B. I. News on the 'Net, February 8-21, 2021
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 21, 2021
I thought I'd never, ever do. I went sky-diving. Not with intent. I was asked to go to the airport and take pictures of a family whose members were going to do it. Not a problem, for I loved taking pictures. Grabbed my trusty camera and away I went to the Township Airport. There was a bunch of folks there both to jump and to watch. I got asked if I was going to jump. "Oh hell no!" I replied, "just here to take pictures." A while later I was asked if I was going to jump, "Oh hell no!" was my response, "besides I can't afford it." One of our neighbors piped up, "If you want to, I'll pay for it." "No, thanks so much, but no." Time went by and I got asked again, "Oh hell no! Besides they are all filled up for today." Suddenly an opening appeared. "Hey, are you going to jump?" "Oh hell no! Besides, it's very cold 2 miles up and I don't have a jacket and I don't do anything without my camera." (two separate questions separated by time.) Joy Green gave me her jacket. The owner of the enterprise Sky Dive Harbor Springs told me I could take my camera. "Oh hell no, besides, my neighbor was going to pay for mine and he's gone home." (I didn't realize he was standing behind me). Oh hell, yes, I'm going to do it. Me, who doesn't like flying on an ordinary flight and who holds the world's record for Hail Mary's said in the air between the island and Charlevoix! As long as I know exactly what's going to happen I'm fine but don't make any changes to the original plan. Joe came to the airport and then turned his back because he didn't want to watch me fall out of the sky. Can't say I was too crazy about the prospect either. Anyhow, they give you about 5 minutes of instruction and you get into a tiny plane with no seats except for the pilot. Up you go. The interior windows were filthy - probably from folks pressing their hands against them trying to escape once reality hits them of what they are about to do. You back up into your instructors chest and are hooked together. Tandem jumping. I'm skipping parts here or we'll be here all day. The door opens and the instructor says put your foot on the step. I have short legs and my foot doesn't even reach to the door let alone the step so he has me sit in his lap and out we go. It's bitter cold! OMG, you are high up and can see all they way down to Traverse City!! Suddenly the chute opens and it's silent. You can hear folks on the ground talking in normal voices. The views are amazing. Did I scream? Oh hell no, I wear dentures and didn't want to have some poor slob on the ground have teeth embedded into their head. Besides I was too scared, everything tightened up and I didn't need a restroom for almost a month. Am I glad I did it? Yes. Would I do it again? Oh hell no!!"
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Cloudy skies this morning, 27°, feels like 26°, wind is from the WSW at 5 mph with gusts to 10 mph, humidity is at 74%, dew point is 20°, pressure is 30.29 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 12,700 feet. Today: Cloudy. Snow showers developing this afternoon. High 31F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Tonight: Snow this evening will become lighter late. Low 24F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 80%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
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ON THIS DAY in 1885 the Washington Monument, built in honor of America’s revolutionary hero and first president, is dedicated in Washington, D.C.
The 555-foot-high marble obelisk was first proposed in 1783, and Pierre L’Enfant left room for it in his designs for the new U.S. capital. After George Washington’s death in 1799, plans for a memorial for the “father of the country” were discussed, but none were adopted until 1832–the centennial of Washington’s birth. Architect Robert Mills’ hollow Egyptian obelisk design was accepted for the monument, and on July 4, 1848, the cornerstone was laid. Work on the project was interrupted by political quarreling in the 1850s, and construction ceased entirely during the American Civil War. Finally, in 1876, Congress, inspired by the American centennial, passed legislation appropriating $200,000 for completion of the monument. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that in 1904, the National Ski Association is organized in Ishpeming.
National Ski Hall of Fame Attracted to the abundant snows of the western Upper Peninsula, Norway native Carl Tellefsen quickly made his mark on the local skiing scene, eventually serving as founder and first president of the National Ski Association. The Association steadily grew in popularity and was a natural choice to house the National Ski Hall of Fame, which opened in1954. Today the National Ski Association is called the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, and Ishpeming is known as the "birthplace of organized skiing in America." (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY cognoscente (cognoscente) which means: a person who has expert knowledge in a subject : connoisseur. Cognoscente and connoisseur are more than synonyms; they're also linguistic cousins. Both terms descend from the Latin verb cognōscere, meaning "to know," and they're not alone. You might guess that cognizance and cognition are members of the cognōscere clan. Do you also recognize a family resemblance in recognize? Can you see through the disguise of incognito? Did you have a premonition that we would mention precognition? Cognoscente itself came to English by way of Italian and has been a part of the language since the late 1700s. (merriam-webster.com)
Ice Fishing on the Harbor
February 19, 2021
The harbor is now frozen completely, and there are several cars and trucks pulled out on the ice to provide some sport of fishing through the ice. Several people are giving it a try this year.
View video of the ice fishing sites HERE
Snow Squall
February 16, 2021
Besides the steady snow that is encountered here on Beaver Island, there are also snow squalls that come across the lake and pass by the island. Sometimes, the island gets some of the snow, and sometimes the storm splits as it arrives on the island. Tuesday there were snow squall, and there was a couple of pictures and some video of this taken for those that don't get to experience it.
Looking at a snow squall over the lake southeast of Beaver Island
A little blowing snow across the harbor
And the squall has passed....
View video HERE
Lady Islander Basketball
February 20, 2021
The Lady Islanders played hard, but the Lady Soaring Eagles played more agressively and ended up winning the game. Here are a few pictures from the game.
Two officials for the two games.
View video of the girls's game HERE
Islander Basketball
February 20, 2021
The Islanders played well today against a very good team from Hannahville. The Islanders lead the game from the beginning to the end with some excellent three point shots as well as lay-ups and jump shots. The Islanders won this game today. Here are a few pictures of the Islanders today.
View video of the Islander game HERE
Islander and Lady Islander Basketball
February 20, 2021
The games took place today at the Beaver Island Community School gymnasium beginning at 10 a.m. today with the Lady Islanders versus the Hannahville ladies. The Islanders played beginning 11:30 a.m. With the issue of COVID hanging over the school, most of the students and the spectators wore their masks and kept what social distance could happen in a basketball game and in the spectator section.
Over a hundred individual IP addresses watch the games that were live streamed at http://beaverisland.tv. That is the second largest viewing of any live stream ever. BI News on the 'Net was very glad to be able to provide this service to the community here on the island as well as those viewing from Hannahville and across the state and nation.
While it will take a while to get the pictures processed, the entire three hours of the live stream can be viewed at the following link:
View video of the day at BICS HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 20, 2021
Beaver Island filled with unsung heroes and heroines. Some of the biggest are members of the Beaver Island Fire Department.
Founded in the late 1950's, early 1960's, it is an integral part of our island community but only seen when needed. The first Fire Chief was Bud McDonough whose footsteps were followed by his oldest son, Tim McDonough.
Being a fireman isn't just stepping into the uniform, it's taking classes to become certified and it continues throughout their careers. For example:
Fire Fighter I and II require 250 hours
Strategies and Tactics 45 hours
Educational Methodology 16 hours
Command Officer I and II 80 hours
Incident Safety Officer 16 hours
Drivers training 8 hours
Practical evolutions 100 hours
Continuing education 40 hours a year
It isn't just the hours spent in classes, it is the time spent away from family and jobs. It's a total commitment by the firefighter and their family and their employers. We literally owe our lives to them and their dedication to this field.
The very first fire truck was purchased in 1965 and was a 1947 Chevy Pumper with a 300 gallon water tank. It was followed by a second 1951 Chevy Pumper with a 300 gallon water tank.
The Beaver Island Fire Department has an entire fleet of trucks:
1997 - Sutphen Pumper 500 gallon tank
2001 International Style Pumper 1000 gallon tank
2012 International Pumper 1300 gallon tank *
2013 Danko Tender 3000 gallon tank
1998 GMC T850 Tender 200 gallon tank
2018 Ford F350 YL Brush Truck *
1994 DNR Brush Truck
1990 DNR C60 Brush Truck
* Purchased for the Beaver Island Fire Department by the Steinbach family: Fritz, Anna, and Karen.
The Fire Department Auxiliary has purchased over $300,000 in equipment training for members.
On August 24, 1984 a base radio, 2 mobile radios for trucks, 20 pagers were put into action at Station I, capable of paging out emergencies instead of using 10 household phones with members to be called individually.
September 10, 1991 a new system was installed for Fire and EMS to be paged from the Charlevoix Sheriff's Department remotely.
So who are these special folks that protect us? They are:
Tim McDonough Fire/EMS
Jim Wojan Fire
John Works Jr. Fire
Jim McDonough Fire
Darryll Butler Jr. Fire
Steve Crandall Fire
Joe Timsak Fire
Neal Boyle Fire
Bob Turner Fire/EMS
Tammy LaFreniere Fire/EMS
Gerald LaFreniere Fire/EMS
Bob Marsh Fire
Dillon Butler Fire
Levi Connor Fire
Ben Mach Fire
* Ron Marsh Fire/EMS
*Jordan Marsh Fire/EMS
*Neal Green Fire/EMS
*Brad McDonough Fire/EMS
Quinn Jones Fire
* designated they took the Medical First Responder course of 80 hours for their EMS license.
As you can see, hundreds of hours are spend in becoming and remaining a member of the Beaver Island Fire Department.
Just a few history dates of fires fought on the island:
May 1, 1968 Peter Johnson home burned at 11 pm
December 6, 1969 Bing McCafferty home (Young James house) burned 3:15 am.
February 8, 1970 Old Vesty Farm House burned 5:30 pm
March 12, 1977 K&K Farms house burned 9:30 pm
March 12, 1980 Karl and Pinky Harmon's house burned 6 pm. High winds, cold temperatures and fear that the museum and the entire block may also burn.
May 8, 1987 Smoke reported by Captain Mike Green from the Beaver Islander with flames somewhere in the middle of the island. Fire was found between Hannagan Road and Fox Lake burning 40 to 60 acres before being extinguished - with help from the beavers and their dams.
April 13, 1989 Mike and Pat McGinnity home burned
May 20, 1994 Beachcomber Rose Cafe apartment fire at 4:45 am
December 20, 1998 Tom Whitman's house burned with extensive damage.
October 15, 2008 Gillespie Enterprises burns on Barney's Lake Road
December 1, 2012 Rose Cole called 911 at 12:15 am that their home was on fire. Extensive damage.
January 1, 2013 the Maudrie/Gillespie home burned with extensive damage about 4:30 am.
Our fire department is one of our greatest resources and we are so very lucky to have so many folks dedicated to our safety. When you see these folks, please thank them for their hard work and dedication to the island. They are our unsung heroes and heroines.
Special thanks to Chief Tim McDonough for his help in putting this together.
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Mostly cloudy skies this morning, 19°, feels like 15°, wind is from the NW at 6 mph, humidity is at 92%, dew point is 17°, pressure is 30.22 inches, cloud cover is 90%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 7,600 feet. Today: On and off snow showers this morning. Peeks of sunshine later. High 24F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low 18F. Winds light and variable.
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ON THIS DAY In a highly controversial vote on February 20, 1985, the Irish government defies the powerful Catholic Church and approves the sale of contraceptives.
Up until 1979, Irish law prohibited the importation and sale of contraceptives. In a 1973 case, McGee v. The Attorney General, the Irish Supreme Court found that a constitutional right to marital privacy covered the use of contraceptives. Pressured by strong conservative forces in Irish society, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, the government was slow to change the law to reflect the court’s decision, and a number of proposed bills failed before reaching the books.
In 1979, the Irish health minister, Charles Haughey, introduced a bill limiting the legal provision of contraceptives to “bona fide family planning purposes.” Signed into law in November 1980, the Health (Family Planning) Act ensured that contraceptives could be sold by a registered pharmacist to customers with a valid medical prescription. Still, many people saw the law as too strict. Over the next several years, a movement began to make contraceptives more easily available, causing bitter divisions inside and outside of the Dail, Ireland’s main house of Parliament.
As the government debated the changes, Catholic Church leaders railed against them, warning that increased access to contraceptives would encourage the moral decay of Ireland, leading to more illegitimate children and increased rates of abortion and venereal disease. On the eve of the vote in early 1985, the Dublin archbishop claimed the legislation would send Ireland down a “slippery slope of moral degradation.” Some politicians were even threatened with violence if they voted for the legislation.
On February 20, 1985, a coalition of the Fine Gael and Labour parties led by Dr. Garret FitzGerald defeated the opposition of the conservative Fianna Fail party by an 83-80 vote. The new legislation made non-medical contraceptives (condoms and spermicides) available without prescriptions to people over 18 at pharmacies; it also allowed for the distribution of these contraceptives at doctors’ offices, hospitals and family planning clinics. Though it was still illegal to advertise contraceptives and use of the birth control pill remained restricted, the vote marked a major turning point in Irish history—the first-ever defeat of the Catholic Church in a head-to-head battle with the government on social legislation. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW 1852 The Michigan Southern Railroad reaches Chicago. 1909 The Hudson Motor Car Company is organized.
Hudson Motor Car CompanyFounded with the financial backing of Detroit department store founder J. L. Hudson, the company produced its first car on July 3, 1909. The company was later absorbed by the American Motors Corporation. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY perdure (per-DUR) which means to continue to exist: last. Perdure may be an unfamiliar word for many of our readers, but those who suspect they see hints of its ancestry in the more familiar synonym endure are correct. Perdure was borrowed into Middle English from Anglo-French and traces back to the Latin verb perdurare, meaning "to continue." Perdurare, in turn, was formed by combining the intensifying prefix per- with the verb durare, meaning "to last." Durare is also an ancestor of the English words endure, durable, indurate, and during, among others. (merriam-webster.com)
Beaver Island Community School Weekly Update
Friday, February 19, 2021
Islander Basketball at Home this Weekend!
The Islanders host the Hannahville Soaring Eagles this Saturday. Please note that spectators at home games will be limited to two spectators per athlete. Athletes have already given their names to the Athletic Director. If an athlete has only one person to bring, they may give their second spectator to another athlete. All spectators must wear school-appropriate masks (no exhaust valves, gaiter-style masks must be double-layered, etc.) that cover the nose and mouth and must practice social distancing in the stands from those not in their immediate household. In order to ensure that spectators keep their mask on, there will be absolutely no food or drink consumed by spectators. There will be no concessions and there will be no food or drink (including water) allowed in the school building. To reduce congestion between the games, we are expecting spectators to enter the building through the front door and leave through the door by the staff parking lot. The spectator guidelines are attached. Those not following these guidelines will be asked to leave the premises. We are so grateful that we are able to have a basketball season for our students, and we are hoping that all spectators follow the guidelines so that we may be able to continue. Joe Moore will be live streaming the games so those at home can keep up with the action!
Senior Athlete Parent Recognition Next Saturday
We will be honoring the parents of our senior athletes next week between the girls and boys basketball games. Parents—keep your eyes out for an e-mail from Kerry Smith, Athletic Director regarding more details on the logistics for our parent recognition event.
March Lunch Order Sheets Due on Thursday, February 25th
The lunch menu and order sheets are attached. If you are planning on having your student eat lunch at school next month, please complete the March lunch order and return it to the office by next Thursday. If you need any additional information, please call Ms. Pomorski, BICS School Secretary, at (231) 448-2744.
Another 130 Doses Administered!
I’d like to send a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped make Wednesday’s vaccination clinic run smoothly! We were able to complete administering 130 second doses…another step in the journey to helping end the COVID-19 pandemic. I’d also like to thank the anonymous Beaver Island resident who purchased lunch for everyone working at the school during the clinic. The health department staff, school staff, and volunteers truly appreciated the delicious gift of a Dalwhinnie lunch!
Second Dose Pfizer Vaccine Clinic next Tuesday!
BICS will be hosting the clinic to administer the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to those who received their first dose on February 2, 2021. Since we will have only 60 patients, this clinic will be taking place from 12:30 pm to 3:00 pm. Given that we are able to separate the folks coming to the vaccine clinic from the elementary wing and the secondary wing, and the folks coming to the clinic have already had their first dose, we will be conducting school as normal during the clinic. To keep things as separate as possible, we will make some tweaks to the afternoon program: We will be having the secondary students leave the building through the Science classroom door at the end of the day and the elementary students will have their afternoon gym time outside. We will clean and sanitize the gymnasium immediately after the clinic so that basketball practice can begin at 5:00 pm. Although we will take all precautions to separate the immunization clinic from teaching and learning going on in the academic wings, if you would like to keep your student home from school after lunch, you are welcome to do so.
Complacency is Our Next Challenge
In a meeting yesterday between area school district superintendents and the health department leadership, Lisa Peacock, Health Officer for Northwest Michigan, noted that “complacency is our new enemy.” She noted that with every vaccine administered we are getting closer to the end of the pandemic, but that we are not anywhere close to “community immunity” yet. We still need to keep wearing our masks, social distancing, and avoiding large groups to keep the current trend lines of infections, hospitalizations, and deaths going in the right direction. BICS will continue to vigilantly follow our COVID-safe protocols…and we hope that you do too!
Have a Great Weekend!
March 2021 Student Lunch Order Sheet
BICS Spectator Guidelines
March Calendar with Meals Listed
From Beaver Island COA
Hello,
I received this attached document today from the COA main office in Charlevoix. This document provides information for individuals about pharmacies and other ways to obtain an appointment for the Covid-19 vaccine. I know there is nothing on here directly related to Beaver Island, however I feel the information is important to pass along to the community and I hope that each of you will consider passing this along.
Another side note I received is that as of February 19, 2021 there are 29,000 people signed up with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan who are signed up but still do not have a scheduled appointment for their first Covid-19 vaccination shot. The 29,000 individuals are in the 65 and older group and are spread out between Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties. All appointments depend on vaccines that are available at the time.
I appreciate each of you and the work you do in this community. May you all have a wonderful weekend and please contact me if you have any questions.
Grace and peace be with you,
Lonnie Allen
Site Coordinator, Beaver Island COA
Charlevoix County Beaver Island
Building coordinator/Maintenance assistant
(231) 448-2124
View/Download the document HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 19, 2021
First full nights sleep in three days! I guess I'm finally getting used to the nasal canula. Managed to sleep until seven, it's a good thing.
The county guys do a fabulous job on keeping up our roads. It wasn't quite the same years ago, but then they didn't have as many trucks nor workers doing the same job. It used to be there were some dandy "bumps" in the roads. If you were going fast enough, you could make your car take to the air. There was a good one out by Willie Schmidt's going towards Welke's airport, another was at the culvert that divides the townships on the Kings Highway. I think that they were the islands' version on Cedar Point. There were also potholes where some folks would plant cedar trees just to mark the spot for other travelers. They were our mini-lakes. You don't see many of them anymore, so kudos to the road workers. Did you have a favorite bump or pothole?
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Cloudy skies this morning, 16°, no wind from the north, humidity is at 83%, dew point is 10°, pressure is 30.20 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 5,200 feet. Today: Generally cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 26F. Winds light and variable. Tonight Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low around 15F. Winds light and variable.
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ON THIS DAY February 19, 1847, the first rescuers reach surviving members of the Donner Party, a group of California-bound emigrants stranded by snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
In the summer of 1846, in the midst of a Western-bound fever sweeping the United States, 89 people—including 31 members of the Donner and Reed families—set out in a wagon train from Springfield, Illinois. After arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, the emigrants decided to avoid the usual route and try a new trail recently blazed by California promoter Lansford Hastings, the so-called “Hastings Cutoff.” After electing George Donner as their captain, the party departed Fort Bridger in mid-July.
The shortcut was nothing of the sort: It set the Donner Party back nearly three weeks and cost them much-needed supplies. After suffering great hardships in the Wasatch Mountains, the Great Salt Lake Desert and along the Humboldt River, they finally reached the Sierra Nevada Mountains in early October. Despite the lateness of the season, the emigrants continued to press on, and on October 28 they camped at Truckee Lake, located in the high mountains 21 kilometers northwest of Lake Tahoe. Overnight, an early winter storm blanketed the ground with snow, blocking the mountain pass and trapping the Donner Party.
