by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

Santa arrived in Onaway in a helicopter for the annual Moran Iron Works (MIW) holiday fireworks celebration. The mild conditions prevented him from bringing his sleigh and reindeer.

An estimated 900 kids received presents from Santa and Mrs. Claus.

“We figured there were 3,000 people there,” said Marilyn Kapp Moran, MIW public relations/marketing director. “Two hundred dozen cookies were gone before the event was over. We had lots of fun.

“The weather was so darn perfect. Santa and Mrs. Claus said they had a great time.”

In Rogers City, residents enjoyed a Christmas parade, not once, but twice. Once when it traveled south along Third and a second time when it went north along Fourth to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum.

“I think the parade and business after hours event went very well,” said Shannon McKinstry, Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “I have heard a lot of positive feedback from the community. Many businesses said they were well attended and we had more floats than last year. We look forward to next year and hope it grows even more.”

The start of the weekend also saw the lighting of 60 Christmas trees in Onaway’s Chandler Park.

Santa presented dozens of gift bags to the youth, “And the ambiance of singing Christmas carols around the bonfire while enjoying refreshments was delightful,” said Brenda Archambo, Onaway Community Chamber of Commerce vice president, who offered a greeting.

“May the spirit of this holiday season be with you now and throughout the coming New Year. Also a friendly reminder to shop local.”

The season is into full swing in Presque Isle County.

Other notable events on tap, include the Christmas concert tonight at the Rogers City Theater with the Huron Shore Barbershop Chorus, the Mariners and church choirs. That’s at 7:30 p.m. with free admission.

The next night, the city band will be at the theater at 7:30 p.m.

In other holiday happenings, the Onaway Goodfellows and Black Lake Sportsmen’s Club Toys for Kids program still have quite a few stockings left on the Christmas tree at Tom’s Family Market.

It’s an endeavor to get Christmas presents to less fortunate families for Christmas.

“There are probably still 35 to 40 names left,” said Terry Materna.

Originally, there were about 200, much the same as it has been for a few years.

Presents need to be back by Dec. 16.

Materna still needs volunteers to help out Dec. 17 to wrap items and prepare the food and clothes for distribution Dec. 19. Call Materna at 733-8954.

A holiday treat will be delivered Friday at 7:30 p.m. when the Rogers City Band presents its annual Christmas music concert at the Rogers City Theater. The band is directed by Ben Witter. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted at the door.… Read Full Story

HERE ARE the people that helped the Metz Trailside Park become a reality. Pictured, from left, are Nyle Wickersham, Danny Kandow, Louis Urban, Sharon Krzywiecki, Jonas Taratuta, Nancy Kandow, Mark Thompson, Tom Hein, Ken Pawelek and Neil Altman.
(Photo by Peter Jakey)

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

A park has been born in the heart of Presque Isle County.

The Metz Fire Trailside Park, located between the North Eastern State trail and the Metz Township hall, is nearly completed, but already available for use.

The new park has a pavilion, Metz’s only playground, a new well and water fountain, along with a vault toilet.

Metz Township officials signed off on the construction portion of the project and have been approved for an extension of the grant agreement from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to work on landscaping detailing.

Last week, the DNR notified the township that the extension proposal was accepted. The agreement has been extended through May 31, 2016.

Historic displays commemorating the devastating fire of 1908 will go on the inside walls of the pavilion. Many of the local people who worked to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the fire seven years ago, were involved in the development of the park too.

“I think it is an incredible asset for Metz Township, Presque Isle County and anybody using the trail,” said Presque Isle County Historical Museum executive director/curator Mark Thompson, who was one of six members to serve on a committee to develop the project. “I think it is going to be a wonderful stopping point for people.”

It’s the second trailside park the DNR has funded in Presque Isle County. The other is in Millersburg.

“People could plan a trip here,” said Ken Pawelek. “I think it is going to be an asset to the community.”

Committee member Jonas Taratuta said the project, which started in 2012, has come a long way.

“We waited for it for a long time, but now it is finally here,” said Taratuta. “I think it is very inviting.”

Thompson said the process to bring the project to where it is today involved a lot of government paperwork. “There are a lot of dollars involved,” he said.

The committee applied for and received local grants totaling $14,646.

Some local grants were earmarked for the Metz fire historical element of the park. These features will be put into place this coming spring. Officials are hopeful it will be in time for the ribbon cutting tentatively scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.

Committee chair Nancy Kandow said the park received countless-hours of donated services from both professional and nonprofessional individuals.

“This is very exciting for us,” said Nancy.

“It’s quite the improvement for the community,” Danny added.

Committee members included Tom Hein, Neil Altman, Danny and Nancy Kandow, Thompson and Taratuta.

by Angie Asam–Staff Writer

Monday evening the Rogers City Area Schools (RCAS) board of education held a special board meeting to interview two candidates for the districts part-time superintendent position. The board had six interested parties apply for the position and the executive committee narrowed the field to the two that were interviewed.

