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A Visit from Santa Claus (Yooper Version)

It was da night before Christmas, when all trew da house, Der was nobody making no noises, not even doze mouses; Da chukes hung on da chimney wit care, Wit hope dat St. Nick wood be der, eh; In sweaters and union suits, da kits were snug in bed, Wit dreams of pannukakku dancing in der heads. Mudder in her scarf and me with a kromer on my head, Had just settled down for a winter’s snooze in our bed; When out on da snow banks der come-a big noise, I yumped from bed tinking “It’s doze neighbor boys”; I ran to da window to check out da crash, Could-a made it ...

Have a merry — and safe — holiday season

It’s difficult to think of Christmas without the beauty of the lights, the decorated tree … and, of course, more lights. Especially in the Upper Peninsula, when the darkness conveniently comes earlier in December to let those lights shine longer and that perfect Christmas tree usually can be found easily and close by in the North Woods. A few precautions are in order, however, to keep that glowing holiday display from turning into something more dangerous. The holidays, unfortunately, are a peak time for home fires, triggered by dry Christmas trees, worn lights, use of candles ...

Incidence of vaping among teens on rise

It was a mixed-bag of news from the medical and law enforcement communities Monday with the release of an annual report of teen drug use. The federally funded survey conducted by University of Michigan researchers found that while overall drug use and abuse by teens seems to be declining, vaping — the act of inhaling and exhaling an nicotine-infused aerosol which is produced by an e-cigarette — jumped from 2017 to 2018. In fact the findings, based on interviews with 45,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12 in schools across the country, determined the number of teens vaping had ...

Plan ahead to limit pet stress during holidays

The holiday season is among the most stressful for people, what with family gatherings and financial matters, to name but a few reasons. The same can be said for your pets. There are lots of things to eat around that could be dangerous, even deadly, to your furry friend, according to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation, a charitable organization. And unexpected crowds of people can add stress. The AVMF provides this listing of common sense, but often overlooked, things you can do to make your holiday environment safer for the family pet: • Keep people food out of the ...

Journalists cited as Time’s ‘Person of Year’

The Time Person of the Year award is one of those honors that a lot of people wait for. Given out since 1927 and called “Man of the Year” until 1999, the nod has gone to dictators and debutantes. Soviet strongman Josef Stalin was man of the year twice, in 1939 and 1942. Lyndon B. Johnson received the honor in 1964, three years after John F. Kennedy. Ayatollah Khomeini got it in 1979 while cable TV mogul Ted Turner was man of the year in 1991. Donald Trump got the nod in 2016. So clearly, the people making these decisions are looking for difference makers, people who shook up ...

Outpouring of support for therapy puppy

A recent story in the Mining Journal featured a front-Kado-Kibou, AKA “Kado,” a local puppy-in-training to be a therapy dog that was recently diagnosed with a rare liver condition that will require a costly surgery. Many community members are banding together in an effort to raise funds for the procedure in hopes the service animal will be able to fulfill his potential to help others. Kado was named for his dancing-like behaviors and way of inspiring hope, said Lisa Fleet, a retired special education teacher who adopted Kado last spring as a therapy dog. “Thanks to the love ...