Most of the group stayed near the lake–now known as Donner Lake–while the Donner family and others made camp six miles away at Alder Creek. Building makeshift tents out of their wagons and killing their oxen for food, they hoped for a thaw that never came. Fifteen of the stronger emigrants, later known as the Forlorn Hope, set out west on snowshoes for Sutter’s Fort on December 16. Three weeks later, after harsh weather and lack of supplies killed several of the expedition and forced the others to resort to cannibalism, seven survivors reached a Native American village.
News of the stranded Donner Party traveled fast to Sutter’s Fort, and a rescue party set out on January 31. Arriving at Donner Lake 20 days later, they found the camp completely snowbound and the surviving emigrants delirious with relief at their arrival. Rescuers fed the starving group as well as they could and then began evacuating them. Three more rescue parties arrived to help, but the return to Sutter’s Fort proved equally harrowing, and the last survivors didn’t reach safety until late April. Of the 89 original members of the Donner Party, only 45 reached California.
10 Things You Should Know About the Donner Party
Explore 10 key facts about one of the most gruesome episodes from the era of westward expansion.
EVAN ANDREWS
1) The Donner Party started its trip dangerously late in the pioneer season.
Travel on the California Trail followed a tight schedule. Emigrants needed to head west late enough in the spring for there to be grass available for their pack animals, but also early enough so they could cross the treacherous western mountain passes before winter. The sweet spot for a departure was usually sometime in mid to late-April, yet for unknown reasons, the core of what became the Donner Party didn’t leave their jumping-off point at Independence, Missouri until May 12. They were the last major pioneer train of 1846, and their late start left them with very little margin for error. “I am beginning to feel alarmed at the tardiness of our movements,” one of the emigrants wrote, “and fearful that winter will find us in the snowy mountains of California.”
2) They fell behind schedule after taking an untested shortcut.
After reaching Wyoming, most California-bound pioneers followed a route that swooped north through Idaho before turning south and moving across Nevada. In 1846, however, a dishonest guidebook author named Lansford Hastings was promoting a straighter and supposedly quicker path that cut through the Wasatch Mountains and across the Salt Lake Desert. There was just one problem: no one had ever traveled this “Hastings Cutoff” with wagons, not even Hastings himself. Despite the obvious risks—and against the warnings of James Clyman, an experienced mountain man—the 20 Donner Party wagons elected to break off from the usual route and gamble on Hastings’ back road. The decision proved disastrous. The emigrants were forced to blaze much of the trail themselves by cutting down trees, and they nearly died of thirst during a five-day crossing of the salt desert. Rather than saving them time, Hasting’s “shortcut” ended up adding nearly a month to the Donner Party’s journey.
3) The emigrants lost a race against the weather by just a few days.
Despite the Hastings Cutoff debacle, most of the Donner Party still managed to reach the slopes of the Sierra Nevada by early November 1846. Only a scant hundred miles remained in their trek, but before the pioneers had a chance to drive their wagons through the mountains, an early blizzard blanketed the Sierras in several feet of snow. Mountain passes that were navigable just a day earlier soon transformed into icy roadblocks, forcing the Donner Party to retreat to nearby Truckee Lake and wait out the winter in ramshackle tents and cabins. Much of the group’s supplies and livestock had already been lost on the trail, and it wasn’t long before the first settlers began to perish from starvation.
4) The majority of the Donner Party emigrants were children.
Like most pioneer trains, the Donner Party was largely made up of family wagons packed with young children and adolescents. Of the 81 people who became stranded at Truckee Lake, more than half were younger than 18 years old, and six were infants. Children also made up the vast majority of the Donner’s Party’s eventual survivors. One of them, one-year-old Isabella Breen, would go on to live until 1935.
5) A few pioneers managed to hike to safety.
On December 16, 1846, more than a month after they became snowbound, 15 of the strongest members of the Donner Party strapped on makeshift snowshoes and tried to walk out of the mountains to find help. After wandering the frozen landscape for several days, they were left starving and on the verge of collapse. The hikers resigned themselves to cannibalism and considered drawing lots for a human sacrifice or even having two of the men square off in a duel. Several members of the party soon died naturally, however, so the survivors roasted and consumed their corpses. The gruesome meat gave them the energy they required, and following a month of walking, seven of the original 15 made it to a ranch in California and helped organize rescue efforts. Historians would later dub their desperate hike “The Forlorn Hope.”
6) A Donner Party member murdered two people for use as food.
During the “Forlorn Hope” expedition, the hiking party included a pair of Indians named Salvador and Luis, both of whom had joined up with the Donner emigrants shortly before they became snowbound. The natives refused to engage in cannibalism, and Salvador and Luis later ran off out of fear that they might be murdered once the others ran out of meat. Indeed, when the duo was found days later, exhausted and lying in the snow, a hiking party member named William Foster shot both of them in the head. The Indians were then butchered and eaten by the hikers. It was the only time during the entire winter that people were murdered for use as food.
7) Not all of the emigrants engaged in cannibalism.
As their supplies dwindled, the Donner emigrants stranded at Truckee Lake resorted to eating increasingly grotesque meals. They slaughtered their pack animals, cooked their dogs, gnawed on leftover bones and even boiled the animal hide roofs of their cabins into a foul paste. Several people died from malnutrition, but the rest managed to subsist on morsels of boiled leather and tree bark until rescue parties arrived in February and March 1847. Not all of the settlers were strong enough to escape, however, and those left behind were forced to cannibalize the frozen corpses of their comrades while waiting for further help. All told, roughly half of the Donner Party’s survivors eventually resorted to eating human flesh.
8) The rescue process took over two months.
Of the five months the Donner Party spent trapped in the mountains, nearly half of it took place after they had already been located by rescuers. The first relief parties reached the settlers in February 1847, but since pack animals were unable to navigate the deep snowdrifts, they only brought whatever food and supplies they could carry. By then, many of the emigrants were too weak to travel, and several died while trying to walk out of the mountains. Four relief teams and more than two-and-a-half months were eventually required to shepherd all the Donner Party survivors back to civilization. The last to be rescued was Lewis Keseberg, a Prussian pioneer who was found in April 1847, supposedly half-mad and surrounded by the cannibalized bodies of his former companions. Keseberg was later accused of having murdered the other emigrants for use as food, but the charges were never proven.
9) One rescuer singlehandedly led nine survivors out of the mountains.
Perhaps the most famous of the Donner Party’s saviors was John Stark, a burly California settler who took part in the third relief party. In early March 1847, he and two other rescuers stumbled upon 11 emigrants, mostly kids, who been left in the mountains by an earlier relief group. The two other rescuers each grabbed a single child and started hoofing it back down the slope, but Stark was unwilling to leave anyone behind. Instead, he rallied the weary adults, gathered the rest of the children and began guiding the group singlehandedly. Most of the kids were too weak to walk, so Stark took to carrying two of them at a time for a few yards, then setting them down in the snow and going back for others. He continued the grueling process all the way down the mountain, and eventually led all nine of his charges to safety. Speaking of the incident years later, one of the survivors credited her rescue to “nobody but God and Stark and the Virgin Mary.”
10) Only two families made it through the ordeal intact.
Of the 81 pioneers who began the Donner Party’s horrific winter in the Sierra Nevada, only 45 managed to walk out alive. The ordeal proved particularly costly for the group’s 15 solo travelers, all but two of whom died, but it also took a tragic toll on the families. George and Jacob Donner, both of their wives and four of their children all perished. Pioneer William Eddy, meanwhile, lost his wife and his two kids. Nearly a dozen families had made up Donner wagon train, but only two—the Reeds and the Breens—managed to arrive in California without suffering a single death. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW National Caregivers Day on the third Friday in February honors the health care professionals across the country providing long-term and hospice care.
Around the nation, dedicated health care professionals serve those who require long-term or hospice care. They provide vital services, reassuring patients and the families who care about them. Often loved ones require care we are not able to provide. We are either not physically able or do not have the skills or means to provide them. Expert caregivers are trained to provide round-the-clock services in safe environments. Their care enables the family to focus on their loved one’s healing process. In hospice care, a caregiver allows the family to spend time with their loved one without worrying about medical responsibilities.
Caregivers deliver a variety of duties from personal care to medical services with compassion and professionalism. Their days may be long and demanding, but they provide support to those who need it most.
The celebration recognizes caregivers who provide quality, compassionate care every day. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY anodyne AN-uh-dyne which means:
1 : serving to alleviate pain
2 : not likely to offend or arouse tensions : innocuous
Anodyne came to English via Latin from Greek anṓdynos (meaning "free from pain, causing no pain, harmless, allaying pain"), and it has been used as both an adjective and a noun ("something that soothes, calms, or comforts") since the 16th century. It has sometimes been used of things that dull or lull the senses and render painful experiences less so. British statesman Edmund Burke used it this way, for example, in 1790 when he referred to flattery as an "anodyne draft of oblivion" that renders one (in this particular case, the deposed King Louis XVI) forgetful of the flatterer's true feelings. Nowadays, in addition to describing things that dull pain, anodyne can also refer to that which doesn't cause discomfort in the first place. (merriam-webster.com)
Lynn Howard DeGrow, RIP
Lynn Howard DeGrow, age 76, of Charlevoix, Michigan, passed away Saturday, February 13, 2021, surrounded by his family. Born on December 16, 1944, in North Branch, Michigan, Lynn was the son of the late Hollis and Edith (Seelye) DeGrow. He married Linda (Murray) DeGrow on May 25, 1968, in Sudbury, Mass.
Lynn was a graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, served his country in Vietnam and retired from the Coast Guard Reserve as a captain. He was also a residential builder with DeGrow and Sons, owned and operated DeGrow’s Pro Hardware, and managed the Beaver Island Boat Company. He served as a director of the Charlevoix Area Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Kiwanis Club.
He is survived by his four children: Anne (Greg) Harmon of Mikado, Mich., Darcie (Rick) Clapp of Grand Haven, Mich., Brad (Liz) DeGrow of Cary, N.C., Kurt (Jenny) DeGrow of Allegan, Mich.; eight grandchildren: Kyle and Brooke Harmon, Claire and Ian Clapp, Ella and Abby DeGrow, Max and Grace DeGrow; and two sisters, Carol Crowel of Evergreen, Colorado, and Sharon Yale of Lexington, N.C. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda; and his brother, Wayne.
Elks Fundraiser
February 18, 2021
So.... How lucky are you? Well, you're about to find out!!! The Beaver Island Elks Auxiliary is sponsoring a "St. Paddy's Pot O' Gold" raffle with multiple winners drawn on the final day of St. Paddy's weekend, March 14. Tickets are $5 each, or 5 for $20. Raffle prizes (including the famous basket of booze) are being collected as we speak. More details will follow. The raffle is open to the public. Michigan license number: X03779. C'mon Elks! Contact me (or any Elk) to buy tickets. And btw... All proceeds go to the Elk's Charitable Giving accounts. No revenue will go to a building fund.
Beaver Island Music Festival 2021
Join our team! Buy a shirt to help our cause today!
Help keep the music alive! Join the BIMF Team. Together we have the power to accomplish some pretty incredible things. We see it every day! The campaigns you support, the causes you rally behind, and the projects you bring to life, are what keeps the beat going. We need your help to support musicians and the cultural arts to keep the music flowing. You're doing something amazing by purchasing a Team BIMF t-shirt to support us in the work we are doing.
THANK YOU!
Since 2003 the Beaver Island Music Festival, an annual community-based event, has grown a vibrant cultural community on a remote Lake Michigan island. PARC is dedicated to creating ways to retain and support artists, personnel, festival goers, and community members who have been affected by the many cancellations by trying to minimize the devastating economic impact. We plan to continue events, either in person or by creating new platforms, that will support the mission of our organization and make sure this vital asset to our rural and isolated community does not disappear. These artists represent the cultural history and spirit of the island with a combination of traditional and current music. The Festival means much more than a set of musical performances. It is a way of bringing people to Beaver Island every year to experience the natural beauty, community spirit, enjoy talented musicians, and support an island that depends on summer visitors for its economic resilience. In the coming months we will need your support to keep moving forward into 2021. Beaver Island Music Festival 2020 will become BIMF 2021 with artists returning for a stronger festival. For more information https://bimf.ne
Order your t-shirt HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 18, 2021
Just to give you guys a quick update. It seems I didn’t pass that last oxygen test so they are putting me on oxygen at night for sleeping. My numbers were way down below 88. So that’s my news. I feel just fine though. No worries. Just having trouble adjusting to having something in my nose when I'm trying to sleep. I suppose I'll get used to it eventually.
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Cloudy skies, 14° feels like 13°, wind is from the east at 4 mph with gusts to 6 mph, humidity is 80%, dew point is 8°, pressure is 30.41 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 7,900 feet. Today: Mostly cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High around 25F. Winds light and variable. Tonight: Cloudy. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 17F. Winds light and variable.
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ON THIS DAY February 18, 1885, Mark Twain publishes his famous—and famously controversial—novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Twain (the pen name of Samuel Clemens) first introduced Huck Finn as the best friend of Tom Sawyer, hero of his tremendously successful novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876). Though Twain saw Huck’s story as a kind of sequel to his earlier book, the new novel was far more serious, focusing on the institution of slavery and other aspects of life in the antebellum South.
At the book’s heart is the journey of Huck and his friend Jim, a runaway enslaved person, down the Mississippi River on a raft. Jim runs away because he is about to be sold and separated from his wife and children, and Huck goes with him to help him get to Ohio and freedom. Huck narrates the story in his distinctive voice, offering colorful descriptions of the people and places they encounter along the way. The most striking part of the book is its satirical look at racism, religion and other social attitudes of the time. While Jim is strong, brave, generous and wise, many of the white characters are portrayed as violent, stupid or simply selfish, and the naive Huck ends up questioning the hypocritical, unjust nature of society in general.
Even in 1885, two decades after the Emancipation Proclamation and the end of the Civil War, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn landed with a splash. A month after its publication, a Concord, Massachusetts, library banned the book, calling its subject matter “tawdry” and its narrative voice “coarse” and “ignorant.” Other libraries followed suit, beginning a controversy that continued long after Twain’s death in 1910. In the 1950s, the book came under fire from African American groups for being racist in its portrayal of Black characters, despite the fact that it was seen by many as a strong criticism of racism and slavery. As recently as 1998, an Arizona parent sued her school district, claiming that making Twain’s novel required high school reading made already existing racial tensions even worse.
Aside from its controversial nature and its continuing popularity with young readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been hailed by many serious literary critics as a masterpiece. No less a judge than Ernest Hemingway famously declared that the book marked the beginning of American literature: “There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW The completed Treaty of Ghent was officially proclaimed. The treaty provided that Mackinac Island be returned to the United States. Although the United States was forced to surrender Fort Mackinac to the British during the War of 1812, the fort was won back through the Treaty of Ghent, which officially ended the war and provided that the entire Island be returned to the United States. In May of 1815, The British garrison in control of Mackinaw Island finally received the terms of the Treaty. When he learned of the terms which specified that the United Kingdom was to allow the Americans to take possession of the fort, the British commander bitterly resented “surrender of this most important island.” The British soldiers retired 40 miles away, to Drummond Island. The United States has held Mackinac Island ever since. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY toady (TOH-dee) which means one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors : sycophant We can thank old-time toadeaters for toady. In 17th-century Europe, a toadeater was a showman's assistant whose job was to make the boss look good. The toadeater would eat (or pretend to eat) what were supposed to be poisonous toads. The charlatan in charge would then "save" the toad-afflicted assistant by expelling the poison. It's little wonder that such assistants became symbolic of extreme subservience, and that toadeater became a word for any obsequious underling. By the early 1800s, it had been shortened and altered to toady, our current term for a servile self-seeker. By the mid-1800s, toady was also being used as a verb meaning "to engage in sycophancy." (merriam-webster.com)
St. James Township Public Works Committee
FEBRUARY 17, 2021 @ 11:00AM @ VIA ZOOM
AGENDA ITEM |
Welcome: call to order input on agenda revisions |
Agenda
Other business as may come before the committee *Public Works Committee established by Township Board on 12.7.2016. Current Members: Supervisor McNamara, Trustee Cole and Trustee Moore. |
View/download the Meeting Notice and Zoom info HERE
January 2021 Minutes
February 2021 Minutes
Video of the meeting HERE
From BI COA
Hi all,
Here is the information about the planned COA Easter dinner.
In March, A COA Easter Dinner for Beaver Island Commission on Aging clients will be prepared. The meal will be drive-thru pickup only taking place between 4-5 p.m. on March 31. The meal is limited to 50 people and will require pre-registration. To register for the Easter Dinner please stop by or call the COA office. Registration for the dinner will end at noon on March 19, 2021 or earlier if the 50 person registration is reached. The menu includes honey baked ham, roasted vegetable, au gratin potatoes, dinner roll and dessert served with milk or juice.
Grace and peace be with you,
Lonnie Allen
Site Coordinator, Beaver Island COA
Charlevoix County Beaver Island
Building coordinator/Maintenance assistant
(231) 448-2124
Valentine Bingo info HERE
Weather by Joe
February 17, 2021
The weather lady is somewhat under the weather this morning. She hasn't had much sleep in the last two nights, so you have to deal with this guy this morning.
One memory that sticks out in my mind this morning took place at the Beaver Haven Marina. There were lots of people who worked for Phil Gregg down there including his son-in-law, me. Ron and I had the job to work on a logging truck tire, just one of the non-marina jobs that was a method to help pay wages. One day we had fifteen tires to patch, and, of course, we did the easy ones first. There was a man powered tire machine which helped get the job done. All fifteen tires were done and placed outside the door with the owner's initials on them in chalk.
Ron and I went to work on the big steel-rimmed logging truck tire. It was a bugger, as Phil would say. As I remember this, Ron was using the small sledge hammer to try to break the bead away from the rim. I was holding the tool that spread out the force of the blow from the small sledge hammer. The force of the next blow with the sledge caused the tool to rebound back at me and hit me in the face just below my eye. Luckily, I had glasses on, and the rim of the glasses took the majority of the energy from the rebounding tire tool.
Needless to say, the rims of the glasses exerting the tearing force on my cheek just below the eye socket. Of course Ron and Phil were quite upset as the blood dripped from the cut caused by the glasses pushing into my cheek. Off to see Doc Christie at the medical center was in order. He sewed it up, put a bandaid on it and back to work I went.
That tire didn't have much chance after that. The dump of adrenalin, the anger at the tire for the injury, and the level of frustration pushed the two of us to get this "stupid" tire apart and fixed. We even washed off the blood from the tire before sitting it outside the back door to be picked up by the owner. Phil came back from working on a boat and said, "Where's the logging truck tire?"
"We got that bloody thing finished," we replied using the only language that Phil would allow in the marina work areas. We were both back at it the next morning, one with a black eye.
Not a funny memory, but we can look back at this are just part of the Beaver Haven history with Phil Gregg and Walker Hill.
Right now, a little after eight, the temeprature is 12 degrees with a pressure of 30.32, and visibility of ten miles. It is partly cloudy, the dewpoint is 5 degrees, and humidity is at 74%. The sun is shining here on Carlisle Road.
TODAY, it is expected to have sunny skies with high around 20 degrees. Winds will be light and variable.
TONIGHT, it is forecasst for partly cloudy skies becoming fully overcast. There is a chance of snow flurries or snow storm with the winds remaining light and variable.
TOMORROW, it is forecast for mostly cloudy skies, a high around 25 with winds light and variable.
All in all, this should be a nice sunny winter day.
ON THIS DAY
The Senate passes the Missouri Compromise, an attempt to deal with the dangerously divisive issue of extending slavery into the western territories.
From colonial days to the Civil War, slavery and western expansion both played fundamental but inherently incompatible roles in the American republic. As the nation expanded westward, the Congress adopted relatively liberal procedures by which western territories could organize and join the union as full-fledged states. Southern slaveholders, eager to replicate their plantation system in the West, wanted to keep the new territories open to slavery. Abolitionists, concentrated primarily in the industrial North, wanted the West to be exclusively a free labor region and hoped that slavery would gradually die out if confined to the South. Both factions realized their future congressional influence would depend on the number of new “slave” and “free” states admitted into the union.
