Latest news with #NorthernMichigan
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After the ice storm: PIE&G funds groups that kept the lights on
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op has launched a program to aid community organizations that supported residents during the March ice storm, according to a community announcement. The storm, which began in late March, caused extensive damage to Northern Michigan's energy grid, resulting in more than $175 million in damages. PIE&G's entire system was knocked out, affecting more than 35,000 rural homes and businesses across nine counties. All members impacted by the storm have had their power restored, and internet service has been restored to more than 90% of subscribers who lost service due to the ice storm, according to the May 21 announcement. PIE&G is collaborating with local shelters, emergency services, fire departments, food pantries and other community organizations to determine how to best allocate additional funding for the support they provided during the storm. How to submit your community announcements for the Cheboygan Daily Tribune 'At PIE&G, we are dedicated to investing in our communities across Northern Michigan,' Allan Berg, PIE&G CEO, said in the release. 'We partner with local groups doing important community work and so many of these groups rallied together during the recent catastrophic ice storm. Part of our values is being a trusted energy and community partner and supporting those groups and individuals that help the communities we proudly serve.' More information can be found at This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: PIE&G launches new aid for local groups hit by March ice storm
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Michigan State Police welcomes new commander to St. Ignace post
EASTERN UPPER PENINSULA — The Michigan State Police recently welcomed First Lieutenant Brock Artfitch as the new commander for the St. Ignace post. Artfich is from rural Nebraska, where he grew up working on a family ranch. He studied at Indiana University, where he earned his bachelor's degree in economics. He then studied law at Michigan State University, where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree. Artfitch also graduated from the Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. Instead of pursuing a career in law, Artfitch joined the Michigan State Police in 2014. He looked for positions in Northern Michigan, as that is where he wanted to move his family. He started off at the Gaylord post before moving to the Seventh District Hometown Security Team, where he gained experience dealing with drug interdiction. Artfitch was later promoted to the rank of sergeant and moved to the St. Ignace post. He spent eight years there instructing other officers in precision driving. He then went on to serve as a field investigator for the Professional Standards Section of the state police. He is now returning to St. Ignace to lead as the post commander. 'I consider myself incredibly privileged to have this opportunity to work with a team of dedicated and experienced sergeants, troopers, motor carrier officers and civilian staff members at the St. Ignace Post," said Artfitch. Subscribe: Get unlimited access to our content His job will include a wide range of responsibilities, including coordinating with groups like the Mackinac Bridge Authority and other local and community organizations. Artfitch said his first priorities as commander include active community engagement, combating illegal drug distribution into the U.P. and recruiting new officers to boost staffing levels. He has also made it a goal to reduce serious traffic accidents through more impactful enforcement. 'I am dedicated to the people we serve and will do all I can to support our members in the crucial work they do," said Artfitch. — Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@ This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Michigan State Police welcomes Brock Artfitch as new commander at St. Ignace post
New York Times
26-05-2025
- New York Times
A Sweet and Savory Road Trip in Northern Michigan
Ask any Michigander to define 'Up North,' a colloquial term for Northern Michigan, and you'll find the answer varies widely. For the past 40 years, my family has defined it as the greater Grand Traverse Bay — an arm of Lake Michigan where miles of white sand beaches and towering dunes stretch alongside freshwater lakes so vast they resemble oceans. Here, wildflower meadows bloom, cherry orchards thrive, rolling farmlands unfold and nowhere else do we eat as well. Over the years, we've learned that the best way to experience the flavors of the land and the lakes is by visiting local farm stands, orchards, wineries and fisheries to gather the region's bounty at the source. Canada 10 miles Traverse City Lake Michigan Minn. michIGAN 31 Idyll Farms Michigan Grand Traverse Bay Lakeview Hill Farm & Market Carlson's Fishery Bellaire Smokehouse Loma Farm Old Mission Peninsula Farm Club 22 West Arm Grand Traverse Bay Leelanau Cheese Bos Wine Elk Rapids Leelanau Peninsula Interwater Farms 72 Taproot Cider House The Cooks' House S2S Sugar to Salt Traverse City 131 31 31 2 miles Canada 10 miles Traverse City michIGAN Michigan Idyll Farms 31 Grand Traverse Bay Carlson's Fishery Bellaire Smokehouse Leelanau Cheese Bos Wine Elk Rapids Interwater Farms Lakeview Hill Loma Farm Farm Club Taproot Cider House The Cooks' House 72 S2S Sugar to Salt Traverse City 131 By The New York