In The News

Several possibilities at Escanaba power plant

UpperMichigansSource.com Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The fate of the power plant in Escanaba has been up in the air lately, and some new ideas are now floating around, including a few offers of purchase, conversion or even salvage.

Excerpt: Officials recently approved a motion to get a cost estimate on the salvage value of Escanaba's power plant. It's a way to assist in the negotiation process to keep the plant operating.

Richmond-based Recast Energy is interested in buying the plant and converting it to a woody biomass plant.

For the rest of the article, click here.

Source: UpperMichigansSource.com

Wind farm gets underway on Garden Peninsula

Mlive.com Wednesday, February 22, 2012

We just wrote about an enterprising solar startup on the Garden Peninsula in Delta County not too long ago, and now it looks like they'll be neighbors to a wind energy farm as well.

Excerpt: The push into Michigan by the international wind-energy company looking into constructing a large wind farm in Muskegon County is under way.

Gamesa Energy, a Spanish-based wind-turbine manufacturer and wind-farm developer, announced Thursday its involvement in an Upper Peninsula wind-farm project, the first in Michigan for Gamesa’s U.S. operations.

For more of the story, go here.

Source: Mlive.com

NMU professor wins state award

The North Wind Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Teachers and professors build community in more ways than just educating students, and that’s why one NMU professor was honored recently with a community service award.

Excerpt: A Northern Michigan University education professor receives recognition for her service to the Marquette community.

The Michigan Campus Compact (MCC) awarded Judy Puncochar with the 2012 Michigan Campus Compact Faculty/Staff Community Service-Learning Award. She received the award on Jan. 30 at a dinner in East Lansing.

For the full story, go here.

Source: The North Wind

Winter driving school teaches tips and tricks even to experienced drivers

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A lot of us up here in the frozen north feel like we're the best winter drivers around, but even we can learn something from the Keweenaw's Winter Driving School, which puts drivers through their paces on snow and ice.

Excerpt: I'm at the wheel of a Buick Park Avenue, driving about 30 mph on a snowy surface, when a sharp curve looms ahead. I tap the brake and steer leftward entering the turn. But something goes wrong. The car skids to the right and — WHOMP -- slams into a snowbank, where it's stuck fast. Auugghh!!

Fortunately, staffers with the Keweenaw Research Center's Winter Driving School are accustomed to such miscues.

For more of the story, click here.

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Internship resource matches students with employers

Fox Detroit Wednesday, February 15, 2012

There are some really great places to look for a job online in Michigan, like Michigan Works! Talent Bank. But looking for an internship is usually a lot harder. A new site is trying to change that.

Excerpt: Michigan-based employers like DTE Energy and Northwestern Mutual Insurance Network are utilizing the Intern in Michigan website and tool as a way to keep talented young professionals in the state to build their lives and careers.

The technology and website www.interninmichigan.com is the ideal tool for employers who see the value in hiring interns as a way to further develop future job candidates and supplement existing staff.

For more on the story, go here.

Source: Fox Detroit

Mackinac named one of best car-free places

Forbes Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Car-free living is becoming more and more popular, especially in urban areas. This Forbes article highlights ways to vacation car-free as well, and the obvious choice has to be Mackinac Island.

Excerpt: A vehicle-free vacation is becoming increasingly more attractive as analysts predict record-breaking gas prices for 2012. Patrick DeHaan, Senior Petroleum Analyst for GasBuddy.com, forecasts that prices will peak in May, reaching as high as $4.95 a gallon in Chicago and $4.85 in San Francisco.

But these gloomy numbers don’t have to equal staying home or a bleak vacation season.

For the rest of the list, click here.

Source: Forbes

NHL.com tells story of historic Red Wings U.P. game

NHL.com Wednesday, February 15, 2012

It's definitely a moment in local sports lore: somewhat like the time the Packers came to play in Ishpeming for their first road game in 1919. Forty years later, it was the Red Wings, playing an even less likely opponent: the Marquette Prison hockey team. NHL.com has all the details you could want to know.

Excerpt: But this Groundhog Day -- though meteorically like any other wintry Marquette day: 22 degrees, overcast and windless -- was completely different when the Detroit Red Wings came to town.

There was nothing ‘usual’ about the Wings’ visit. They were invited by a warden to play an outdoor game -- the first in franchise history -- inside the razor wire-topped stone walls and armed watchtowers of the state’s most notorious maximum-security prison.

For the whole story, click here.

Source: NHL.com

Winter travel options should include the U.P.

Green Bay Press-Gazette Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Some people think the U.P. in winter must be a vast wasteland of boredom. That's pretty far from the truth: The U.P. really comes alive in winter. You don't have to look much farther than our feature this week to find one awesome thing to do in the U.P. this winter; snow biking. But this story outlines many more reasons to come stay awhile.