The first candidate interviewed was a familiar face in secondary principal/athletic director David O’Bryant. His interview began at 5:30 p.m.

An interview for Ron Kraft began at approximately 7:30 p.m. Kraft has 18 years of experience as a superintendent having worked in that capacity in Harbor Beach, retiring at age 49 and then moving on to be superintendent of Hale Schools for four years. He resigned as superintendent of Hale earlier this year and then served as a mentor for the current superintendent in the transition period.

O’Bryant graduated from Ferris State University and did his student teaching in Petoskey. He then taught at Inland Lakes Schools for six years where he was also union president. He was laid off, as was his wife Rebecca, and both were able to land jobs as teachers in Rogers City in 2010. He also was named girls’ varsity basketball coach. After one year of teaching in the high school O’Bryant was named secondary principal. A year later the title of athletic director was added to his duties.

“I have poured everything I have into this district for the past five years,” he said.

Kraft outlined his 18 years of experience as a superintendent at both Harbor Beach and Hale. Kraft was superintendent of Hale when they were going through a deficit elimination plan, in danger of the state coming in. .

From there the candidates were asked what their most unique or innovative accomplishment as a superintendent/administrator was. O’Bryant talked about adding the intervention courses at the secondary level while Kraft talked about taking staff members and helping them to become better educators as they raised scores at Hale.

Many questions were asked involving collaboration, experience with bonds and other financial items, staying up to date with changes to education, interaction with staff and parents, educational trends, dealing with labor negotiations and other portions of the job. Below are a few questions and the candidates answers.

***   ***   ***   ***

Describe your leadership style and what are the possible weaknesses of that style.

O’Bryant: “(My) Leadership style is very open. I am very open with the staff in seeking input and advice, in sitting down and talking with them. Whether it be staff or students we try to work through problems as opposed to just dictating how it’s going to be done. We meet with several different teams to identify problems ahead of time and again rather than me sitting at the top and saying this is how we are going to do it we meet as a team and work out solutions. Weaknesses of that style, sometimes you need to just lay it down and say it needs to be done here.”

Kraft: “I believe my leadership style has changed over the 18 years. It is surely more collaborative and from a stewardship standpoint and format today. Sometime the biggest weaknesses is what decisions need to be collaborative in nature and what decisions need to be made by the CEO. For me that is the challenge. But the more associative, humanistic and self-reflecting we can all be as we go down the path and develop our leadership skills and help develop the leadership skills of those around us, the more successful long term our organizations are going to be. Early in my career I would say that I was after change. Today I am after leading sustainable change and there is a difference.”

***    ***    ***    ***

The executive committee will meet Jan. 5, 2016 to discuss the process and develop a path for the board to go down.

(Complete story is in the Dec. 24, 2015 edition of the Advance)

by Angie Asam–Staff Writer

Thirty-two district titles, 11 regional titles, 71-state medalists. In the 45-year history of the Rogers City High School wrestling program all those things have been accomplished under just three coaches; the father of the program Bill Barrett, his successor Warren Gleason and since 2000 Pat Lamb.

Tuesday the Hurons will host the annual Bill Barrett invitational, a meet held each year in December in honor of the father of the program. As part of the meet this year coach Lamb will present Gleason’s family with a plaque in his honor. A plaque will also be placed above the wrestling showcase where the headstone of Barrett is placed.

Gleason took over the program in 1983 after Barrett was forced to retire for medical reasons. He coached until 1999 and had a coaching record of 289-70-2. His teams won 13 consecutive district titles from 1987 through 1999 when he and Lamb were co-headcoaches. Lamb kept that streak going as the team would reach 22 straight titles through 2008. On April 7 of this year Gleason passed away at age 78.

Following the passing of Barrett in 2001 the Huron wrestling team donned the initials BB on singlets, shirts and warm-ups for many years. Barrett coached from the 1970 season through 1982 and had a record of 143-38-3 and winning the programs first five district titles.

In 2013 when youth wrestlter Wyatt Saile, 10, passed away a pink W was and has remained on the warm-ups and shirts worn by the wrestlers and fans. Wrestlers even have a painted fingernails during the season, the right ring finger is pink with a black W on it, remembering the young energetic wrestler that was taken too soon.

“Wyatt was a member of our youth wrestling program and was an inspiring young wrestler that there is no doubt in my mind would have strived and succeeded in the wrestling program. He was also a member of my family and some of my wrestlers’ families. A lot of the wrestlers that are on the team knew Wyatt and respect what we are doing. Every year, I ask the guys, I can’t force them to keep painting our fingernails, to keep the W, that is them; they want to continue to do that. In my estimation we will probably continue to memorialize Wyatt until his graduating year, 2021. I am not going to force that on anybody but if they come to me and they want to keep doing it I am more than happy to. It means the world to me,” said coach Lamb.

