Craig Woerpel – Upper Peninsula News and Information: Recent Episodes
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ESCANABA — Fire killed two people yesterday and injured three at the Delta Inn Motel in Escanaba. A resident on the first floor said he heard an explosion as fire broke out on the second floor of the building. Escanaba Public Safety says residents climbed up onto the roof and escaped over to the adjacent Hiawatha Motel. Flames fully engulfed the front of the building and broke through the roof when firefighters arrived. High winds fueled the fire. Traffic was re-routed on Ludington Street and U.S. 2 and 41. One man said he lost everything he owned. Another woman escaped with a cart of clothes. Firefighters removed two bodies after fighting the fire for three hours. They used foam and an aerial unit from Escanaba Public Safety and platform unit from Escanaba Township to battle the second story blaze and save the Hiawatha Motel. A 72-year-old man and 17-year-old male died in the fire. Both lived at the motel. A 66-year-old man was transported to the St. Mary’s Burn Center in Milwaukee with severe burns. A 60-year-old man was transported to U.P. Health Systems Marquette for a fractured spine as he jumped to safety from the building. A 73-year-old man was treated and released at OSF St. Francis for minor burns. The fire occurred just after 12:30 p.m. It is being investigated by the State Police Fire Marshall. Water was reported to be discolored city-wide because of the fire. Water Wastewater Superintendent Jeff Lampi says the water is safe to drink. If the discoloration continues today, Lampi says they will flush the system near the location of the fire.
ESCANABA — Players de Noc is having a virtual performance of a local play written by JJ Spaulding. It is called “Bare Cabin.” Jamie Peterson says it will be performed from the actor’s homes at a time we are isolated. “It follows a family of three and this small family lives in isolation out in the woods,” said Peterson. They’re off the grid, they left society and the play follows them and what happens when they are no longer off of the grid.” Peterson says when the actors are restricted to individual squares online there were lot’s of things to consider such as using their voice and facial expressions to communicate their part. And the script had to be adapted to be more like a radio play than a theater play. “You might not notice but so many times in the script there might be references to, ‘Give me that!’ or ‘Whatcha doing over there?’ That doesn’t work when you can’t see what it is that they are giving. So, you have to re-write that to be more explanatory, like, ‘Give me that knife!’ or ‘What are you doing at the door?'” Peterson said. Peterson the production was a way for Players to still be creative and to show the community that they are still here. The premiere will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, on Players de Noc Facebook page. It will also be posted on Youtube that will be linked from playersdenoc.org.
MARQUETTE — A feisty immature bald eagle ready for release was pulled from a box Tuesday before a crowd gathered next to the Superior Dome in Marquette. The bird had been under treatment for lead poisoning since Dec. 7 when the Department of Natural Resources brought the bird to the Chocolay Raptor Center. Jerry Maynard says the bird was lethargic. “This bird, we did our initial exam, couldn’t find anything obviously wrong with it, hit by a car, injury. It was past the season for west nile so we suspected possible lead poisoning,” Maynard said. “We called the head of the Wild Instincts rehab in Rhinelander, Wis., and he said, ‘yeah it could, bring it down.’ So, within 24 hours of the bird being rescued it was down there.” The bird was found to have higher lead levels than could be measured. Maynard says it was likely the eagle was poisoned while feeding on a deer shot during the hunting season. Bob Jensen held the eagle for photos before allowing the bird to fly free. “It was thrilling, absoultely thrilling to let a big animal like that go back into the wild. It’s just a magnificent creature. Just gorgeous,” he said. As the crowd cheered the bird flew toward open water on Lake Superior. Maynard and Jensen say they hope the eagle will find food in Superior and the nearby Dead River and continue to thrive.