Times A tour beginning in Traverse City, either venturing west to the villages of Suttons Bay, Leland and Northport, or east to Elk Rapids, Williamsburg and Eastport, could have your vehicle, by day's end, brimming with organic fruit and vegetables, freshly caught whitefish, bottles of Riesling, creamy cheese, baked goods and more. Each stop on this sweet and savory tour offers a taste of a region as diverse as it is delicious. As the season starts, farmers are planting their crops and preparing for the busy summer months, when the region welcomes more than eight million tourists between now and Labor Day. A Different Way of Farming Just seven miles from downtown Traverse City lies Farm Club, a restaurant, bakery, brewery, market and fermentation project that has quickly become a cornerstone of the region's food scene. The restaurant offers a true farm-to-table experience (minus any pretension), while the market overflows with fresh produce, wines, East Coast Pale Ale beer ($13 for a six-pack), sea salt chocolate rye cookies ($3 each), stone-milled heirloom cornmeal ($7 a bag) and five-pound brown bags of flour milled on-site ($12). Coolers are stocked with housemade pickles ($10) and sauerkraut ($12) fermented on-site, a vibrant snapshot of what the farm — two acres at Farm Club and an additional eight acres down the road at their main farm, Loma Farm — has to offer. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oliver Auyeung-Ashton Commits To Northern Michigan
Victoria Grizzlies goaltender Oliver Auyeung-Ashton has committed to Northern Michigan, it was announced last week.
CBS News
24-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
DOGE cuts to weather balloon sites leave U.S. without crucial data, some meteorologists say
Detroit — When the National Guard has to be called out for an ice storm, as was the case in Northern Michigan at the end of March, the situation is dire. At the time, meteorologists couldn't forecast just how much of the region would be encased in ice. "While it [the forecast] showed devastating ice, it ended up still being worse than expected," said Ahmad Bajjey, CBS News Detroit's chief meteorologist. Up to 1.5 inches of ice accumulated across large portions of Northern Michigan, knocking down power lines, blocking roads, and damaging homes and businesses. Last month, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer requested federal disaster aid. Bajjey said he was working without National Weather Service data he usually counts on. "We couldn't get true real-world data as often as needed," Bajjey said. At least 13 of nearly 100 balloon sites were cut or reduced when the White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, took aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration earlier this year. Two of them, one in Michigan and another in Wisconsin, left gaps in data. Those gaps could have helped during the March ice storm, as well as last week, when dangerous thunderstorms and tornadoes hit Wisconsin, meteorologists say. There have also been cuts in places like the Rocky Mountains in the western U.S. and "Tornado Alley" in the central U.S., where storms get started and move east. One balloon site was also eliminated in the Florida Panhandle just days before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. For the past 100 years of U.S. weather forecasting, there's no better substitute to weather balloons, meteorologists say. Associate professor of meteorology Dr. John Allen teaches future meteorologists at Central Michigan University. He also studies how artificial intelligence can improve forecasts. But he says the data received from weather balloons is irreplaceable. He showed CBS News a device used to communicate with a weather balloon. "So what this device is doing is reporting back every couple of seconds as we look through the whole column of the atmosphere," Allen said. His research in AI cannot make up for a lack of air pressure and moisture data collected by balloons. "If we have clouds, satellites really don't tell us much about what's actually happening," he said, explaining why weather balloons are essential and their data cannot be duplicated by satellites or radar. Dr. John Allen, right, associate professor of meteorology at Central Michigan University, teaching students how to use and collect data from a weather balloon. May 2025. CBS News In a statement to CBS on News Friday, a NOAA spokesperson defended NWS forecasting. "The National Weather Service is committed to delivering accurate, timely, and life-saving forecasts despite speculation," the spokesperson said. "Through strategic transformation, staff reallocation, and updated service standards, NWS is ensuring resilience and continuity of mission-critical functions. Reports suggesting otherwise are false and disrespectful to the many weather scientists who work tirelessly to produce the best weather data in the world." In the meantime, some meteorologists like Bajjey say they have no choice but to make do with new limitations. "This is about public safety," Bajjey said. "It's every single forecast, every warning, every alert, and every update. And this is where it comes from." In an open letter published earlier this month, five living former NWS leaders issued a warning about the impact of staffing and program cuts to the NOAA. "Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life," the letter said. "We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines - and by the people who depend on their efforts."