Yes, the wrestlers do occasionally get strange looks from officials and opponents with a pink fingernail but it doesn’t bother them. When they are tired during a hard match coach Lamb often yells out to them to look at that nail and get energy to finish the match tough.

This year the Huron wrestling family is donning a new letter on their sleeves, an orange G, for the beloved “G” Gleason, the second coach of the program. Winter hats given out by coach Lamb have the G on the side and the pink W on the back. A new coaching jacket he wears features the G on one sleeve, a BB on the other and a W on the back.

“Just to remember. Obviously a lot of these kids don’t know coach Barrett, a lot of them never knew coach Gleason, however, I did. Coach Barrett was my mentor and my coach and I also was coached by Gleason in high school and I coached under him for a long time. I learned a lot from both of those men,” said coach Lamb.

“Our program has thrived because of both of those men. There is no reason not to memorialize those two gentlemen any way that we possibly can. I never ever want to forget either one of them and I never will. I just want to keep their names synonymous with the Rogers City wrestling program,” said coach Lamb.

THE MEMBERS of the 2015-16 team will soon be selling T-shirts, the popular fundraiser in high school sports right now, those shirts will feature the initials mentioned above, three members of the Rogers City wrestling family that are part of what the program does today.

A wintery blast is predicted to hit the county later this afternoon (Monday, Dec. 28) and into the night. According to the AccuWeather forecast winds could gust up to 34 m.p.h. as a winter storm warning is in effect from 5 p.m. this afternoon until 7 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 29).

The U.S. Weather Service said scattered light snow showers will persist through this afternoon then a wintry mix will develop between 7 and 9 p.m.. Freezing rain is possible tonight with heaviest snowfall rates happening between 9 p.m. tonight and 3 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Snow accumulation of three to seven inches, with amounts increasing in the northern area. Ice glaze is possible, so plan on slippery roads.

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

The biggest storm of the 2015-16 season brought gale force winds, nearly a foot of snow and another power outage in Rogers City. It’s the second outage in less than a week in the Nautical City as strong winds shut the power down on Christmas Eve.

The latest happened as many were starting their Tuesday morning. Lights, televisions and coffeemakers went out at 8:22 a.m.

“There was an equipment problem at our Port Calcite substation,” said Consumers Energy spokeswoman Debra Dodd. She did not know how many customers were affected, but it certainly was citywide. It was up and running again at 12:07 p.m. as soon as the power was restored, there was in influx of private plow trucks inundating local gas stations.

Many businesses and local government offices were shut down because of the outage and stayed closed, including the Presque Isle County Courthouse, Rogers City City Hall and the Presque Isle District Library.

If the outage did not stop folks, 10 to 16 inches of snow in driveways did. A coating of ice below the snow made it difficult for some to get out.

David and Ruth Brege were like many others who faced the chore of removing snow after this week’s storm. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

The Presque Isle County Road Commission had trucks out as early as 4 a.m. By 5:30 a.m., all the crews were out.

“We ended up with some build up on the state highway system because of the warm road conditions, then it was a warm snow that built up on the roads,” said Jerry Smigelski, road commission superintendent/manager. “We ended up having to use the motor grader to peel some of that off to salt it. That took a little bit longer.”

Crews got to the secondary roads into the early afternoon hours and worked some overtime to get all the roads opened up again.

Smigelski said there were drifts of 2- to 3-feet in places. He drove from Posen to Rogers City to get to work and thought Rogers City had a little more snow.

“A couple of guys that came in from the Hawks area said they had about 12 inches of snow on the roadways,” said Smigelski.

Being that it was the first big storm, Smigelski wanted to remind motorist to allow some extra space on the road for plows. Additionally, there are laws that govern snow removal and it is against the law to plow snow across roadways.

“It makes it more difficult to remove and is unsafe,” said Smigelski. “If you are driving, people forget to turn on their headlights. That is one of the best things you can do.”

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

The Presque Isle County Advance’s 2016 New Year’s baby contest starts the new year at midnight tonight with one major prestigious rule change. It covers the entire county.

For many years there were two simultaneous contests going on in the county one for the Onaway Outlook and the other for the Presque Isle County Advance.

With the merger of the publications from earlier this year, the contests have been consolidated into one more robust contest for the entire county. So, is it going to be interesting to see what community has the first baby. The winner could be on the front page as soon as next week.

Not much else has changed with the contest. There are great prizes that have been donated by county merchants and the baby has to be born after midnight.

All the other rules and a list of generous, community-minded businesses are listed on in this week’s edition.

Another tradition going back several years is to catch up with the previous winner. This year, there were two winners to look up.

