State Rep. Dave Prestin says the House has passed “significant energy reform legislation” that would re-focus Michigan on affordable and reliable energy generation, and reverse what he calls “the harmful green energy mandates” that were passed in 2023.

“The U.P. was not fooled by the awful green energy plan that was signed into law 3 years ago. Rising energy bills and forced transition to unreliable energy sources we’re seeing today is just the tip of iceberg,” said Prestin, R-Cedar River. “Our House energy plan reverses the shortsighted, broken policies that were forced on us, gets politics out of our energy grid, and sets a clear path toward restoring affordable and reliable energy production.”

The House energy plan reforms the broken decision-making process behind Michigan’s energy regulation by requiring the Michigan Public Service Commission to focus on cost and affordability above all else, setting aside the politicization of energy generation that dominates these decisions today.

“For years, I’ve watched the MPSC become more and more politicized as they’ve fallen away from their true responsibilities,” Prestin said. “Our plan brings the MPSC back to reality and refocuses them back to their core mission: addressing and protecting reliable and affordable energy for Michigan residents.”

The legislation also shuts down a political scheme that allowed regulators to funnel money from utility bills to advocacy groups and lobbyists that wage legal wars that drive consumer costs even higher.

“The fact that a portion of our energy bills are being secretly funneled to Lansing to bankroll political activists is unacceptable,” Prestin said. “Our energy bills should be paying for our energy – generation, transmission and distribution, and utilization – not the pipe dream of some environmentalist college student. Judicial warfare has real and dangerous effects on our energy bills, but I guess that doesn’t matter to the activists trying to turn the U.P. into a state park. I won’t allow them to do that on my watch.”

The House energy plan now moves to the state Senate for further consideration.

They are funding 17 grants this season, nine of which are previously funded programs.

This grant cycle had a particular focus on mental well-being for islanders and island
workers. The continuation of the Island Therapist program is highly anticipated after its renowned success last year.

Programs that offer new experiences for island youth and safe spaces for employees are central to promoting wellness and a vibrant island life.

Below is a brief summary of each award with the funds granted.

Chippewa Health Access Coalition | $15,000
Coordinates access to healthcare for uninsured residents of Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinac counties of the Eastern Upper Peninsula Mackinac Island Community Fund Beaumont Fund Donald and Valeria Bortz Health and Medical Fund Health and Medical Care Fund

City of Mackinac Island | $20,000
Landscaping the Forest Way Townhomes area Mackinac Island Community Fund Erin Lynne Shufelt Environmental Fund. Natural Resources and Preservation Fund David and Jamie McDonnell Family Fund.

City of Mackinac Island | $5,057
Providing year-round recreational opportunities for island residents Healthy Youth & Seniors Fund, Healthy Youth & Seniors Fund Expendable, Charlie Williams Fund
2, Joe B. Sullivan Memorial Fund

City of Mackinac Island | $5,394.57
Sports programs and basketball camps for island children Youth Fund.

City of Mackinac Island | $3,340
Teaches sailing and kayaking to island kids Bart Huthwaite Mackinac Island Boating Fund, Youth Fund, Judge Glenn S. Allen Family Fund

Harbor Springs Festival of the Book | $3,130
Bringing authors and books to the public school Mackinac College Legacy Fund Youth Fund.

Great Lakes Recovery Center | $6,400
Building a wellness center for their New Women’s House Beaumont Fund.

Mackinac Arts Council | $7,500
Performances of various art forms on the Botanical Trail, Marlee Brown Musser Community Arts Fund Music Fund, Dora DuPont Williams Fund for Music, Richard and Jane Manoogian Fund.

