The Escanaba School board is looking at a $350,000 surplus as they work on the 2022-23 budget. School Superintendent Coby Fletcher says it follows a current healthy budget that has allowed them to do certain projects. He says that will carry over into next year’s school budget.

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Law enforcement is asking drivers to slow down as the summer tourism season gears up for another year. 1st Lt. Gregg Cunningham with the Gladstone State Police Post says Troopers will be targeting speeders, especially on U.S. 2. As traffic picks, he advises that drivers be patient.

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A tennis complex at the Escanaba High School is preceding despite the project doubling in cost. When tennis coach Tom Penagor started raising funds for a pavilion and eight courts, he received a $200,000 donation from Pat Abrahamson of Escanaba. But then the cost skyrocketed. To keep the project going, Abrahamson’s son, Jeff, contributed another $100,000. This week, the school board agreed to fund the rest.

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Seventy-eight veterans, including two from the Korean War, are flying to Washington D.C. today as part of the Upper Peninsula Honor Fight to see the memorials dedicated for their service in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

The veterans and guardians met last night and gathered at a hanger at the Delta County Airport early this morning to get ready to take off.

Organizer Scott Knauf says the will arrive back at 8:30 tonight. The hanger opens at 7 p.m. He hopes the community will show up to welcome them home — a welcome they did not receive when they returned from war.

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The Northern Lights YMCA is in need of lifeguards and swim instructors to handle the demand for lessons at the pool. Aquatics Director Cherish Hoy says they are willing to train anyone who might be interested in working at the Y.

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The city of Escanaba has started the process of appraising property for development around the former Delta County Jail site. The city is expected to negotiate the sale of city property to two developers from the joint development proposal. The third developer will negotiate directly with the county. Escanaba City Manager Patrick Jordan says the appraisals will take some time.

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The Escanaba City Council approved the city’s 2022-23 operating budget with a city millage rate of 17.442 mills, a 2.6% increase in property taxes from the current-levied 17 mils. During the public hearing, Miron VanEffen said the increase in the tax rate and a proposed 25 percent increase in wastewater rates is too much.

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Delta County is negotiating directly with the owners of the Terrace Bay Hotel to sell the former Delta County Jail property in Escanaba. The county board took steps this week to start the process. The Escanaba City Council decided on May 5 to go with the joint proposal from three local developers for city and county property on the lakeshore. Emily DeSalvo says that means the county will now be responsible for selling the jail property.

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Escanaba schools are facing food shortage problems with its school lunch program. Escanaba School Superintendent Coby Fletcher says they are having difficulty buying food that is required to meet the federal nutritional standards of the free lunch program. The problem, he says, is that food producers do not make as much profit with food destined for schools.

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State Sen. Ed McBroom says it is time to re-evaluate the need to ban deer bait in the U.P. He plans to hold hearings by the end of this month or early June on how the state is handling chronic wasting disease in its deer population.

It has been three years since a doe tested positive for CWD on McBroom’s farm in Dickinson County. That caused a ban on baiting in most of Dickinson County and parts of Menominee and Delta Counties. At the time, sportsmen group asked for a three year sunset clause on the moratorium. McBroom says it is time to start talking about it again.

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The Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District is jumping from six social workers at the ISD to 11 next school year to handle the emotional and behavioral issues of students that have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. School Superintendent Doug Leisenring says it is one biggest needs they have right now in assisting local school districts.

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State Sen. Ed McBroom says he doesn’t like the particulars of the term limit reform passed by the legislature this week but, as a long time supporter of reform, he says it’s necessary to save the state House. McBroom says the current form of term limits has caused a dramatic shortage of leadership in the House.

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A video posted online last year of teenagers kicking and abusing a young eagle in Delta County has led to the conviction of one of the abusers. Zachary Robinette, 19, of Bark River was found guilty in Delta County District Court Friday of animal cruelty, a 93-day misdemeanor.

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Gladstone is getting ready for another pavement season. City Manager Eric Buckman says he is working on special assessments for property owners along roads scheduled this year for paving.

This year, Gladstone is concentrating on roads on the bluff. Along with Park Avenue, roads scheduled for repaving include North Bluff Drive, Gladstone Avenue, 26th Street and Grandview Estates subdivision.

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The Escanaba Public Library will be fully funded in the city’s 2022-23 budget. The Escanaba City Council decided during a special meeting Monday that it would not cut $147,000 from the library’s budget. The city is addressing a $1 million shortfall. But Librarian Carolyn Stacey told the council that the library could not sustain a 40 percent cut in its budget.

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The Escanaba City Council is meeting today to discuss needed budget cuts to balance the 2022-23 budget. The council must approve a new budget by July 1. The city is expecting a revenue shortfall of more than $1 million. The proposed cuts spurred a public reaction at Thursday city council meeting over a 40 percent reduction in the Escanaba Public Library’s budget. One suggestion was to raise taxes to pay for city services. That is something that Councilmember Tyler Dubord says could be discussed.

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The Escanaba City Council decided to not go with the administration’s recommendation for the development of city and county property that includes the former Delta County Jail. Instead, they directed the administration to end the RFQ and negotiate separately with three local developers that offered a joint proposal. Mayor Mark Ammel made the motion.

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Nanette Hanson, a 1st grade teacher at the Lemmer Elementary School in Escanaba, has been named Michigan Teacher of the Year. The announcement was made yesterday by State School Superintendent Michael Rice before an assembly of students at the school.

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The Delta County Board of Commissioners deadlocked on a conflict of interest challenge to Commissioner Bob Barron’s ability to vote on a proposed solar ordinance. With a 2-2 vote, it is still unclear if Barron will be allowed to vote. The ethics committee is determining if Barron has a conflict because of an agreement to lease land in Escanaba Township for solar development. Theresa Nelson, who voted against the motion, says they should not be voting on the issue until the county’s ethics committee makes a recommendation.

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Diane Kay-Hougaboom says she feels she did not lie on an affidavit that claimed she was qualified to run for office in Delta County including residency. She withdrew from the Republican primary after her residency came into question. She says she signed a lease on an apartment the day after Brett Gardner resigned as prosecutor and one week before the filing deadline. However, state law says a candidate must be a resident for 30 days before running for office.

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The group, Deer Hunters For Responsible U.P. Deer Management, plans to convince new members of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission to go with recommendations by the Department of Natural Resource regarding deer hunting in the Upper Peninsula rather than continue with legal action.

Richard P. Smith says he expects to start at the NRC meeting in May to ask the commission to reverse its decision from a year ago that went against three key DNR recommendations.

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