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Dear editor
As a qualified tax professional, I would like to clarify some concerns about the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). The IRS has been accepting e-file returns as of January 11 except for those that contain five forms affected by the AMT.
If they use these AMT forms, taxpayers can elect to file their returns without these forms now, and then, amend their returns after February 11. Even if taxpayers are affected by the AMT forms, it is a good idea to start working on the tax return sooner rather than later.
If you have any questions, I invite you to stop in and see me for free information at 10:00 a.m. on Tax Tip Tuesdays at The Coffee Cup. I am also available at The Peter White Public Library first floor conference room from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. on alternate Wednesdays beginning February 13.
Don’t worry about your taxes; get correct information from qualified tax professionals.
John Scram, Marquette

Econ Club, MCF and LSCP celebrate anniversaries
Three community groups will celebrate an interesting combination of anniversaries in 2008.
The Economic Club of Marquette County celebrates thirty years, the Marquette Community Foundation celebrates twenty years and the Lake Superior Community Partnership celebrates ten years.
They will sponsor a Business After Hours to honor the occasion from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on March 20 in NMU’s Great Lakes Rooms in the University Center. Call 228-4600 for details.

Application packets available for United Way campaign
Marquette County nonprofit agencies and organizations wishing to be part of the Fall 2008 United Way campaign have until January 31, 2008 to apply. Only 501(c)3 health and human service organizations serving Marquette County are eligible.
Applications may be obtained by contacting the United Way of Marquette County office at 226-8171. E-mail requests can be sent to unitedway@uwmqt.org
United Way of Marquette County is located in Lakeview Arena (middle entrance) at 401 East Fair Avenue in Marquette.

Wear Red Day to honor Heart Month set for February 1
As part of February’s American Heart Month, the U.P. Diabetes Outreach Network (UPDON) will join thousands of Americans nationwide in celebrating National Wear Red Day on February 1.
The Heart Truth, a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease in 2002 to deliver an urgent wakeup call to American women.
A simple red dress works as a visual red alert to get the message heard loud and clear: “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear—It’s the #1 Killer of Women.”
National Wear Red Day is an annual event held on the first Friday in February. The first observance, in February 2004, was announced at the White House. On National Wear Red Day, women and men across the country wear red to unite in the national movement to give women a personal and urgent wake-up call about their risk of heart disease. Everyone can participate in this lifesaving awareness movement by showing off a favorite red dress, shirt or tie, or by wearing the Red Dress Pin. To support National Wear Red Day, UPDON is giving away a limited number of red dress pins. People interested in receiving a free red dress pin should call 228-9203.

Volunteer nonprofit matching service filling U.P. needs
1-800-Volunteer, a Web- and phone-based service that connects volunteers with organizations that need them, is available throughout the entire Upper Peninsula. The U.P. Volunteer Network encourages volunteers and organizations to use the service, which is free of charge.
Organizations can log onto www.1-800-Volunteer.org to post their volunteer opportunities. Volunteers can log on to the site to find and respond to opportunities available in their area.
More than forty organizations have posted close to sixty volunteer opportunities since the service went U.P.-wide in August.
In addition to posting volunteer opportunities on the site, organizations are able to manage volunteer schedules and communicate automatically with volunteers through e-mails, reminders and thank-you notes.
Volunteers can sign up to receive e-mail notifications of opportunities that match their interests or availability, manage their personal volunteer schedule and record their volunteer service hours.
Volunteers who prefer using the phone can call 1-800-Volunteer and speak directly to a representative who will tell them what volunteer opportunities are available in their area. The phone line and 1-800-Volunteer.org are available twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
For more information about the U.P. Volunteer Network, call Linda at 228-8919, ext. 26 or e-mail lremsburg@glcyd.org

Local watershed partnership holds annual meeting
The Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) will hold its annual meeting on February 7. Members and the public can enjoy food, music, a raffle drawing, silent auction and good company at Upfront & Company in Marquette from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
SWP staff will present the successes of 2007 and talk about what’s planned for 2008. The general public is welcome and encouraged to attend this free event. There will be raffle prizes and auction items, including a fishing trip with Rivers North Fishing Guide.
Visit www.superiorwatersheds.org or call 228-6095 for details.
 
Nominations sought for second annual Evergreen Award
Residents of Marquette County are asked to help recognize people who have helped mentor women and girls in reaching their leadership potential by nominating someone for the second annual Evergreen Award of Marquette County.
The Evergreen Award will be presented at the Lake Superior Community Partnership annual dinner on April 11. The nomination deadline is February 15, 2008.
The Evergreen Award program also includes a scholarship to a local nontraditional student pursuing an educational program. That scholarship will be awarded this spring.
Nomination forms are available at the LSCP office or at www.zontamqt.org
For details, call 228-7500 or pcs@hetrickins.com

Heritage Trail gets grant for construction and paving
State Representative Steve Lindberg (D-Marquette) and State Senator Mike Prusi (D-Ishpeming) announced that Champion Township will receive a $427,000 federal grant to construct a paved nonmotorized path along US-41/M-28 from Van Riper State Park to the village of Champion, a development that will give residents more recreation and transportation options and attract visitors to the area.
The path will serve as an important link on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail, which will eventually connect the cities of Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming with other historic mining towns in western Marquette County.
The total project cost is $534,107, consisting of $427,285 in federal Transportation Enhancement grant funds, $98,786 from the Michigan Department of Transportation, $5,000 from Champion Township and $3,035 in private donations.

