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

Consternation at Marquette Mountain and the CVB, Anticipation at WJMN, and Renovation at the Casa

Vern Barber, the longtime general manager at Marquette Mountain, is heading to snowier slopes.

Mount Bohemia in the Keweenaw, specifically.

After 32 years at Marquette Mountain, he's looking for a new challenge at a unique venue (extreme skiing, ungroomed slopes) with the potential for growth. That's what Bohemia offers.

No hard feelings here, he says, it's just time to move on.

Was the issue compensation? He wouldn't "go there."

This last ski season was a tough one here. Extremely cold temperatures kept attendance down for much of the winter although the last three weeks were pretty good.

Barber will face a different kind of a challenge at Bohemia--they need more lodging in a more remote location than Marquette--but it's the kind of challenge he welcomes at this point of his career. And, he says, Bohemia is his kind of skiing.

Good luck to him. And thanks.
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More losses for Marquette tourism.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau recently lost its PR and marketing director, Allison Silk, to the Mackinac Island CVB. Silk had been considered the likely successor to Pat Black, the CVB director who's retiring at the end of this year.

So that means there's a vaccum at the top in an industry that needs to continue showing growth in Marquette County.

A search is now underway for Silk's successor who ultimately might be Black's successor.

The big loss, of course, will be Black, who is Ms. Tourism for Marquette County. She knows and charms everyone in the tourist industry, in the state and far beyond.

In her retirement, she's planning to travel--for pure pleasure, not for business. She's earned it.
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Any day now, you can expect to see a new local newscast on your TV screens at 6 and 11 pm.

Preparations continue at the new WJMN studio and offices, just off US-41 in Marquette Township. Some of the staff have moved in, they're working with their new computers and getting acclimated to their new surroundings.

Two months ago, management guaranteed the newscasts would start in April. News Director Cynthia Thompson says that remains the plan, though she wouldn't get specific.

They've got their equipment, the news cars are in the lot, the news staff (about 10, less than half the size of TV6's staff) are arriving to begin their careers in the UP.

Interestingly, one of the most important rating periods for local TV stations is May. WJMN, no doubt, will try to make a big promotional splash when it starts its newscasts but certainly can't have expectations of a major ratings impact in May.

Many UP viewers will sample the new newscasts but will likely return to
the tried and trusted Steve Asplund, Karl Bohnak, Greg Trick and Mike Ludlum on TV6 at 6 and 11. Fifty years of history is a lot to overcome.

WJMN will have to be in it for the long run.
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Casa Calabria is certainly in it for the long run.

The popular Italian eatery on Third Street, one of the biggest restaurants in the city (seating for 188), is now finishing off major renovations of both the restaurant and bar.

New booths, tables, chairs, stone walls, pillars, wallpaper, floors, bar stools. That's just about everything. It's the first major renovation for the Casa since 1995.

Sometimes, even when you're popular, you gotta freshen things up.

The result is a new, Old World look, if that makes sense. Clean, fresh, casual, comfortable, classy.

The Casa never closed down during the construction period. They just worked at it during the day, then swept up, and started cooking.

Smart. That's a good way to keep the customers...and the revenue...streaming in.

You got news? Email me at briancabell.com

Asplund Takes the Reins, Marquette Mountain Takes a Plunge, and StoryCorps Comes to Town

A relative calm has descended upon the newsroom at WLUC.

Steve Asplund, the hardest working man in the news business, has been named the news director at the station. Rather, re-named. He was news director for a few years back in the mid-90's, as well.

And don't worry, he'll remain as the 6 pm anchor. What most viewers don't realize is that Asplund's most important work has always been done off-camera, as assignment editor, producer, writer, photographer, editor, fill-in engineer, snow plow operator. Hell, if TV6 had a cow out back, Asplund would be milking that in his spare time.

He works 70-80 hours a week. No lie. He loves his work, he loves the station.

That's why it was almost criminal what he had to endure for the last two years during the tenure of the former news director, Regena Robinson. For some reason, Robinson locked Asplund, the assistant news director, out of the entire decision-making process in the news department. The hostility was palpable.

Maybe it was a personality clash. Regardless, it was a waste of Asplund's skills and enthusiasm, and it made for a very uncomfortable newsroom because Asplund was universally liked and respected by both the veterans and the youngsters in the news department.

But he kept his head down, worked his 70-80 hours a week, and now he's got the job he deserves. WLUC is the better for it.

(Full disclosure: I was the WLUC news director from 2004-2011)
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Meantime, a former TV6er, Rick Tarsitano, who was surprisingly terminated by Robinson a year ago, is in negotiations to become the new news director at ABC10.

He's been a reporter at ABC10 for the last year, but in the wake of Cynthia Thompson's resignation as ND, Tarsitano was appointed interim news director and has done a creditable job. Now management wants to make him the permanent news director.

No one could quite figure out why he was forced out at TV6. Another personality clash? The fact was, Tarsitano was one of the most talented reporters in Marquette when he was let go.

Now we're going to see what kind of management skills he has. He'll be facing a stiff challenge: ABC10 doesn't have nearly the money or resources that WLUC has, and it'll be facing a brand new competitor when WJMN starts its UP newscast in the next month or so.

And who is WJMN's news director and anchor? That's right, Cynthia Thompson, formerly of both ABC10 and TV6. TV news in the Upper Peninsula is a never-ending merry-go-round.
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It's been a weird season at Marquette Mountain.

The best snow in years and yet the numbers are down. Way down.
Vern Barber, the GM, figures the mountain has attracted almost 30% fewer skiers and snowboarders this season.

Go ahead, take a guess why.

Yep, it's too freaking cold even for skiers. When you consider that the thermometer has climbed above 30 degrees for only a few days in the last three months, and has generally stayed below 10 degrees, it's easy to understand why we've stayed off the mountain.

The only thing that's kept Marquette Mountain afloat this season has been its ever-expanding race schedule. Teams, young and old, come here from all over the Midwest to race. And unlike the casual skiers, the racers don't have a choice; even if it's minus 10 and the wind is howling, they're going to be racing (and spending money in Marquette) because they've already registered and paid the fees.

Barber says this is the coldest winter he's experienced in his 32 years on Marquette Mountain. Sounds about right.
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You got a great story to tell?

You'll get your opportunity to tell it and preserve it for posterity when National Public Radio's StoryCorps trailer rolls into town this July.

StoryCorps brings people together--parent and child, brother and sister, friends, teacher and student, neighbors-- to sit down and tell their stories.
It might be a childhood memory, it might be a hunting story, it might be something traumatic.

But the stories are usually evocative, poignant and fascinating.

StoryCorps is hoping to find 200 such stories in the U.P. A couple of them will likely end up being broadcast on NPR nationwide. The rest will be taped and stored at the Library of Congress. They'll become a part of this nation's history.That's pretty cool.

Participants will also be given a copy of the interview--something to hand down to your grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Public Radio 90 will be announcing in the next couple of months how you can sign up for StoryCorps.

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