Consequently, the West became the first political battleground over the slavery issue. In 1818, the Territory of Missouri applied to Congress for admission as a slave state. Early in 1819, a New York congressman introduced an amendment to the proposed Missouri constitution that would ban importation of newly enslaved people and require gradual emancipation of existing enslaved people. Southern congressmen reacted with outrage, inspiring a nationwide debate on the future of slavery in the nation.
Over the next year, the congressional debate grew increasingly bitter, and southerners began to threaten secession and civil war. To avoid this disastrous possibility, key congressmen hammered together an agreement that became known as the Missouri Compromise. In exchange for admitting Missouri without restrictions on slavery, the Compromise called for bringing in Maine as a free state. The Compromise also dictated that slavery would be prohibited in all future western states carved out of the Louisiana Territory that were higher in latitude than the northern border of Arkansas Territory.
Although the Missouri Compromise temporarily eased the inherent tensions between western expansion and slavery, the divisive issue was far from resolved. Whether or not to allow slavery in the states of Texas, Kansas and Nebraska caused the same difficulties several decades later, leading the nation toward civil war.
WORD OF THE DAY
Indissoluable; adjective; (in-dih-SAHL-yuh-bul); not dissoluble; especially : incapable of being annulled, undone, or broken : permanent
Indissoluble and its antonym dissoluble ("capable of being dissolved or disintegrated") both date their first print appearances to the 16th century, and both owe a debt to Latin dissolubilis, which means "dissoluble; capable of being dissolved." While the word dissolve in that gloss may call to mind the chemical process by which something mixed with a liquid becomes part of the liquid (as when salt or sugar dissolve in water), indissoluble primarily relates to other meanings of dissolve: "destroy" and "disintegrate," "terminate" and "annul." Something indissoluble—such as a treaty, contract, or vow—is permanent. The English word dissolve, in all its meanings, is a cousin to indissoluble and dissoluble. Dissolubilis derives from Latin dissolvere (from dis- + solvere, "to loosen") the source of our word dissolve.
From BIC School
February 16, 2021
Reminder--Wednesday, February 17 is a remote learning day for our students so we can hold the vaccination clinic for those receiving their second dose of the Moderna vaccine. Thank you students, parents, and teachers for supporting the transformation of our gymnasium into a community clinic.
Community members, if you got your first dose of Moderna on January 19th, we are looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at Beaver Island Community School. Please drive to the front of the school 5 minutes before your scheduled appointment time and check in with our volunteers outside the school. Stay in your car until we come and get you for your injection.
We are looking forward to a smooth vaccination clinic. Thank you everyone for your cooperation!
From St. James Supervisor
February 16, 2021
In 2017, St James Township on Beaver Island was awarded a C3F grant of $5,250 to hire a consultant to write a Recreation Plan for the township, and to position itself to submit proposals to potential grantors to improve and promote access to recreational sites for residents and visitors. The township leveraged the original $5,250 grant into nearly $3 million in grants and gifts over the last few years. Through state, tribal, and private grants and gifts, the following improvements are completed or underway: a new bathhouse and electricity at the campground, 500’ of harbor front property protected, electrical upgrades at two marina locations, improved boat launch and fuel pier, new marina office, and upgraded bathhouse at the public marina. We congratulate St. James Township on their extensive success!
(from the Charlevoix Community Foundation)
Search for Rental or Other
from Kelly Becker
ISO year-round rental options, land contract, rent-to-own, or fabulous home purchase options beginning late May, by June 1, 2021, needed. Please feel free to message me on Facebook Messenger, private message me, text or call me at 269-377-5049.
Commission on Aging Updates
Hello friends,
Here is a joke to start today’s conversation. What’s the difference between a hippo and a Zippo? I will have the answer posted at the end of this post.
The Charlevoix County Commission on Aging on Beaver Island now has Beaver Island Community School lunch menus and order sheets available online to print off and return to the COA office or they can be picked up at the COA office.
Valentine Bingo will wrap up next week. If you picked up a bingo card and got a bingo please return those cards to the COA office by noon on Friday, Feb. 26. If you still want to play all call symbols are available in the COA office along with Bingo cards. You can take a card and the sheet with this month’s call symbols on it home and mark your card to see if you got a bingo. All cards should be returned with name and contact number on them for the prize drawings.
I have had one couple contact me for the Not so Newlywed Game. We are looking for four couples who are age 60 and older to participate in the game show activity. The planned activity is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Beaver island Community Center. For more information call 448-2124.
In March, I will prepare a COA Easter Dinner for Beaver Island Commission on Aging clients. The meal is limited to 50 people and will require pre-registration. To register for the Easter Dinner please stop by or call the COA office. Registration for the dinner will end at noon on March 19, 2021 or earlier if the 50 person registration is reached. The menu includes honey baked ham, roasted vegetable, au gratin potatoes, dinner roll and dessert served with milk or juice. The meal will be drive-thru pickup only taking place between 4-5 p.m. on March 31.
What’s the difference between a hippo and a Zippo? One’s really heavy; the other’s a little lighter.
March COA order form
March COA Calendar
Special Peaine Township Meeting
Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 2:00 pm
View meeting notice and Zoom attendance information HERE
2 16 21 Peaine Special Meeting Packet_001
PLAN OUTLINE TO PROVIDE REMOVAL OF SCRAP METAL version 2-1
Single Stream Recycling
View video of the Zoom meeting HERE
Beaver Haven Tales 5
by Glenn Hendrix
Story #5: The Rescue
I was a good swimmer and loved working on boats and on the docks. I was not afraid of water and didn't think about safety. However, most kids raised on the Island did not know how to swim. I had the luxury of learning in a swimming pool, but there was no pool on the Island, just Lake Michigan which was usually cold.
There were always kids hanging around the dock. Some would fish. The Kenwabikise kids just used some line, a sinker, and a hook. They lowered the hook through the cracks in the dock. They caught lots of rock bass. Once I saw one of those kids poking at a huge dead carp on the shore, and I suggested he should take it home to his mother to cook! I didn't realize it, but Phil watched these kids quite carefully.
One day some of the young McDonough and Green girls were playing at the end of the dock. This was normal, and I paid no attention to them. All of a sudden Phil raced past me--I never knew he could move so quickly! He grabbed a life ring hanging from the dock house, ran to the end and threw it in the water. One of the girls had fallen in. Phil fished her out of the water and comforted her while not making such a fuss that she would never go near the water again. I learned two lessons: docks are dangerous and Phil could run really fast.
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 16, 2021
It's sort of amazing what one family can do for a small community. Back in 1961, Jack and Eileen Martin moved bag and baggage to the island with their youngest daughter, Pam. Patti stayed on the mainland to finish high school before joining them.
The Martins purchased the old Rectory and turned it into a wonderful supper club named the Circle M. They introduced Smorgasbord to the island - delicious. Jack had a pet piranha, named Oscar, in an aquarium at the bar whom he fed bits of ground beef. Both daughters eventually married into island families; Pam to Robert Palmer and Patti to A.J. Gallagher.
The girls did something else too. They brought the island "style" into the 60s. We were introduced to mini-skirts and suede jackets with huge patch pockets. I don't remember how many girls were sent home for wearing their skirts shorter than the nuns liked, but I know there were a few. In the course of a few weeks we jumped from the 50's - middle of the knee dresses to mini-skirts! They sure weren't any warmer for that long winter walk to school. Thank goodness for the Power Plant!!
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Cloudy skies, 6°, feels like -7°, wind is from the NNE at 8 mph with gusts to 13 mph, humidity is at 63%, dew point is -4°, pressure is at 30.12 inches, cloud clover is 91%, visibility is 12 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 19,400 feet. Today: Partly cloudy. High 17F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy. Low 8F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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ON THIS DAY in 1878, silver dollars were made legal tender.
Strongly supported by western mining interests and farmers, the Bland-Allison Act—which provided for a return to the minting of silver coins—becomes the law of the land.
The strife and controversy surrounding the coinage of silver is difficult for most modern Americans to understand, but in the late 19th century it was a topic of keen political and economic interest. Today, the value of American money is essentially secured by faith in the stability of the government, but during the 19th century, money was generally backed by actual deposits of silver and gold, the so-called “bimetallic standard.” The U.S. also minted both gold and silver coins.
In 1873, Congress decided to follow the lead of many European nations and cease buying silver and minting silver coins, because silver was relatively scarce and to simplify the monetary system. Exacerbated by a variety of other factors, this led to a financial panic. When the government stopped buying silver, prices naturally dropped, and many owners of primarily western silver mines were hurt. Likewise, farmers and others who carried substantial debt loads attacked the so-called “Crime of ’73.” They believed, somewhat simplistically, that it caused a tighter supply of money, which in turn made it more difficult for them to pay off their debts.
A nationwide drive to return to the bimetallic standard gripped the nation, and many Americans came to place a near mystical faith in the ability of silver to solve their economic difficulties. The leader of the fight to remonetize silver was the Missouri Congressman Richard Bland. Having worked in mining and having witnessed the struggles of small farmers, Bland became a fervent believer in the silver cause, earning him the nickname “Silver Dick.”
With the backing of powerful western mining interests, Bland secured passage of the Bland-Allison Act, which became law on this day in 1878. Although the act did not provide for a return to the old policy of unlimited silver coinage, it did require the U.S. Treasury to resume purchasing silver and minting silver dollars as legal tender. Americans could once again use silver coins as legal tender, and this helped some struggling western mining operations. However, the act had little economic impact, and it failed to satisfy the more radical desires and dreams of the silver backers. The battle over the use of silver and gold continued to occupy Americans well into the 20th century. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW The last day of Carnival and the day before for Ash Wednesday, Fat Tuesday is the intertwining of a period of festivals and feasts that lead to a time of fasting and reflection. Also known as Shrove Tuesday and Mardi Gras, this enduring celebration has many traditions and deep roots around the world.
Mardi Gras (French for Fat Tuesday) dates back to an ancient Roman festival honoring the deities Lupercalia and Saturnalia which took place in mid-February. When Christians arrived in Rome, they incorporated the festival into Lenten preparations.
For centuries, this solemn feast prepared Christians for the season of Lent and used up valuable meat and supplies they would be abstaining from in the days to come. Traditions surrounding the day have changed through the ages. Through time and culture, the practices of Lent and Carnival, Mardi Gras, and Shrove Tuesday have varied and become incorporated into regional customs.
In the United Kingdom, Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day. Pancakes are the perfect menu item when the future includes abstaining from fats, eggs, and sweets! In Russia, they celebrate the entire week during Shrovetide as Pancake Week.
Carnival & Mardi Gras
While the French didn’t originate the medieval feast, they did put their stamp on it. From parades to beignets and colorful masks, the last day of Carnival is full of elaborate costumes and lavish food sure to hold the revelers over through a long fast. During the 16th century, their ancestors celebrated Boeuf Gras (fatted calf) which included a tradition of parading a bull decorated with flowers through the city. The decorated animal is followed through the streets by a retinue of colorfully dressed attendants and bands playing unusual instruments. There was even a Boeuf Gras Society in Mobile, Alabama at one time. (See history below for more information.)
New Orleans holds the crown for Carnival and Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States. While the city is filled with French flavor and style, its culture is an eclectic infusion of many cultures. Colorful King Cake and thick, savory muffuletta sandwiches only suggest the indulgence possible on Fat Tuesday. Regional specialties like Etouffee, Po’boys, and jambalaya all add to the atmosphere of the day.
And while we satisfy our cravings, let’s not forget our beverages. Signature creations from New Orleans hit the spot. Be sure to try the Sazerac made with absinthe or the citrus cocktail Arnaud’s Special. For a smooth drink with some punch mix up a Vieux Carré made with whiskey, cognac, and sweet vermouth. But you don’t have to have a cocktail to enjoy the feast! Fat Tuesday has plenty of beverages full of refreshing flavor. Coffees, sodas, and shakes of every flavor can be found.
FAT TUESDAY HISTORY
The roots of the celebration have been woven together for centuries from medieval spring festivals and feasts that were based on the Christian calendar. Fat Tuesday is celebrated around the world in its various forms all of which harken back to these roots of spring festivals and religious fasting in preparation for the Holy day of Easter.
Credit for bringing Mardi Gras to America goes to French explorers Pierre Le Moyne Sieur d’Iberville and Jean Baptiste Le Moyne Sieur de Bienville. In 1699, d’Iberville reached the mouth of the river on Shrove Tuesday near what is now Louisiana and named it Pointe du Mardi Gras.
Thanks to their establishment of Fort Louis de la Mobile, modern-day Mobile, Alabama lays claim to the first Mardi Gras celebration on American soil in 1703.
When de Bienville established Nouvelle Orleans in 1788, Mardi Gras celebrations reportedly began immediately. In 1875, Louisiana declared Fat Tuesday an official holiday. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY underwhelm (un-der-WELM) which means to fail to impress or stimulate. Overwhelm and its rare synonym whelm have both been around since the Middle Ages, but underwhelm is a 20th-century coinage. Both overwhelm and whelm are derived from the Middle English whelmen, which is perhaps an alteration of whelven ("to turn over" or "to cover up"). Underwhelm is a playful overturning of overwhelm well suited for describing the unimpressive. More than one person claims the distinction of having invented underwhelm; several sources attribute it to the playwright George S. Kaufman, but sports columnist Red Smith is quoted as believing he coined the word himself, and still other sources cite other potential creators. Chances are that the word was in fact coined by more than one inventive writer. (merriam-webster.com)
St. James Township Public Works Committee
FEBRUARY 17, 2021 @ 11:00AM @ VIA ZOOM
AGENDA ITEM |
Welcome: call to order input on agenda revisions |
Agenda
Other business as may come before the committee *Public Works Committee established by Township Board on 12.7.2016. Current Members: Supervisor McNamara, Trustee Cole and Trustee Moore. |
View/download the Meeting Notice and Zoom info HERE
Beaver Island Book
February 15, 2021
After a year of attempts to get communication back from the Grand Traverse Band and the Little Traverse Band, searching for permission to provide this to the subscribers of Beaver Island News on the 'Net, the editor got permission from one person, and another person stated that there was no copyright to this book. The editor finds this information quite interesting, and has therefore decided to post the entire book on this website. If any communication comes to ask that it be removed, it will be removed.
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 15, 2021
Here we go again. This bitter, bitter cold is across the nation and it's much more than invigorating, it's numbing. It also reminded me of another story.
Years ago when the Car Wash/Laundromat was fairly new, my folks drove a white car. Now you'd think that having a white car on the island in the winter would be an easy thing to keep clean since we don't use salt on our roads...not. My dad liked to keep his nice and clean so off they would go to wash it. That's fine in the spring, summer, and autumn, but winter poses a different set of problems.
Dad pulled in, with Mom in the passenger seat, and started washing the car. Now in the winter, that area of the island gets a whole lot of wind, so one door is kept closed to block it. Dad didn't think that was enough so he closed the other door too. Now when misty, water meets very cold air something happens... stuff freezes. He finished washing the car and then discovered that BOTH doors were froze shut! No problem, he thought, Cindy and Dusty Cushman lived in the apartment above. He'd holler and honk the car horn to bring one of them down. Didn't work. Either they weren't home, or the place was well insulated, or he just wasn't loud enough. Now what? It was getting late and it was darn cold, although he did have a clean car. Somehow he managed to find a long piece of wood and made a little flag that he tweaked through the door and waved up and down until, finally, someone noticed it. We don't know who it was (neither Mom nor Ruthie can remember), but they managed to let them out. Thank goodness they were rescued before they froze! Thank you to whomever it was. Dad quit winter car washing until it was above freezing out. (He told this story so much better than I can)
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Lightly snowing, 2°, feels like -9°, wind is from the NNW at 6 mph with gusts to 7 mph, humidity is at 84%, dew point is -2°, pressure is falling from 30.43 inches, cloud cover is 76%, visibility is 3 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 6,200 feet. Today: Becoming partly cloudy later with any flurries or snow showers ending by noontime. High 11F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Tonight: Cloudy skies. Low 2F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
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ON THIS DAY In accordance with a formal proclamation by Queen Elizabeth II of England, a new Canadian national flag is raised above Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.
Beginning in 1610, Lower Canada, a new British colony, flew Great Britain’s Union Jack, or Royal Union Flag. In 1763, as a result of the French and Indian Wars, France lost its sizable colonial possessions in Canada, and the Union Jack flew all across the wide territory of Canada. In 1867, the Dominion of Canada was established as a self-governing federation within the British Empire, and three years later a new flag, the Canadian Red Ensign, was adopted. The Red Ensign was a solid red flag with the Union Jack occupying the upper-left corner and a crest situated in the right portion of the flag.
The search for a new national flag that would better represent an independent Canada began in earnest in 1925 when a committee of the Privy Council began to investigate possible designs. Later, in 1946, a select parliamentary committee was appointed with a similar mandate and examined more than 2,600 submissions. Agreement on a new design was not reached, and it was not until the 1960s, with the centennial of Canadian self-rule approaching, that the Canadian Parliament intensified its efforts to choose a new flag.
In December 1964, Parliament voted to adopt a new design. Canada’s national flag was to be red and white, the official colors of Canada as decided by King George V of Britain in 1921, with a stylized 11-point red maple leaf in its center. Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed February 15, 1965, as the day on which the new flag would be raised over Parliament Hill and adopted by all Canadians.
(history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW On the third Monday in February, the United States celebrates the federal holiday known as Presidents Day. The day takes place during the birth month of the country’s two most prominent presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. While the day once only honored President George Washington on his birthday, February 22nd, the day now never lands on a single president’s birthday.
Across the country, most Americans know the day as Presidents Day. More and more of the population celebrates the day to honor all of the past United States Presidents who have served the country. Throughout the country, organizations and communities celebrate the day with public ceremonies.
HOW TO OBSERVE #PresidentsDay
Some businesses close, including banks and federal buildings. Celebrate your favorite U.S. president. Here are some ways to participate:
Watch a documentary about the POTUS. For example, The Presidents by the History Channel.
See if you can name all the presidents in order.
Challenge yourself to some presidential trivia:
Who are the three presidents who served in 1841?
Forty years later, this same phenomenon occurred again in 1881. Name the three presidents who served that year.
Name the three presidents who died on July 4th.
Who were the four presidents who were assassinated while in office?
Use #PresidentsDay to post on social media.
PRESIDENTS DAY HISTORY
The origin of Presidents Day lay in the 1880s when the birthday of George Washington was celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill. The bill moved several federal holidays to Mondays creating three-day weekends. During the debate on the bill, one proposal suggested George Washington’s birthday be renamed Presidents Day to honor the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington’s birthday is February 22nd and Lincoln’s birthday is February 12th. Although Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday. Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change.
Despite the rejection, soon after the bill went into effect in 1971, and the observance of Washington’s birthday shifted to the third Monday in February, gradually Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name. Over time, the observance came to be known to many as a day to honor both Washington and Lincoln. However, today another shift has occurred and many see the day as a celebration of all the U.S. Presidents.
Answers
1) Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler
2) Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur.
3) John Adams, James Monroe, Thomas Jefferson.
4) Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, John F.
Kennedy
(nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY durable (DUR-uh-bul) which means able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration; also : designed to be durable. Something durable lasts a long time, so it's no surprise that the word comes to us, via Anglo-French, from the Latin verb durare, meaning "to last." Other descendants of durare in English include during, endure, and durance (which now mostly turns up in the phrase "in durance vile," a fancy way of saying "in prison"). Durable even has a near synonym in the much rarer perdurable, which combines durare with the prefix per- (meaning "throughout") to create a word that can mean "lasting a very long time or indefinitely" or "eternal." (merriam-webster.com)
Snowy February Weekend
February 14, 2021
While the snow and blowing snow are still happening on Beaver Island, the amounts on Sunday are miniscule here compared to Saturday. The pictures here are from Saturday.
The mainland is getting lake effect snow today. The normal Sunday Mass did not take place today because the priest was not able to fly over to the island for the 12:15 p.m. service. The sun is shining here on Beaver Island, but a glimpse at the blowing snow across the harbor on Saturday should remind us that we are left to our own devices when the weather decides to take charge.
