Nearly two months after a F-16 crashed in the Upper Peninsula, military personnel continue to secure the crash site on the Hiawatha National Forest in Delta County.

1st Lt. Gregg Cunningham, Gladstone State Police Post Commander, says it is going to take time to completely excavate the plane from a hole in the forest.

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Seventy-nine business in Delta County will be sharing $282,000 in grant funds from the Michigan Small Business Survival Grant program. Delta County Economic Development Alliance Director Ed Legault says that amounts to about $3,600 per application. That’s out $2.5 million available to businesses in the Upper Peninsula.

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There will be no electric charging station in Gladstone, at least for now. The Gladstone City Commission decided to wait before committing to a station. Commissioner Brad Mantella says they were concerned about the cost of the project despite funding available from the state.

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Five participants in the Delta County Drug Court graduated from the program yesterday. They meet at the Delta County District Court while others watched online.

District Court Judge Steve Parks told the five several rules to live by including not being a prisoner of their past.

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The land with the substation that exploded with a beam of light at the Escanaba Power Plant on Feb 2, 2015, has been sold to Northern Machining and Repair.  The company bought the former power plant in 2016.

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Bay College nursing students are being used to administer COVID-19 vaccines at a clinic set up at the college by Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties.

Bay President Laura Coleman says at a time when it is difficult to offer students a clinical experience because of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is good to have students giving the shots at the public health clinic.

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Testing at the Delta County Airport has reveled high levels of PFAS chemicals. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are man-made chemicals used in firefighting foam that do not break down over time.

Delta County Airport Manager Andrea Nummilien told Delta County Commissioners that the study has confirmed water and soil contamination at the airport.

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Students at the Escanaba Jr and Sr High Schools will be returning to in-person instruction full time on Monday. The students have been on an alternating day schedule since returning from winter break to keep the number of quarantines down due to contact tracing of COVID-19 cases.

Escanaba School Superintendent Coby Fletcher says Coronavirus numbers in Delta County have since improved. The school board voted to go back to a full schedule.

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Takeout is barely keeping Ferdinand’s Mexican Restaurant in business. It’s a problem that many restaurants are facing.

Under the current COVID-19 state order, restaurants can only offer takeout. But it is not enough. Ferdinand’s owner Pam Mitchell says it amounts to barely 20 percent of her normal business.

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OSF Healthcare St Francis Hospital & Medical Group as been vaccinating first responders and law enforcement for COVID-19 and hope to get to teachers soon as part of Phase 1B in the state’s vaccination priority list.

Kelly Jefferson, vice president of operations, says, however, that they did not receive an allocation last week.

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Officials warn that ice conditions are deteriorating on Little Bay de Noc due to warm temperatures and winds. Mike Markovich with the Delta County Search and Rescue says the ice conditions are not normal for this time of year.

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Delta County Prosecutor Brett Gardner says the county board’s resolution against the state ban on indoor dining is a good sign of support for businesses in the area. But, he says, it’s not local enforcement that the businesses are going to have to deal with.

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The Delta Animal Shelter can now begin spay and neutering the 217 puppies and dogs and get the 23 horses ready for adoption that were taken from a home in Rock in August.

Rebecca Johnson agreed to give up all rights to her animals. She is being charged with animal cruelty and running an animal shelter without a license.

Sue Gartland says there is a lot of interest in adopting the animals.

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A statewide shortage of vaccines has caused Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties to temporarily pause the scheduling of COVID-19 vaccine clinic for those 65 years and older.

The agency says it was notified Sunday night that 270,000 requests for vaccine in the state far surpassed the federal allocation of 60,000 doses for the week. Chief Medical Executive Joneigh Khaldun warned in a letter to public health that many entities will run out of vaccine in the coming days and may need to cancel or reschedule appointments.

Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties says it currently has enough vaccines through Friday. They expect to hear on Friday if more vaccine will arrive next week.

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The city of Escanaba could see a spending freeze in its 2021-22 budget. The Escanaba City Council began the budget process last week. Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan says he is expecting a tight budget next fiscal year.

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As a healthcare provider, Dr. Beth Knudsen of Knudsen Dentistry in Escanaba was one of the first in the community to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. She says it has given her a sense of relief.

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State Sen. Ed McBroom is taking exception to criticism that Legislative leaders abdicated their responsibility to take action against the Secretary of State sending out unsolicited absentee ballot applications before the November election.

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Escanaba School Superintendent Coby Fletcher says a rumor that students are being forced to eat lunch while sitting on a dirty floor are not true. Fletcher says the rumor spread rampantly after an online post showed students eating on the floor at the Escanaba High School.

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USDA Rural Development helped to finance the purchase of 55 homes in Delta County 2020 for first time homeowners or those who need financial help. Jason Allen, state director at USDA Rural Development, says it can help communities looking to attract new workers, especially healthcare workers.

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Police are investigating a fatal shooting that happened on New Year’s Day in Delta County. The Michigan State Police and Delta County Sheriff’s deputies responded at 2:30 p.m. to a shooting at a residence on St. Nicholas Road in Baldwin Township.

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