Anka Grace Grzesikowski, the daughter of Cory and Shannon (Mason) Grzesikowski of Onaway, was born three weeks into 2015.

The Outlook’s 2015 baby came into the world Jan. 21 at 2:52 a.m., which was a couple of days before her due date.

Fast forward 11 months, Anka is crawling. That started a few weeks ago. In the last week, she started to stand.

One thing is clear, she really loves to talk.

“Her favorite words are ‘mama,’ ‘dada,’ ‘baba,’ ‘nana,’ ‘papa’ and ‘hi,’ ” said Shannon, who was pleased to report that her first child’s first word was “mama.”

Her favorite Christmas gift was a talking Elmo.

“Anka is a good-natured lovable child,” said Shannon.

Anka has two stepbrothers, Zeb and Zane Grzesikowski of Rogers City. The grandparents are Al and Norma Grzesikowski, and Tim and Pam Mason, all of Onaway. Her great-grandparents parents are Lois and Bruce Price and Shirley and Carol Mason all of Onaway.

Ariana Trinity Bober was the Advance’s baby in 2015. She was born eight days into the new year at 1:56 p.m. Her mother is Alyssa Bober of Rogers City.

Ariana was born with a heart murmur that still lingers, but she is doing well in growth and development.

“She will stand,” said Alyssa. “She is not a fan of walking on her own yet. For being a month early, she is doing exceptionally well. On an occasion, they still hear the heart murmur. If it is still present during her one-year check up, they will do an echocardiogram.”

Her favorite Christmas presents have been a floor car and a VTech baby tablet.

Ariana’s family has grown in 2015.

Alyssa’s fiancé has become part of the family and he has a son and a daughter. The couple plans on getting married July 9, 2016. So, Ariana will have a stepdad, a brother Andrew and sister Lilyanna.

Her grandparents are Wayne and Jennifer Bober of Rogers City; and Liza and Gerald Ruiz of . Steve’s parents Dave and Shirley Budnik of Posen already have accepted the infant as one of their own.

Her great grandparents are Alexander and Sylvia Forgetta.

The Presque Isle prosecuting attorney has filed his second lawsuit this year against other county elected officials. After filing a suit against sheriff Bob Paschke and undersheriff Joe Brewbaker, among others, in July, Richard Steiger has targeted four of the five members of the county board of commissioners.

Commissioners Carl Altman, Stephen Lang, Robert Schell and Michael Darga were named in the suit, which was filed in United States District Court, Eastern Division of Michigan, (U.S. District Court) November 24 and came to light this week. The defendants each voted in favor of removing Steiger as civil counsel to the board at its Aug. 28, 2015 meeting. Commissioner Lee Gapczynski, who voted against removing Steiger as civil counsel, was not named in the petition.

“The defendants removed (Steiger) because of his exposure of and speaking out against the (alleged) unlawful activities occurring at the Presque Isle County jail,” the complaint reads.

Steiger claims he sustained damages and injuries, which included loss of earnings, loss of career opportunities, mental and emotional distress and loss of reputation and esteem in the community. He is asking for in excess of $75,000.

The latest lawsuit is the latest in a series to hang over the county:

—Former court employee Denise Stacer filed suit Dec. 19, 2014 against Presque Isle County, Judge Donald J. McLennan, Judge Maria Barton, Paschke and Brewbaker and is represented by the same law firm as Steiger. “Reading her allegations about why she was terminated is like reading a fairy tale. She was fired, and she knows this, because she wasn’t doing her job,” McLennan said of the allegations listed in the complaint.

That suit may be nearing a settlement, according to court documents. “Dec 17, the court received correspondence advising that the parties had reached a settlement and that closing documents would be submitted within 30 days,” stated a document filed Dec. 21, 2015 in U.S. District Court.

—The White Lake law firm employed by Steiger and Stacer also represented former county jail inmate Joan Burgess, who recently settled a lawsuit with the county and former jail employee Richard Hanson.

— Steiger asked city police to investigate a possible “breach of security” involving an alleged break-in to a filing cabinet in the prosecutor’s office Nov. 24. The investigation is ongoing.

—In Aug. 2014, Steiger made a “request for investigations” of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on four points levied against the Paschke, Brewbaker and officials from the Michigan State Police (MSP). “He is throwing allegations around that are totally false and have no merit to them,” Paschke said at the time of the filing. The implication, by association to include officials from the past is insulting, Paschke added.

—The complaint in the July suit against Paschke and others details Steiger’s version of how the Michigan State Police (MSP) came to investigate Steiger for “doctor shopping” which included information given to MSP by Steiger’s ex-wife. The complaint said, that during a Dec. 11, 2011 meeting Steiger “clearly expressed his opinion that the HUNT officers were not doing their job; they were not providing full disclosure of evidence; there was a long history of HUNT officers being deceptive,” and other allegations. Steiger was found not guilty of the “doctor shopping” charges.