View video from Saturday snow and Sunday sun HERE
Prayer Service at Holy Cross
2/14/2021
The sun was shining on Beaver Island when the 12:15 p.m. Mass was supposed to begin, but there was no visibility in Charlevoix, so Father Peter could not fly over to the island for Mass. Instead Patrick Nugent lead the parishioners in a prayer service at the Holy Cross Church on Beaver Island.
Joan Banville did the readings......Jacque LaFreniere read the Gospel.........Patrick Nugent lead the Prayer Service
View video of the Prayer Service HERE
BIC Church Service
2/14/2021
Judi Meister and Mary Ellen Dawson begin the service.
Bill Detwhiler and Sue Oole did some readings.
Chris Bass gave an amazing sermon.
View video of the service HERE
Deliriously Happy
by Cindy Ricksgers
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 14, 2021
Happy Valentine's Day! Let's do another walk back in time. When was the last time you made a Valentine box? I remember being in 3rd or 4th grade and making one from an old Kleenex box. For several days that box would sit on your desk and you'd hope that by Valentine's Day it would be filled with cards. Sometimes store bought cards and other times homemade ones, all were precious. I'm forgetful about some things lately so I don't remember if my kids made them or not. I'm sure one of them will let me know . Anyhow, it's a nice, old, dusty memory of a past holiday.
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Cloudy skies, 10°, feels like -4°, wind is from the NW at 10 mph with gusts to 14 mph, humidity is at 83%, dew point is 6°, pressure is rising from 30.25 inches, cloud cover is 93%, visibility is 4 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 1,900 feet. Today: Considerable cloudiness. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High near 10F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy skies. Low near 0F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
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ON THIS DAY On February 14, around the year 270 A.D., Valentine, a holy priest in Rome in the days of Emperor Claudius II, was executed.
Under the rule of Claudius the Cruel, Rome was involved in many unpopular and bloody campaigns. The emperor had to maintain a strong army, but was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. Claudius believed that Roman men were unwilling to join the army because of their strong attachment to their wives and families.
To get rid of the problem, Claudius banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.
When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Valentine was arrested and dragged before the Prefect of Rome, who condemned him to be beaten to death with clubs and to have his head cut off. The sentence was carried out on February 14, on or about the year 270.
Legend also has it that while in jail, St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer’s daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it “From Your Valentine.”
For his great service, Valentine was named a saint after his death.
In truth, the exact origins and identity of St. Valentine are unclear. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “At least three different Saint Valentines, all of them martyrs, are mentioned in the early martyrologies under the date of 14 February.” One was a priest in Rome, the second one was a bishop of Interamna (now Terni, Italy) and the third St. Valentine was a martyr in the Roman province of Africa.
Legends vary on how the martyr’s name became connected with romance. The date of his death may have become mingled with the Feast of Lupercalia, a pagan festival of love. On these occasions, the names of young women were placed in a box, from which they were drawn by the men as chance directed. In 496 A.D., Pope Gelasius decided to put an end to the Feast of Lupercalia, and he declared that February 14 be celebrated as St. Valentine’s Day.
Although the Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize St. Valentine as a saint of the church, he was removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the lack of reliable information about him. He is the patron saint of lovers, epileptics, and beekeepers.
Gradually, February 14 became a date for exchanging love messages, poems and simple gifts such as flowers. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Observed each year on February 14th, National Donor Day (also known as National Organ Donor Day) aims to increase awareness about organ donation and the lives it saves. In the United States, more than 120,000 people are waiting for a life-saving organ donation.
National Donor Day was started in 1998 by the Saturn Corporation and its United Auto Workers partners, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services support and many nonprofit health organizations.
The observance focuses on five different types of donations: Organs – Tissues – Marrow – Platelets – Blood. Many nonprofit health organizations sponsor blood and marrow drives and organ/tissue sign-ups across the nation. Approximately every two seconds, there is someone in the U.S. who needs blood, which translates to the need for over 41,000 daily donations.
Each type of donation saves lives. While we may be able to donate blood, platelets, tissue, marrow, and some organs at any time, most organs are donated upon death. A single donor can save up to 8 lives and help more than 75 people.
Some blood donors have been making donations as young as the age of 17. They can donate a pint of blood every 53 days. One pint of blood can save up to three people. If you’ve never thought about donation, you’re of the 17 percent of non-donors. However, only 37 percent of the population of the United States is eligible to donate blood.
If you’ve received the gift of an organ, tissue, marrow, platelets, or blood, share your story.
Look into becoming a donor. Visit donatelifenw.org and organdonor.gov for more information on organ donation. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY prothalamion (proh-thuh-LAY-mee-un) which means: a song in celebration of a marriage. In 1595, the newly-wed Edmund Spenser wrote a poem to his young bride. He gave this poem the title Epithalamion, borrowing a Greek word for a song or poem in honor of a bride and bridegroom. Epithalamion, which eventually became established as an English word, can be traced to Greek words that mean "upon the bridal chamber." A year later, Spencer was inspired to write another nuptial poem—this time in celebration of the marriages of the Earl of Worcester's two daughters. But since the ceremonies had not yet taken place, he did not want to call it an epithalamion. After some reflection, Spencer decided to separate epi- from thalamion and wed the latter with pro- ("before"), inventing a word that would become established in the language with the meaning "a song in celebration of a marriage." (merriam-webster.com)
Gus Schmidt BI Resident for Many Years
Gus celebrated his 21st birthday on the banks of the Rhine river during WWII.
Gus is celebrating his 97th birthday on March 2, 2021. This is likely his last, as he has been diagnosed with late stage cancer. If you would like to send him a birthday card his address is
Gus Schmidt
210 Garfield Apt 309
Charlevoix, MI 49720
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 13, 2021
The memory of paper dolls was a hit, now, how many remember your mothers/fathers saving S&H Green Stamps? You got them as rewards from grocery stores, gas stations, etc. from the 1930's until the 1980's. There were little books that you glued the stamps into and then they in turn could be used to purchase gifts, everything from furniture, glassware, toys, the list goes on and on. There were actually catalogs for one to peruse, not with prices, but with how many books of green stamps items cost. Were you one who helped glue stamps into the little books? Do you remember getting anything with the stamps?
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It's 15°, feels like 5°, wind is from the east at 5 mph with gusts to 8 mph, humidity is at 86%, dew point is 12°, pressure is rising from 30.35 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 3 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 3,500 feet. Today: Cloudy with snow showers this morning and steady snow likely this afternoon. High 19F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected. Tonight: Occasional snow showers. Low 4F. ESE winds shifting to NW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 60%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches.
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ON THIS DAY The earliest military action to be awarded a Medal of Honor is performed by Colonel Bernard J.D. Irwin, an assistant army surgeon serving in the first major U.S.-Apache conflict in 1861. Near Apache Pass, in southeastern Arizona, Irwin, an Irish-born doctor, volunteered to go to the rescue of Second Lieutenant George N. Bascom, who was trapped with 60 men of the U.S. Seventh Infantry by the Chiricahua Apaches.
Irwin and 14 men, initially without horses, began the 100-mile trek to Bascom’s forces riding on mules. After fighting and capturing Apaches along the way and recovering stolen horses and cattle, they reached Bascom’s forces on February 14 and proved instrumental in breaking the siege.
The first U.S.-Apache conflict had begun several days before, when Cochise, the Chiricahua Apache chief, kidnapped three white men to exchange for his brother and two nephews held by the U.S. Army on false charges of stealing cattle and kidnapping a child. When the exchange was refused, Cochise killed the white men, and the army responded by killing his relatives, setting off the first of the Apache wars.
Although Irwin’s bravery in this conflict was the earliest Medal of Honor action, the award itself was not created until 1862, and it was not until January 21, 1894, that Irwin received the nation’s highest military honor. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Fugitive Slave Law Michigan’s government passed legislation which helped defend African Americans who had escaped slavery in the South.
The federal government had passed the Fugitive Slave law in 1850. This law made it illegal to assist African Americans who had escaped slavery and also dictated that those who managed to escape had to be returned to their former owners. However, many citizen of the United States, particularly in northern states like Michigan, felt that this federal law was deeply unjust. Indeed, on February 13, 1855, the state government decreed that county jails could not be used to detain escaped slaves. Furthermore, the legislature also directed the county prosecuting attorneys to defend recaptured slaves. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY limn (LIM) which means
1 : to draw or paint on a surface
2 : to outline in clear sharp detail : delineate
3 : describe
Allow us to shed some light on the history of limn, a word with lustrous origins. Limn traces to the Anglo-French verb aluminer and ultimately to the Latin illuminare, which means "to illuminate." Its use as an English verb dates from the days of Middle English; at first, limn referred to the action of illuminating (that is, decorating) medieval manuscripts with gold, silver, or brilliant colors. William Shakespeare extended the term to painting in his poem Venus and Adonis: "Look when a painter would surpass the life / In limning out a well-proportioned steed...." (merriam-webster.com)
Owl in the Same Tree
February 12, 2012
With all the snow and the wind blowing the snow, it was noted that the snowy owl female that had been sitting on the same branch is no longer there in the middle of the snow storm. Trying to get a picture of her there on the 11th did not turn out so good due to the snow drifts and the snow pushing up into the editor's pants legs and tennis shoes are not the right footwear if trying to walk across a field. You can laugh, but this old man slipped and fell into the snowdrift, was quite embarassed, turned around and headed back to the car. The blowing snow covered up the huge hole in the drift within about ten minutes before the editor got snow out of places that won't be talked about. Another try will be made after thawing out in the next day or so.
Perhaps, the snowy owl got so caught up in its laughter about a big old guy tripping and falling, that it decided to go somewhere else or went off to tell another friend about it.
Is Turkey Mating Starting Early?
February 12, 2021
I spent about six minutes standing in the middle of the road today watching a male turkey walk circles around a female turkey. The only reason they moved off the roadway was because a car came along and chased them off the road. The editor doesn't have any knowledge about the breeding process between turkeys, but this was certainly different than just the showing of the feathers, although that did happen quickly, but no picture was obtained.
Both of these turkeys seemed smaller than the ones out by our residence, so they might be equivalent to teenagers.
When the car came along, they headed side-by-side off into the yard between Richie's and Tim McDonough's houses. Once they mixed with the other turkeys, and the editor's car got out of way of traffic, it was impossible to separate the two in the middle of roadway from the others.
BEAVER ISLAND PRESS RELEASE
02/12/2021
Beaver Island was awarded an EXCITING Tourism Grant!
The Beaver Island Historical Society in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce was awarded an Infrastructure Development grant for $31,800 from the Michigan Department of Agricultural and Rural Development with a total project amount of $45,400.
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has selected our community through a competitive grant process. The state will be investing up to $31,800 in infrastructure development. We are working on a tight timeframe to implement a tourism campaign with the following objectives:
• 25+ Interpretive signs posted around Beaver Island for visitors to explore the island's natural, historic, maritime, agriculture and logging sites of Beaver Island.
• Heritage Park upgrades! New picnic tables, benches, a bike rack and trash receptacle.
• Blue -Buffalo Camp Trail improvements and safety development. This includes trail clearing, raised footbridges, wayfinding signs, trail cameras, personal safety beacons and motion trackers.
• Developing a Beaver Island Tourism App.
• Printing comprehensive trail maps.
To learn more about this exciting project, please contact the Chamber, Paul Cole, Office: 231.448.2505, Chamber@beaverisland.org ; or Historical Society, Office: 231.448.2254 Lori Taylor-Blitz, Bihistory.director@gmail.com
Beaver Island Community School Weekly Update
Friday, February 12, 2021
Islander Basketball!
The Islanders travel to Maplewood this weekend to take on the Maplewood Black Bears and the Munising Bobcats! Next Saturday we host the Hannahville Soaring Eagles. Please note that spectators at home games will be limited to two spectators per athlete. Athletes must inform the Athletic Director of their two spectators two days before the event. All spectators must wear school-appropriate masks (no exhaust valves, gaiter-style must be double layered, etc.) that cover the nose and mouth and social distance in the stands from those not in their immediate household. In order to ensure that spectators keep their mask on, there will be absolutely no food or drink consumed by spectators. There will be no concessions and there will be no food or drink (including water) allowed in the school building. We are so grateful that we are able to have a basketball season for our students, and we are hoping that all spectators follow the guidelines so that we may be able to continue.
Free Meal Program
As noted last week, BICS received a grant that allows ALL students to participate in a free meal program, regardless of their family’s household income. If you would like your child to participate, but have not yet returned your registration information, please do that by Monday, February15th. If you are new to our lunch program, please remember that we still need to have you submit your lunch order form each month so we can plan accordingly. If you need any additional information, please call the BICS office at (231) 448-2744.
Reminder--Remote Instruction on Wednesday, February 17th
We are planning to have remote instruction Wednesday, February 17th so that we can host the clinic to administer the second dose of the Modera vaccine. We will be providing lunch “to go” at 11:30 pm for all students who have previously ordered lunch.
“Snow Day” on Thursday, February 18th
Given that the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines brings about a robust immune response, and all personnel associated with the school (including faculty, staff, and subs) will be getting the second dose on the 17th, I have made the decision to pre-emptively cancel school on Thursday, February 18th. We will not be serving lunch on this day. This decision was not made lightly. Given information from health care providers and other school superintendents, the likelihood of us having to cancel school because of adverse side effects is very high. So instead of cancelling school on Thursday morning as a result of folks calling in sick, I’m cancelling school now so that parents can plan ahead. If you have any concerns about this decision, feel free to call me directly.
Together we are Islander Strong!
I know that it is inconvenient for our parents to have to manage remote learning or deal with child care on snow days. I am proud of our district for being able to provide in-person instruction to the extent we have so far this year. The two days next week are indeed inconvenient for you and for the BICS faculty and staff. However, Beaver Island Community School is absolutely committed to being a partner to ensure the health of all Islanders. The health of this community affects the health of the school. We are going to do all we can to have as many Islanders vaccinated as soon as possible. I hope you understand and support this commitment to our community. Together we are Islander Strong!
Have a Great Weekend!
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Elks' Burger Night Success
February 12, 2021
Burger Night this past Wednesday was roaring success in spite of the cold weather. We sold 214 burgers. We learned from our first Burger Night (in late December) and solved two big problems: First, no one waited in line longer than 5-7 minutes; and Second, everyone who wanted a burger got one. The pre-order hot line worked very well. We took over 100 pre-orders. We'll do pre-orders again. A special shout-out THANK YOU to all the Elk volunteers who helped to pull this off. We've already marked our calendars for our next Burger Night -- March 10. So... This can become one of the answers for the famous question that we are asked in the summer: "What do people do on Beaver Island in the winter?" Answer: "We go to Burger Night!" (All of the proceeds go into the Elk's Charitable Giving accounts which goes right back into the community. None of the revenue goes to a building fund.) Patrick Nugent
(This information was taken from a public website and posted exactly as it appeared._
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 12, 2021
Remember McCall's magazine? My mom used to get it when I was a bit younger. In the back of it was a page of paperdoll clothes and a doll to cut out. It was a great way to learn to learn scissoring skills. There would be 4 or 5 dresses, shoes, and hats. I learned to look forward to it's arrival every month. After a while though it became fun to draw, color, and cut out your own outfits. Nothing better than making Betsy McCall (yes, she had a name) look good. There was even a "real" Betsy McCall doll - not just the paperdoll one. I remember when my girls were little and trying to get them interested in paperdolls - wasn't happening. Evidently it had gone out of style. Sometimes it's the simple things that makes one happy with memories of times gone past.
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Cloudy skies this morning, we're having a heat wave, it's 15°, feels like 5°, wind is from the ESE at 7 mph, humidity is at 86%, dew point is 11°, pressure is at 30.38 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 2 miles, and the the cloud ceiling is 1,600 feet. Today: Cloudy with snow showers becoming a steady accumulating snow later on. High 19F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 70%. Snow accumulating 1 to 3 inches. Tonight: Variable clouds with snow showers. Low 12F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 50%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
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ON THIS DAY “The audience packed a house that could have been sold out at twice the size,” wrote New York Times critic Olin Downes on February 13, 1924, of a concert staged the previous afternoon at the Aeolian Hall in New York City. Billed as an educational event, the “Experiment In Modern Music” concert was organized by Paul Whiteman, the immensely popular leader of the Palais Royal Orchestra, to demonstrate that the relatively new form of music called jazz deserved to be regarded as a serious and sophisticated art form. The program featured didactic segments intended to make this case—segments with titles like “Contrast: Legitimate Scoring vs. Jazzing.” After 24 such stem-winders, the house was growing restless. Then a young man named George Gershwin, then known only as a composer of Broadway songs, seated himself at the piano to accompany the orchestra in the performance of a brand new piece of his own composition, called Rhapsody In Blue.
“It starts with an outrageous cadenza of the clarinet,” wrote Downes of the now-famous two-and-a-half-octave glissando that makes Rhapsody in Blue as instantly recognizable as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. “It has subsidiary phrases, logically growing out of it…often metamorphosed by devices of rhythm and instrumentation.” The music critic of the New York Times was in agreement with Whiteman’s basic premise: “This is no mere dance-tune set for piano and other instruments,” he judged. “This composition shows extraordinary talent, just as it also shows a young composer with aims that go far beyond those of his ilk.”
It may be true that George Gershwin had always hoped to transcend the category of popular music, but the piece he used to accomplish that feat was put together very hastily. Just five weeks prior to the “Experiment in Modern Music” concert, Gershwin had not committed to writing a piece for it, when his brother Ira read a report in the New York Tribune stating that George was “at work on a jazz concerto” for the program. Thus painted into a corner, George Gershwin pieced Rhapsody In Blue together as best he could in the time available, leaving his own piano part to be improvised during the world premiere. Rhapsody would, of course, come to be regarded as one of the most important American musical works of the 20th century. It would also open the door for a whole generation of “serious” composers—from Copland to Brecht—to draw on jazz elements in their own important works. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that in 1781, a Spanish force from St. Louis captured the British fort of St. Joseph and raised Spain’s flag over Michigan.
During the American War of Independence, the United Kingdom’s European enemies frequently attempted to take advantage of Britain’s wartime weaknesses. In late 1780, Frenchmen and Indians intent on plundering British goods and regaining property taken by the British, approached the Spanish governor at St. Louis, Francisco Cruzat, and urged him to authorize and equip an expeditionary force to attack the British at Fort St. Joseph in Michigan. Cruzat felt the British might attack his position during the coming Spring, and he agreed to their request. Indeed, he believed that a successful raid on Fort St. Joseph would diminish both English influence and supplies among the Indians and also serve as a demonstration of Spanish strength. In January of 1781, forces departed from St. Louis totaling sixty-five militiamen and sixty Indians. On February 12, 1781, they took Fort St. Joseph by surprise. The fort was looted and much of it was destroyed, its inhabitants became prisoners, the Spanish flag was raised, and the entire region was claimed for the Spanish Monarchy. The invaders left the following day for St. Louis. During the Paris peace negotiations which concluded the American Revolution, Spain's claim to the territory proved ultimately unsuccessful. After the Spanish attack, the fort ceased to be of significant military importance. The present city of Niles, Michigan (founded in 1829), is very close to the site of Fort St. Joseph. Spain’s short occupation of Fort St. Joseph has allowed Niles the distinction of being the only Michigan community over which four flags had flown: French, British, Spanish and American. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY nebula (NEB-yuh-luh) which means:
1 : any of numerous clouds of gas or dust in interstellar space
2 : galaxy; especially : a galaxy other than the Milky Way
The history of today's word is not lost in the mists of time, although its history does get misty at points. Nebula comes to us from Latin, where it means "mist" or "cloud." In its earliest English uses in the 1600s, nebula was chiefly a medical term that could refer either to a cloudy formation in urine or to a cloudy speck or film on the eye that caused vision problems. It was first applied to great interstellar clouds of gas and dust in the early 1700s. The adjective nebulous comes from the same Latin root as nebula, and it is considerably older, being first used as a synonym of cloudy or foggy as early as the 1300s. Like nebula, however, this adjective was not used in an astronomical sense until the mid-1600s. (merriam-webster.com)
BICS Basketball
February 11, 2021
The BICS basketball teams, Islanders and Lady Islanders, will begin their season this coming weekend. The first games will be away games. The school here on the island is preparing for the home games, yet to be announced, by giving out the information that is needed to keep everyone safe from COVID-19. As we have seen with many of the professional sporting events, the attendance has been very limitied. Here is the list of protections for all to follow for these local games.
