ESCANABA Those wishing to throw their hat in the ring to serve on Escanaba’s City Council have until 4 p.m. on July 25 to get their nominating petitions t
iminor@dailypress.net
ESCANABA After some discussion, the Escanaba City Council unanimously approved a change to the city’s code of ordinances that will ban hunting within city limits.
The ordinance, which was first presented at the April 22 regular council meeting, aimed to address an ongoing issue with hunting on land within the Westside Recreation Area. Over the years, the number of hunting blinds appearing in the recreation area has increased, suggesting the area has become popular with hunters. However, hunters could only be ticketed for hunting within the city limits if they were actively seen discharging a firearm.
The change approved Thursday expands upon the rules against discharging a firearm by explicitly prohibiting hunting activities. Specifically, the amended ordinance reads, “There shall be no hunting of wild or domestic animals within city limits with any kind of air gun, spring gun, cross bow, or firearm or any dangerous weapon. There shall also be no baitin
CAROLINE CARLSON
From left, Lume Cannabis Co. Manager Scott Thorman and employee Katharina Scholer process orders at the store’s Escanaba grand opening Friday. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Caroline Carlson)
ESCANABA Lume Cannabis Co. opened its doors Friday morning to lines of cars and people on foot, stretching across the parking lot.
Retail Compliance Manager and Launch Team Leader Joseph Stankowski said the company anticipates a very successful launch, like their previous store launch in partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Sault Saint Marie almost two weeks ago. That opening brought in almost 300 sales over the course of 8 hours.
iminor@dailypress.net
ESCANABA Like the rest of the world, the coronavirus pandemic dominated the local news in 2020. As 2020 draws to a close, here’s a look at some of the major local news stories of the year.
January
1 Escanaba residents Georgios Sitaras and Jami Hentz welcomed OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group’s first baby of the new year at 7:32 a.m. Nicoletta Elizabeth Sitaras weighed 7 pounds, 1.9 ounces and was 19 inches long. She was the couple’s first baby together.
10 Delta County Sheriff’s Department now has two K-9 units after Deputy Chad Newton and K-9 Officer Sage completed training. Newton and Sage, a female Dutch shepherd, are a certified K-9 unit after weeks of being trained by K-9 Master Trainer Marty Munger of Superior K-9 Training, based in Marquette.
iminor@dailypress.net
ESCANABA The Escanaba City Council approved a resolution Thursday in support of renaming the Escanaba River Bridge after the late Tom Casperson, who represented the Upper Peninsula in the state legislature for many years.
Casperson served in the Michigan House of Representatives for six years, starting in 2003. He was then elected to the Michigan Senate in 2010, serving until he was forced to leave the legislature in 2018 due to term limits. He died on Nov. 29 following a battle with lung cancer.
During Thursday’s meeting, Mayor Marc Tall read in part from a resolution to rename the U.S. 2 and 41 and M-35 bridge over the Escanaba River to honor the late legislator, who was instrumental in the reconstruction of the bridge. The bridge was completely reengineered and widened over a two year period, being completed in 2019.