Excerpt: You're not much of a skier, and jouncing through the woods on a roaring snowmobile isn't your idea of fun either. Is there any other reason to take a winter trip to Michigan's cold, snowy Upper Peninsula?

Actually, there are many.

For the whole article, go here.

Source: Green Bay Press Gazette

Toro tests snowblowers at Gogebic airport

The Chicago Tribune Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Not enough snow in Minnesota? Come to the U.P.! At least, snowblower company Toro is, with their new test products.

Excerpt: Less than typical snowfall in northern Minnesota has pushed lawn equipment manufacturer Toro into Michigan's Upper Peninsula to test some of its machines.

Toro has been testing snowblowers at Gogebic-Iron County Airport since Jan. 10, the Daily Globe in Ironwood reported Friday.

For the whole story, click here.

Source: The Chicago Tribune

Manistique to see infrastructure upgrades

The Escanaba Daily Press Wednesday, February 08, 2012

The city of Manistique may look a little different next year; utilities and infrastructure are on the table for improvements starting this spring.

Excerpt: Though it does not officially break ground until this spring, plans for utility and infrastructure improvements in Manistique are moving along, according to the engineering group overseeing the project.

Engineers from Iron Mountain's Coleman Engineering Company said the $8.3 million project is made possible through a combination of grants and loans awarded to the city from the USDA Rural Development Program, staffed locally in Gladstone, and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

To see more of the story, click here.

Source: Escanaba Daily Press

I-500 packs in crowds including Gov. Snyder

UpNorthLive Wednesday, February 08, 2012

The International 500 snowmobile race in Sault Ste. Marie drew a huge crowd this year, and just seems to keep growing. Gov. Snyder even showed up to start the race.

Excerpt: In a race of speed and endurance, snowmobiles revved up and ripped through Sault Ste. Marie Saturday for the 44th annual I-500 race.

Some of the best snowmobile racers took to the track to reach speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.

For the rest of the article, go here.

Source: Up North Live

Iron Mountain entrepreneur takes home state award

CBS Detroit Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Business competitions are the lifeblood of entrepreneurship, and the Great Lakes Entrepreneur's Quest is one of the best in the state. So it's pretty cool that a U.P. entrepreneur won one of the state awards in the competition.

Excerpt: The Great Lakes Entrepreneur’s Quest presented awards to the mid-year winners in its 12th year of the statewide business plan competition Tuesday night at the ACE’12 entrepreneurship event in Ann Arbor.

More than 200 Michigan-based entrepreneurial ventures were registered for the competition, which attracts a wide-range of innovation-base businesses in fields such as alternative energy, information technology and software, advanced manufacturing, homeland security, medical devices and life sciences.

For the whole list of winners, click here.

Source: CBS Detroit

Veteran and NMU prof voted Stormy Kromer's Living Legend

Detroit Free Press Wednesday, February 01, 2012

You may have seen the contest Stormy Kromer was running to find a "Living Legend" who embodies the Northern spirit; that person's been chosen, and along the way was the subject of a Detroit Free Press column.

Excerpt: Jim Dehlin got another deer last year. But now 61 and retired, he admits to slowing down a little.

Not surprising after a life in which he has been a world traveler, pilot, aviation mechanic, college teacher and volunteer firefighter. He's skied on snow and water, coached Little League and loves to hunt and fish. Did we mention he's also a devoted husband, dad and grandfather?

"I've never liked to just sit around," said Dehlin, who lost both his legs above the knees to a land mine more than 40 years ago in the Vietnam War.

For more of the story, click here.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Marquette native competing in Super Bowl ad contest for second time

Detroit Free Press Wednesday, February 01, 2012

It's the second run at the Doritos Super Bowl ad contest for Marquette native Heather Kasprzak, who was a runner-up last year, and still in the running this year, for her clever Doritos ad spots.

Excerpt: Although she's not signed to the New England Patriots or New York Giants, former Marquette resident Heather Kasprzak is in the final drive of a Super Bowl run.

Kasprzak, 28, who now lives in L.A., is the producer of a 30-second commercial titled "Dog Park," one of five potential advertisements still in the running for this year's Doritos Crash the Super Bowl ad contest.

For the whole story, go here.

Source: Detroit Free Press

Mackinac one of the "lost" national parks

National Geographic Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Mackinac was chosen among a recent collection of "lost" national parks from National Geographic magazine online. Well, we know where it is, but its beauty is always worth a look, or several.

Excerpt: Arch Rock is one of the outstanding sights in America's second national park, Mackinac, established in 1875, not long after Yellowstone National Park.

Never heard of Mackinac?

For the full gallery, click here.

Source: National Geographic