The Gladstone State Police Post is down 10 Troopers from a year ago including two who retired this month. Post Commander 1st Lt Gregg Cunningham says they do the best they can with what they have and look forward to have more Troopers.

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The Irish Oaks Golf Club in Gladstone opened this year under new ownership and new name — the Oaks Caddyshack Club. Tracy Thompson of Gladstone purchased the golf club and restaurant in December. Rayno Tulppo says starting a new restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge but he says they have put together a good menu that has been well received.

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Gladstone City Commissioner Brad Mantella says the success of Gladstone’s downtown can be seen in its parking problem. The city and Downtown Development Authority has been looking at how to provide more parking.

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The Gladstone Downtown Development Authority has agreed to help fund a portion of the North 15th Street reconstruction that is planned in Gladstone. However, the commitment is not as much as the $200,000 that the city was requesting. DDA Director Ron Miaso says only some of the road was found to be within the DDA district.

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High school students in the area who are 16 and older were able to start getting a COVID-19 vaccine last week. Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Doug Leisenring says it has the potential to change how schools handle quarantines that have taken a number of students out of school.

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Bay College is holding a hybrid graduation this weekend. It is earlier this year because the college started classes sooner in the fall as a way to better handle the potential spread of COVID-19 during the holidays.

Bay President Laura Coleman says unlike last year when the spring graduation was held completely online, this year they offered an opportunity for graduates to walk across the stage.

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Players de Noc is using an original play to compete in the American Association of Community Theaters ActFest in June. They made the cut with a play that incorporates a lot of technology not normally seen on stage. Jamie Peterson says it has been challenging for the actors.

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Listen to Craig Woerpel's full newscast

Local organizations are banning together to let those who are victims of crime know that there is help available to them as they deal with the aftermath of a criminal act.

As part of Crime Victim Rights Week, Mellissa Middaugh, an advocate at the Delta County Prosecutor’s office and forensic interviewer at the Delta Regional Child Advocacy Center, is teaming up with Mother’s Against Drunk Driving and Tri-County Safe Harbor to let people know that there are services available to people affected by crime.

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COVID-19 numbers are growing in area schools. Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Doug Leisenring says school superintendents want to avoid closures but he says he now thinks that the U.P. could begin to see more school closures because of the high number of COVID-19 cases.

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Escanaba is planning to hold several events this year including three Rock the Dock events in July, August and September. The city announced that EMP in Escanaba is helping to fund the events.

The first Rock the Dock will be held July 23 in conjunction with the HOG event at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. The second event is August 7. Escanaba Recreation Director Kim Peterson say it includes a golf ball drop and kids fishing tournament.

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As the Delta County 911 Authority continues to work on separating the central dispatch operations from the city of Escanaba, the group has to decide what to do about the loss of its director.

Capt. Darrin Hunter is leaving Escanaba Public Safety for another job. Delta County Administrator Emily DeSalvo says it’s an opportunity to create a new position.

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Will Gladstone be able to celebrate the Fourth of July this year? It’s a question often asked. City Manager Eric Buckman says the answer is….they don’t know.

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A fourth of the occupied beds at OSF St. Francis Hospital are filled by COVID-19 patients. Dr. Bill Hook, director of medical services, says the patients hospitalized have not been vaccinated. As COVID-19 numbers increase in Delta County, he says it is important to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

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The federal government last week told Michigan that they would not waive standardized testing again his year despite a request from the state. Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Doug Leisenring says schools are concerned about the value that the tests will provide after a year of COVID-19 restrictions.

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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is asking that Michiganders not to eat at restaurants for two weeks to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is not a mandatory closure but Whitmer is hoping that people voluntarily refrain from eating out for two weeks and that schools pause sports and turn to virtual learning.

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Escanaba’s Recreation Director says there is not much that can be done this year to help restore the city’s Municipal Beach despite lower water levels on the Great Lakes. Kim Peterson says they just have to wait.

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A growing number of retirements in the U.P. during the Coronavirus pandemic could be why the region had 6,000 fewer workers in February than a year ago.

Delta County Economic Development Alliance Director Ed Legault says the U.P., which has had an older workforce, is seeing more people leave their jobs than ever before. He says many people in key industries are no longer finding it fun to go to work.

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The director of the MSU Forest Innovation Center says the Upper Peninsula is considered a sleeping giant in the maple syrup industry. Jesse Randall says the U.P. is blessed with the right type of weather to produce good quality syrup across a long span of just a few weeks.

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The Delta County Planning Commission is developing a solar ordinance as part of its master plan. Commission Chair Christine Williams says the ordinance would covering residential and commercial installations.

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Camping World is buying the Hilltop RV Superstores in Escanaba and Ishpeming. The company announced the purchase yesterday.

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