“It is possible that during the course of depositions, others will be added. I was clear, the (County) Board (of Commissioners) was very good to me when the arrest came out. People in this community were amazing to me and it would have been a slap in the face to go after county coffers, so I refuse to do so,” Steiger said in November 2014 after filing his initial suit against Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Department officials and MSP troopers.

Officials from the MSP and the Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Department have insisted all allegations have been investigated and were found to be unsubstantiated. It is unclear whether the DOJ has or would ever investigate the accusations brought out in Steiger’s letter from 2014.

(The Advance will have further coverage in the Jan. 7 2016 edition)

by Peter Jakey—Managing Editor

The first child born of Chris and Angie Kowalski of Presque Isle is the county’s first baby of 2016.

Callen Christopher Kowalski was born Jan. 1 at Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord, only eight hours and 51 minutes into 2016. So, Callen can claim another first in his young life. He weighed six pounds, six ounces, measured 19 ¾ inches and already has received the nickname, “Snuggle Bug.”

As winners of the annual first baby contest in Presque Isle County, the couple and their newborn received a bevy of gifts from community-minded businesses, including a one-year subscription to the Advance.

Callen, pronounced with a soft “A,” arrived three weeks early and took a not-so-easy path to get into the world – one his parents will never forget.

Even with a due date of Jan. 26, Angie started having contractions in the final days of December, believing it to be normal.

It only got worse on the night of Dec. 30, when the pain kept her from sleeping. The couple went in for a scheduled doctor’s appointment New Year’s Eve and learned Angie was dilated at approximately 4 centimeters and effaced at 50 percent, but that could go on for a few more weeks. They left, but were told to not venture too far out of northern Michigan.

“Went to her parent’s house (in Cheboygan) and were preparing to go out for dinner about 7 p.m. and she said, ‘I can’t go out, I am in agony, this is insane,’ ” said Chris. They monitored the contractions at five minutes apart and decided to go back to Gaylord. “She had not changed from the morning,” said Chris. “The frequency had.” She was given morphine-medications to relieve her symptoms and again sent on her way with the hope of slowing the process.

Back in Cheboygan, the morphine wore off and the pain returned at 2:30 a.m., New Year’s Day, and it came back with a vengeance. The hospital said to bring her back.

Driving back was a lot different than the first two trips because it was snowing to beat-the-band. By the time they got to Vanderbilt it was 4 a.m. and he could not see the road. “I was making my own tracks,” said Chris.

Once in the hospital, Angie went into labor, but there were further complications that led to an emergency cesarean section and a scary moment.

“They pulled him out and we don’t hear anything; and don’t hear anything; and don’t hear anything,” said Chris.   They then heard his joyful cry and got to meet him for the first time. Mom calmed him by simply singing “You are My Sunshine,” a song she has been singing to him for almost nine months. He was breathing normally within one minute.

Since then, Callen is doing extremely well. On his first day, the infant heard the University of Michigan’s fight song “Hail to the Victors,” 14 times or more as his father watched his alma mater win a bowl game on television — another first for little Callen.

“He is a champion,” said Chris.

“It was a very happy ending,” added Angie.

Callen’s grandparents are Mary Jo and Darl Taylor of Cheboygan; and Rosalynne and Richard Kowalski of Rogers City.

His great-grandparents are Judy and Robert Decker of Onaway; Joyce and Vance Burrows of Onaway; and Connie and the late Bruce Taylor of Hawks.

factory when the fire started at 8:30 a.m. Owners believed it was started from a spark of static electricity that ran up a shaft into the blowers of a sanding machine.

Owner E.J. Lobdell Jr. reasoned that this caused an explosion in the blower system that spread into the pipes.

The front page of a January, 1926 issue of the Onaway Outlook told the news about the devastating fire.

On the day of the fire, plant officials said it would likely be rebuilt. They quickly changed their minds as they found a building in Alma to house the company.

Filling a building formerly used to build trucks for the Great War, the company invited any former employees of the Onaway plant to work in Alma.

Gone were 800 jobs. The fire of 1926 proved a major setback for the community.

AWRC hired 300 for the new plant. Within a matter of days, an exodus left Onaway almost silent as workers from the plant, and the mills, which supplied the company, left town to look for work. It was a major setback for a once thriving community. Businessman wept unashamed as they watched. Many feared Onaway would become a ghost town.

A new school that may never be needed was built. Stores were stocked with no patrons to sell the merchandise to.

One of the first products of the Onaway plant was broom handles. Later, the plant made wooden steering wheels for the new auto industry, including for the hot-selling Model-T Fords, and was said to be one of, if not the largest steering wheel manufacturer in the world.

