After ballot language was accepted yesterday to recall Escanaba City Councilman Ralph Blasier for a joke he made at a city council meeting, Blasier said he will run if a recall election is held although he says he did think about resigning from office.

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A third person has died in Delta County of COVID-19. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services added the death to the list Saturday.  There are still 18 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Delta County. There have not been any new cases reported since June 13.

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Rock the Dock will be held Saturday night at the Municipal Dock in Escanaba. Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan says it will be a scaled down event due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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Bay College is cutting $1.8 million as it gets ready for an early start to a new school year that will certainly look different. Bay College President Laura Coleman says they were forced to make the cuts to meet an expected drop in state funds due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

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The Gladstone City Commission finalized plans for a Fourth of July celebration without input from the state. Gladstone City Commissioner Brad Mantella says commissioners talked a long time Monday about ways that the city could provide a celebration that people could enjoy.

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Listen to Craig Woerpel's full newscast

The city of Escanaba plans to again appeal a Michigan Tax Tribunal ruling in its Dark Store lawsuit against Menard’s. The case has been ongoing since 2012 when the tax tribunal ruled in favor of Menard’s on its property evaluation based on other closed or “dark” stores in the state. Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan says the new decision pleased no one.

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Escanaba City Councilman Ralph Blasier did not comment on his controversial remarks made at the June 4 city council meeting that sparked outrage in the community. Blasier joked that violent protesters at the Fourth of July fireworks be shot in the legs and left to crawl to the hospital.Six people spoke up at last night’s city council meeting against Blasier’s remarks. Phil Lynch says Blasier’s comments brought negative national attention to Escanaba.

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Listen to Craig Woerpel's full newscast

The Delta County 911 Authority has been given approval to assess the full millege rate approved by voters in 2019 to convert and upgrade the system’s 30-year-old communication system.  The Delta County Board of Commissioners last night approved raising the rate from .45 mils to .75 mils. 911 Authority Coordinator Capt. Darrin Hunter says the current combination of VHF and 800MHz transmitters do not adequately cover the county.

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Listen to Craig Woerpel's full newscast

Many summer programs for kids have been cancelled this year because of COVID-19 while some are still working to find a way to provide a program. Friday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave the green light for summer youth camps to continue. That includes Camp Hiawatha in Alger County that serves Scouts throughout the Upper Peninsula. Camp Director Erick Kestila says he kept planning to hold camp until the governor said he couldn’t.

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A survey of students, parents and staff at the eight school districts in the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District will be used to determine what type of support they need to implement in the next school year as COVID-19 continues to impact how they operate. ISD Superintendent Doug Leisenring says one of the questions was, “if schools can’t fully reopen in the fall, what support do you need from the school.”

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Language has been submitted to recall Escanaba City Councilman Ralph Blasier for comments he made at last week’s city council meeting. The Delta County Election Commission will consider the recall petition at 10 a.m. on June 29.

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Strong southerly winds and high water caused extensive damage to property along Lake Michigan yesterday. Homes were flooded and the road closed to non-local traffic on Portage Point in Delta County. Dwellings were surrounded by water in Ford River. Mackinac Trail Winery in Manistique found itself underwater at the marina. And water encroached on Ludington Park in Escanaba leaving volleyball courts filled with water.

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Organizations in Delta County are benefiting from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, funds that have not been available to the area for seven years. Julie Mallard with the United Way of Delta County says $44,000 is being split among a number of different agencies, including the Salvation Army who will receive most of the money to help those facing eviction once Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s executive order preventing evictions ends. 

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More than 1,300 have signed an online petition so far at change.org asking that Escanaba Councilman Ralph Blasier be removed from office for comments he made at last Thursday’s online council meeting. 

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Several people are calling for the resignation of Escanaba City Councilman Ralph Blaiser for comments made at Thursday’s city council meeting. A sign at the Black Lives Matter protest in Escanaba Saturday also read “Recall Blasier.” During a discussion on the city continuing with fireworks for the Fourth of July, Blasier suggested shooting demonstrators who commit violence during the fireworks. Saying it was a joke that fell flat, Blaiser Friday apologized.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced today that the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula will enter Phase 5 next Wednesday June 10. Whitmer says those businesses not allowed to open previously can now open. Plus, the Escanaba City Council last night gave approval for the city to go ahead with plans to provide fireworks for the Fourth of July. 

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County health officials will continue to monitor the possible spread of COVID-19 in the area as more and more state restrictions are eased. Delta County Administrator Emily DeSalvo says public health has done a good job keeping COVID-19 from rapidly spreading through the community by making sure there is good contact tracing from those who report positive for the virus.

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The Delta County Board of Commissioners agreed last night to allow the opening of the campgrounds at Pioneer Trail and Fuller Parks for recreational camping. Delta County Chair Pat Johnson says the easing of executive orders allows the county parks to fully open.

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The Escanaba City Council approved utility rates increases yesterday on split votes. The city was asking for 35 percent hikes in both water and wastewater rates. Councilman Taylor Dubord opposed both increases.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer lifted the stay-at-home order Monday that has been in effect since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Area schools may not know until late July or early August what school might look like next year.  Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Doug Leisenring says it may take that long before they receive guidance from the state on what will be allowed. They are developing three plans for next fall. They include classroom learning, distant learning and a hybrid of the two.

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