ESCANABA — Joe DeChristopher took the experiences he had of the Vietnam War and wrote a song to honor the woman who served as nurses during the war. He spent 16 months in Vietnam in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 67. During that time, he became aware of the sacrifices nurses made when he saw the reaction of a nurse confronted by a soldier who wanted to die. “She was kind of shaken up so, I’m a friendly guy so I looked at her and smiled and I said, ‘you ok?’ She burst into tears and hugged me and she whispered in my ear, ‘I didn’t know it was going to be like this,’” recalled DeChristopher. He discovered from a documentary several years ago that the names of eight nurses were on the Vietnam Wall. He did more research on the nurses and complied their stories into a song. “I try to get commonalities of things that they had done when they were longer and their jobs, how they felt. I just didn’t know how to put it together. It was really hard to extrapolate all of that because there is so much information, so much emotion and so much, so much grief,” DeChristpher said. DeChristopher performed the song for the first time Friday at the Bonifas Arts Center in Escanaba. He found writing the song to be cathartic. Although eight names are on the wall, DeChristopher says 52 women died during the Vietnam War. He wants people to know that they gave their lives when they didn’t have to.
ESCANABA — The front of a home in Escanaba was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived Monday night. Escanaba Public Safety says the south end of the second floor was also in flames just before 10:44 p.m. Firefighters from Public Safety and the Ford River Fire Department were on the scene for 2 1/2 hours at the South 10th Street home. At least two people were evacuated out of the back of the home. The Red Cross also responded to the scene. The Delta County Sheriff’s office, Rampart EMS and Escanaba Electric Department assisted at scene.
One of the inductees to the Escanaba Quarterback Club’s Wall of Fame says what he learned from sports helped him later in life. Dan Levielle was a tackle on the Eskymos 1977 and 78 teams and played at Northern Michigan University. As a lineman, he said he learned to sacrifice himself for others. “You’re taking the hits for others so they can succeed,” Levielle said. So, people like the guy behind us, like Jeff Nault who was the linebacker, could make the tackles. He made the tackles because people weren’t in his legs. And people weren’t in his legs because linemen had to be double teamed and prevented people from going out and hitting him. It prepares you for your work life, sacrificing for the organization, your family and the community.” Those inducted were recognized at halftime Thursday night at the Escanaba-Alpena football game. They were Austin Young, Brent Lindstrom, Ron Gerstner, Dan Levielle, Butch LaBay and Jim Boyle. They were presented plaques similar to the ones hung on the wall beneath the grandstands. They read: Jim Boyle Jim Boyle was recognized as the class of 1967 Gessner Award winner. He played four years of football with the Eskymos. He was the quarterback for hi junior and senior years. During the second game of his junior year, during which they beat Menominee, he was sidelined for the rest of the season. Under Jim’s leadership, the Eskymos finished with a 6-2 record during 1966 season. He was rewarded that year with an All Conference Honorable Mention and All U.P. Honorable Mention. Hw net on to play on Central Michigan University’s football team for one year and graduated with a degree in physical education. He came back to Escanaba in 1972 as an elementary PE teacher and later as a middle school PE teacher. During his 38 years as a teacher in Escanaba he coached many different sports at all levels. He totally enjoyed working with hi former coaches as a Freshman Football coach for many years before taking over the Middle School football program. Jim’s positive influence on the many students he has coached during his career has been one of his greatest rewards. Jim is retired and continues to help with coaching and track meets in a volunteer capacity. He is married and the father of three children. They live in the Hyde area. Ron Gerstner Ron Gerstner, class of 1981, was an Esky running back from 1978 to 1981. He was a starter in the 1979 Class A State Championship game against Detroit Catholic Central. Ron’s 1980 Esky football season was his was his best stats of 980 yards, 171 carries and 12 touchdowns