Beaver Island Community School
Spectator Guidelines for 2021 Basketball Season
Due to the size of our gym and the desire to keep our athletes and their families safe, Beaver Island Community School has established the following spectator guidelines for the 2021 Basketball season based on recommendations by MHSAA, MDHHS, and the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. We ask that all spectators adhere to these guidelines.
- Each Islander athlete will be allowed two spectators for home games. Athletes will provide the Athletic Director with the names of their two spectators at least two days prior to each home game. Only spectators specifically named by the student athlete will be allowed entrance to the school.
- All spectators must sign in at the door for contact tracing purposes.
- Spectators may only stay for the athlete’s game for which they were scheduled. Spectators may not stay for both games unless they have an athlete on both the boy’s & girl’s teams.
- 7th-12th grade non-student athletes and BICS staff members will be allowed to spectate at all home games. BICS staff members or designated scorekeepers will not count against an athlete’s allotment of two spectators.
- Media personnel (up to two) will be allowed into home games with prior approval from the Athletic Director to take photos and livestream games.
- College athletic scouts may attend Islander competitions with prior approval from the Athletic Director.
- Athletes on one team may watch their fellow athletes play (e.g., the boys may watch the girls’ team play and vice-versa).
- There will be no food or drinks consumed during the game by any spectators. There will be no concessions and spectators shall not bring any food or drink of any kind (including water or coffee) to the school for to any competition.
- There will be no gate fee charged at the door for home games at BICS.
- All spectators, coaches, scorekeepers, students, and staff are required to be masked at all times with the mask properly covering both nose and mouth. (For those who have a medical condition that does not permit the wearing of a mask, you must submit a signed doctor’s order to the school office two days prior to the event.)
- All spectators are to sit in the stands and are expected to maintain social distance of 6 or more feet from people who are not in your immediate household.
NOTE: Away games may have different requirements. Spectators should always check with BICS office to see what spectator requirements are before making arrangements to travel to away games.
If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please call the BICS office at
448-2744 and speak to Wil Cwikiel or Kerry Smith email: kerrys@beaverisland.k12.mi.us
Read and/or download this document HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 11, 2021
Dang, did I ever sleep in! I must have needed it though. No memories today, I working on getting my eyes to stay open instead and for the coffee to finish.
Mostly cloudy, 0°, wind is from the north with little puffs at 2 mph, humidity is at 75%, dew point is 1°, pressure is rising from 30.42 inches, cloud cover is 76%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is at 35,900 feet. Today: Scattered flurries and snow showers. High near 15F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 30%. Tonight: Cloudy with snow showers developing after midnight. Low 11F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of snow 60%. About one inch of snow expected.
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ON THIS DAY, February 11, 1805, Sacagawea, the Shoshone interpreter and guide to the Lewis and Clark expedition, gives birth to her first child, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark first met the young Sacagawea while spending the winter among the Mandan tribe along the Upper Missouri River, not far from present-day Bismarck, North Dakota. Still only a teenager, Sacagawea was the wife of a French-Canadian fur trapper, Toussaint Charbonneau, who had purchased her from Hidatsa kidnappers the year before. The Hidatsa had taken Sacagawea from her homeland along the Continental Divide in modern-day southwestern Montana and southeastern Idaho, where she was the daughter of a prominent Shoshone chief. Viewing such captives as little more than enslaved workers, the Hidatsa were happy to sell Sacagawea and another woman to Charbonneau, who used them as laborers, porters and sexual companions.
That winter, Lewis and Clark hired Charbonneau as an interpreter for their projected expedition to the Pacific and back, provided he agreed to bring along his young wife. Lewis and Clark knew they would have to obtain horses from the Shoshone to cross the Continental Divide, and Sacagawea’s services as an interpreter could prove invaluable. Charbonneau agreed, and she became the only woman to join the Corps of Discovery.
Two months before the expedition was to depart, Lewis and Clark found themselves with another co-traveler, who later proved useful in an unexpected way. On this day in 1805, Sacagawea went into labor. Lewis, who would often act as the expedition’s doctor in the months to come, was called on for the first and only time during the journey to assist in a delivery. Lewis was anxious to insure his new Shoshone interpreter was in good shape for the arduous journey to come, and he later worriedly reported “her labour was tedious and the pain violent.” Told that a small amount of the rattle of rattlesnake might speed the delivery, Lewis broke up a rattler tail and mixed it with water. “She had not taken [the mixture] more than ten minutes before she brought forth,” Lewis happily reported.
Named Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, the cries of the healthy young boy announced the arrival of a new member of the Corps of Discovery. No one, it seemed, contemplated leaving Sacagawea and her infant son behind—when the party set out up the Missouri in April 1805, Sacagawea carried Jean Baptiste on her back in an Indian cradleboard. Nicknamed “Pomp” or “Pompey” by Clark, who developed a strong attachment to the boy, Jean Baptiste accompanied his mother on every step of her epic journey to the Pacific and back.
Mother and son both were invaluable to the expedition. As hoped, Sacagawea’s services as a translator played a pivotal role in securing horses from the Shoshone. Jean Baptiste’s presence also proved unexpectedly useful by helping to convince the Indians the party encountered that their intentions were peaceful-no war party, the Indians reasoned, would bring along a mother and infant.
When the Corps of Discovery returned east in 1805, Charbonneau, Sacagawea, and Jean Baptiste resumed the fur-trading life. Little is known of Sacagawea’s subsequent fate, though a fur trader claimed she died of a “putrid fever” in 1812 at a Missouri River trading post. True to a promise he had made to Sacagawea during the expedition, Clark paid for Jean Baptiste’s education at a St. Louis Catholic academy and became something of an adoptive father to the boy. A bright and charismatic young man, Jean Baptiste learned French, German, and Spanish, hunted with noblemen in the Black Forest of Germany, traveled in Africa, and returned to further explore the American West. He died in 1866 en route to the newly discovered gold fields of Montana. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that on February 11th, Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day promotes a positive attitude even when things might not be going your way. It’s a day for looking on the bright side of things and then carrying that feeling with you every day after. Do not worry and do not stress over the little things. Life is too short to let the little things bother us.
In one of its oldest forms, the proverb was “No weeping for shed milk,” as referenced by James Howell in 1659. The saying has evolved over time, but still retains its original intent. There is no changing what is done, and crying over it serves no purpose.
Everyone knows that unexpected or unplanned things happen in life, sometimes daily. With a positive attitude, life is much brighter and easier.
HOW TO OBSERVE #DontCryOverSpilledMilkDay
Don’t cry over spilled milk. We poured a glass of milk and discussed our favorite ways to face daily challenges:
Be prepared! Sometimes the things that happen do so because we didn’t study, prepare or organize our day. While not every detail needs to be planned, the general stuff of the day does.
Expect the unexpected. No matter who we are or what we do, things happen. Kids get sick. Customers make special requests. A car pulls out in front of you. The server brings the wrong dish. You take a wrong turn. If you adjust and move on, it will only be a blip on your day.
Have a backup plan. These come in especially handy for big occasions. We’re talking about surprise parties or a wedding. In the end, what’s really important about special occasions are the good memories we make. If a little milk should fall, er, spill, while everyone laughs, dances and smiles, it really won’t matter.
Breathe. Ask yourself, Will this issue matter in a day? If the answer is, No, then it’s just a little spilled milk. How about a week? Still a no? It’s still just spilled milk. If the concern doesn’t change the entire course of your life, it’s only spilled milk.
Share how you cope with life’s twists and turns. (nationaldaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY voracious (vaw-RAY-shus) which means:
1 : having a huge appetite : ravenous
2 : excessively eager : insatiable
Voracious is one of several English words that derive from the Latin verb vorare, which means "to eat greedily" or "to devour." Vorare is also an ancestor of devour and of the -ivorous words, which describe the diets of various animals. These include carnivorous ("meat-eating"), herbivorous ("plant-eating"), omnivorous ("feeding on both animals and plants"), frugivorous ("fruit-eating"), graminivorous ("feeding on grass"), and piscivorous ("fish-eating").
Trudge to See the Snowy Owl
February 10, 2021
The snowy owl was seen at the ballpark once again today just before 10 a.m. The drifted snow and the plow bank made it slightly more difficult to get close enough to get a picture of the snowy owl resting on the pine branch close to home plate.
Owl seen from Michigan Avenue
Views from the area near third base
View a series of photos taken walking in to see the owl HERE
View video of the walk back out HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 10, 2021
Boy, it's invigorating out there. Takes your breath away. The little dogs absolutely hate it and can do the pee thing in about -15 seconds once the door is open. Every been trampled by a chihuahua and a yorkie? Do not get in their way when they want into a warm space!
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Mostly cloudy skies, 10°, feels like -6°, wind is from the west at 12 mph, humidity is at 66%, dew point is 1°, pressure is 30.30 inches, cloud cover is 90%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 4,600 feet. Today: Cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 13F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy skies. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 6F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
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ON THIS DAY, February 10, 1957, Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the best-selling “Little House” series of children’s novels based on her childhood on the American frontier, dies at age 90 in Mansfield, Missouri.
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in a log cabin near Pepin, Wisconsin, on February 7, 1867, the second of Charles and Caroline Quiner Ingalls’ four daughters. As a child, she lived with her family in Indian Territory in Kansas, as well as in farming communities in Minnesota and Iowa. In the late 1870s, the Ingalls moved to Dakota Territory, settling in present-day De Smet, South Dakota. Laura Ingalls worked as a school teacher in the area, starting in her teens, and in 1885, married Almanzo Wilder, a local homesteader 10 years her senior. In 1886, the couple had a daughter; their only other child, a son, died shortly after his birth in 1889.
In 1894, after several years of drought in South Dakota, the Wilders traveled by covered wagon to Mansfield, Missouri, in the Ozarks, where they established a farm. Years later, Laura Ingalls Wilder began contributing essays to local newspapers. In 1932, Wilder, then in her 60s, published her first novel, “Little House in the Big Woods,” an autobiographical account of pioneer life in Wisconsin. The book became a success, and she went on to publish seven more novels based on her experiences growing up on the American frontier in the 1870s and 1880s. These books, including “Little House on the Prairie” (1935), “On the Banks of Plum Creek” (1937) and “The Long Winter” (1940), chronicled the joys and hardships (including illnesses, crop failures, blizzards, fires and grasshopper plagues) that Wilder and her family experienced. A ninth novel, “The First Four Years,” (1971) was published posthumously, as were several other books based on Wilder’s journals and letters. Wilder’s daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, an author and journalist, is believed to have helped edit her mother’s books, although the exact extent of her collaboration is unknown.
The “Little House” books have been translated into dozens of languages and continue to be read by legions of fans. The books also inspired a hit TV series, “Little House on the Prairie,” which originally aired from 1974 to 1982 and starred Melissa Gilbert as the plucky Laura and Michael Landon as her father Charles.
After Laura Ingalls Wilder died in 1957, her longtime Missouri home, Rocky Ridge Farm, became a museum. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW On February 10, 1930, actor Robert Wagner was born in Detroit, Michigan. By 1950 he had moved to Los Angeles and began an acting career. He remains a popular and respected actor in both television and film.
1940 - On Thomas Edison's ninety-third birthday, historical reenactments took place and recreationists gathered in Port Huron, Michigan, to celebrate the world premiere of the film, “Young Tom Edison.” The “Old Sam Hill”, the wood burning locomotive on which the famous inventor worked as a news butcher until he set the train afire with his chemical experiments in 1960, rode the rails again on February 10, 1940. Mickey Rooney, Hollywood's number 1 screen star and the lead in “Young Tom Edison”, participated in the reenactment by dressing as Edison and performing the various duties of the train's news butcher, selling candy, tobacco, fruit, and newspapers. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY caveat (KAV-ee-aht) which means:
1 a : a warning enjoining one from certain acts or practices
b : an explanation to prevent misinterpretation
c : a modifying or cautionary detail to be considered when
evaluating, interpreting, or doing something
2 : a legal warning to a judicial officer to suspend a proceeding until the opposition has a hearing
You may be familiar with the old saying caveat emptor, nowadays loosely translated as "let the buyer beware." In the 16th century, this adage was imparted as a safeguard for the seller: allow the buyer to examine the item (for example, a horse) before the sale is completed, so the seller can't be blamed if the item turns out to be unsatisfactory. Caveat in Latin means "let him beware" and comes from the verb cavēre, meaning "to be on guard." Perhaps you've also heard caveat lector: "let the reader beware," a warning to take what one reads with a grain of salt. English retained caveat itself as a noun for something that serves to warn, explain, or caution. The word caution is another descendant of cavēre. (merriam-webster.com)
Peaine Township Meeting
February 9, 2021, at 7 p.m.
2021 February Regular PTB Agenda
Gen fund report 1 26 21
PTPCagn020921
PTPCmin030320
February 2021 Bills for Payment_001
PLAN OUTLINE TO PROVIDE REMOVAL OF SCRAP METAL version 2
Draft Minutes Special Meeting 010421
Conflict of Interest Policy
Addendum to January 6th 2021 Special Meeting Minutes
Addendum to December 15th Joint Special Meeting Minutes
Addendum to December 8th Minutes
Single Stream Recycling
2020-02-03-01 Purchase of Avigation Easement Hites RESOLUTION Feb 2021
2021 2022 salary resolutions
Peaine minutes January 2021 regular
View video of the meeting HERE
From BICOA
February 9, 2021
Hello Friends,
All NAPIS form registered Commission on Aging Beaver Island residents 60 and older, food box distribution will take place at 1 p.m. TODAY (Tuesday, February 9) at the Charlevoix County Building at 26466 Donegal Bay Road. Clients will do a loop through the County garage where the boxes will be loaded into the vehicle and then proceed to exit out the opposite end of the garage.
Residents age 60 and older who have not registered with the Commission on Aging may still receive a box by completing the NAPIS form beginning at 1:30 today. COA clients will be served first. We cannot guarantee a box to each client, though each COA household that came to the June and September 2020 distribution did receive a box.
Grace and peace,
Lonnie
In the USDA Food Box Distribution, each box contained the following; Fully cooked chicken patties, fully cooked chicken drumsticks, sour cream, yogurt, 2% milk, potatoes, apples, sliced American cheese, and onions. The food needed to continue to be refrigerated and chicken patties needed to be used by the following week.
Examples of what was in the box.
View a video clip of the pickup HERE
B I Transportation Authority Meeting
February 9, 2021
BITA Feb 9 2021 Notice and Agenda
Dec 8 2020 reg meeting minutes
There was no quorum for the meeting today.
Watch the short video clip of the beginning and ending of the meeting HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 9, 2021
How many of you remember Dump Picking or even know what it is? Long before the Transfer Station and Island Treasurers (resale shop) came into existence, we had the dump. Located out across from The Station at the Four Corners, it was the local gathering place for a lot of folks. You drove down a little lane and there were a couple spots to unload your trash. Garbage went in one direction and trash in another. If you had something that still had a bit of life in it, it remained at the top of the pit to become someone else's treasure. For years my house was furnished by the "early dump" look. We had a sofa, chairs, coffee table, I once found a huge, cast iron fry pan (which I still use after it was cleaned up). One could go out and hunt for "cool" stuff with no problem. About once a week anything not taken was pushed into the pit by big bulldozers and the cycle would begin again. Once someone even drove too close to the edge and their truck slipped into the pit. Later on a person when into the bar and said, "you won't believe this, someone threw out a perfectly good truck...and it's still running!" Needless to say the driver and passenger were rescued and the truck taken back home. Now days everything is sorted and sanitized, but it was fun entertainment back in the day.
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Mostly cloudy skies this morning, 7°, feels like -9°, wind is from the west at 11 mph with gusts to 17 mph, humidity is 69%, dew point is -1°, pressure is at 30.23 inches, cloud cover is 90%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 12,700 feet. Today: Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. A few flurries or snow showers possible. High 12F. Winds W at 10 to 20 mph. Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low near 5F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.
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ON THIS DAY at approximately 8:12 p.m. Eastern time, Sunday, February 9, 1964, The Ed Sullivan Show returned from a commercial (for Anacin pain reliever), and there was Ed Sullivan standing before a restless crowd. He tried to begin his next introduction, but then stopped and extended his arms in the universal sign for “Settle Down.” “Quiet!” he said with mock gravity, and the noise died down just a little. Then he resumed: “Here’s a very amusing magician we saw in Europe and signed last summer….Let’s have a nice hand for him—Fred Kaps!”
For the record, Fred Kaps proceeded to be quite charming and funny over the next five minutes. In fact, Fred Kaps is revered to this day by magicians around the world as the only three-time Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques Grand Prix winner. But Fred Kaps had the horrific bad luck on this day in 1964 to be the guest that followed the Beatles on Ed Sullivan—possibly the hardest act to follow in the history of show business.
It is estimated that 73 million Americans were watching that night as the Beatles made their live U.S. television debut. Roughly eight minutes before Fred Kaps took the stage, Sullivan gave his now-famous intro, “Ladies and gentlemen…the Beatles!” and after a few seconds of rapturous cheering from the audience, the band kicked into “All My Lovin’.” Fifty seconds in, the first audience-reaction shot of the performance shows a teenage girl beaming and possibly hyperventilating. Two minutes later, Paul is singing another pretty, mid-tempo number: “Til There Was You,” from the Broadway musical Music Man. There’s screaming at the end of every phrase in the lyrics, of course, but to view the broadcast today, it seems driven more by anticipation than by the relatively low-key performance itself.
And then came “She Loves You,” and the place seems to explode. What followed was perhaps the most important two minutes and 16 seconds of music ever broadcast on American television—a sequence that still sends chills down the spine almost half a century later.
Beatlemania Sweeps the United States
EVAN ANDREWS
By late 1963, The Beatles—guitarists John Lennon and George Harrison; bassist Paul McCartney; and drummer Ringo Starr—were already a household name in the United Kingdom and much of Europe. More than 15 million viewers had tuned in to their performance on “Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium,” and the band was regularly playing sold out shows to legions of swooning teenage fans. But while they had staked their claim on the top of the singles charts in England, The Beatles still struggled for recognition across the pond. Their first two U.S. singles—the jaunty “Please Please Me” and the catchy “From Me to You”—had flopped, and Capitol Records, the American arm of their label, EMI, appeared uninterested in promoting a foreign band. The lads from Liverpool would finally catch a break in October 1963. While passing through London’s Heathrow airport, American television host Ed Sullivan noticed hundreds of excited teens waiting to see The Beatles return from a tour of Sweden. Sullivan had never heard of the shaggy-haired quartet, but after learning about their fanatical following, he felt they had the potential to be as big as Elvis Presley. A few weeks later, Sullivan booked the group to appear on his popular television program.
Armed with a gig on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” The Beatles finally gained traction in the United States. Capitol Records agreed to back their upcoming record, and CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite reported on the Beatlemania phenomenon in England. In early December, a 15-year-old Maryland girl named Marsha Albert saw the group on the news and wrote her local radio station asking, “Why can’t we have music like that here in America?” When a DJ tracked down a copy of their still-unreleased single “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” the song became a massive hit. Capitol Records had to scramble to get the single onto record store shelves, and it went on to sell 1 million copies in a matter of days.
By all accounts, The Beatles still had no idea what was in store for them on February 7, 1964, when they took off from London bound for American shores. Lennon remembered thinking, “Oh, we won’t make it,” while Starr recalled feeling “a bit sick” with anticipation. But when they touched down in New York, the group found themselves greeted by a flock of 3,000 ecstatic, screaming fans—many of them teens playing hooky from school. The band was stunned. “Seeing thousands of kids there to meet us made us realize just how popular we were there,” Harrison later said. In their first press conference, The Beatles appeared relaxed and upbeat. Clad in matching suits, the band fired back at the sea of reporters with cheeky quips that the New York Times later called the “Beatle wit.” “We have a message,” McCartney declared in between questions about the band’s name and their mop-top haircuts, “buy more Beatles records!”