Governor’s Service Awards nomination forms available
The 2008 nomination form for the Governor’s Service Awards is available at www.michigan.gov/mcsc for recognition of Michigan volunteers.
Since the inception of the awards in 1993, more than 3,000 Michiganians have been nominated by friends, neighbors and colleagues.
Nominations must be postmarked by February 19, 2008.
If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Kathie at vasilionk@michigan.gov or (517)373-4200.

World War II veterans sought for parade, database
World War II veterans from throughout Marquette County will be honored as grand marshalls of this year’s Fourth of July parade in Marquette.
The Committee for the Recognition of World War II Veterans is collecting the names of surviving Marquette County WWII vets so they may be recognized during this year’s parade.
Aside from honoring World War II veterans in the Marquette parade, the committee hopes to establish a database cataloging the contributions of Marquette County residents to the war. It’s estimated that between 10,000 and 15,000 county residents served in the Armed Forces during the war.
Surviving World War II vets, or family members of deceased veterans, are asked to fill out forms, which are available at Marquette County American Legion and VFW posts, at all Range Bank branches throughout Marquette County, or at www.superiorfishing.net

New pastors appointed to various U.P. congregations
Father Michael Steber of Escanaba will succeed the late Monsignor Louis Cappo as pastor of St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette and St. Mary Mission in Big Bay. Cappo died on December 10 at the age of eighty-seven.
Replacing Steber as pastor of St. Anne Parish in Escanaba will be Father Francis DeGroot, who currently serves as pastor of Resurrection Parish in Menominee. The associate pastor of Resurrection Parish, Father Robb Jurkovich, was appointed temporary parochial administrator of that parish.
Father Francis Ricca will continue to serve as associate pastor of St. Peter Cathedral.
Steber, fifty-three, is a native of Menominee. He was a student at Michigan State University in East Lansing before attending St. John Vianney Seminary in St. Paul and St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth.
Appointments will take effect on February 15.

SLFP accepting applications for Fall 2008 semester
The Student Leader Fellowship Program at Northern Michigan University is accepting applications for fifty or more student fellows for the fall 2008 semester. The SLFP is a two-year program that focuses on developing leadership skills and a commitment to community service.
Since the SLFP was established in 1991, it has had more than 600 graduates. Program components include a two-credit leadership theory course, a year-long mentoring relationship with a Marquette community leader, an annual overnight fall retreat, Skill Builder! workshops and a year-long community service internship.
Eligible applicants must have and maintain at least a 2.3 grade-point average and achieve at least sophomore status by the fall of 2008. Applicants also need to be able to make a two-year commitment to the program.
Students interested in a chance to increase self-confidence and leadership can obtain an application from the Center for Student Enrichment in Room 1206 of the University Center, any residence hall director or online at www.nmu.edu/slfp
For more information, call 227-1771. The deadline for application is 5:00 p.m. on February 8.

Art on the Rocks staff seeks artists for fiftieth event
Artists are invited to join the fun at the fiftieth annual Art on the Rocks, scheduled for July 26 and 27, sponsored by the Lake Superior Art Association.
Applications are available at www.artontherocks.org or by sending an SASE envelope to AOR, P.O. Box 9, Marquette, MI 49855 for a hard copy.
All work must be original artwork, designed and produced by the artist. Commercial agents are not eligible. Work shown must be consistent with slides submitted for the jury process. March 31 is the deadline for applying to this festival.

Indian Education Conference set for February 18 at NMU
The eleventh annual Indian Education Conference will take place on February 18 at Northern Michigan University. The keynote speaker is D.J. Eagle Bear Vanas.
The event is free to the public, and all educators are welcome. Lunch is provided for those who register.
Students are welcome to attend this conference and participate in a tournament of “Monopoly on the Rez.” For middle and high school students, this game was designed by Native youth from the Hannahville Indian School.
For details, call 227-1397 or visit www.nmu.edu/nativeamericans for a registration form.