Mackinac Connect | $6,000
Developing a strategic plan for further nonprofit growth, Mackinac College Legacy Fund, Richard and Jane Manoogian Fund

Mackinac Horseman’s Association | $3,000
Clinic Funding, Francis H. Straus II Memorial Fund

Mackinac Horseman’s Association | $4,000
Subsiding lessons for islanders and employees, Preservation of the Horse Tradition on, Mackinac Island Youth Fund

Mackinac Horseman’s Association | $11,000
Necessary arena repairs and fixing broken water lines, Joanne Zwolinksi, Alice and Alan Sawyer Friends of Animals Fund, Dr. Rex M. and Elizabeth C. Orr Fund for Animals, Francis H. Straus II Memorial Fund, Richard and Jane Manoogian Fund, Mary R. and Wesley H. Maurer, Jr. Fund, Preservation of the Horse Tradition on Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island Medical Center | $17,643.803

Mackinac Island Community Foundation, based on Mackinac Island, is committed to making a difference in the lives of individuals, families and organizations on Mackinac Island. Grants are provided to non-profit organizations primarily on Mackinac Island and Mackinac County for projects to enhance child development, protect natural resources, promote the arts, and build community on Mackinac Island. We invite you to learn more about the Foundation and its history by visiting our website www.micf.org.

Providing on-island mental health services and therapy.

Beaumont Fund
Alice and Harry Myron Memorial Fund, David and Jamie McDonnell Family Fund, Health and Medical Care Fund

Mackinac Island Public School | $3,660
Supplies a communication tool for teacher check ins, Mary Anne and Bob Gale Fund for the Community, Anne and John Gault Fund for the Community, George and Judith Goodman Fund, Barbra and Frank Lewand Fund

Mackinac State Historic Parks | $2,357
Installing a bike repair station at Arch Rock Kruse Family Fund

Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church | $1,000
Provides free dinners for summer employees, David and Jamie McDonnell Family Fund, Father Jim Williams Fund for Mackinac Island

Stewardship Network | $20,000
Funds a Great Lakes Island Alliance Summit on Mackinac, Wilfred Puttkammer Mackinac Island Conservation Fund, Francis H. Straus II Memorial Fund, Erin Lynne Shufelt Environmental Fund, Natural Resources and Preservation Fund, Great Lakes Environmental Collaborative, Eileen Erwin Croghan Fund for the Preservation of Natural Spaces

Shoppers will be greeted with a bustling market plaza of over 70 vendors, full of local food and goods, each Saturday. Shoppers can choose from fresh, locally grown, seasonal produce, baked goods, locally raised meat and eggs, kombucha, coffee, bread, hot sauce, and more! Our artisans offer handcrafted goods such as soaps, lotions, jewelry, woodworking products, and knitted products, to name a few.

The Community Table will host local organizations and groups. The Master Gardeners will kick off the first few markets to help answer questions about plant starts and how to get your garden going for this growing season.

A full lineup of programming and events can be found on the market’s event calendar on the market’s website. Highlights include:

Yoga at the Market: Every Saturday, June-October from 9:45-10:45 AM. This BYO Mat, all-level class is donation-based, with a portion of all proceeds going to the market. All classes are taught by the Pinecone Yoga Institute and Body PNCH.

Power of Produce Children’s Program: brought to you by the Marquette Harbor Rotary, Marquette FOOD CO-OP, and Partridge Creek Farm, this year’s programming will happen a few weeks throughout the year. Kids under the age of 12 can learn about and try new fruits and vegetables each week, then purchase produce from local farmers with a $5 voucher. 

Food Navigator Program: The Marquette Alger RESA Health Education team will be at select Saturday morning markets, May-June, teaching shoppers how to maximize food assistance benefits, shop on a budget, and prepare healthy meals.

Food Demonstrations from the Marquette Food Coop: Learn how to make the most of seasonal spring, summer, and fall produce at select Saturday markets this season.

Shoppers can now plan for their market visit by using resources available on the market’s website. The interactive Market Map allows shoppers to search for vendors and products, learn more about each vendor, and map their shopping experience accordingly. Additionally, the Vendor Directory page provides shoppers with detailed information about each vendor, including offerings and which dates they will be at the market. Links to these resources can be found on the market’s homepage at www.mqtfarmersmarket.com.