resulting in the “leading scorer.” In his senior year, he was an All-State, All U.P., received the Jean Timmons Award and voted “Most Athletic.” He also participated in varsity basketball and track throughout his memorable years as an Esky, at Escanaba High School. After graduating in 1981 with honors he attended NMU in Marquette. Ron also enlisted in the United State Army and was honorably discharged in 1987. Ron is married to AnnaBelle, their blended family includes son Kyle and daughter IsaBelle. They’re currently planning to move back to Escanaba from Appleton, Wis., soon. Ron has stayed passionate about football and always will. He mentored his son Kyle, while playing football for eight years. He is always trying to teach his wife about football, during games on television and although she has a M.B.A. and M.A..E. she still has no clue what a first down is. She supports his love for the sport, recognizes his passion for football and hopes one day Ron can mentor their future grandchildren about football. Butch LaBay Butch LaBay started playing football in the 8th grade and continued at Escanaba High School. During his high school years, he lettered in three sports: football, basketball and track. Butch was included in the honorable mention list of the Great Northern All-Conference football squad. During Butch’s senior year, he would be part of the first Escanaba team to ever win nine games in a single season and six new school records would be established by the Eskymos. The unblemished season was under the direction of coach Jerry Cvengros. In November 1967, the Daily Press wrote the following, “One of the Peninsula’s most highly regarded lineman. LaBay averaged ten tackles per game, blocked one punt, recovered two fumbles, scored two touchdowns on recoveries, averaged forty-four minutes per game, was Esky’s top punt and kick-ff coverer and caught the only pass that was thrown to him during the season.” He was selected as one of two MVP’s by a vote of the squad. That same year, Butch was the only U.P. player to make the honorable mention list in the Class A All-State selections, he also made the All-Upper Peninsula and All-great Northern Conference teams. Butch received numerous full-ride football scholarship offers as both in- and out-of-state universities. His path in life, however, took jim a different route. He was drafted into the Army on January 7, 1967. He served in Vietnam for 13 months as a helicopter mechanic receiving an honorable discharge on August 10, 1970. On November 28, 1970 he started a near 40-year career at Mead Paper, retiring on June 1, 2010. Butch is the proud father of two sons and one daughter, the owner of a spoiled two-year-old Golden Retriever puppy, as well as the grandfather of seven wonderful grandchildren. In his retirement, he enjoys reading westerns, watching college sports, hunting and attending the grandkids’ school sport and musical events. During the summer months, he and his wife Liz, split their time between their home on Lake Michigan and their cottage 45 miles south of the straits on Lake Huron. Dan Levielle In the 1970’s, Escanaba had a population of over 15,300 and supported two football teams; Class A Eskymos and Holy Name Crusaders Class C. When Holy Name High School closed in 1970, the two schools were combined both academically
ESCANABA — The large cast of 36 actors for Players de Noc’s musical Gypsy includes nine elementary school students as it follows the life of Gypsy Rose Lee from childhood to burlesque performer. It’s a musical that director Lynn Soderberg has long wanted to do. The well-know song the performers sing as they grow up is “Let Me Entertain You.” “So, we have two young girls who are 10 and 12 who play baby June and baby Louise when they are young kids and then we have girls who play them when they are older. Everybody gets to sing, ‘Let Me Entertain You’ except me. I don’t get to sing that,” said Soderberg. That’s because Soderberg also plays the girls’ mother, Momma Rose. It’s a part she has looked forward to. “Momma Rose is a dream role for any actress. You get to a certain age and there are certain roles that you hope that you may sometime get to play once in your lifetime. Momma Rose was one of those roles for me,” Soderberg said. Soderberg says she is pleased the way the musical has turned out. It opens at the Bonifas Theater on Friday and runs Saturday, Sunday afternoon and again next Wednesday through Saturday. Tickets are available online at playersdenoc.org or at the Bonifas Arts Center.