DNR partnership with local groomers aids trail quality
Snowmobile riders from all over the country converge on the U.P. each winter to celebrate the snow. Michigan ranks first in the nation with more than 380,000 registered snowmobiles and, in a good year, more than 100,000 snowmobile enthusiasts from out-of-state will bring their machines for a chance to ride.
Michigan is known nationwide for its unique combination of abundant and dependable snow, exciting terrain and extensive trail network. More than 6,500 miles of designated snowmobile trails are located throughout the state on state- and federally-owned forests and many acres of private lands. Michigan is one of only three states that offer such a large system of interconnected signed and groomed snowmobile trails, and each year more miles are added to the system.
A complex and highly organized program that assures the trails are maintained and snowmobilers can find riding conditions that are hard to beat anywhere else in the country.
According to industry estimates, snowmobiling has a $1 billion economic impact on our state and creates more than 6,400 jobs. More than 150 groomers and tractors, operated under grant agreements with sixty-nine program sponsors, groom the trail system. These trail sponsors also brush out the trails and post signs and confidence markers.
This year, the clubs and other grant recipients will receive more than $7 million from the DNR to keep Michigan’s snowmobile trails in tip-top shape. This covers costs from grooming equipment and repair, trail brushing, signing, grooming, parking lot plowing, insurance, land leases, portable toilets and even utility costs incurred to keep grooming equipment in heated storage when not out on the trails.
Another contributor to the snowmobile trail improvement fund comes from a portion of the mandatory Michigan snowmobile registration fee, which currently is $22 for a three-year registration.
In all, the Upper Peninsula clubs will be granted $4,549,403 to maintain the 3,100 miles of trail north of the Mackinac Bridge. The large portion of money being given to the U.P. is because that region gets more snow and the trails need more grooming.
Last year, the state handed over $7.3 million to trail grooming groups, and another $1.1 million in snowmobile law enforcement grants, which are awarded to local law enforcement agencies to help them purchase equipment and assist DNR Conservation Officers in patrolling the state’s trail system.

MGHS, NMU open School of Respiratory Therapy
Students interested in health care careers have another option available locally. A consortium agreement between NMU and Marquette General Health System (MGHS) has led to the creation of a new respiratory therapy program, leading to an associate degree.
Students will be accepted for the fall term in 2008. An optional online bachelor’s degree also will be offered.
The NMU-MGHS School of Respiratory Therapy represents several years of planning by directors of respiratory care, employers, educators and administrators to fill a need for respiratory therapists in the Upper Peninsula.
One year of prerequisite courses is followed by two years of respiratory class work and clinical education, provided both by MGHS and other U.P. hospitals, including Bell Memorial, Portage, War Memorial, Dickinson County Healthcare System, Helen Newberry Joy, Aspirus Ontonagon Hospital and Grand View Health System.
After completing class work, students will be eligible to take the national credentialing exam given by the National Board for Respiratory Care. Students may opt to continue for a fourth year and obtain their bachelor’s degree, which can be completed entirely online.
For more information about the NMU-MGHS School of Respiratory Therapy, call Lesa at 225-7613, or (800)562-9753, ext. 7613.

Books sought for annual MTU Van Pelt Library sale
The annual MTU Friends of the Van Pelt Library Book Sale is set this year from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 4 in the MUB ballrooms. They are seeking donations of books.
If you have only a few books for donation, you may drop them in the box located in the library vestibule or at the circulation desk. If you have a box or bag of books, you may unload them at the library loading dock. Call Carol at 487-2500 to have someone meet you at the back door to help.
If you need help getting your book sale donation books to the library and would like someone to come to your house to pick them up, call Dana at 487-2149 or e-mail dlrichte@mtu.edu
All proceeds of the FVPL Book Sale benefit MTU’s Van Pelt Library. For more information, visit www.lib.mtu.edu/friends/friends.htm 

Hemingway events held statewide in reading program
Ernest Hemingway’s The Nick Adams Stories are being celebrated this year in the statewide Great Michigan Read program.
The Nick Adams Stories chronicle a young man’s coming of age in a series of short stories. The character is inspired partly by Hemingway’s experiences, from his summers in northern Michigan to his service in World War I.
From January through May, Bayliss Public Library in Sault Ste. Marie will host various programs, including talks, movies, a Challenge Quilt Competition and the traveling exhibit.

MTU archives Web sites receive awards for excellence
Two online tools developed by the MTU Archives and J.R. Van Pelt Library recently were accorded honors by the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH).
The organization’s Leadership in History awards committee presented a 2007 Award of Merit to the MTU Archives for its “Interior Ellis Island” and “Keweenaw Digital Archives” Web projects.
Developed with grant support from the Michigan Humanities Council, the sites provide remote access to rare historical resources that explore the rich ethnic and cultural history of Michigan’s Copper Country. The “Interior Ellis Island” site, online at ethnicity.lib.mtu.edu, includes content examining local regional ethnic history, while the “Keweenaw Digital Archives,” online at digarch.lib.mtu.edu, provides access to more than 3,000 historical photographs from the MTU Archives collections.
The AASLH awards committee commended the project for its publicly-accessible Web resources, and was impressed by how the sites encourage users to investigate and learn about the region’s rich culture and history.