The DMFM will continue to accept a wide array of food assistance programs, including EBT Bridge Card, P-EBT Card, Double Up Food Bucks, UP FreshFood Access, and Food as Medicine vouchers. More information about accepted forms of payment can be found on the DMFM website at www.mqtfarmersmarket.com/paymentoptions.

For up-to-date information about the DMFM please follow them on Facebook and Instagram @mqtfarmersmarket or visit their website at www.mqtfarmersmarket.com and join the e-newsletter mailing list!

Starting this year, the fee will increase from $52 to $65 and will remain in place for the next five-year period.

This change follows a statutory requirement (Public Act 400 of 2008) to adjust snowmobile trail permit fees every five years based on the CPI as determined by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, ensuring funding keeps pace with inflation.

Specifically, the adjustment accounts for a 25.1% increase over the previous five-year cycle.

“The adjustment helps offset the rising costs of equipment and maintenance,” said Tim Novak, DNR state trails coordinator. “It ensures we can sustain our vast snowmobile trails system, which supports a $1 billion economic impact for the state and fuels the work of 67 volunteer clubs maintaining 6,300-plus miles of trails.”

Michigan enjoys international acclaim for the exceptional quality and diversity of its trails system. Consistently ranked among the top 10 snowmobiling destinations in North America, the state also boasts the fifth-largest trail network in the nation.

Trail permits go on sale Sept. 1 each year and are valid from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30. They can be purchased online through eLicense, online via the Michigan Snowmobile ORV Association or in person at a number of DNR license agents and dealers.

Michigan’s snowmobile program is 100% funded through snowmobile trail permit and registration dollars. Every dollar is directly reinvested into the program through snowmobile clubs and DNR program support. These funds support critical operations, including:

• Trail brushing and grooming by 67 snowmobile clubs.
• New equipment grants for snowmobile clubs.
• Trail signage and maintenance.
• Trail bridge and culvert construction.
• Trailhead amenities, such as restroom maintenance and plowing of parking lots.
• Other snowmobile-related expenditures.

Residents must also register snowmobiles with the Michigan Secretary of State (unless sleds are used solely on private property). Nonresidents must display a valid registration from the operator’s home state or province. Michigan registration is good for three years, and those dollars support the purchase of trail easements, law enforcement on trails and safety education.

“Our snowmobile clubs are paid through the snowmobile program and are a vital component of successful, quality operations,” said Novak. “The revenue from every trail permit sold is funneled directly into the snowmobile program, providing essential funding needed to groom and maintain these sought-after trails.”

Michigan’s vast network of designated trails and authorized public lands officially opens for the season Dec. 1 and runs through March 31. Trail grooming occurs when there is enough snow on the ground.

For those looking to experience Michigan’s winter wonderland for the first time or ready to test out equipment, the DNR offers its annual Free Snowmobiling Weekend. For two days, the requirement for a trail permit or registration is waived (on DNR trails only), providing the perfect opportunity to explore the nation’s premier trails system.

Find information on snowmobiling in Michigan, including where to ride, rules and regulations, trail safety and etiquette tips and more, visit Michigan.gov/Snowmobiling.

MDOT plans to widen the existing roadway to add a center left-turn lane at the intersection and improve drainage.

To allow for grading and upgrades to the signal, the department is proposing to obtain a 0.012-acre permanent fee right of way on each of the southwest and southeast corners at the M-28/Au Train Forest Lake Road intersection.

During the work, one lane will be maintained for vehicular traffic and the off-road vehicle (ORV) trail will remain open.

Public input is being sought to help recognize and address any concerns that may result from any impacts of the purchase of ROW on the adjacent recreational properties per a proposed de minimis impact finding under Section 4(f) of the U.S. Department of Transportation Act of 1966.

Please submit public comments by May 31, 2026, using the public comment form or by mail, email or phone to MDOT Project and Contracts Engineer Elizabeth Magnuson at MagnusonE@Michigan.gov.

