April 2023

Yet another fun month, last month, here at the library. Our community came together for some fun events, we’re seeing new books on the shelves and we are making connections in our community. Let’s keep it going! I hope to meet more of you this month.

The criminal proceedings regarding Grace Boyer were extensive, exhausting and emotional. Anytime a person’s home is destroyed due to the actions of another is a lot to handle. It could have gotten vindictive and nasty quickly.

While 25 other states have fully recovered the jobs they lost during the pandemic, Michigan is still down 71,400 jobs, a 1.6 percent decrease. It doesn’t look like the state is going to get above pre-pandemic levels any time soon, either. The state won’t recover the jobs lost until 2026 at the rate of growth we have experienced over the past five months.

Voters in Alger and Marquette Counties will decide on a 20-year Special Education Millage Proposal, as part of the May 2023 election. If approved, the millage will cost the average homeowner 42 cents per day, based on a home value of $200,000, according to Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency (MARESA).

Billerud has announced that it will temporarily close its Escanaba mill for up to three weeks as it investigates the blastomycosis fungal infection outbreak among its workers. The company said the decision was made to protect employees and contractors’ health and safety.

Drug take back in Grand Marais Sunday Those looking to safely discard old medications are welcome to stop by the Drug Take Back event at the Burt Township Community Center in Grand Marais on Sunday,April 16 from noon-3 p.m.. Any pills, capsules, patches, lancets or sharps will be accepted, including veterinary medicines. The event is sponsored locally by LMAS, AC3, EUP-ORC and Alger County Sheriff’s Office along with statewide organizations.

Grace Boyer, a 19-year-old woman now residing in Florida, received a $500 fine, court fees and 90 days probation as part of a plea deal on Wednesday, April 12 in 93rd District Court in the Alger County Courthouse. Exactly one year prior, Boyer lost control of her pick-up truck at excessive speeds and collided into a house on M-28 in downtown Munising. The impact was so strong, it knocked the house off the foundation and was later condemned.