Michigan Tech archives receives preservation grant
The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded $4,979 to the Michigan Technological University Archives and Copper Country Historical Collections. The grant will allow the archives to purchase specialized equipment and supplies to ensure the preservation of historical records documenting the history of Michigan’s historic copper mining district.
In addition to the purchase of supplies and installation of technical equipment, the project will develop ongoing procedures to monitor and respond to changes in environmental storage conditions that could endanger historical documents.
The project is expected to take twelve months to complete. A department of the J.R. Van Pelt/Opie Library, the Michigan Tech Archives is the region’s largest archival collection, holding more than 8,000 cubic feet of historical records.  For details, call 487-2505, e-mail copper@mtu.edu or visit www.lib.mtu.edu

Slide open to the public at Ishpeming’s Al Quaal park
The City of Ishpeming recently celebrated the opening of its new tube slide at Al Quaal.
The slide will be open from noon to 5:00 p.m. every weekend until the end of March.
There is a new rope tow for the slide and tubes are provided. Cost is $7 per day to use the facility.

Porcupine Mountains program seeks artist applicants
Applications are being accepted for the Porcupine Mountains Artist-in-Residence Program for the 2008 spring, summer, fall and 2009 winter residencies. The Artist-in-Residence Program is open to artists and artisans whose work can be influenced by this unique northern wilderness setting.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is made up of twenty-five miles of Lake Superior shoreline, inland lakes, river systems, several waterfalls, wooded peaks and more. Because of these attributes, the park is an ideal location to inspire artists.
The Artist-in-Residence Program offers writers, composers and visual and performing artists an opportunity to experience the natural beauty of the Porkies and to express it through their art form. Each year a number of artists will be selected for residencies lasting a minimum of two weeks.
Artists will be given the use of a rustic cabin located on the Little Union River and, if requested, a three-night back country permit, so they may live in and explore the park’s 60,000 acres of natural beauty along ninety miles of rugged backcountry trails.
During their residency, artists will be asked to share their experiences with the public through demonstrations or talks. The artist is required to contribute an art piece representative of his or her stay.
Applications for the 2008 spring, summer, fall and 2009 winter residencies must be postmarked by March 31, 2008. Artists will be notified on or before April 25, 2008. Application materials for the program can be found by clicking on Artist-in-Residence at www.porkies.org

Free continuing education offered for nurses, dietitians
The Upper Peninsula Diabetes Outreach Network (UPDON) will offer free online continuing education credits for nurses and dietitians who live or work in Michigan.
Eight different modules are available: Diabetes Eye Care; Foot Care and Diabetes; Diabetes and Hypertension; Basic Nutrition and Diabetes; Type 1 Diabetes; Type 2 Diabetes in Adults; Gestational Diabetes; and Diabetes and Kidney Disease. Each is worth 2.0 hours of contact hours for nurses and two CPEU for dietitians.
The modules can be completed online and a certificate of completion will be e-mailed immediately. As an added incentive, nurses and dietitians who complete the Type 2 Diabetes in Adults module by March 31 will be entered automatically into a prize drawing for a $100 gas card. Visit www.diabetesinmichigan.org and click on “Independent Study Modules” or call (800)369-9522 for details.

Sawyer tops all passenger traffic records during 2007
A total of 133,681 passengers traveled to and from Sawyer International Airport in 2007. This accounts for an increase of 1,512 passengers, slightly more than one percent over 2006, making it the fourth consecutive year that Sawyer has surpassed the previous year passenger numbers.
Airport officials are encouraged with last year’s passenger traffic, especially with the loss of Midwest Connect/Skyway Airlines at the end of September. And, while the above numbers are not as significant as those noted over the past few years, the gain is a positive indicator that passengers throughout Marquette County and the greater Upper Peninsula area continue to recognize Sawyer’s airline choices, competitive fares and frequency of flights are attractive for both the business and leisure traveler.

Mentoring news and notes
First Gentleman Daniel G. Mulhern announced a new partnership between Mentor Michigan and the Michigan National Guard. The goal of this new initiative, Mobilizing Mentors—Hometown Heroes Mentoring Hometown Kids, is to recruit 500 Michigan Army and Air National Guard members as mentors by 2010.
The First Gentleman spoke to senior enlisted soldiers and airmen at the annual conference of Michigan’s Army and Air National Guard. Also joining First Gentleman Mulhern was a National Guard member who serves as a mentor.
In other mentoring news, MSU Extension will be offering a day-long workshop to train and prepare those involved in facilitating mentor training in Grayling on February 26. The workshop will last from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The cost for national service members (AmeriCorps and VISTA) is $15 and $25 for agency/program staff. Lunch and materials are included.
Call (517) 432-7622 for details.

Marquette General Foundation hires new president
Patrick J. Bray, a Michigan native who spent his teenage years in the Upper Peninsula, has been hired to lead the Marquette General Foundation. Bray replaces Jan Hillman, who resigned as executive director of the foundation this past spring to accept a fundraising position in Ohio.
Bray comes to Marquette General from the Covenant HealthCare Foundation in Saginaw where he was the major and planned giving officer for nearly two years. He has more than fifteen years of training and experience in fundraising.
Prior to working with Covenant HealthCare Foundation, Bray spent four years as vice president of fund development at Gratiot Health System in Alma. He was responsible for the fund development activities of the organization, including major gifts, planned giving, foundation and corporate grant support, annual giving and the employee giving program. Bray is married and has four children.