Nine decades later, remnants of the plant remains in partial build shells. Businessman and philanthropist Tom Moran developed a trail in the last few years so people can view what’s left of the ruins and remember.

Onaway has not forgot its heritage, and still clings to the motto, “Onaway Steers the World.” It’s engraved in the sidewalks and used by the new Onaway Community Chamber of Commerce. The wooden steering wheels are proudly on display at the grocery store, and of course the museum.

It was a day that changed Onaway in almost an instant, but it didn’t wipe the town from the map. As the 1939 Onaway News reported, 13 years after the fire, “There are still a few ‘weepers’ but they are outnumbered by those who have faith in the future and are conducting their business with confidence.”

Nine decades later, Onaway still could use an economic shot in the arm with tight budgets at City Hall and struggling businesses, but there is still a love for a community that once steered the world.

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

The giving season was not quite over last week as the owners of the Rogers City Theater donated the historic movie house to the Presque Isle District Library (PIDL).

The board of directors voted unanimously at its first regular meeting of 2016 to accept the gracious offer from Karl and Mary Ann Heidemann. The board came out of executive session Jan. 6 to announce an agreement had been reached in principle.

As soon as all of the paperwork involving the transfer of property is complete, PIDL will take ownership of the building. Karl will help consult and train staff.

PIDL will lease the theater to the Heidemanns, who will continue to show first-run movies and live play productions, as well as programs involving the arts and culture, just as they have the last 12 years.

PIDL would like to continue providing the same level of entertainment, including first-run movies and live play productions, said library director Amber Clement.

Library board chairman Beach Hall said the donation was accepted with “A great deal of joy. It’s what I consider to be a very, very, generous offer to donate the facility to the library,” said Hall. “It will stay in the public domain and be used. We can do all kinds of programming in it. It will be good for everybody in the county.”

The donation includes the theater and the adjoining Super Scoop ice cream shop.

KARL HEIDEMANN, who has been the Rogers City Theater ringmaster since 2003, donated the theater to ensure its future in downtown Rogers City. With his patent smile, Here, Karl was putting up the letters before throwing a party for the theater’s 75th anniversary in late 2014. (Photo by Peter Jakey)

(The complete story is in the Jan. 14, 2016 edition of the Presque Isle County Advance)

Icy conditions caused slippery conditions on area roads, causing school closures in Onaway, Rogers City and Posen. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

(Jan. 15) Freezing rain caused icy conditions on area roads, prompting school officials to cancel classes for today. A steady rain on top of a layer of snow made side roads very slick and dangerous. The weather forecast calls for mostly cloudy conditions with a high temperature of around 36 degrees Fahrenheit.

As of 9 a.m., the freezing rain was still falling in the area even as temperatures hovered around 30 degrees. Much colder temperatures are predicted for the weekend with more snow on the way. As of this morning, the Advance has not received word on the status of high school sporting events planned for Friday.

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

It’s the first time a pheromone has been registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to control a fish or vertebrate.

Researchers used a concept known to those in the agricultural industry for many years to continue the fight to reduce the number of sea lampreys in the Great Lakes.

Scientists used a lamprey’s basic instincts for mating against itself. The scents from the male lampreys attract the females into traps.

A RESEARCH team worked on pheromone identification in the Ocqueoc River. From left are, Henry Thompson, David Partyka, Nicole Griewahn, Aaron Smuda, all local students, and Nick Johnson who at that time was a graduate student at MSU in the Li Lab, now at HBBS full time. (Photo by T. Lindsey Haskin)

Most of the research resulting in the registration of this sea lamprey pheromone occurred at the Hammond Bay Biological Station (HBBS) and in the surrounding streams like the Trout River, Ocqueoc River and Silver Creek.

“At the station here, we were able to isolate and collect a lot of the pheromone so that Michigan State (University) researchers could identify it,” said Nick Johnson, HBBS research ecologist.

Since the 1990s, scientists have been researching the use of pheromones – natural odors used by sea lampreys to communicate – to manipulate sea lamprey behavior.

“Within the last five years, we started branching out from local rivers to the entire Great Lakes, including Ontario, doing additional trials to ramp up to this registration,” said Johnson. “Now that it has registered and passed all the tests EPA requires, it is now considered safe. Plus, we have an effective approach for using it.” It was registered in the U.S. and Canada at the same time after being reviewed for two years.

Research and development of the mating pheromone was funded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) , with additional support from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, in collaboration with federal government, university, and private industry partners.

In the fall, the GLFC  announced that sea lampreys had been knocked down to a 30-year low in Lake Huron.

The sea lampreys invasion is one of the worst human-caused ecological disasters ever inflicted upon the Great Lakes. Sea lampreys invaded through shipping canals and, by 1939, were present throughout the system. They attach to Great Lakes fish with a tooth-filled, suction cup mouth and file a hole through the fish’s scales and skin with a razor-sharp tongue.  The average sea lamprey will kill up to 40 pounds (18 kg) of fish during its parasitic stage.