The Escanaba City Council Monday approved a State of Emergency for the water main break Thursday that closed a portion of the city and drained the city’s main water tower. The action reaffirms Mayor Marc Tall’s declaration on Friday. The council hopes to be eligible for reimbursement by the state for the cost associated with Thursday’s water main break although it doesn’t seem likely it will qualify. The city says the break at 1st Avenue North and North 25th Street resulted in re-routed traffic at the city’s busiest intersection, loss of a million gallons of water, employee overtime and equipment issues. City Controller Melissa Becote says invoices are still coming in but it doesn’t look like cost will be enough for the state to step in. “We’re thinking we might hit $50,000 in total cost. Of that, only a small portion will be eligible. We’re not allowed to include regular wages, only overtime. So, it’s going to come down to what invoices we receive from others who assisted during the break,” said Becote. Overtime costs are estimated to be about $5,000. To be an emergency, Becote said allowable expenses would have to reach $23,000, which is one percent of the water department’s budget. She said it may be difficult to reach that threshold. Delta County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Berbohm said it’s important for Escanaba to be on record and take the step of declaring a state of emergency. He encouraged the city council Monday to support the state of emergency even if they don’t think they will qualify for state aid. “I think, just to cover all the bases just in case there is further evidence of damage. This way, we are on track because the original emergency has to be declared within 24 hours. So, we are just basically dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s in case there are avenues for funding later on,” he said. Berbolm said what makes the issue unusual is that the state declared a state of emergency ahead of the forecasted sub-zero temperatures. It’s still unclear how that might affect Escanaba’s situation.
With the amount of ice that was on North Lincoln Road Thursday from the water main break in Escanaba, Public Safety Director Rob LaMarche said they did not expect the road to be open for a couple of days. He was surprised how quickly city crews were able to clean up the highway. “We didn’t think it would probably be open. I think the first estimate that came in would be maybe on Saturday they would have the road open but our public works and Jeff’s guys did such a phenomenal job of shutting the water off and scraping it off in an amount of time, we probably had the road by 3 o’clock. I didn’t think it would be open in a day or so,” LaMarche said at a press conference Friday. LaMarche said they did have issues of people trying to go around barricades during the closure. He said several people were cited for the violation. North Lincoln Road was closed from 1st Avenue South to 3rd Avenue North and Ludington Street from Lincoln Road to 26th Street. “When you have to shutdown North Lincoln Road for anything, even if you have a small accident, it’s a huge impact. With the detour that was set up, it actually worked very well. It’s hard to navigate semi’s through the city but it got done,” he said. He asks that drivers obey traffic closures when they are in place.
ESCANABA — Water main breaks in Escanaba have become more frequent recently as the city deals with a water system plagued by aging infrastructure and damage caused by extremely cold winters. But none of the breaks reached the severity of what happened Thursday. Water Wastewater Superintendent Jeff Lampi said the city came close to losing its water system as a break by the Delta Plaza Mall spilled a million gallons of water onto city streets. The city asked residents to limit water usage while city crews quickly addressed the break and made sure that water continued to flow to prevent a water system shutdown and mandatory boil order. “We lost most of the water in our south water tower and it became critical to keep the system pressure. So we increased out pumpage, asked the customers throughout the city to not use water and luckily after several hours we were able to dig through a couple of feet of water, shut it down and do the repairs in the afternoon,” Lampi said during a press conference on Friday. The break was discovered by a city worker snowplowing at 5 a.m. Thursday. North Lincoln Road was closed from 1st Avenue South to 3rd Avenue North as crews searched for the source of the leak. “Our problem was a lot of the valves were under water, under snow and froze up. So we had a lot of issues closing those down,” Lampi said. Lampi said they had to make a decision quickly on how they were going to respond to a rapid loss of water. He went to the water plant at 5:30 a.m. to assess the situation. “We had to make a decision if we were going to shut the city down and go on a boil advisory,” he said. Instead, the water plant doubled its water production to stay ahead of the water loss and the city asked residents to limit water use. If the water system’s pressure fell to 20 psi, Lampi said it would have triggered a citywide boil advisory. What made this water break more severe, Lampi said, was the weather, the large size of the pipe and closeness to the water tower. “Our water tower took the brunt of the hit and we had more water on the street than normal,” he said. The water main break closed the major intersection in town affecting a large amount of traffic. It also affected a large number of businesses within the four block area that was closed off. Lampi warned that the city will face more water main breaks. “This will happen again. Hopefully not to this extent,” he said. “Cold weather and the volume of water made it really difficult.”