Public welcome to audition for ‘The Gondoliers’ at NMU
The Northern Michigan University music department is holding open auditions for an upcoming production of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, “The Gondoliers.” The auditions will take place through February 18 on an individual basis.
There are eleven male and eight female roles being cast, as well as a men’s and women’s chorus. Performances are scheduled May 9 through 11 in Forest Roberts Theatre. Staging and musical rehearsals will begin March 10.
NMU students, faculty, staff and the general public are encouraged to audition. For more information or to set up a time, contact Robert Engelhart at 227-1038 or e-mail him at rengelha@nmu.edu

Cleveland-Cliffs acquires part of green energy company
Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. announced that it has made a significant, strategic investment in a “green” energy company that will produce high-quality, low-emission biofuel for its iron mining and processing operations, as well as other industries in Minnesota, Michigan and other Midwest states.
Cliffs acquired a seventy-percent controlling interest in Rosemount (Minnesota)-based Renewafuel, LLC, a subsidiary of Endres Processing, LLC. Founded in 2005, Renewafuel produces high-quality, dense fuel cubes made from renewable and consistently available components such as corn stalks, switch grass, grains, soybean and oat hulls, wood and wood byproducts.

Michigan takes a stand against toys containing lead
Health, environmental and child advocacy groups praised legislation signed by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm that limits toxic lead in children’s products.
The protection comes amid public furor over recalls of children’s toys because of very high lead levels and just weeks after the Ecology Center, the Michigan Network for Children’s Environmental Health, and partner organizations released www.healthytoys.org, the first consumer action guide to toxic chemicals in toys. The new Michigan standards protect children from high lead levels in products including toys, child care articles, lunch boxes and children’s jewelry. The rules fill a void in federal laws, which apply only to lead levels in paint. 
Michigan has the sixth highest rate of childhood lead poisoning in the nation.
The Michigan bills (SB 174, HB 4132 & 4399) outlaw the sale or manufacture of toys and child care articles, jewelry or lunch boxes that contain lead at levels above 600 parts per million.

Annual ‘Shaft’ exhibit award winners announced
The Community Arts Center in Hancock has announced the public choice winners in the fourteenth annual “Shaft” exhibit.
The first place award went to Houghton artist Kevin Breyfogle for his painting titled, “1890’s Miner”; the second place award went to Dodgeville artist Tammy Toj Gajewski for her mixed media painting titled, “Copper Zip Codes”; and the third place award went to Allouez artist Jan Manniko for her acrylic and watercolor painting titled, “Felix and Jacob Enjoy Their Pasties at Ahmeek Mine.”
Two honorable mentions were given to Lake Linden artist, Kathleen Carlton Johnson for her poem, “The Shaft,” which she performed at the opening. and to Vulcan artist Kristine Danielson for her necklace titled, “Miskwabik Forest.”
Thirty artists participated in this year’s exhibit.

National History Day student competition set for March
Students in Grades 4 through 12 will compete in National History Day competition again in 2008. Students will participate in a variety of categories, from essays and exhibits on historical topics, to creation of a Web site or a documentary around this year’s theme of “Conflict and Compromise in History.”
Starting with regional competitions around the state, winning entries may move on to state finals competition, and could continue to national finals in Washington, D.C.
The competition for Michigan’s Region 1 is scheduled for March 22 at the Memorial Union Building at Michigan Technological University. Region 1 includes twelve counties in the Central and Western Upper Peninsula, including the communities around Marquette, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Ironwood and the Copper Country.
Students may participate without direct sponsorship from a school, though many schools have teachers responsible for their own in-school History Day competition. The March 22 event will include an awards ceremony and community showcase period during which the general public can view student work.
The entry deadline for the regional competition is March 3. Information and entry forms are available at www.hsmichigan.org or by calling 337-4272 or e-mailing jlnordbe@mtu.edu

LSCP celebrates ninth annual membership dinner
The Lake Superior Community Partnership members will gather to celebrate their tenth anniversary on April 11.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. in NMU’s Great Lakes Rooms, with a social gathering followed by dinner, award presentation and live auction. The theme for the evening is “You’ve Got Game.” Groups reserving a table for the evening can opt to decorate it in the theme of their choice. Event planners are seeking used games and puzzles for the event.
Cost is $60 per person. For reservations or details, call 226-6591.

Shunk’s Furniture recognized for Beacon House donations
Shunk’s Furniture, owned and operated by Karl and Carol Shunk, was recently recognized by Beacon House for its ongoing contributions to the Upper Peninsula’s only hospital hospitality house.
Shunk’s is a family-owned and operated furniture retailer, in the Marquette area since 1977.
The plaque presented recognized Shunk’s Furniture for “serving as an exemplary business who understands that the need for Beacon House may only be a heartbeat away for thousands of our Upper Peninsula residents.”
Shunk’s first became involved with Beacon House in 2002 during the original renovation of the building after it was purchased.