“The Great Lakes Fishery Commission is very excited about this accomplishment,” said Dr. Robert Hecky, chair of the commission.

Dr. Hecky emphasized the critical role of partners. “This achievement has been many years in the making and could not have occurred without the excellent work of our collaborators at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Michigan State University, and Bridge Organics Company.”

On the local front, Johnson credits the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources for its permits to work on state land, as well as permits from the Presque Isle County Road Commission.

Over the years, a number of property owners have allowed researchers access to their land including, Dolly Trump, Lydia Lorenz (deceased), Andy Meyers, Paul Spens, Gene Brege, Lilla Freel, John Roper and other private land owners. Several businesses have provided housing for visiting researchers.

Many local residents have helped conduct the research including, Zak Smillie, Hayley O’Meara, Trevor O’Meara, Kyle Hill, Nicole Griewahn, David Partyka, Aaron Smuda, Henry Thompson, Linnea Brege, Melissa Pomranke, Amanda Pomranke,  Joe Bednark, Margo Nowak, Ed Benzer, Tyler Buchinger, Brooklyn Idalski, Scott Couture, Staci Zalewski, and others.

“The work was driven by the support we received from the local community,” said Johnson.

Dr. Suzette Kimball, USGS director, praised registration of the sea lamprey mating pheromone as “a milestone for control of invasive species and protection of natural biodiversity.

“Development of the sea lamprey mating pheromone is exactly the type of cutting-edge research that places each partner at the forefront of science.”

Since invading the Great Lakes in the 1800s and early 1900s, sea lampreys – parasitic, jawless vertebrates that feed on the blood and body fluids of other fish – have caused enormous ecological and economic damage.

To combat this menace, the commission coordinates an integrated sea lamprey control program implemented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada that combines lampricides, barriers, and traps. The control program is remarkably successful: sea lamprey populations in most areas of the Great Lakes have been reduced by 90 percent of the historical highs.

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

Keeping track of the different weather events has not been easy as of late.  Whether you want to blame El Nino or global warming, there have been different types of winter weather to start the new year.

Icy conditions caused slippery conditions on area roads, causing school closures in Onaway, Rogers City and Posen. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

Late last week, Presque Isle County residents experienced a phenomenon that can be characterized as a “flash freeze.” It happened Friday night, heading into Saturday.

Warm temperatures and rain created slushy conditions, but when an Arctic cold front rolled in, everything just froze right up.  Twenty-four hours before, misty rain coupled with windy conditions left 1/10^th of an inch of ice on everything.

Not enough to be branded an actual ice storm, but slick enough to cause dangerous driving conditions and close schools. For Posen Consolidated Schools, it was the second time in a week the cancellation notice went out.

“We had quite a bit of warm air that came in aloft,” said Jim Keysor, National Weather Service (NWS) warning coordination meteorologist. “We see that a lot in the winter, where you don’t feel it on the surface, but you will see it above the ground, basically, up in the clouds.”

Keysor said that’s what happened last week.

There was not a lot of ice Thursday heading into Friday, but enough to cause problems. The misty rain turned to ice.

“It coated everything,” said Keysor. “All the surfaces were cold at the time it started, and everything iced up Thursday heading into Friday.”

Early this week, the snow started to fall again, bringing 4 to 6 inches of snow. A NWS spotter from the area reported four inches during a 24-hour period and 15-inches on the ground. The total for the season went up to 47 inches at the Presque Isle County Road Commission headquarters in Rogers City.

by Richard Lamb–Advance Editor

Set in 1936 in the Connecticut mansion of a famous actor, the play “The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays” is a comedy opening Friday at the Rogers City Theater. Directed by Karl W. Heidemann, the Rogers City Community Theatre group’s mystery/comedy presentation centers around a party thrown by a famous actor who has played Sherlock Holmes for so long, he is starting to think he is the famous fictional sleuth.

Ed Perrault as William Gillette in the play “The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays.” (Photo by Richard Lamb)

William Gillette (portrayed by Ed Perrault) lives in a mansion with his mother Martha Gillette (portrayed by Elaine Heidemann) who is a retired actress. He invites his friends and fellow actors to a Christmas party to solve a mystery, but things start to go terribly wrong. Those invited to the party include Felix and Madge Geisel (played by Mike Marx and Denise Perrault); Aggie Wheeler, (played by Val Schalk) who is a young actress who was recently widowed and is a now a new bride; and Simon Bright (played by Zack Weber) who is Aggie’s new husband.