From the airport, The Beatles were each tucked into their own limousine and whisked away to the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Safe from the rabid fans camped out on the streets below, they spent the evening chatting on-air with local radio DJ Murray the K while the brothers Albert and David Maysles—the same filmmakers who later chronicled The Rolling Stones in the 1970 film “Gimme Shelter”—rolled camera for a documentary. The next day brought another round of interviews and photo sessions, but the band also squeezed in a sightseeing tour of New York. Ever the music aficionados, The Beatles insisted on passing through Harlem to catch a glimpse of the famed Apollo Theater.
The band arrived at CBS-TV’s Studio 50 on Sunday, February 9 and prepped for their “Ed Sullivan Show” appearance with a filmed sound check. Shortly after 8:00 p.m., Sullivan would finally introduce John, Paul, George and Ringo to America with the now-famous words, “Ladies and Gentleman…The Beatles!” As a packed house of giddy teenagers looked on, the group launched into renditions of “All My Loving” and “Till There Was You” before driving the crowd into a frenzy with the catchy “She Loves You.” The Beatles returned later that evening for a second set featuring energetic versions of “I Saw Her Standing There” and their number one hit, “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” both nearly drowned out by screams of joy from female audience members. Television ratings for the appearance proved astronomical. According to the Nielsen Company, a record-breaking 73 million viewers tuned in to watch The Beatles on “Ed Sullivan”—nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population at the time. Some newspapers still tried to dismiss the British hit-makers as a passing fad, but the numbers didn’t lie: Beatlemania had taken the United States by storm.
Riding the wave of their star-making turn on “Ed Sullivan,” the Beatles left New York on February 11 for Washington D.C., where they played their first-ever American stage show at the Washington Coliseum. By now, their popularity had reached dizzying heights. Businesses were selling novelty Beatles wigs and clothing, and the band couldn’t travel without being mobbed by hordes of breathless music lovers. In Washington, their management team had to distract fans with decoy Beatles wearing wigs just to allow the group time to reach the stage. When they later took a train back to New York, their rail car had to be switched to a separate platform to bypass swarms of waiting kids. Some fans came to blows jockeying for a better position in the crowds, and police were forced to contend with teenagers rushing their barricades just to get a chance at touching their heroes. During a gathering in Washington, an overzealous teenage girl even snuck up behind Starr and cut off a lock of his hair as a souvenir. He later remarked that all the attention made him feel like, “something in a zoo.”
Following a pair of shows at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall, The Beatles headed south to appear on another episode of “The Ed Sullivan Show” being filmed in Miami. On February 16, they took the stage for their second live television appearance, playing six songs before a rapturous crowd of 2,600. All told, an estimated 70 million people also gathered around TV sets to watch at home. The band spent the next few days taking in the sand and surf around Miami with a small army of photographers and newsmen in tow. They also posed for a now-famous photo op with the boxer Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), who was in town for a championship bout with Sonny Liston.
The Beatles would finally leave America a few days later, arriving back in London to a crowd of some 10,000 fans who greeted them like they were generals back from campaign. The “British invasion” of America, as Walter Cronkite had called it, had ended in conquest. Five Beatles songs were entrenched in the Billboard Hot 100—including the top two slots—and their televised performances had broken ratings records. In only two weeks, the band had made an indelible mark on American pop culture. Their shaggy hair, witty interviews and loose, exuberant sound had proven irresistible, and a wave of British bands would soon follow in their footsteps. The Beatles had stepped onto the tarmac at JFK International Airport on February 7 as an overseas oddity, but they left on February 22 as genuine superstars. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW that in 1864 Lieutenant Colonel William McCreery of Flint, Michigan escaped from Libby Prison during the Civil War. William McCreery was one of many Union officers who tunneled their way out of the famous Confederate prison. McCreery eventually resigned his commission on account of the many wounds he received during the Civil War. (cmich.edu)
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WORD OF THE DAY belie (bih-LYE) which means:
1 a : to give a false impression of
b : to present an appearance not in agreement with
2 a : to show (something) to be false or wrong
b : to run counter to : contradict
3 : to obscure the existence or true state or character of : disguise
"What is a lie?" asked Lord Byron in Don Juan. He then answered himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade...." The history of belie illustrates a certain connection between lying and disguising. In Old English, belie meant "to deceive by lying," and, in time, was used to mean "to tell lies about," taking on a sense similar to that of the modern word slander. Eventually, its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation, and by the early 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays, belie suggests giving an impression at variance with the facts rather than telling an intentional untruth. (merriam-webster.com)
A Video from the Past
copyright 2004 by Phillip Michael Moore
About seventeen years ago, the director of Beaver Island EMS was Joe Moore. His son Phillip Michael Moore was in a Master's Degree program in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant. It just so happened that the video project for his degree was to be a documentary about BIEMS and the need for a local air ambulance. His video was very professionally done.
It also happened that his grandfather, Phil Gregg, happened to have a heart attack while Michael was on the island filming for this documentary. Lots of volunteer EMS people are shown in this video, along with some of the patients, of course with their permission. The documentary was completed in 2004, prior to the second paramedic class taught on Beaver Island, so some of the current EMS providers were not in this documentary.
At the time of the filming, BIEMS was a volunteer EMS agency with people getting paid only a small amount for each emergency to help cover their gas expenses for participating in an emergency call. Some of them are listed here: Jim Stambaugh, Tim McDonough, Cindy Cushman, Gerald LaFreniere, and others. The "32 Miles of Water" title of the documentary referred to the miles from Beaver Island to the mainland hospitals of Charlevoix and Petoskey.
The Beaver Island community is so fortunate to now have Island Airways with a FAA certified air ambulance that has been operating for more than ten years now. At the time this video was made, the only emergency flights were done by Northflight EMS out of Traverse City, Michigan, or the US Coast Guard helicopter, also out of Traverse City. Sarah McCafferty was the EMS director and then Danielle Dedloff when the BIEMS licensed the Welke Aviation 866JA Britten Norman Islander aircraft with the State of Michigan as an air transport vehicle under the BIEMS agency license. This is the most efficient method of getting a patient off Beaver Island and to a hospital when an emergency occurs.
The concern 17 years ago was the time necessary to get the patient to the mainland hospital with the Golden Hour being the popular EMS period of getting the patient to the operating room within this 60 minute period of time. With the flight time from Traverse City to Beaver Island being almost an hour, this Golden Hour was taken up just getting the aircraft here. Now, with the Island Airways aircraft here on the island, the time to Charlevoix Airport or Harbor Springs Airport is less than 20 minutes or less than half the time to get the plane to the island from Traverse City.
The modern advanced life support agency, completed by a locally based air transport capability makes the island quite capable of transporting a patient within this Golden Hour, but only if the local aircraft and local pilot are available. Thank you, Paul Welke and Island Airways for you commitment to helping BIEMS accomplish this goal.
This video is seventeen years old, or thereabouts, but the accomplishments can still be applauded. Great job and thank you to all the volunteers that allowed this service to accomplish many successes. It has only been four and half years that the BIEMS is now a paid paramedic ALS agency, and the same challenges are still with us here today. The work of all those in the past to get this system set up in an efficient manner cannot be ignored. Great job to all the volunteers!
View this documentary from 2004 HERE
Beaver Haven Tales 4
by Glenn Hendrix
Story #4: The Eager Beaver
The Eager Beaver was an old landing craft of the sort used for the D-day invasion of Normandy. It had a flat bottom and a big door on the front that could be lowered so equipment could be driven out onto the beach. The properllers were large and recessed into the hull so the Eager Beaver could pull up to the shore. Phil called it an LST, but I don't know what that meant, or how it came to Beaver Island. (LCM) I think Phil formerly used it to bring gasoline to the island. He filled 50 gallon drums in Charlevoix, loaded them onto the Eager Beaver, and brought the gas over to the Island. Phil told me the Coast Guard shut down this operation, which was probably a good thing given the opportunity for a small spark to set off a huge explosion. There were still lots of those drums at the marina when I work there.
These boats were built for one trip to Nomandy, and were not designed for comfort or durability. The Eager Beaver had two big Genreal Motors diesel engines. We had to use starting fluid to get it going. It had huge batteries that Phil would life in and out with the crane. When I worked there the Eager Beaver was not used much anymore. Phil would put the marina's crane on the Eager Beaver to drive pilings or repair the dock. Once in a while he used it to take equipment and supplies to other islands. I remember it was painted green and white and had a beaver painted on the cabin.
At the time, Jewell Gillespie used his tug, the American Girl, and a tanker barge to brind fuel to the island for the old power plant. Jewell would double up his cargo by loading the barge with lumber, or sometimes even house trailers. One day he was bringing the barge with a full load of fuel and lumber to the island. The weather was rough and the top-heavy barge flipped over. The American Girl towed the barge to the pier where the power plant used to be, where Jewell was able to remove the gasoline. But the barge was still upside down.
Jewell hooked a cable to the American Girl, dragged the cable under the barge, and hooked the cable onto the side of the barge. This way the tug would pull down on one side while the crane lifted the other side. It was a good idea, but it did not work. Smoke poured out of both the American Girl and the crane while they strained to flip the barge right-side up, but they did not have enough power. They managed to lift the barge a few feet and stirred up a lot of water, buth that was all. The crane looked as if it was about to tip over from the load.
Phil watched all this for a while, then he and Melvin NaPont started up the Eager Beaver, cruised over to the barge, and attacched a second cable. I think they rghted the barge in about five minutes. It made quite a splash!
I wonder what ever became of the Eager Beaver?
BICOA Bingo Symbols
Week 1: A. Ballon; Gift box; Hug; and Milkshakes
B. Heart Pillow; Candy; Locket and Pink Heart
Week 2: A. Roses; Bow; Ring; Chocolates
BICOA Information
February 8, 2021
Hello friends,
Manna in association with the Feeding seniors/families across America program has provided the Charlevoix County Commission on Aging on Beaver Island another round of 95 fresh fruit/vegetable boxes. I am told each box contains fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and possibly milk meat and cheese. Each box weighs approximately 30 pounds.
On Friday, February 5 and Monday, February 8, Beaver Island residents age 60 and older who are registered with the Commission on Aging were contacted to reserve one box per-household.
All NAPIS form registered Commission on Aging Beaver Island residents 60 and older that did not receive a phone call from Lonnie Allen, please call 231-448-2124 for more information.
Residents age 60 and older who have not registered with the Commission on Aging may still receive a box by completing the NAPIS form on distribution day and after COA registered clients are served first. We cannot guarantee a box to each client, though each COA household that came to the June and September 2020 distribution did receive a box.
Distribution will take place — depending on the weather and the airline delivery — at 1 p.m.– on Tuesday, February 9, at the Charlevoix County Building at 26466 Donegal Bay Road. Clients will do a loop through the County garage where the boxes will be loaded into the vehicle and then proceed to exit out the opposite end of the garage.
Residents who are 60 and older may have a friend or family member pick up a box in their place. Please provide the Beaver Island COA with the name of the person picking up food boxes by calling 448-2124. Further questions can be directed to Lonnie Allen at 448-2124.
Manna in association with the Feeding seniors/families across America program has provided the Charlevoix County Commission on Aging on Beaver Island another round of 95 fresh fruit/vegetable boxes. I am told each box contains fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and possibly milk meat and cheese. Each box weighs approximately 30 pounds.
On Friday, February 5 and Monday, February 8, Beaver Island residents age 60 and older who are registered with the Commission on Aging were contacted to reserve one box per-household.
All NAPIS form registered Commission on Aging Beaver Island residents 60 and older that did not receive a phone call from Lonnie Allen, please call 231-448-2124 for more information.
Residents age 60 and older who have not registered with the Commission on Aging may still receive a box by completing the NAPIS form on distribution day and after COA registered clients are served first. We cannot guarantee a box to each client, though each COA household that came to the June and September 2020 distribution did receive a box.
Distribution will take place — depending on the weather and the airline delivery — at 1 p.m.– on Tuesday, February 9, at the Charlevoix County Building at 26466 Donegal Bay Road. Clients will do a loop through the County garage where the boxes will be loaded into the vehicle and then proceed to exit out the opposite end of the garage.
Residents who are 60 and older may have a friend or family member pick up a box in their place. Please provide the Beaver Island COA with the name of the person picking up food boxes by calling 448-2124. Further questions can be directed to Lonnie Allen at 448-2124.
Grace and peace be with you,
Lonnie Allen
Site Coordinator, Beaver Island COA
Charlevoix County Beaver Island
Building coordinator/Maintenance assistant
(231) 448-2124
allenl@charlevoixcounty.org
Lonnie Allen
Site Coordinator, Beaver Island COA
Charlevoix County Beaver Island
Building coordinator/Maintenance assistant
(231) 448-2124
allenl@charlevoixcounty.org
BICS Board Meeting Packet
February 8, 2021, at 6:30 p.m.
View meeting packet HERE
View video of the meeting HERE
Clan a Gals Cancel St. Patrick's Day Games
February 8, 2021
We regret to announce that the 2021 Beaver Island St. Patrick's Day festivities will be cancelled this year. Heather, Hilary and I had the opportunity to meet this past weekend and we decided that it would be best to not host the games due to many circumstances (COVID, State Restrictions, Weather, etc.) that are out of our control. We hope you all understand that this was a difficult decision for us to make as we enjoy planning and watching you all participate every year! We promise to make the St. Patrick's Day festivities in 2022 a weekend to remember! Slainte'
Winter Finally Arrives on Beaver Island
February 6, 2021
Up until this past weekend, Beaver Island was having quite a mild winter with little snow. Perhaps having to use the snowblower just once in order to get the car out of the driveway, this winter had had some cold, but mostly somewhat mild temperatures and not a great deal of snow. This example may help explain what is meant by this statement. It was still possible to go down most roads, back to the ballpark, and down the road to Barney's Lake. This is no longer true after this past weekend.
This one picture explains the reason that the power on Beaver Island can go out with this much heavy snow. Blinking power throughout the island is not unusual with heavy snow on tree branches with wind moving those branches can cause an outage.
The trip to document this snow in the northern half of the island could easily be documented in pictures and in video.
View a small gallery of pictures HERE
Video of short trip HERE
Phyllis' Daily Weather
February 8, 2021
This cold weather makes one think about heat and staying warm. When we first moved here in 1960, we heated with wood for the first time. Dad didn't quite know how much he'd need and by the end of that season a good many farmers were missing the tops off their fenceposts and we had started rolling newspapers into logs to burn via a special tool. Don't miss that in the least. We did learn though and going to the woods for wood was fun - for a while. Cutting, loading the truck, hauling it home, unloading the vehicle, splitting the wood, stacking it and then bringing it in to burn. It certainly warmed us up more than once. Then we got smart and had the loggers - like Randy Osborn - drop off a huge truckload of logs. Much easier to do that way but it still warmed you more than once. Jump ahead to 1995, we were having a house built and the fellow said, do you want a fireplace or a wood stove? Oh hell no, I just want that little knob on the wall you touch and heat magically happens. That's what we have now and thanks to Johnny B for an electric furnace we are as toasty as can be. I sure hope everyone else is too.
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Cloudy skies again, 8°, feels like -8°, wind is from the west at 12 mph with gusts to 17 mph, humidity is at 72%, dew point is 1°, pressure is rising from 30.20 inches, cloud cover is 100%, visibility is 10 miles, and the cloud ceiling is 4,600 feet. Today: Scattered snow showers during the morning. Then partly to mostly cloudy this afternoon. High 12F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of snow 30%. Tonight: Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low 3F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
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ON THIS DAY Born Charles Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1934, the singer-songwriter known as Del Shannon dies by suicide on February 8, 1990. In a period when the American pop charts were dominated by cookie-cutter teen idols and novelty acts, he stood out as an all-too-rare example of an American pop star whose work reflected real originality. His heyday as a chart-friendly star in the United States may have been brief, but on the strength of his biggest hit alone he deserves to be regarded as one of rock and roll’s greatest.
Legend has it that while on stage one night at the Hi-Lo Lounge in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1960, the young and unknown Del Shannon stopped his band mid-song to have his organ player repeat, over and over, an unusual chord sequence he had just ad-libbed: A-minor to G. Charlie went to work the next day in his job as a carpet salesman with those chords stuck in his mind, and by the time he took the stage that night, he’d written a song called “Little Runaway” around them—(A-minor) As I walk along I (G) wonder, what went wrong…”. It would be three more months before Shannon and his band could make it to a New York recording studio to record the song that Shannon now saw as his best, and possibly last, shot at stardom. As he told Billboard magazine years later, “I just said to myself, if this record isn’t a hit, I’m going back into the carpet business.” Del Shannon sold his last carpet a few months later, as “Runaway” roared up the pop charts on its way to #1 in April 1961.
“Hats Off To Larry” and “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun)” were Shannon’s only other top-10 hits in the United States, but he enjoyed a much bigger career in the UK, where he placed five more songs in the top 10 over the next two years. Like most stars of his generation, Shannon was primarily regarded as an Oldies act through the 70s and 80s, but he was in the midst of a concerted comeback effort in early 1990, with a Jeff Lynne-produced album of original material already completed and rumors swirling of his taking the late Roy Orbison’s place in The Traveling Wilburys. This only added to the shock experienced by many when Shannon shot himself in his Santa Clarita, California, home on February 3, 1990. Shannon’s widow would later file a high-profile lawsuit against Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of the antidepressant Prozac, which Shannon had begun taking shortly before his suicide. That suit was eventually dropped, but the case brought early attention to the still-unresolved question of the possible connection between suicidal ideation and SSRIs, the class of drugs to which Prozac belongs. (history.com)
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DID YOU KNOW Observed on the second Monday in February, National Clean Out Your Computer Day promotes taking time out of your day to do some basic housekeeping on your computer.
All computers need regular organizing and clean up. This includes the removal of old files and clutter. We tend to save emails, documents, and photos on our hard drive when other media can store it for us. Often, we keep duplicates we don’t need, too. Old programs also create havoc, too. Makes sure you are using the latest versions of programs and operating systems, too.
Over time, files and programs that are unused on your PC clog the memory and cause confusion during retrieval and use of other data. They may also slow down your computer. (nationialdaycalendar.com)
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WORD OF THE DAY febrile (FEB-ryle) which means marked or caused by fever: feverish. Not too surprisingly, febrile originated in the field of medicine. We note its first use in the work of the 17th-century medical reformer Noah Biggs. Biggs used it in admonishing physicians to care for their "febrile patients" properly. Both feverish and febrile are from the Latin word for "fever," which is febris. Nowadays, febrile is used in medicine in a variety of ways, including references to such things as "the febrile phase" of an illness. And, like feverish, it also has an extended sense, as in "a febrile emotional state." (merriam-webster.com)
Two Woodpeckers Today
February 7, 2021
Two different woodpeckers were at the suet feeders today, and they have been here before, the corner of Kings Highway and Carlisle Road. It was interesting to see these woodpeckers being chased away by the Starlings, but they came back more than once to chase the Starlings away.
A downy woodpecker?
A redbreasted woodpecker/
The editor is still learning about different kinds of birds, and these are the best guess of this learning person in birding.
Mass from Holy Cross
February 7, 2021
Brian Foli was the reader.
Father Peter Wigton was the celebrant.
View the Mass HERE
Beaver Island Christian Church Service
February 7, 2021
Judi Meister did the announcements and accompanied the hymns.
Pastor Gene Drenth
Readers: Mary Ellen Dawson and Rick Speck
View video of the service HERE
Denial
by Cindy Ricksgers
From Michigan Township Association
February 5, 2021
In-person public meetings prohibited through March 29
A revised Michigan Department of Health and Human Services "Gatherings and Face Mask" Pandemic Order announced yesterday to allow contact sports to resume also extends the prohibition on in-person township, and all public, meetings through March 29, 2021. The revised order continues to prohibit indoor non-residential gatherings to no more than 10 people from no more than two households. The order goes into effect on Monday, Feb. 8 and runs through March 29. Outdoor meetings can be held, with gathering restrictions. Other types of indoor gatherings or activities may be allowed under the order as long as persons comply with the safeguards in the order, including wearing masks. However, MTA notes because the Open Meetings Act prohibits turning a person away from a meeting of a public body, indoor public meetings do pose a different situation. Even though a township can refuse entry to its hall or other facility if a person seeks to enter without wearing a mask or following other required safeguards, the township does not have that ability when a person seeks to enter a meeting of a public body.