Study shows worker died from secondhand smoke
A new study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that a young waitress working in a bar in Michigan died from acute asthma due to exposure to secondhand smoke at work.
According to the study abstract, public health surveillance systems were used to investigate the woman’s death. The 2006 United States Surgeon General’s Report on secondhand smoke found that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Employees in many workplaces—especially bars and restaurants—in Marquette County remain exposed to secondhand smoke. 
Marquette County is covered by a health regulation that provides for smoke-free indoor air in all work sites and public places, excluding bars and restaurants. Michigan State health law does not require smoke-free bars and restaurants, but those that wish to become 100-percent smoke-free can implement a 100-percent smoke-free policy voluntarily. More than sixty-five bars and restaurants in Marquette County already are smoke-free.

MCAC receives grant from CVS/pharmacy for programs
The Medical Care Access Coalition (MCAC) of Marquette County announced that CVS/pharmacy has awarded a grant in the amount of $2,000 to support its MAP-C volunteer medical program.
MCAC has served low-income, uninsured Marquette County friends and neighbors for over six years and the need in the community continues to grow. The funds granted from CVS/pharmacy will be used to support MCAC by funding the generic medications program for volunteer programs. Although MCAC is able to attain approximately seventy-five percent of the prescribed medications free from the manufacturer, the remaining twenty-five percent must be purchased.

Planners looking for fighter interceptor squadrom alumni
Alumni from both of K.I. Sawyer’s fighter interceptor squadrons (FIS) are planning to gather in Gwinn and K.I. Sawyer on July 12, 2008.
The event will be the normal gathering of the 87th FIS, but a welcome has been extended to all 62nd FIS and 56th CAMRON alumni.
For details, call 475-7179, visit www.kishamuseum.org or e-mail nolan359@charter.net

Tidbits from the desk of U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow
• U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Carl Levin (D-Michigan) announced that twelve Michigan fire departments have been awarded $534,173 through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). The funding will be used to support operations and firefighter safety and to purchase vehicles in the following U.P. communities: Escanaba Public Safety ($63, 175); Manistique Public Safety ($22,971); Ishpeming Volunteer Fire Department ($61,190); and the Alpha Mastodon Township Fire Department in Crystal Falls ($9,400).
• Stabenow joined President George W. Bush at the White House, as the President signed her mortgage tax relief legislation into law. The legislation changes current law that forces individuals to pay an income tax when they have had a part of their mortgage loan forgiven or have been forced to foreclose.
• Stabenow and Levin announced that eight Michigan fire departments have been awarded $1,145,564 through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). The funding partially will be used to support operations and firefighter safety and to purchase vehicles in Chocolay Township Volunteer Fire Department in Marquette ($251,556).
• Stabenow and Carl Levin announced that ninety-six Michigan organizations have been awarded $1,698,927 through the Department of Homeland Security Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP). The funding will be used to help Michigan first responders and law enforcement agencies in smaller communities and qualified metropolitan areas enhance their ability to respond to major crises and disasters here at home in the following U.P. communities: Alger County Sheriff Department in Munising (XOA Series Portable Video Surveillance System, $11,500); Baraga County Sheriff’s Office in L’Anse (XOA Series Portable Video Surveillance System, $11,500); City of Menominee Police Department (TacSight SE35 Advanced Thermal Imager, $11,794); City of Sault Ste. Marie Fire Department (Incident Commanders Radio Interface, $12,920); Delta County Sheriff Department in Escanaba (XOA Series Portable Video Surveillance System, $11,500); Houghton County Sheriff’s Office in Houghton (XOA Series Portable Video Surveillance System, $11,500); Kingsford Public Safety (TacSight SE35 Advanced Thermal Imager, $11,794); and Manistique Public Safety Department (TacSight SE35 Advanced Thermal Imager, $11,794).
• Levin and Stabenow announced that ten Michigan fire departments have been awarded $885,547 through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). The funding will be used to support operations and firefighter safety and to purchase firefighting vehicles in the following U.P. communities: Ahmeek Village Volunteer Fire Department ($26,067); and Copper Harbor Fire Department ($36,492).
• Levin called on the Small Business Administration to help Michigan address the state’s job losses, which have led to the highest unemployment rate in the country. Levin, who is a senior member of the Senate Small Business Committee, requested a meeting with SBA Administrator Steven Preston to discuss what it can do to help Michigan small businesses create jobs.

