State Rep. Dave Prestin of Cedar River says too much emphasis in Lansing is being put on renewable energy at the expense of reliable energy. Prestin says the state is attempting to move too quickly away from its base load provided by gas, coal, nuclear and hydro generation, calling it “almost like a religion.”

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OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group was lock downed briefly yesterday after a report of a man hiding near the emergency room entrance with a rifle. Escanaba Public Safety says officers immediately found and arrested the suspect. No firearm was found. The person is facing charges involving a fictions call.

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Gladstone City Commissioners toured the city’s public works facility this week as they consider options to build a new one. Commissioner Brad Mantilla says the currently facility is not large enough for the city’s equipment. It also does not have heat and the roof leaks.

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Sue Parker says it is important that Escanaba makes an effort to welcome those coming on cruise ships this summer. She is chair of the Escanaba Downtown Development Authority. American Queen Voyages is making 26 stops in Escanaba with up to 5,600 people visiting the area.

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Keith Urban will headline a new Northern Lights Music Festival planned for Escanaba in July. Visit Escanaba says the two-day summer festival on July 21 and 22 features rock and country performances, food vendors and on-site camping at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. Visit Escanaba CEO Robert Micheau, says they intend to make it an annual summer event.

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Next week is spring break for area K-12 schools including Gladstone and Rapid River schools. School Superintendent Jay Kulbertis says the week-long break is a great opportunity for student to regenerate before the final weeks of school. That’s when they will participate in annual state assessment testing.

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Delta County Commissioners are looking at the possibility of expanding staff in its Veterans Service Office. Dave Dziewoir has been the lone Veterans Service Officer in Delta County for seven years. He took the job then when the position was expanded from a 10-hour a week position to full-time to keep up with what other counties in the U.P. were doing. He says it is again time to look at expanding veteran services.

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Delta County Commissioners last night tabled the job description for a new county administrator, six weeks after firing former Delta County Administrator Emily DeSalvo. The board could not decide on the amount of experience that the administrator would need. Delta County Chair Dave Moyle says the county shouldn’t limit itself to asking for five years of government administrative experience.

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The Michigan Natural Resources Commission will be dealing with new deer hunting regulations this year. Commissioner Dave Anthony of Bark River says it is important to make sure that the interest of hunters in the Upper Peninsula are considered while addressing several statewide issues such as an overpopulation of does in the lower peninsula.

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A meeting for businesses interested in learning more about the cruise ships that will be coming to Escanaba this will be held at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Delta Commerce Center. American Queen Voyages is planning 26 stops from May through October. Delta County Economic Development Alliance Director Ed Legault says it will have an immediate economic impact that will carry on into the future.

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The Escanaba City Council voted to support the proposed expansion of utilities to the Bay View Location in Wells Township. Their vote was in support of state legislation to fund the project. It would expand city water and sewer service to the area for the proposed housing development by the Hannahville Indian Community.

Jared Drown at the Terrace Bay Hotel told the council it would also help the development of the entire area.

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Efforts are already underway to plan this year’s Upper Peninsula State Fair. Shelia Krueger, Associate Director at the Delta Chamber of Commerce, says the grandstand acts have been confirmed. We will find out who they are in May.

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The Gladstone City Commission is getting ready to approve an $11 million budget. City Manager Eric Buckman says the general fund is the most challenging part of the budget this year, especially with the demands of public works. The money in the general fund is divided up between four departments. Buckman says public safety dominates that fund.

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The Upper Peninsula Arts and Cultural Alliance wants to know what the impact that art has in the U.P. The group is conducting an economic impact study to determine what it might be. Sue Roll says they want to use the study to convince others to support the expansion of arts in the U.P.

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School safety was one of the issues that school superintendents talked about with U.P. legislators Friday but Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District Superintendent Doug Leisenring says there are other issues that they want state legislators to be aware of. He says it is important for rural school districts to have flexibility, especially when it comes to hiring.

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Fifteen cases of a rare fungal infection called blastomycosis is being reported by Public Health of Delta and Menominee Counties. All of the cases involve workers at the Escanaba Billerud Paper Mill.

Public Health says they first received reports of several atypical pneumonia infections on Feb. 28. It is of concern because only 26 cases have been reported in the last five years for the entire state of Michigan.

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Delta County Prosecutor Lauren Wickman says there has been a dramatic increase in the number of cases involving cocaine. Where Delta County used to see two or three cases a year, Wickman says suddenly there are a number of cases before the court.

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Delta County Commissioners rejected the formation of an ad hoc committee to search for a new county administrator. Commissioner Steve Viau advocated the creation of a 9-member ad hoc committee to include public involvement in the hiring process.

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When a truck went through the ice on Little Bay de Noc in February, a Delta County Sheriff’s deputy used a drone to check the inside of the vehicle to make sure no one was inside. Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald says drones have become a very useful tool for law enforcement.

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Escanaba’s lawsuit with Menard’s is over. The city had spent about a decade in a lawsuit against Menard’s over the assessed value of its property under, what is called, the Dark Store loophole. Escanaba City Manager Jim McNeil says after the final ruling last year, the city and Menard’s settled on the value of the property for the remaining years.

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Sgt. Jeff Hansen announced that he is running to replace Delta County Sheriff Ed Oswald as Sheriff in 2024. Hansen started as a part-time corrections officer with the Sheriff’s office and is currently in charge of logistics concerning inmate movement for court hearings.

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FIRST Robotics teams from across the U.P. and even downstate will be at the Escanaba High School tomorrow and Saturday for District competition. This is the first competition for the Robomos team this year, Emma Fry says they spent a lot of time this past weekend getting the robot ready for this weekend.

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Gladstone needs to reduce its spending by 8 to 9 percent to accommodate its retirement obligations. The Gladstone city commission has been reviewing its 2023-24 budget this week at budget workshops.

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