Hospitals and Helicopters, Tax Tribunals, Liquor Licenses, and Demanding Diners

IF YOU'RE ROOTING for the city of Marquette to get the new Marquette General Hospital, you can't like this: a Duke LifePoint helicopter was observed last week conducting an aerial survey of the Township's proposed site for the new hospital.

And then consider this: Duke LifePoint CEO Ed Banos recently provided an update on the hospital relocation to the Marquette County Board and the Marquette Township Board.....but not to the Marquette City Commission.

What the hell.

It couldn't have been a simple oversight, could it? Was Banos sending a message? Is he peeved at the city? Is it a bargaining ploy? Or is the selection process all but over?

We're closing in on mid-July. A decision, already overdue, should be coming soon. Three sites--the Township site behind the Westwood Mall, and the City's two sites at the golf course and on the Roundhouse property--are all still technically in the running.
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THE CITY IS struggling with another huge, financial problem.

Its two biggest taxpayers--the Presque Isle Power Plant and Marquette General Hospital--are challenging their tax bills before the Michigan Tax Tribunal.

That's their right, of course, but this type of challenge, with the amount of money at stake, may be unprecedented in Marquette's history.

What it does is handcuff the city. It can't spend the money in question which might please some residents who prefer lower taxes and a smaller government, but it will seriously jeopardize city services. The Tax Tribunal cases can take up to two years to be resolved.

Interpretation of tax law and the overall tax climate are changing, for better or worse.
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NOTHING LIKE AN ice-cold brew after a long, exhausting day on the slopes of Marquette Mountain. Or how about a hot toddy?

Well, you might want to think twice about that.

Marquette Mountain has lost its liquor license. The license belonged to Vern Barber, the former general manager who departed for Mount Bohemia a couple of months ago. A transfer couldn't be worked out.

So that means for now, banquets, weddings and any other events will have to bring in their own liquor to Marquette Mountain. Not an impossible situation but it certainly makes the venue less attractive for adults.

As for this skiing season, well, we'll see. Management is working on it. Liquor licenses can be expensive and difficult to find.
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ANYBODY WANNA RUN for the Marquette School Board?

As of Tuesday, nobody had filed yet for what will be four open seats.

No reason for alarm, though, because several potential candidates had taken out applications, and the deadline for filing is July 22nd, and you need only a handful of signatures to file.

Still, given the stalemated and contentious teacher contract talks, you'd have thought there'd be more public interest in the races.

Stu Skauge, the teachers' union negotiator, says he's not getting involved in the elections although he'd welcome candidates who'd be pro-teacher and willing to challenge the four incumbents, including chairman Rich Rossway, whose terms end this year. It's uncertain how many of the incumbents are running for re-election.

Superintendent Bill Saunders says he's convinced that whoever wins the elections will soon see that the district's finances are in dire straits and unable to accommodate the financial demands of the teachers.

Bargaining talks between the teachers and the district continue almost weekly with little or no progress. Skauge wants the entire board to be involved in the talks; the board says no, its team of three negotiators is sufficient.

The teachers have been working without a contract for more than a year.

What kind of leverage do the teachers have? Almost none. A strike? They'd lose pay for every day they were out and they'd never get it back, and the district would lose state money. Lose-lose.

Sympathetic yard signs--and there are hundreds around town--are good for morale, but not much else.
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JACKSON'S PIT, THE new bar and grill in Negaunee, had some good news and bad news last weekend.

The good news was that it was jam-packed.

The bad news was that it was jam-packed.

It opened unannounced and unpublicized late Friday, on the 4th, and things went fine. But then on Saturday, following stories on Fox UP, TV 6 and the WLUC website about the new restaurant, it was overwhelmed with customers.

Waits extended up to two hours because the kitchen and wait staff, which hadn't had time to practice, couldn't keep up. No surprise, there were plenty of complaints.

Now the best news. Customer flow has moderated, the staff is up to speed, and Negaunee has a new and attractive alternative for lunch and dinner downtown.

Moral of the story: TV newscasts and TV websites can certainly pack a powerful punch.

You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com

Hospital Update, Co-op vs Econo, and Motley Fools Bash Cliffs

Here's the unofficial, official update on the relocation of Marquette General Hospital.

It's down to three locations: 1)the southern half of the Heritage course at the Marquette Golf Club.  2)the so-called Roundhouse property off of Seventh Street in Marquette.  3)the Marquette Township property off of Venture Drive behind the mall.

That said, keep in mind, some previous reports from people in the know have been misleading if not just plain wrong.

What we do know with some certainty is that the Cliffs Dow property along Lake Superior is out, the Medical Center location is out, the current MGH site is out, and all other locations in the Township are out.

We think. Well, we're pretty sure, anyway.

So, by means of elimination and with the benefit of observations by officials (not by Duke LifePoint, though), it's down to three.

The golf course location would have the benefit of direct access to McClellan Boulevard and the airport, but the sale of it to Duke LifePoint would require the approval of two thirds of the voting members at the club. No slam dunk.

