Writer to read, discuss trilogy at Heikinpäivä

January 26, 2023

Author Mark Munger, a regular contributor to the Finnish American Reporter, will be reading, discussing and signing copies of his Finnish American trilogy at North Wind Books at 601 Quincy St., Hancock, as part of Heikinpäivä on Saturday, Jan. 28, beginning at 1 p.m. A former prosecuting attorney and retired district court judge from Duluth, Minn., Munger is the author of 13 books, four of which feature Finnish-American history, characters and themes. When not writing or reading, Munger enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, camping and canoeing and lives on the banks of the wild and ...

UP Kids: Caring for children & building brighter futures

January 25, 2023

Keweenaw Unitarian Universalist Fellowship monthly forum will host a program on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 10:30-11:30am on Zoom. The program is only on zoom, Meeting ID: 978 910 4627 Dial by your location: +1 312 626 6799. UP Kids is a local organization serving children and families across the UP. Find out about the wide array of programs and services available, including foster care and adoption placement services, Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs, Families Together Building Solutions, Families UPward, and other supportive visitation and in-home assistance for families and youth. ...

Reproductive freedom march set for Sunday in Houghton

January 19, 2023

Join women and their supporters in towns and cities around the country for a march to celebrate reproductive freedom on Sunday, Jan. 22. In Houghton, marchers will gather at 1 p.m. at Bridgeview Park and continue across the bridge to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. All are welcome to march. Please abstain from carrying signs depicting inappropriate images or language. For more information, contact Susan Burack at 906-482-3270 or ssburack@gmail.com, or Vicky Bergvall at v.bergvall.mt@gmail.com.

Guidelines for lake-caught fish consumption updated

January 14, 2023

MDHHS Press Release LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has released new Eat Safe Fish guidelines for rainbow smelt and carp from seven different lakes across the state. The updated Eat Safe Fish guidelines recommend limiting the consumption of certain locally caught smelt and carp based on levels of chemicals found in the commonly eaten parts of the fish. The new rainbow smelt guidelines are based on elevated levels of perfluorooctane sulfonate found in the smelt. PFOS is a chemical in the family of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and can ...

Midwinter festival organizer named Hankookin Heikki 2023

January 7, 2023

Press release HANCOCK, Mich. — When she was a child, Mary (Aho) Brunet knew she had Finnish roots, but in her youth and among her family and friends, ethnic culture wasn’t readily celebrated. “We weren’t encouraged to be too much into the Finnish stuff,” she said. “We had a culture, but we really weren’t part of the culture.” That’s why joining the City of Hancock’s Finnish Theme Committee was so appealing; Brunet joined the group about a decade ago, and since then has been most recognized for her tireless work organizing and executing the Heikinpäivä festival ...

State Emergency Operations Center activated

December 23, 2022

LANSING, MICH. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer activated the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) at 1 p.m. today to respond to the hazardous weather conditions, resulting from the statewide winter storm. Prior to the activation, the State of Michigan had been coordinating with local communities to ensure full staffing of first responders, pre-deployment of utility repair crews, readiness for road crews and availability of warming shelters. The SEOC activation is the next step to make additional state resources available to support local communities, as necessary. As of 4 p.m., there ...