Cast of “The Game’s Afoot, or Holmes for the Holidays” which opens Jan. 29 at the Rogers City Theater. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

The guests are surprised by the appearance of hated theater critic Daria Chase (played by Donna Klein). What follows is a series of disasters and ensuing comedy bringing local police detective Inspector Goring (as played by Jodi Collins) to investigate the crimes.

“There is lots of physical comedy and lightning things. There is so much happening. You have got gunshots, strangulation, people getting hit on the head, stabbed in the back, thunder and lightning and we have got a séance with ghosts knocking on tables. I would rate it PG-13 as there is some swearing in there,” Heidemann said.

The play was written by Ken Ludwig, who wrote “Lend Me a Tenor,” presented by the local group in 2012. The play won the Edgar Allen Poe Award, as awarded by the Mystery Writers of America, as best mystery play of 2012.

“He is such a wonderful author and so prolific. He has written so many wonderful things,” director Heidemann said. “He is a master of comedy but this is his first foray into the mystery genera, but he has not lost his touch for comedy. In fact it is more of a comedy than a mystery.”

Other crewmembers include Karen Maher as assistant director and stage manager, Bill Halsey on sound and Julie Riddle operating the lights. Karl W. Heidemann designed the sets and Lawrence Anderson created custom furniture.

Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Jan. 29-31 and Feb. 5-7.

A county plow truck gets rid of a layer of snow as the Feb. 2 storm hit US-23 and the rest of Presque Isle County. (Photo by Richard Lamb)

Events around the county were cancelled Tuesday evening due to a snow storm. With temperatures around freezing in the early evening, a storm system made its way off Lake Michigan and headed northeasterly across Presque Isle County, bringing heavy wet snow with it.

Steady snow blanketed the area as a system moved in Tuesday afternoon.

The snow was expected to taper off into the early morning hours with colder temperatures expected for Wednesday.

by Peter Jakey–Managing Editor

Plans are still in place for the Black Lake Shivaree.

Organizers are hopeful the ice conditions will continue to improve as the annual event approaches Friday and Saturday in front of the former Black Lake Hotel (1701 Winifred Street, Cheboygan).

Weekend rain weakened ice conditions across the state. Case in point, a pickup and a woman fell through the ice on Houghton Lake during Tip-Up Town USA this past weekend. Organizers do not want a repeat of those incidents when the Shivaree and sturgeon season get underway.

As of early this week, the lake was not safe in spots.

THIS IS the pose many anglers hope to be making during this weekend’s sturgeon season on Black Lake. (File photo)

Plans are still to go forward and set up the tent several yards from shore in an area that’s only about one foot from the bottom.

“We have colder weather coming. We are hoping it will stiffen up the ice right there,” said Brenda Archamabo, president of the Sturgeon for Tomorrow. “I’m not sure about people driving and parking vehicles on the ice. It terms of logistics, people may have to walk out.

“Hey, we’re in northern Michigan, we go with the flow. We’re planning everything ahead.”

The tents will be going up today (Thursday).

Friday the Shivaree tent opens at 3 p.m. with live entertainment until 10 p.m. Charlie Rager performs from 3 to 6 p.m., while Billy Jewell and His Bad Habits play from 6 to 10 p.m.

People who want to register for the fishing contest and poker run can do so. The fishing contest includes sturgeon, muskie, pike, walleye and perch.

From 2 to 7 p.m., anglers can register for the sturgeon season at the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) field office along M-211.

The 2016 total harvest limit for Black Lake is seven lake sturgeon. However, to reduce the chance of exceeding the harvest limit, officials will close the season when one of two scenarios occurs:
1) once the sixth fish is harvested, or
2) If five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day.

Fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day of the season. The season will either end at 2 p.m. Feb. 10, or when one of the above scenarios is met, at which point anglers will be notified on the ice by DNR personnel that they must immediately stop fishing for lake sturgeon.

The quota was reached on the first day in 2015.

Other events planned for Saturday include a youth outdoor education presentation with Maureen Stine.

Soloist Evan Archambo continues the entertainment Saturday (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) EA Enterinment will provide DJ services from 2 to 6 p.m. and then The Blitz performs to close out the event.

Ice fishing and poker-run winners will be announced Saturday.

Proceeds from the Shivaree fund the lake sturgeon hatchery.

Thursday morning shortly after 9 a.m. the Presque Isle County Sheriff’s Department, Rogers Area Ambulance and Rogers City Area Fire Department were dispatched to two vehicle accident on M-68 near South Ward Branch Road west of Rogers City.

According to sergeant John Kasuba the accident involved a minivan with four passengers and a pickup truck with one passenger. All passengers were checked over by the emergency medical technicians on scene and none were transported.

The roadway was closed for a time as emergency workers cleared the scene.

(Photo by Angie Asam)

Photos of all the court members are in the Feb. 11, 2016 edition of the Advance.… Read Full Story