Do you love walleye fishing and want to help support a strong fishery? Get out on the water this summer for the Midwest Walleye Challenge — you’ll have the chance to win cash prizes and provide useful information to fisheries biologists.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is partnering with MyCatch by Angler’s Atlas on a statewide walleye fishing challenge that includes all inland waters in the state. The challenge runs May 15 through June 28.

As part of the challenge, anglers report their catches of walleye and their fishing trips in the MyCatch mobile app. The app uses anonymous location data, so your best fishing spots stay secret, while Michigan DNR fisheries biologists get valuable information — generalized lake and river catch data entered via the app — to better assess and manage walleye populations. This year, the challenge will include two new features: County Captains and weekly challenges aimed at boosting angler engagement in participating states.

“We’re excited to continue to work with our anglers to learn more about Michigan walleye populations during the third year of Midwest Walleye Challenge participation,” said Seth Herbst, manager of the DNR Fisheries Division’s Research Section. “We have hundreds of inland waters in the state that we manage for walleye, but the combination of those vast waters and limited staffing resources results in an inability to monitor walleye populations as intensively as we would like.”

The challenge provides a unique opportunity for anglers to assist with walleye conservation efforts in Michigan and provide critical information on fishing effort and catch from inland waters that the DNR would otherwise not have.

“We are particularly excited to learn whether our walleye stocking efforts are resulting in successful trips for anglers. The more anglers participate in this challenge, the more informed we’ll be when making management decisions,” Herbst said.

This year’s challenge includes several states across the Midwest as part of a larger fisheries research project. States participating and promoting the challenge include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and South Dakota.

Michigan anglers compete only against Michigan anglers for weekly prizes, as well as grand prize drawings at the end of the event.

The addition of County Captains, who will serve as local leaders to encourage anglers in their counties to participate, and weekly challenges with different goals throughout the season provide new ways for anglers to engage in the challenge. Full details about prizes and qualifications are available on the prizes tab of the main event webpage.

Participants must pay a $25 fee to register, which qualifies them for prizes, including cash payouts. The entry fee also includes a $20 Discount Tackle gift certificate for every angler who reports a valid trip.

All Michigan fishing rules and regulations still apply, and anglers are required to have a valid fishing license (or valid exemption) to participate in the challenge.

Two Fire Boss aircraft, each capable of scooping up to 800 gallons of water from a lake in just 15 seconds, have been added to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources firefighting fleet this season.

The planes, leased from late April through early June – historically the worst part of Michigan’s fire season – are housed at the Gaylord Regional Airport. This central location is ideal to respond to wildfire anywhere in the state and especially for the areas hit hard by the ice storm of 2025. The planes were used earlier this week to assist with a fire on federal land near Mio.

Fire danger is elevated across the state this weekend, so make sure to check Michigan.gov/BurnPermit or, in southern Michigan, contact your local municipality to make sure it is safe to burn.

“The branches and trees downed from the ice storm can impede us getting into the woods with equipment,” said Kevin Jacobs, DNR aviation manager. “The added debris on the ground will add fuel to the fire, which could cause wildfires to spread faster and burn with more intensity.”

He said the Fire Boss aircraft don’t replace crews on the ground but can offer an important head start once a fire is discovered.

“They can get to a fire scene fast,” Jacobs said. “Having two of these planes working in tandem can make a difference in our ability to contain fires and protect people, property and natural resources.”

The planes are Air Tractor AT-802 models, designed for agricultural use and modified to include floats for landing on water. They need approximately a mile of open water to perform their water-scooping sequence.

The cost of the planes is paid for by a one-time allocation from the Michigan Legislature to mitigate the effects of the March 2025 ice storm.

The DNR’s air power against wildfire also includes an agreement with Michigan State Police to use two police helicopters to carry water with so-called Bambi buckets, 320-gallon urethane buckets that can dip from smaller water sources.

“Utilizing both types of aircraft, we can quickly get to a fire with water scooped from large lakes or small ponds,” Jacobs said.

There is one type of aircraft that doesn’t belong in this equation: privately owned and operated drones. Helicopters and planes need to operate within 100 feet of the ground in order to scoop and drop water, the same altitude range as many drones.

