(WPBN/WGTU) – Cherryland Cares has awarded a total of $15,365 to four non-profit organizations in northwest Michigan during the last quarter The funding aims to support various community initiatives The Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan received funding to acquire an AED device Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan plans to utilize their grant for bags and advertising as part of their Brown Bag Campaign Remain in Touch will direct their funds toward a literacy program designed for children with incarcerated parents The Women’s Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area was granted funds to cover 60 nights of shelter at Helen’s House Cherryland Cares has distributed $15,365 in grant funding to regional non-profits has awarded a total of $831,241.60 to support local community programs Cherryland Cares operates as a charitable fund managed by a group of five volunteer members from the Cherryland Electric Cooperative These volunteers review grant applications and allocate funds to non-profit organizations in need The program is funded by cooperative members who choose to round up their monthly electric bills to the nearest dollar founded by Danni and Eric Engel and inspired by dog-friendly cafes and tap houses Two Brothers is breathing new life into the vacant space at Cherryland Center at 1776 S The transformation will turn an underutilized indoor area and parking lot into a one-of-a-kind Two Brothers is set to welcome dogs and their humans in early fall 2025 bringing Traverse City a one-of-a-kind dog park café and taphouse experience Two Brothers is building a team of 13 staff members dedicated to providing exceptional service for dogs and their owners the Engels aim to create a space where dog lovers can connect with their pets inspired by the instant sense of community they felt at PG&J Dog Park Bar in Louisville The founders knew they had to bring this experience back home to Traverse City “Determined to create a space where dog parents never have to choose between a night out and quality time with their furry best friends the couple embarked on a cross-country road trip in 2024,” the release said learning from the best and dreaming up Traverse City’s own perfect space.” The venue celebrates the deep bond between pet parents and their dogs emphasizing the special moments they share Two Brothers is partnering with Cherryland Humane Society working together to support local rescue efforts pet adoption initiatives and community events that bring people and pets together “Danni and Eric are proud to create a space where pet parents and their pups can make lasting memories together,” the release said and everything is better with your best friend by your side Traverse City is about to get a gathering place unlike any other—a hub where dog lovers can come together and enjoy unforgettable adventures with their four-legged companions.” Dog lovers who sign up for a Founding Membership before the grand opening will receive exclusive perks beyond the standard annual membership The park will feature expansive indoor and outdoor off-leash play areas and cozy seating—including wicker couches and sky chairs so customers can relax and enjoy the space together To ensure a safe and enjoyable environment for all membership includes proof of vaccination and a temperament assessment designed in partnership with Always Faithful Dog Training guests will have the option to choose from daily Membership fees help support dedicated park ranger staff and maintain top-tier sanitation standards ensuring a clean and safe environment for all guests “Two Brothers fosters a welcoming and inclusive environment by encouraging positive interactions between dogs and their humans,” the release said “Clear community guidelines will ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all visitors.” Monthly and annual members enjoy exclusive access to: Two Brothers will feature a carefully curated selection of local beverages including craft coffee through our partnership with Traverse City coffee roaster Mundos Guests can enjoy a thoughtfully crafted 10-item menu with delicious options for humans and their pups Two Brothers is in the process of acquiring a liquor license to support its selection of alcoholic offerings In partnership with Always Faithful Dog Training Two Brothers will offer both individual and group training classes on-site providing expert guidance to help dogs and their owners build strong relationships Two Brothers is teaming up with Contigo Dogs and Pets Naturally to offer a curated selection of high-quality dog gear and merchandise—bringing the best in dog parenting essentials directly to the facility For more information on Two Brothers, click here BRUSSELS - There will be something new when the 2025 Miss Door County and Miss Door County's Teen are crowned next February – a new title for young women Along with the competition for the existing pageants for Door County women the Miss Door County Scholarship Organization is holding a pageant for women from other Northeast Wisconsin counties to become the first-ever Miss Cherryland The new pageant will take place and new title will be awarded at the Miss Door County