News

Since its launch last April, more than 500,000 Michiganders have signed up for the new Medicaid health insurance option offered by the state, called the Healthy Michigan Plan. Now, University of Michigan researchers will study how well the new plan works, and advise state officials on how well it’s living …

The North Woods Conservancy is celebrating an addition to its holdings along the Gratiot River. With the help of a matching grant and lots of year-end donations, the organization was able to complete the purchase of 75 acres immediately to the southeast of its existing Conglomerate Falls holdings in Keweenaw …

The State of Michigan will help with the next phase of the Calumet Colosseum restoration. The Department of Natural Resources has allocated $45,000 toward replacement of the hockey rink boards and safety glass. The money comes from the Recreation Passports you and I purchased when we renewed our license plates. …

Ontonagon County is planning to celebrate copper. The Ontonagon County Economic Partnership (OCEP) has announced plans to hold a festival called Copper Fest USA in the summer of 2016. OCEP hopes to involve a number of venues and organizations from across the county. Each participating entity would create and host …

The number of people working in the Upper Peninsula fell in November, but employment totals remain higher than they were a year ago. The State of Michigan reports that 136,700 people had jobs in the 11th month of 2014. That’s 1,200 fewer than in October, but 5,700 more than in …

Forty men and four women from across the state will report on Sunday to begin training as Michigan’s newest conservation officers. The recruits will fill positions with the Department of Natural Resources created by new funding from the legislature, new income from increased hunting and fishing license fees, and some …

65,000 Michigan residents are waking up this morning  with medical insurance that they didn’t have yesterday. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report published in the Detroit News shows that 123,208 state residents signed up by December 15th for coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace. 47 percent of …

One of the Upper Peninsula’s best-known bridges has a new name. The Cut River Bridge on US-2 in Mackinac County is now known as the “Heath Michael Robinson Cut River Memorial Bridge.” Robinson was a U.S. Navy SEAL from the Petoskey area who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2011. …

With the holiday season winding down, the Copper Country Humane Society is kicking off the 12 Dogs of Christmas campaign which is done in partnership with Houghton Community Broadcasting. Each weekday, a new dog will be introduced with a short bio and people can decide if they would like to …

Cases of influenza are growing rapidly across Michigan, including in the Upper Peninsula, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declares a national flu epidemic, with widespread outbreaks in 22 states, so far. The CDC reports that nationally 15 children have died already this season of complications from the …