Local business news…in brief
• Governor Granholm and First Gentleman Mulhern announced a record number of mentors in Michigan; local mentoring stories can be sent to mentormichigan@michigan.gov
• Range Bank announced that Sally L. Shaver is its new vice president and mortgage department manager, David A. Varda is the deposit services manager, John W. Lenten has been named vice president and commercial loan officer and Charlotte L. Gaudreau has been named vice president, credit administration & internal audit.
• Dan Texter, Jimmy John’s general manager, was presented a certificate of recognition for making Jimmy John’s 100-percent smoke-free.
• Internist Dr. Srividya Nukala has joined the medical staff of Marquette General Health System at U.P. Internal Medicine Associates; Nukala specializes in the primary care of adults including prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases.
• Graybill & Mead Attorneys, located at 216 South Main Street in Ishpeming, recently celebrated a grand opening at its new location.
• The U.P. was named as one of the Top 10 Winter Family Getaways by the Weather Channel; the details are listed at www.weather.com
• Elizabeth Wahlstrom, owner of Elizabeth’s Chop House, was presented with a certificate of recognition from Negaunee Youth For Truth members for opening Elizabeth’s Chop house smoke-free.
• Sunchaser Hair, Massage & Tanning, located at 1100 Lincoln Street in Marquette, celebrated operation under new ownership of the tanning salon and the grand opening of the hair salon; the business is owned and operated by Jessie Miller-LaPlaunt and Barbie Nebel.
• Signs Now celebrated its grand opening at its new location at 363 East US-41 in Negaunee; it still has the same phone numbers and e-mail addresses.
• The Waterfront Restaurant commemorated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony at its 105 East Washington Street location; it offers a creative, casual elegance dining experience and American Regional cuisine.
• Larson’s Restaurant, located at 211 Iron Street in the Negaunee Center, recently celebrated its grand opening; Larson’s has banquet facilities that can accommodate up to sixty people and a Tiki Bar serving tropical cocktails.
• Larry Bergwall has been named cardiac rehab director/working manager at Marquette General Hospital.
• Don Savera, a resident of Houghton, has accepted the position of fund development director for the Calumet Theatre Company; he will have responsibility for growing a broad range of support, including major gifts, estate gifts, memberships and grants.
• Wood-Mode, Fine Custom Cabinetry, located at 1510 West Washington Street in Marquette, and the Lake Superior Community Partnership recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the establishment; Wood-Mode opened in January of 2007 as an expansion from Karen R. Larson Interior Design and specializes in fine custom cabinetry and personalized design and installation services for new and remodeled homes.
• Lasco Development Corporation was purchased from Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., by Marquette-based Lasco Investor Group, which consists of the current management team of Dennis VanLandschoot, Dan Fezatt and Kris Sweeney.
• David Luoma, MD, has completed the American Board of Family Medicine recertification examination for geriatric medicine, which will renew his Certificate of Added Qualifications in geriatrics; Luoma is the CEO of the Upper Peninsula Health Education Corporation and community assistant dean of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine’s U.P. Campus in Marquette.
• The Best Western Country Inn in Ishpeming received the Best Western Director’s Award for outstanding quality standards; the award recognizes hotels with a cleanliness and maintenance inspection score of 950 points or more out of a possible 1,000, as well as high design and high customer service scores.

Correction
In the January 2008 issue of Marquette Monthly, the photos for the Back Then beginning on Page 14 were wrongly attributed. The photographer for all three was Larry Chabot. We regret the error.

Star Date: February 2008
Moon & Planets—If the wintry clouds of February part long enough, they will reveal a spectacular month for the moon and planets. The first day of the month finds Jupiter and Venus closer together in the morning sky than they were in January. This bright duo is only about a half degree apart (the same angular size as a full moon). Jupiter will climb higher in the sky at dawn during the rest of February, while Venus remains very close to the horizon. Mercury joins Venus after the 25th, creating another nice pair that can be glimpsed extremely low in the east-southeast just before sunrise. Mars still is conspicuous, riding high in the south in the early evening. Saturn is at opposition this month and will be rising at sunset and be due south at midnight. The moon is full on the 20th and also is opposite the sun. A total lunar eclipse will occur this evening. The moon begins to enter the earth’s shadow at 8:43 p.m. and reaches totality at 10:00 p.m. The entire face of the moon will be a dark red or orange for fifty-two minutes before it starts to leave the shadow. The moon is below the bright white star Regulus and is followed by yellowish Saturn. Traveling in its orbit, it will slowly move away from Regulus and toward Saturn, encountering the earth’s shadow along the way.

Constellations—The early evening sky is filled with the dazzling winter constellations with their multitude of first magnitude stars. Take heart, though, as spring is not far off. This month’s eclipse takes place in Leo the Lion, a prominent spring constellation. In late February it is already high in the east by 10:00 p.m. which means spring is just around the corner.
—Craig Linde

Courtesy of the Marquette Astronomical Society, which meets four times a year. The next meeting is at 7:00 p.m. on March 14 in Shiras Planetarium. For details, visit www.geocities.com/sstobbelaar/mqtastro.html

