, and the stock market have all shown promising trends over the last several months…We (although certainly not all of us) are starting to feel a little more confident about the future.

HAIKU OF THE WEEK

A blazing sunrise

A day of light and laughter

A sunset too soon

—Anonymous

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