“Drones do not mix with fire suppression aircraft,” Jacobs said. “People need to keep drones away from fire scenes so we can safely fight fires.”

Bay College held its graduation ceremonies Saturday at the Bay College Gym in Escanaba. The graduates were celebrated by hundreds of family and friends, as well as the college’s faculty and staff, Board of Trustee members, and administrators.

“Here at Bay College, we have continued to navigate changing student demographics, evolving enrollment trends, shifting societal expectations, and an ever-changing political and economic landscape that continues to influence how we serve and support and advocate for our students and for our communities,” said Bay College President, Dr. Nerita Hughes.

Hughes added that more students are taking classes on-line, something that has led to a big change to the traditional college education delivery model.

“We have seen changes in who our students are, how they access education, and what they need to succeed. We have responded to uncertainty with innovation, to challenges with resilience, and to change, with intentional transformation.”

The student commencement speaker was Abigail Rich, who moved to Escanaba from North Carolina along with her twin brother, Jacob. She talked about being home-schooled from the fourth grade on, and how Bay helped her to feel like she belonged after long stretches where she felt out of place.

“At Bay College, I wasn’t left to figure things out on my own,” Rich said. “The Office of Accommodations helped me with what I needed to succeed. My professors met me with patience and encouragement. TRIO gave me guidance, structure, and a place where I felt normal. Counseling Services reminded me that I didn’t have to carry everything by myself.”

Rich also cited her joining the Norse women’s softball team in the 2025 season as a big part of her journey at Bay. Even though the team won just one game that season, and she had never played softball before, Rich says being part of that team helped in her development as a person and as a student.

Now, Rich has graduated from Bay with a 3.9 Grade Point Average, will be transferring to Northern Michigan University to pursue a criminal justice degree. She interned with the Gladstone Public Safety Department, and this summer, Rich will be a cadet with the Michigan DNR.

“I know I’m not the only one who has felt out of place at some point along this journey,” Rich told her fellow graduates. “Maybe you were balancing work, school, and family. Maybe you were the first in your family to go to college. Maybe you struggled in ways that no one can see. Whatever your story is, you made it here! And if there’s one thing I hope you take with you today, it’s this. None of us had to feel like we belonged to move forward. We simply kept showing up.”

The Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation has announced a $1.4 million commitment to Build U.P., the housing development fund managed by InvestUP, to provide funding for the Upper Peninsula’s growing Career and Technical Education (CTE) housing partnership.

The investment, announced at the 2026 InvestUP CEO Summit, will help sustain and expand efforts already underway with Intermediate School Districts (ISD) and state-approved CTE Construction Trades programs that are constructing homes in communities across the Upper Peninsula.

The commitment will help advance a program that addresses two of the region’s most pressing challenges at once: the housing shortage and the need to build the next generation of the skilled trades workforce.

Through this partnership, students gain experience in residential construction while simultaneously helping bring new single-family homes to market in communities that need them. Just as importantly, the program helps position students to stay in the U.P. after graduation with marketable skills, industry exposure, and relationships that can lead to employment opportunities.

The Build U.P. CTE Partnership Program has already helped launch home construction projects through participating ISDs in communities including Escanaba, Houghton, Hancock, Cedarville, L’Anse, and Manistique.

This significant investment from the Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation positions the program not only for future growth across the region, but also to create opportunity through providing preference to U.P. suppliers.

“This commitment from the Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation builds on the strong early success of Build U.P.’s CTE Housing Partnership Program. We have already seen how this model can create new housing, strengthen local building trades programs, and open doors for students. This support will help us carry that momentum forward and expand a solution that is meeting real needs in communities across the U.P.” said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUP.

The partnership between Build U.P. and regional CTE and building trades programs is helping restore a model that once gave students real-world residential construction experience while directly benefiting their communities.

With the funds to help cover development costs, schools are able to move beyond shop-based instruction and put students on active job sites where they take part in planning, budgeting, construction, and project completion.