8-18 Media book review
Picture Perfect by D. Anne Love
Published by McElderry Books, 291 Pages
When I first picked up Picture Perfect, the cover didn’t really interest me, and I hadn’t ever heard of the author. The summary sounded pretty interesting, but I figured it would just be a filler until a great book came along. The book turned out to be good though, and it really pulled me in.
Narrating the story is a fourteen-year-old Texan girl, Phoebe Trask, who is going through all things many teenagers do, as well as some things that are unique to her. Her father is a judge who is presiding over a trial that is forcing everyone in the town to take sides. Her mother is the national spokeswoman for a cosmetics company, and rarely sees Phoebe and her siblings. Phoebe thinks she’s fallen in love, but her crush has family problems that he swore her to secrecy about, so she’s worried about him.
One thing that remains constant throughout the book is the support the members of Phoebe’s family gave each other. Another is the fact that the Trasks’ new neighbor seems to be falling for the judge, who (to the rest of his family) appears to feel the same way.
This book started out rather slow in the beginning, but once the scene was laid out, it took off. It really showed how the support of family members can keep you sane, and also provided a picture of a high school freshman year and all the problems that year can bring. The confusion teens can come across in the face of their problems was very well portrayed in this novel.
It was well written, and, unlike most books, I didn’t notice any spelling blunders. The plot line was very believable and relatively easy to relate to. It evoked a range of emotions, from “ahhs” to “uh-ohs.” The Trask family seemed very true-to-life. I would definitely recommend this book to other teens.
–– Chelsea Parrish, 16

A word to the wise
Verbum satis sapientibus: A word to the wise is sufficient
Language is not static. It evolves, and the history of many words illustrates this. The word nice, for example, once meant simply precise or exact, as in a “nice distinction” between terms in an argument. Today, however, nice more commonly is a broad and flabby synonym of good or OK.
This column concerns another common word whose meaning has evolved at least as dramatically, and with rich social and intellectual implications as well. The word: humor. Everybody has a sense of the usual modern meaning, describing something or someone comical, jocular, good-natured, even witty, someone appreciating the ludicrous.
However, the word’s meaning a millennium ago was wildly different, referring to any sort of fluid, or to dampness. (Humid is a relative.) And for much of its history, beginning among classic Greek and Roman writers and continuing throughout the Middle Ages, the chief use of humor was to refer to one of the four fluids or juices of animals or plants: blood, phlegm, choler (yellow bile) and melancholy (black bile).
These humors in the body were developed into a classification of human types, and their relative proportions were believed to determine one’s physical makeup and psychological temperament or disposition. While the science may be dated, some of the terminology still is current. Here’s how the four humors were understood:
Blood was the dominant humor in the sanguine temperament or complexion. “Sanguine people are usually observed to be brisk, bold, daring and even presumptuous,” wrote one scientist in the early 1700s. They are generally marked by high color, have a sturdy frame, and are cheerful, optimistic and amorous, perhaps nervous. According to a nineteenth century scholar, the sanguine are marked by “small brains and great activity.”
This is not the philosopher’s temperament, but that of a man of action, like England’s Henry IV, whom Hall’s Chronicles described in 1548 as “a prince of haut (high) corage, young, lusty and sanguyne of complexion.” The sanguine constitution does not need much coffee in the morning.
Today, sanguine still means hopeful. For instance, “After a primary defeat, politician X was less sanguine about his chances.”
Phlegm is the dominant humor in the phlegmatic person, who is likely to be calm, dry and stoic, even lethargic and apathetic. This disposition is even-tempered, not excitable, but also may be cold or dull. This sort can drink coffee all day, and probably needs to.
A sixteenth century authority named Greene wrote, “The natural constitution of women is phlegm, and of men choler.” Let the record show: I take no position on this point.
Bile is pre-eminent in the choleric individual. Shakespeare’s Henry V perceives this humor in one of his Welsh officers: “I do know Fluellen valiant and, touched with choler, hot as gunpowder.” The choleric person tends to be splenetic and bilious, with an uneasy stomach, and this bile can make him or her irascible, touchy, but also, like Fluellen, fit for command and action. This person is inevitably in charge of the remote.
Black Bile is the most notable humor in “the sad companion, dull-eyed melancholy,” to borrow Shakespeare’s words. Melancholics are, of course, sad, “blue,” lugubrious and perhaps sullen and ill-tempered. They may be thoughtful and philosophical, but they’re not likely to enjoy it.
In 1865, “humorist” Josh Billings wrote, “I never knu a man trubbled with melankolly, who had plenty to dew, and did it.”
Imagine the evolution of the word humor to its usual modern sense of good-hearted fun from the original sense of a fluid, dampness or humidity, and then from the specialized psychological references to the fluids of living things.
One who indulges in his or her particular fancy or humor—phlegm, choler or whatever—would be said to be “in humor” or a humorist. At one time a pejorative term, humor came also to suggest a mere whimsy or harmless fancy or a quirk of character, as in the line of an Irish song, “I swore I’d never get married, but the humor is on me now.” From the quirky or whimsical, humor’s path to its current meaning seems direct enough.

Word for the month
Asperity (a-SPER-uh-tee), a noun referring to a person’s rough, harsh manner, as illustrated here by eighteenth century moralist Johann Kaspar Lavater: “Venerate four characters: the sanguine who has checked volatility and the rage for pleasure; the choleric who has subdued passion and pride; the phlegmatic emerged from indolence; and the melancholy who has dismissed avarice, suspicion and asperity.”
—Gerald Waite

Edtior’s Note: Questions or comments are welcome by writing MM or at marquettemonthly@chartermi.net

MM