As a result of the order, the March board of review meetings MUST be held virtually or outdoors. As a reminder, “virtual” does NOT mean that everyone must participate via a computer. Most virtual platforms allow people to phone in, including using a landline phone or cell phone. MTA has updated our township facilities and meetings fact sheet to reflect the new order, and we also have resources for holding virtual meetings on our “Coronavirus Resources for Townships” webpage. You can find additional MDHHS pandemic order resources on our webpage as well.
Beaver Island Community School Weekly Update
Friday, February 5, 2021
Basketball Season Commences Next Week!
Thanks to the positive trends in the number of new COVID-19 cases across Michigan, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) lifted the prohibition on winter sports. The Islander Basketball teams have been conditioning for the past 3 weeks…and next week they get to try their hand in competition against Maplewood. There are still many details that need to be worked out for the upcoming season, one of which is the number of spectators we are allowed to have in the gym for home games. Watch this space and we will keep you posted. In the meantime, wish the Islanders luck as they travel to Maplewood next week!
ALL Students Eligible for Free Meal Program
Beaver Island Community School has been approved for a COVID-19 relief grant that allows us to provide a free breakfast and lunch for every student. This is part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program for the 20-21 school year. All students are eligible to participate in this program, regardless of their family’s household income.
We are sending out letters today to parents with more information about this program and a copy of the Household Information Report that needs to be filled out for those students new to school meal programs. In addition to this program being available to all students, we are also able to reimburse parents who have been paying for their students’ lunches during this school. Please keep your eye on your USPS mailbox for more information on this program. If you need any additional information, please call the BICS office at (231) 448-2744.
School Board Meeting 6:30 pm on Monday!
The next regularly-scheduled business meeting of the BICS Board of Education is at 6:30 pm this coming Monday. Due to MDHHS orders, this meeting will be held via zoom. If you’d like to join us, click on this link a bit before 6:30 pm: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83516522070
Check out BICS Student Art!
BICS student art is being displayed to the community at the Beaver Island District Library! There’s a large beach collage in the Children's Room (this was a result of the Marine Debris Contest in which our students participated) and artwork in the display case near the front door of the Library. In addition, there is a slideshow on the school website that is updated every few weeks. To find it, go to www.beaverisland.k12.mi.us and scroll down to the bottom of the webpage.
Mark Your Calendars—Remote Instruction on Wednesday, February 17th
We are planning to have remote instruction Wednesday, February 17th so that we can host the clinic to administer the second dose of the Modera vaccine. I also want to give you a heads-up regarding February 18th. Given that the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccines brings about a robust immune response, and all of our staff will be getting the second dose on the 17th, we may preemptively cancel school on February 18th. We will be making that decision based on how other districts who are ahead of us in the vaccination process fare after they are administered the second dose.
Together we are Islander Strong!
Vaccines, masks, social distancing, hand-washing, limiting gatherings—these are the weapons that we have in our arsenal to win the battle against COVID-19. This week, the school played an important role in helping the Island stay healthy. We are all in this together--A healthy Island community is a healthy school community. I want to thank our parents, students, teachers, Health Department staff members, and all the community volunteers who made this week’s vaccination clinic a success. The school stands ready to help get a vaccine into the arms of every Island resident who wants one. It might take several months before that happens, but we are in this for as long as it takes. Together we are Islander Strong!
Have a Great Weekend!
Dorothy Gerber Strings Concert
Kevin Richardson conducts rehearsal with the Junior Orchestra made up of students from classes in Boyne City, East Jordan, Elk Rapids, Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Beaver Island.
With permission of Dr. Reimer of the Dorothy Gerber Strings Program, BINN has captured video of the January 31, 2021, concert. BINN cannot take any credit for the excellent video work and audio work, nor for the wonderful sounds of this program.
The Beaver Island Strings students participated in this wonderful concert. The younger members of the orchestra from Beaver Island were Sophie McDonough and McKenna Turner. The Beaver Island stirngs players in the high school orchestra were Micah and Elijah Richards.
Watch video of the concert HERE
From Holy Cross Parish
February 5, 2021
Budget_Spreadsheet_V1.012321.December.Quarterly.Version
Holy_Cross_Letter_to_Parish.013121
Beaver Island Community School Committee of the Whole
Wednesday, February 3, 2021, at 5:30 pm
View agenda and meeting info HERE
View video of Zoom meeting HERE
(The editor had no time to view the video of this meeting because he was involved in the St James Township Board meeting, so this video was not edited.)
St. James Township Board Meeting Documents
February 3, 2021, at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom
DRAFT Tele Ad Com Min 01212021 additions-1
monthlyfinancereport2_february.2021
PLAN OUTLINE TO PROVIDE REMOVAL OF SCRAP METAL version 2
SJTBagn02.03.21
SJTFCmin012521
supervisorslens2_Feb2021
120420-020121 Bills for approval
Draft Minutes 010621 regular meeting
Payroll 010121-020121
StJ Budget 0221
2020-02-03-01 Purchase of Avigation Easement Hites - replacing 2020-01-06-01
2021-02-03-02 Resolution - 2021County Parks Grant (1)
2021-02-03-03 Agreement to contribute financially to MiSAIL Partner Agreement
View video of the Zoom meeting HERE
Ice Reflection
February 3, 2021
Still some clear ice on the harbor, not sure of its safety for skating at this time.
Frosty Morning
February 3, 2021
The difference between hoarfrost and frost is that hoarfrost is dew-drops which have undergone deposition and frozen into ice crystals to form a white deposit on an exposed surface, when the air is cold and moist while frost is a cover of minute ice crystals on objects that are exposed to the air frost is formed by the same process as dew, except that the temperature of the frosted object is below freezing.
So, whichever this is, it is quite interesting to look at.
Visiting Spikehorns
February 2, 2021
The young buck that was visiting us last fall has returned with a friend, another young buck. Both are spikehorns, and a quick stop to check on the turkey feeder and to eat a couple pieces of corn seemed to work for them. Today, I threw out some apples to see if they are interested.
Community Mapping & Michigan’s New Redistricting Process
Voters amended the state Constitution in 2018 to put everyday Michiganders in charge of drawing the voting district lines that determine who we vote for to represent us in state and federal government. Now, an Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission is responsible for drawing Michigan’s voting district lines by November 1, 2021. An important requirement is that commissioners should keep information from communities of interest collected through public input in mind as they draw the districts.
What is a Community of Interest? Communities of interest can be a group of any size whose members share cultural, economic, historic, and/or other shared interests.
Communities all across the state now have an exciting opportunity -- for the first time in the state’s history -- to give input and make sure Michigan’s election district maps result in better representation for the people. The Commission will rely on voters like you to identify, show and explain where Michigan’s communities of interest are. It will be holding public hearings throughout 2021 to get public input. When you participate, you will give your community a voice.
For more information, you can click HERE
(Info from Nishta Bahtia)
Street Address Editorial
An Editorial on Street Address Signs
By Joe Moore
While no longer in the local EMS or the local fire department providing services, nor as an auxiliary officer of the CCSD, I find that this past year as a federal Census employee, I had a difficult time finding addresses on Beaver Island.
This seems really strange to me since I’ve lived here or visited here for over fifty years in total. Living here for forty-five years, you would think that I’d be able to find most addresses on the island, and I did find this a definite advantage when I was functioning first as an EMT and then as a paramedic.
I was not aware that there was an ordinance that required the posting of the address on each and every driveway here on Beaver Island that was passed by the Charlevoix County Board of Commissioners. I was not aware that the sign needed to be green with white letters on both sides with the top of the sign five feet from the ground and adjacent to the driveway or on a mailbox adjacent to the driveway that is five feet to the top of the box. I also didn’t know that it had to be visible from both directions of the road that the address was on.
I was also unaware that the ordinance can have this post placed and the owner billed, in addition to a fine of $50-$100.
As a census employee, it was very difficult to find the many addresses that I was assigned, mainly because the ordinance was not enforced by the county, nor are some addresses posted following the requirements of this ordinance. My guess is that the visiting census employees not only cost more money to fly over to the island, have motel reservations, etc. but also having difficulty locating the addresses that they may have been assigned.
So, this editorial is really a request of property owners on the island. Please comply with this ordinance to help all the public service agencies on the island, and prevent the waste of funds involved in locating a particular property.
You may or may not be here on the island, but having all addresses shown on these signs can help during a serious emergency. I remember just one emergency down the East Side where it took us more than ten minutes to find the right driveway AFTER driving down there. Unfortunately, the patient did not survive.
Only the applicable parts of the ordinance are included here.
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Ice on the HarborViewing the point from the playground
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BIRHC Board of Directors SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE
Friday, February 5, 2021 at 4:00 pm
View video of the meeting HERE
NOTICE OF MEETING TO BE HELD ELECTRONICALLY, BEAVER ISLAND RURAL HEALTH CENTER, BEAVER ISLAND, CHARLEVOIX COUNTY, MICHIGAN
To: The residents and property owners of Peaine and St. James Townships, Charlevoix County, Michigan, and any other interested parties. Please take notice that a meeting of the Beaver Island Rural Health Center Board of Directors will be held on Friday, February 5th, 2021 at 4:00pm by electronic remote access; see included agenda. Electronic remote access, in accordance with Michigan law, will be implemented in response to COVID-19 social distancing requirements and limitations on the number of individuals in a meeting hall.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CALL IN TO ATTEND THE ZOOM SPECIAL MEETING AS FOLLOWS:
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/96411283979...
Meeting ID: 964 1128 3979
Passcode: 539745 Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/adHAgwFGw
Member of the Board of Directors may be contacted prior to the meeting at the following:
Frank D’Andraia, President: francisdiandraia@gmail.com
Diane McDonough, Vice President: stjamestwp.treas.bi@hotmail.com
Ed Troutman, Treasurer: beavertrout@comcast.net
Carla Martin, Secretary: martincarla254@gmail.com
Cody Randall: codyrandall21@live.com
Kate Leese: kleese@kineticscompany.com
Kellie Sopczyknski, KSopczynski@versiti.org
Laurence Birch: laurencepbirch@gmail.com
Lori Taylor-Blitz: bihistory.director@gmail.com
Beaver Island Rural Health Center Board of Directors Special Meeting to be held on Friday February 5th, 2021 at 4:00pm
I. CALL TO ORDER & CALLING THE ROLL II. ANNOUNCEMENTS
A. Restaining of the Health Center: The Health Center attorney, Joseph G, Nuyen, Jr., has been asked to review the proposed contract award to restrain shingles of the Health Center.
B. Gift: The Health Center has been designated the beneficiary of a $10,000 life insurance policy. Because the policy maturity date is more than a decade away, copies of the agreement are being given for safekeeping to the Managing Director, as well as the Treasurer for placement in their respective files. The donor is paying the premiums. III. REVISIONS to AGENDA IV. FINANCIAL
A. Approval software maintenance contract with Common Angle of Petoskey, MI (Radionoff)
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Need: The Managing Director has requested entering into a contract with Common Angle (https://commonangle.com/history/) for software/Computer IT Managed and assistance and service. The Managing Directors has indicated there are no personnel on staff with software expertise. At this time the BIRHC pays Common Angle for assistance on an as need basis and this process has not been cost effective. The current and immediate past Managing Directors have found Common Angle easy to work with, reliable and very helpful. The company is located in Petoskey, which has been another plus. Having Common Angle under contract allows the Center to move forward with the installation of the new server and the implementation of a variety of other back office and patient centered services. Common Angle has proposed a 2 year service contract costing about $14,000. The contract offer is good until 2/09/2021. Because of past performance, as well as the fact that common Angle is used by other medical organizations, the Managing Director recommended entering into contact with Common Angle. In view of the immediacy I recommend the Board authorize use of Special Project Funds to cover the Common Angle contract expenses in lieu of Federal, State or Township funds. The Bylaws require the following action regarding contracts: Article IV Contracts, Checks, Deposits and Funds 4.01 Contracts The Board of Directors, by resolution adopted by a majority of the Directors present may designate any Officer or Officers, agent or agents of the corporation to enter into any contract or execute and deliver any instrument in the name of and on behalf of the corporation, and such authority may be general or confined to specific instances, so long as they are consistent with the policies established by resolution of the Board Request for a Motion: A motion to designate the Managing Director be authorized to enter into a service contract with Common Angle for a 2 year period at a cost not exceeding $15,000.
B. Approval moving CD funds from the TIAA Bank (Ann Arbor) to the Charlevoix State Bank Money Market Fund (Troutman) The Treasure believes it’s critical to find financial products, services, and rates that meet BIRHC needs. He has evaluated large national banks vs. local banks and credit unions, and it is his recommendation that the size and location of an institution matters. In his analysis he considered such elements as convenience; cost; services; competitive fees and rates; and community engagement/involvement, as well as his experience in working with local financial institutions. He believes moving funds from the TIAA Bank to the CSB will:
Make transactions easier, because the State Bank is locally situated and has a branch on the island;
Encourage corporate support, for the CSB is part of the local economy, and they have a history of supporting local Island organizations.
History matters, for the State Bank and the BIRHC have a long and established relationship. The Treasurer knows what to expect and who to talk to when he has questions.
An attractive offer helps, because CSB has offered the Treasurer an attractive money rate; Request for a Motion: A motion to approve the Treasurer's request to move BIRHC CD monies from the TIAA Bank (Ann Arbor) into a Charlevoix State Bank money market fund on or before December 2021.
C. Approval to move $100,000 from checking at Charlevoix State Bank to a money-market account at CSB (Troutman) The Treasurer continues to review BIRHC accounts and has been in discussions with the Charlevoix State Bank to secure a competitive CD rate for BIRHC funds currently in a checking account at the CSB. Request a Motion: Approve the moving $100,000 from a checking account at the Charlevoix State Bank into a money market account at CSB on or before March 1, 2021.
D. Approval of the Revised Budget The revised BIRHC budget was previously distributed by the Treasurer and discussed by the Board at the meeting held on 1/7/21 but a motion to approve the revision did not occur. Request a Motion: Approve the revised BIRHC budget as distributed on 1/7/21. V. POLICY
Approval Pre-Employment Background Verification Policy and Procedures (D'Andraia)
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The purpose of this policy is to adopt a best practice policy concerning Pre-Employment Background Verification
All offers of employment at Beaver Island Rural Health Center (BIRHC) are contingent upon clear results of a thorough pre-employment background verification. Background checks will be conducted on all final candidates.
Background checks will include:
● Social Security Verification: validates the applicant's Social Security number, date of birth and former addresses. Mandated by the Social Security Act, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services maintains a list of excluded individuals and entities (LEIE), also called a sanctions list, to prevent people who have committed healthcare-related crimes to work in federally-funded healthcare programs. If an employer fails to run the OIG background check and hires someone whose name is on the sanctions list, the employer could be forced to pay civil monetary penalties. The employer is also potentially at risk for safety and liability issues.
● Prior Employment Verification: confirms applicant's employment with the listed companies/organizations, including dates of employment, position held and additional information available pertaining to performance rating, reason for departure and eligibility for rehire. This verification will be run on the past two employers or the previous five years, whichever comes first.
● Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, as well as the national database called Nursys, run by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). Includes verification of applicable licenses are in good standing, as well as the public record regarding disciplinary action.
● Personal and Professional References: calls will be placed to individuals listed as references by the applicant.
● Educational Verification: confirms the applicant's claimed educational institution, including the years attended and the degree/diploma received. An educational verification check, must include verification that the applicant does indeed possess a valid and appropriate Michigan certification/credentials/license as claimed.
● Drugs and Alcohol: As part of the Pre-Employment screening process, job applicants may be required to be screened for drug and alcohol use.
● Criminal History: includes review of criminal convictions and probation.
The following factors will be considered for applicants with a criminal history:
○ The nature of the crime and its relationship to the position. ○ The time since the conviction. ○ The number (if more than one) of convictions. ○ Whether hiring, transferring or promoting the applicant would pose an unreasonable risk to the BIRHC, its employees or its patients and vendors
The following additional background searches will be required if applicable to the position:
● Motor Vehicle Records: provides a report on an individual's driving history in the state requested. This search will be run when driving is an essential requirement of the position.
● Credit History: confirms candidate's credit history. This search will be run for positions that involve management/oversight of BIRHC funds and/or handling of cash or credit Cards.
Procedure
Final candidates must complete a background check authorization form (needs to be created) and return it to the Center’s Managing Director.
The Center’s Managing Director will order the background check from a Board approved service
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upon receipt of written permission from candidates. The Center’s Managing Director shall review the results and consult with the Executive Board.
In instances where negative or incomplete inforefore an offer can be made, the Center’s Managing Director and the Executive Board will assess the potential risks and liabilities related to the job's requirements and determine whether the individual should be hired. If a decision not to hire a candidate is made based on the results of a background check, there may be certain additional Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements that will be handled by the Center’s Managing Director in conjunction with the employment screening service (if applicable).
Background check information will be maintained in a file separate from employees' personnel files for a minimum of five years.
The BIRHC reserves the right to modify this policy at any time without notice. Request for a Motion: A motion to establish written policy (as outlined above) for conducting a Pre-Employment Background Verification Policy and Procedure for all (new) BIRHC professional positions and positions that require personnel to handle funds. The policy would go into effect March 1, 2021. VI. DISCUSSION
A. Developing written policy and procedures governing use of BIRHC condo
The purpose of the proposed policy is to establish guidelines for the use of and the charges associated with the residential condo unit controlled by the BIRHC. The intent of the policy is to ensure consistent treatment of occupancy, to establish rates, if needed, to protect the interest of the Center, to comply with IRS Business Housing guidelines, and insure the general condition, appearance, and proper maintenance of the unit is maintained.
Occupancy: The BIRHC does not routinely provide housing to employees. The Health Center does, however, provide a self-contained residence for use by candidates being interviewed for full-time professional positions at the BIRHC; offer temporary use by new employees and their families while they search for a permanent residence, enable visiting care providers and other medical personnel associated with the Health Center use of the condo when seeing patients; extend condo privileges to those contracted by BIRHC to provide professional services, such as consultants and technology/IT personnel; to put up visiting personnel stranded on the Island due to a weather emergency, and, on occasion, at the discretion of the Managing Director, accomodate a special or temporary need that may arise, and depending on the duration of the stay, a charge to cover costs, such as utility charges and the like, may be requested.
Building Condition Inspections The BIRHC is responsible for inspecting the condition of BIRHC condo before and after occupancy and on a regular basis for such matters as deferred maintenance, health, safety, and code compliance.
Charges: Charges for use of the condo beyond 30 days should take into consideration such expenses as utility, insurance, and condo fees and related expenses. Rates will be developed by BIRHC Treasurer and annually evaluated. Rates are approved by the Board. In such cases where charges apply, a signed agreement specifying the length of occupancy and agreed upon charges is recommended.
Requested Action: Referral to the Finance Committee to prepare a written policy for review and adoption by the Board NLT June 2021.