The President of the Kobasic Foundation, Danica Stanciu, added, “We see this as an investment in the future of the Upper Peninsula. Consistent with the legacy left by my father, we believe in the potential of our next generation, the importance of strong communities, and the value of partnerships that create lasting regional impact, like the Build U.P. CTE Partnership.”

Stanciu went on to also say, “This investment also offers a challenge to other companies, organizations, and individuals to invest in the region as that investment is critical if the U.P. is going to embrace the opportunity that is before it. It is the Kobasic Foundation’s hope that this investment motivates others to follow our lead.”

“With this investment, the Kobasic Foundation just builds upon its legacy of supporting skilled trades and education in not only Delta County but the Upper Peninsula,” added Trent Ballinger, Director of Career and Technical Education for the Delta Schoolcraft Intermediate School District, which recently received a sizeable investment from the Foundation into a state-of-the-art welding facility. “At a time when our communities are losing working-age population, and we are in desperate need locally of skilled trades workers, investments into programs like this are helping our students build their competitive advantage.”

In addition to helping create new homes, the program is intended to generate expanded interest in the building trades for the U.P.’s construction industry.

Build U.P. is also working to strengthen the initiative by connecting participating programs with U.P.-based building component manufacturers, helping schools gain affordable access to materials while exposing students to regionally made products that are part of the local construction economy.

“The support from Build U.P. and the Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation makes it possible for students to receive the kind of experience that stays with them. They are not just learning construction skills in a classroom setting. It gives students the opportunity to work through real planning, building, and problem-solving while contributing to a project that addresses an important need in their own community,” added Corey Soumis, Director of Career and Technical Education for the Copper Country ISD.

According to Fittante, the Daniel J. Kobasic Foundation’s donation will build on the early success of the Build U.P. CTE Partnership Program, which, in 18 short months, has seen one home already built and sold, with five more homes currently under construction, and 160 students across the U.P. engaged in the program.

Possession season for walleye on Upper Peninsula inland waters opens Friday, May 15.

Anglers hoping to target walleye in Lake Independence or Teal Lake in Marquette County should be aware of a regulation change for walleye on those two waters that is now in effect.

All walleye smaller than 15 inches and those between 18 and 23 inches are protected from harvest and must be released.

The new protected slot limit is inclusive, meaning that walleye from 18.0 inches to 23.0 inches must be released. The minimum size limit for possession remains at 15 inches.

The daily possession limit for walleye on these waters also remains at five fish; however, only one of those five walleye can be more than 23 inches long. Information on this regulation can be found on page 13 of the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations.

The Management Plan for Walleye in Michigan’s Inland Waters, published in 2022, provides a framework to guide walleye management efforts. A protected slot limit is one of the regulatory tools listed in the plan to help sustain walleye populations.

This regulation type is used by fisheries managers to protect spawning females to benefit recruitment (fry growing into mature fish), as well as to improve the quality of the fishery; this kind of regulation can produce both more and larger walleye in a population. These changes can build resilience within a walleye population when it is faced with variable environmental conditions that can lower recruitment or increased competition from a changing fish community.

Fishing regulations, like the walleye protected slot limit on Lake Independence and Teal Lake, are enacted through Fisheries Orders by the Michigan Natural Resources Commission. The commission has exclusive authority to regulate the taking of game and sportfish, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources provides recommendations and scientific guidance on proposed regulatory changes.

The NRC considered several lakes for this protected slot limit, including Lake Gogebic and Pomeroy Lake (Gogebic County); Gratiot Lake (Keweenaw County); Big Manistique Lake (Luce and Mackinac counties); Milakokia Lake (Mackinac County); and Lake Mary, Stanley Lake and Winslow Lake (Iron County).

Lake Independence and Teal Lake were approved for the limit in Fisheries Order 206. (See materials from the September 2025 NRC meeting for more information.)

To learn more about walleye and how Michigan manages walleye populations, visit Michigan.gov/Walleye.