The Roundhouse property would be centrally located in Marquette, just a few blocks off of US 41 but the hospital would have to acquire several properties, public and private, to come up with the 40 acres needed. Could be complicated, maybe not.

The Township property may be a little farther out than ideal, but it's vacant and shovel-ready. Seems like the simplest, cleanest deal but who knows?

The previously announced timetable for a decision on the hospital would seem to tell us the decision would come...oh, today, or so.

Meantime, the city and the township, eyeing tax revenues from the 300 million dollar project, are waiting anxiously for the climactic news.
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Now that we're all tingling with excitement over the opening of the Marquette Food Co-op at its spacious new location with its expanded inventory, maybe it's time to look at a direct comparison of prices between the Co-op and Econo, the supermarket located just about two miles away.

Econo, you may have noticed, is selling more and more organic foods.

A couple things first. We're not going to compare produce because we know the stores are getting it from different sources. The same with meats. The Co-op clearly has more local produce and meat, along with a huge selection of bulk foods, so we can't make a direct apples-to-apples comparison.

But we can compare brand-name organic or natural products that both stores carry. Here goes:

Organic Valley milk.....Econo $4.99, Co-op $3.99
Garden of Eatin chips...Econo $3.79, Co-op $3.79
Luna Bar.......................Econo $1.49, Co-op $1.59 (but with .50 off coupon)
Clif Bar.........................Econo $1.49, Co-op $.99
La Croix 12 pack..........Econo $4.59, Co-op $4.99
Florida Natural OJ........Econo $3.83, Co-op $4.89
Blue Diamond Nut Thins...Econo $3.99, Co-op $3.89 (and with an additional .50 off coupon)
Nature's Path Raisin Bran.....Econo $6.09, Co-op $4.69
Lakewood Cranberry Juice...Econo $10.29, Co-op $12.49
Good Belly Probiotics (blueberry)...Econo $4.79, Co-op $4.79
Annies Naturals dressing..................Econo $4.69, Co-op $4.89 (but with $1.50 off if you buy two)
Lifeway Kefir (blueberry, raspberry)...Econo $4.29, Co-op $3.99

So there you have it--the first totally unscientific, uncomprehensive comparision of the two stores. Sophisticated math calculations tell you that the Co-op had cheaper prices on seven of the products, Econo was cheaper on three, and they tied on two.

Hats off to both stores. The Co-op, for expanding and making our shopping experience more pleasant, even fun. And Econo, for clearly recognizing a growing demand, and significantly expanding its line of organic and natural products in the last few years.
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Yikes, somebody at The Motley Fool is less than thrilled with the prospects for Cliffs Natural Resources.

Four days ago, Motley listed Cliffs as one of the worst three stocks: "Research firm Cowen group noted that, as long as iron ore prices remain depressed, Cliffs stock will, too, and the business could struggle  to even remain profitable."

A day earlier, The Motley Fool wrote  of Cliffs that "there are conflicts of interest within the current board of directors and executives" and "there are some serious risks associated with Cliffs stock."

A month ago, The Motley Fool ran the headline, "Is Cliffs Natural Resources on Its Last Legs?"

What's up with The Motley Fool?

How about some balance? Two weeks ago, Forbes ran a story titled "Cliffs Natural Resources is Oversold." That means the stock price is too low and should go up.

For all the suffering Cliffs investors out there, yeah, that sounds exactly right.
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Another restaurant shakeup in downtown Marquette.

The Blue Lounge on Washington Street is giving way to the 906 Sports Bar and Grill. Same ownership, same location but different management and a different direction.

It'll now feature seven 55 inch TVs, one projection screen and three 42 inchers. Also, a full kitchen seven days a week. And five days a week, it'll be open until 2 am.

Management says it'll be more family-friendly than the Blue Lounge with much longer hours of operation. It'll drive more people downtown, they hope, which is always good.

You gotta wonder how the Dog House and Awbrees, which are also sports bars within shouting distance of the newcomer, feel about it. Do we really have that many sports nuts downtown?

We'll find out. The 906 is hoping to have its transformation complete by June 30th, give or take a week or two.
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On the other hand, there seems to be a much greater need for a restaurant-bar in downtown Negaunee, and a couple of residents--Mike and Ivy Ridenour--are stepping in to fill that need.

They'll be opening Jackson's Pit on Iron Street (the former Ed's Iron Inn) on Friday, June 27th, if all goes as planned.

They'll offer signature burgers, great sandwiches, Michigan craft beers, 19 brews on tap. Also root beer. Woohoo.

Family friendly, open seven days a week, from 11 am until 1:30 am most nights. Capacity of 130. An industrial mining theme. The name comes from the Jackson Mine of years ago.

24 employees hired. New life and new food added to downtown Negaunee. What's not to like? Now all they'll need is a steady stream of customers, day and night, from a city not exactly noted for its bustling and prosperous downtown.


 You got news? Email me at briancabell@gmail.com