B. Developing written Purchasing Policy The purpose of this policy is to adopt a best practice policy concerning purchasing procedures used by the BIRHC. The daft below is based on the model used by Peaine Township. A similar model is used by St. James Township. 1. Purchasing Policy: The objective of the Board shall be to provide services, materials, and supplies which offer BIRHC personnel the most effective and efficient means to perform their tasks. The policy of the Board will be to acquire these at a minimum possible cost, but taking into consideration the best interest of the Health Center. 2. Cost Control:
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a. In awarding purchases or contracts for services, the following shall be considered: 1. Price including shipping costs; 2. Quality of product; c) Service, delivery and maintenance of product; 3. suitability of product; 4. Conformance to specifications; 5. Past performance/interactions with the BiRHC; and 6. Vendor reliability.
b. The Board directs that all purchases from all funds under its control and responsibility be made after proper written documentation is obtained to support such purchases, excluding purchases of a minor or emergency nature. All purchases must be accompanied by a receipt or invoice providing adequate information.
c. Vendor competition in purchasing shall be practiced whenever possible.
d. Sufficient amounts must have been budgeted in appropriate accounts and sufficient funds be available in the appropriate account and in the budget approved by the Board.
e. The Managing Director is authorized, in the scope of their duties, to purchase any item, or group of items in a single transaction, costing up to $2,000.00 providing the Board has budgeted in the appropriate accounts and sufficient funds are available in the appropriate account, or line transfer approval given by the Board, and provided that appropriate discretion is used on the basis of requested quotations and reasonable cost comparisons.
f. Employees/designated persons are authorized to make purchases of up to $100.00 with approval of the Managing Director.
g. The Managing Director can authorize emergency expenditures up to $5,000. 3. Non-negotiatory Purchases: Non-negotiatory purchases can be made when there is only one supply source, provided that the Board has budgeted in the appropriate accounts and sufficient funds are available in the appropriate account, or line transfer approval given by the Board. 4. Bids:
a. The Board shall solicit bids for the purchase of materials, supplies, equipment or service in a single transaction costing more than $5,000.00.
b. The Board shall advertise for bids at physical posting locations commonly used by the Board, in a local newspaper, and on the BIRHC website.
c. The Board may reject any or all bids, and shall re-advertise in the event all bids are rejected, in the manner provided by law and this policy.
d. The lowest responsible bidder submitting a competitive bid quotation shall be awarded the contract. However, the Board reserves the right to accept or reject any bid which it feels is in the best interest of the BIRHC.
e. Bids received after the date and time specified shall be returned to the bidder unopened. Changes in the amount or condition of the bid will not be allowed once the bid has been received.
f. After a bid is awarded, a purchase agreement may be executed with the successful bidder. A performance bond,certificate of liability insurance or worker compensation may be required if applicable and appropriate for the contracted service.
g. A conflict of interest exists in the case that a Board member knows that he or she, or a member of his or her immediate family has a financial interest in a procurement. The BIRHC can enter into a contract with a contractor/vendor with which a Board member has a conflict of interest if when entering into a contract with this contractor/vendor the board member must not vote on the contract and must disclose any conflict of interest. A vote of two thirds of the full BIRHC Board must approve the contract.
h. In any case where competitive bidding is not practical or it is to the BIRHC’’s advantage to contract without competitive bidding, the Board, upon recommendation of the President of the Board, may authorize the execution of a purchase without competitive bidding, provided the purchase itself is approved by a vote of the Board at a public meeting. 5. Cooperative Purchasing: The BIRHC shall have the authority to join with other units of government or medical organizations in a cooperative purchasing plan when the best interest of the BIRHC would be served. 6. Competitive Bids On Building Construction, Renovations And Repairs: Prior to commencing construction of a new building or addition to or repair of renovation of an existing building costing $10,000.00 or more, the BIRHC shall obtain competitive bids on all materials and labor required to complete the proposed construction, addition, repair, or renovation. Said bids shall be approved by the Board. Requested Action: A motion to request the Finance Committee to review and evaluate and make recommendation(s) concerning the adoption of a BIRHC Purchasing Policy and to report back to the Board NLT the scheduled May 2021 meeting. C. Selecting a date for a (Zoom) discussion with R.A. "Chip" Hansen Jr., President Charlevoix County Community Foundation.
"Chip" Hansen,, President Charlevoix County Community Foundation has expressed an interest to address the Board about c3f operations and services, as well as answer questions Board members may have about the Foundation and Foundation interactions with the BIRHC. Requested Action: In order to reserve a date with Mr. Hansen, the Board needs to identify a month in which to invite Mr Hansen to either travel to the Island to meet with BIRHC Board members or, if COVID restrictions apply, identify a preferred month to conduct a virtual meeting via Zoom. VII. UP-DATES
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A. PayPal (D’Andraia) Donations to the BIRHC may now be made online via PayPal. On 1/26/21, Next Level Solutions, the firm that is responsible for maintaining the BIRHC website, installed a PayPal [button] on the “Ways to Give Page” of the BIRHC website. Health Center donors, friends and supporters now have, in addition to mailing a check, three online options for making a gift to the BIRHC: Credit Card, Debit Card and PayPal.
B. Committee Assignments (D’Andraia)
1. Ad Hoc Committees: The Ad Hoc Committees working on the Good Samaritan Fund (Lory Taylor-Bliz, Chair) the Patient Surveys (Kellie Sopczynsk, Chair ) and the Strategic Plan (Larry Birch Chair) have all begun work on their respective charges.
2. Non Directors on Boards: At this time a total of five non Board members have been invited to serve on the following Committees: Ad Hoc Committee on the Good Samaritan Fund, the Building Maintenance Committee, and the Resource Development and Marketing/Funding Exploration.
C. COVID Vaccinations (Radionoff) A brief report on the efforts of the Health Department of Northwest Michigan to offer COVID vaccinations to island residents in January and on the planned vaccination clinic(s) scheduled for BI for February 2021.
VIII ADJOURNMENT
** In order to facilitate access to the remote meeting, BIRHC will reimburse any member of the public who is charged by their phone provider for this call in the amount of the actual charge for this call upon presentation of a bill to the Secretary demonstrating an itemized charge for this call. This does not apply to members of the public who have unlimited calling plans through their phone provider. **
In addition, you may submit any comments that you have prior to the meeting (to be read at the meeting) to the following address:
Beaver Island Rural Health Center
Attention Board of Directors-President
37304 Kings Hwy
Beaver Island, MI 49782
The BIRHC will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services to individuals with disabilities upon 72 hours advance notice by contacting Carla Martin, Secretary, by email, phone, or mail at the following:
PO Box 91
Beaver Island, MI 49782
peainetownshipclerk@yahoo.com
231-448-3540
Beaver Island Airport Commission
February 1, 2021, at 12 p.m. via Zoom
airport commission 2 1 2021 regular agenda
DRAFT amended 20-21 and proposed 21-22 budget Airport Commission (1)
Oct 26 BIAC meeting minutes
The Beaver Island Airport Commission had a closed session in the middle of the meeting, but video of the other two halves of the meeting are available.
View the video of the meeting's Open Sessions HERE
Beaver Haven Tales 3
by Glenn Hendrix
The Tire: Story #3
In the 1970's there was only one fire truck on Beaver Iland. It was a 1940's vintage truck with a large water tank. I suppose it must have had pumps also. I doubt it could put out a house fire, but perhaps could have been helpful to protect a neighbor's home or to put out a brush fire. The tank leaked, so it may not have been full of water when needed. This old truck was kept in the county garage behind the marina.
The marina was the only place on the Island that repaired tires. We repaired lots of tires. Phil taught us how to find the leak using a tub made from a drum split in half sideways and filled with water. We put air in the tire, then put it in the tank and rotated the tire until we saw where bubbles leaked out. Usually a nail caused the lead. We removed the nail, jammed a special tool in and out of the hole, then used the same tool to insert a rubber plug covered with special glue. It usually worked well. Sometimes we found huge nails, and once even a narrow gauge railroad spike in the tire, and these could not be patched. Sometimes we had to remove the tire from the rim and patch it from the inside. There was a special tool for removing and replacing the tires on the rims. We provided the power--no hydraulics like the tire shops have now! It worked fine on normal car tires, but larger tires were difficult. We charged $1.50 to fix a flat.
One day the fire truck had a flat. That would not do. Someone, prabably Don Cole brought the truck in for us to fix the flat. Melvin Napont and I were workign that day. These were big heavy truck tires, the kind that were held on the rin by special steel rings. First we had to jack up the truck and removed the tire, no easy task in itself. Then the ring had to be removed from the rim, then the tire. This tire was too large for the mounty tool, so we used tire irons. These are just flat pieces of steel used to leve off the ring and the tire, if you can. We managed to get the ring of, but we struggled for hours to get that tire off. We pried, levered, cussed, (Phil would say we cussed and discussed the matter), banged at with the sledge. Nothing would budge that tire from its rim, where it may have for forty years. Finally we took it to the crane Phil used to launch boats. Melvin started the crane and drove the caterpillar tread over that stubborn tire. I flattened the tire to the ground all right, but we still could not get it off.
What if there was a fire?
Then Stevie Kenwabikise came to work. He took a tire iron and popped that tire off in about 30 seconds! He sure laughed at us.
We patched the tire, remounted it on the rim, replaced the steel ring, put it back on the truck, tighteden the lugs, and lowered the fire truck back to the ground. We stepped back to admire our work and realized that these tires had an oriented "V" tread, like a tractor tire, and we had put it on backwards!
I suspect that tire remained backwards for a long time. Years later the water tank was removed from the truck, a winch was installed and the truck was used by the new transfer station to move heavy boxes of material to be recycled. I don't know what happened to it after that. Perhaps it is rustling away somewhere with a tire on backwards.
Memories and More Memories 6
By Joe Moore
In this year of 2021, I’ve been retired for almost five years, but the retirement doesn’t stop the adrenalin dump and the alertness whenever the scanner shows the local EMS, fire department, or deputy sheriff is/are headed out to another call. It also makes me wish I could turn back the clock, so that I could help my friends and neighbors like I did for almost thirty years. Even the county road trucks’ communications keep my interest as they go about their business of plowing the snow and sanding the roadways. They certainly do an efficient job nowadays compared to fifteen years ago.
Read the rest of the story HERE
Welcome to the February 2021 Edition-B I Christian Church Newsletter
10 a.m. SUNDAY SERVICE
VISITING PASTORS
February 7 – Pastor Gene Drenth
February 14 – Message from Chris Bass
February 21 – Pastor Dan Johnson
February 28 – Pastor Gene Drenth
View and/or Dowmload the Newsletter HERE
CAKE CISMA Surveys for Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: What is it?
- Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is a tiny invasive insect native to Japan.
- It targets and kills hemlock trees. HWA sucks moisture and nutrients from tree needles and shoots.
- HWA are best seen on the undersides of branches and at the base of needles
- More than 176 million hemlocks in Michigan are at risk of being affected by this invasive insect.
- If you notice white, waxy material at the base of the needles on a hemlock tree, do not move it from the site; take photos, note the location and report it.
CAKE CISMA: Who are we?
- We are your local organization that coordinates all invasive species management and conservation engagement for the county!
- Please reach out to us, if you have any questions about invasive plants in the community or on your property.
Want your Hemlock Trees surveyed, for free?
CAKE CISMA has been sub-awarded funds from The DNR to survey Hemlocks in our area. The goal is to determine how far north HWA has spread from southwest MI. These funds allow us to include private property in the survey at no cost to the landowner.
If you would like your Hemlocks surveyed for HWA, contact us to fill out a permission form.
Phone: 231-533-8363. Email: cakeisst@gmail.com.
Kirk Acharya (he, him, his)
Coordinator | CAKE CISMA
Charlevoix, Antrim, Kalkaska, & Emmet Counties
Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area
4820 Stover Road Bellaire, MI 49615
Office: (231) 533-8363 ext. 5
Take a look at the permission and other info HERE
Hemlock Rescue!
Collaborating to stop the spread of Hemlock woolly adelgid
You can now access a recording of the webinar at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5630898525502609923.
If you attended the webinar or viewed the recording, and haven’t done so already, please take a moment to complete a short, 5-question evaluation for the webinar at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/notmispecies1-22-21.
For more information about Hemlock woolly adelgid please visit www.michigan.gov/HWA
Upcoming webinars in this series and recordings can be found at https://www.michigan.gov/egle/0,9429,7-135-3308_3333-539592--,00.html.
Lake Levels Workshops Highlight the Need for Information Sharing
January 26, 2021
There is so much information being shared by all these individuals and part of the SeaGrant program, that it seems improper not to share all of this with BINN readers, at least for those that are interested in this. The editor admits he has not viewed them all, but the topics do tweak an interest.
In light of last year’s high water levels in Lake Michigan and other Great Lakes, repeatedly breaking monthly records, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) brought together resource managers, experts, scientists and community leaders in October to improve understanding of changing lake level impacts and management implications. The group began a process of sharing information and ideas.
While lake levels reached a high mark in 2020, not long ago, in 2012−13 in fact, Lake Michigan’s water level was at a record low. At the time, hydrologists and others were concerned about ships navigating in shallower waters and the need for dredging, among other issues.
Conversely, record and near-record high water levels in 2020 led to submerged docks, flooded transportation infrastructure, including Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, inundated coastal areas and eroding shorelines. Higher water levels can cause irreversible, lasting damage to the shoreline and structures, as well as to habitats.
The virtual workshops, which took place over four afternoons, were focused on the southwestern Lake Michigan region, which includes Chicago and industrialized areas south of Chicago and in Indiana, as well as unique stretches of precious coastal habitat such as the Indiana Dunes National Park, along with other state-protected natural areas.
With 30−40 participants each day, the sessions combined presentations with small group discussions to identify specific issues and define available and needed resources. These conversations brought some common themes to the front.
“Participants stressed the need to keep up with the best available science and experts in the field,” said Veronica Fall, IISG climate specialist. Fall, along with Carolyn Foley, the program’s research coordinator, organized and hosted the workshop series.
In addition, the discussions brought out the need to apply information to long-term planning and management, given projections for increased water level variability, and, specifically, water safety concerns were highlighted.
The group also focused on the need to share information, stressing the importance of knowing people’s expertise so that it is clear whom to contact with questions. Participants expressed the importance of engaging and sharing information with diverse audiences.
“They agreed on the need to pull together lists of available resources for use by Lake Michigan shoreline communities, and ensure these are being equitably shared,” said Foley. “Some participants have already indicated that they will be revising how they share information in response to thoughts shared during these workshops.”
You can find the workshop report in IISG's publications database. Presentations by workshop participants from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cook County Emergency Management and Regional Security, the Illinois State Geological Survey, and more are available via IISG’s YouTube channel.
WORKSHOP VIDEOS
- John Allis – Great Lakes Water Levels
- Laurie Smith-Kuypers – Improving Great Lakes Communication About Changing Lake Levels
- Dave Handwerk – Improving Communication About Changing Lake Michigan Water Levels: USACE Chicago District
- Kim Nowicki – Regional Response to Rising Lakefront Water Levels
- Ricky Castro – National Weather Service Lakeshore Flood Services
- Vidya Balasubramanyam – Prairie Research Institute & Illinois DNR Coastal Management Program Support for Shoreline Management
- Mark Wagstaff & Margaret Boshek – Communication Strategies for Lake Level Change
- Luke Zoet – Coastal Shoreline Research from University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Deanna Apps – Great Lakes Water Levels: Short-term Impacts
- Robin Mattheus – High Lake Levels & the Illinois Coast: Some Insights from Illinois Beach State Park
- Lauren Fry – Great Lakes Hydrology
- Brandon Krumwiede – Understanding Long-Term Coastal Impacts of Water Level Changes in Lake Michigan
- Cam Davis – Coastal Communications for Impact
- Mark Breederland – Coastal Resiliency Communication: A Flipped Classroom Case Study in Process
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is a part of University of Illinois Extension and Purdue Extension.
Writer: Irene Miles
Contact: Veronica Fall
Ways to Give to BIRHC
The Beaver Island Rural Health Center raises only 28% of the funding it needs to operate from patient and insurance payments. The rest comes from property taxes, grants and donations.
There are several ways you can support the Health Center and the essential services it provides:
Amazon Smile
Did you know that much more funding than just patient payments are needed to support our health center operations? We are now a registered charitable organization on Amazon Smile! When you designate BIRHC as your charitable organization and shop through Smile.Amazon.com, Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the Health Center. Amazon Smile is the same Amazon you know… same products, same prices, same service. Support the Beaver Island Rural Health Center by shopping at smile.amazon.com.
To do this, go to http://www.Smile.Amazon.com, and enter “Beaver Island Rural Health Center” as your charity of choice. Then shop under “Smile.Amazon.com” when purchasing products. Every bit counts!
AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives.
smile.amazon.com
The BIRHC Special Projects Fund
This fund is held with the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. Its purposes are twofold: To fund new and improved programs and to serve as a contingency fund from which the board can borrow to operate the Health Center during times of negative cash flow. This is especially important due to the seasonal fluctuations of property tax receipts and patient revenue. The Special Projects Fund is always kept in liquid investments that do not vary with market conditions. This fund can be spent down to zero in emergency situations. To contribute to this fund click on the Charlevoix County Community Foundation link below and follow the site’s instructions. Specify “BIRHC Special Projects Fund” in the appropriate box on the page.
The BIRHC Endowment Fund
This fund is a permanent endowment fund also held at the Charlevoix County Community Foundation. It was the brainchild of the late Dr. Phil Lange. It is invested under the direction of the Community Foundation’s Finance Committee, is designed to grow over time, and is subject to the Foundation’s spending policy, which provides an annual distribution to the BIRHC. Because the fund is endowed, the principal can never be invaded. So donating to the BIRHC Endowment is a way to “do good forever.” The long-term goal of the BIRHC Board is to build a 1.5 million dollar endowment that could eliminate the current need to hold several yearly fundraisers in order to keep the Health Center doors open. Endowment Fund donations of $10,000 or more are recognized with engraved plaques on the “Legacy Tree” wall sculpture located in the reception area of the health Center. Gifts can be paid over up to five years.
Checks, made payable to the “Charlevoix County Community Foundation,” with BIRHC Endowment on the memo line, can be sent to the Charlevoix County Community Foundation, P.O. Box 718, East Jordan, MI 49727. Contributions can also be made online at www.c3f.org.
(from biruralhealth.org)
BITA Meeting Schedule
View/download HERE
Transfer Station Website Up and Running
August 19, 2020
View the website HERE
Transfer Station Prices Increase 10/1/2020
Due to some large increases of the American Waste company, the transfer station prices will need to be increased. There is a list here that you can see the increased prices beginning on the first of October 2020.
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY TRANSIT SERVICE HOURS/INFORMATION ON BEAVER ISLAND
CHARLEVOIX COUNTY TRANSIT IS COMMITTED TO ASSISTING RESIDENTS OF CHARLEVOIX COUNTY REMAIN HEALTHY AND SAFE.
DAYS/HOURS OF SERVICE MONDAY-FRIDAY 10:30AM – 2:30PM
DISPATCH OFFICE HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8:00AM - 4:00PM
231-582-6900 OR 1-844-792-6900
FARE RATES DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS:
PASSENGER RIDES:
Seniors Free (thank you Commission on Aging)
19-59 Years Old $2.00
3-18 Years Old $1.50
Students $1.00 (discounted fare going to/from school only)
Under 3 Years Old Free with adult rider
SERVICES AVAILABLE AT NO CHARGE DURING BUSINESS HOURS:
DELIVERY OF MEALS, GROCERIES, PET FOOD (UNDER 25#), ETC. THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF PRESCRIPTIONS THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF MAIL THROUGH DECEMBER 31
DELIVERY OF OTHER ESSENTIAL ITEMS THROUGH DECEMBER 31
PREMIUM RIDES/DELIVERIES AVAILABLE OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS HOURS $10 PER PERSON/DELIVERY PER TRIP (based on driver availability)
WE SUGGEST PRE-SCHEDULING DELIVERIES AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS DAY IN ADVANCE. PLEASE MAKE ARRANGEMENTS WITH THE BUSINESS FOR PAYMENT OF ITEMS PRIOR TO REQUESTING DELIVERY.
**Passengers Must Wear a Face Covering or Mask While Onboard Transit Vehicles and Sanitize Hands (provided) Prior to Boarding **
The Founding Documents for the Airport Commission
The Intergovernmental Agreement
The Rules for Procedure
Township Agreement with BIRHC
As I've already posted the challenge to the townships to begin posting all the agreements with all commissions, committees, and authorities, along with any governing documents and changes to those documents, it became necessary to begin a search for those that seem to be questioned nowadays. Thanks to the person that sent me this copy of this agreement. I believe that everyone should read these agreements and make certain that they are being followed. This agreement was signed in August 2002. No changes to this agreement have been able to be found using search engines.
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Posted on 9/6/18 at 9:15 a.m. Reposted 10/13/2020
Donate to the Food Pantry
Use this button below to donate to the Food Pantry.
Donate to the Live Streaming Project
The Live Streaming Project includes BICS Sports Events, Peaine Township Meetings, Joint Township Meetings, and much more.
Your donation may allow these events to be live streamed on the Internet at http://beaverisland.tv