event on Feb and applications are open for all three contests The winners move on to the Miss Wisconsin and Wisconsin Teen pageants June 18 to 21 in New Berlin with the Miss Wisconsin winner advancing to represent the state in the Miss America pageant The Miss Cherryland pageant is open to women who live work or go to school full-time in Kewaunee Forest or Florence counties (although women in Algoma Luxemburg or Casco can compete in Miss Door County) They also must be at least 18 but no older than 27 years old at the time of the Miss Wisconsin competition executive director of the scholarship organization said the goal of adding a new and different crown along with the Door County ones is simply to provide more opportunities for young women in neighboring areas to take part in a pageant and hopefully reap the benefits including an expected more than $10,000 in available college scholarships cities or regional locations are scheduled to hold pageants for women to advance to the Miss Wisconsin competition but Green Bay is the only other one covering Northeast Wisconsin (besides pageants open to women from anywhere in the state) and women in Menominee and the far northern counties aren't eligible for Miss Green Bay "Adding the new Miss Cherryland title was something our committee has been dreaming about for a while We simply wanted to offer another opportunity to the women of the greater Northeast Wisconsin region," Fochs said in an email to the Advocate "The Miss America Organization provides invaluable opportunities to the women who compete Women competing for Miss Door County or Miss Door County's Teen must live work or go to school full time in Door County Age requirements for Miss contestants are the same as above 18 to 27 years old at the time of the Miss Wisconsin competition next June while teen contestants must be at least 14 but no older than 18 for the Miss Wisconsin pageant Eighteen-year-olds can choose to compete in either the Miss or Teen pageants Areas of competition in the pageants are private interview the Miss Door County organization has awarded more than $275,000 in scholarships which the organization said in a press release makes it one of the top local pageants for scholarships in the state It also noted the women taking part have the opportunity to become involved in and represent the Peninsula at various events promote their community service initiatives now rebranded as the Cherry Blossom Program for ages 5 to 12 in 2010 and the teen program in 2011 To sign up for the pageants or for more information, visit missdoorcounty.org and click the "Sign Up Today" tab Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@gannett.com. MORE: Instagram hashtags lead Door County to Top 10 ranking for a picturesque fall road trip MORE: Amish quilts, crafts, even Amish snacks featured in biannual Door County show and sale FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website is continuing to take steps to become a community hub Cherryland Center businesses will be allowed to apply for liquor licenses With several new developments in the complex and more on the way businesses that are interested will have to apply for licenses as they become available “It’s good to see it be rejuvenated and a place for the public to go and recreate,” Garfield Township Manager Chris Barsheff said “I’ve often felt that Garfield can provide that other alternative to downtown without the parking hassles and the traffic.” At an April 22 Garfield Township Board of Trustees meeting they designated the Cherryland Center as a redevelopment district This means businesses can get a liquor license Barsheff said they need to figure out investment numbers to see if they can even get liquor licenses for the complex the interested parties are required to submit an application to the township We do have an internal committee that will review the request and make a recommendation to the board.” Two businesses are interested in getting a liquor license a dog park where a liquor license is required for their business model an incoming business called high-tops holds the only liquor license available Barsheff said the township needs to continuously adapt as demand for malls are changing over time how do we make opportunities more available for developers and situations that improve the community and provide access to locations like this for the community And what can we do to make this more attractive for development Which in the end benefits the community and the people who live here.” The Board of Trustees is hoping to verify the investment amounts at their next meeting because the time frame of three years is actually like a moving target the investment from prior to three years that fall off that you cannot use for this type of license.” GRAND TRAVERSE COUNTY, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU) - - The Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City is saying a happy farewell to a long-time furry friend originally coming to the shelter as a puppy and then returning to the shelter to wait for a forever home The day finally came after being at the shelter for 952 days Finnegan left the shelter on Thursday and is now living in a place he can call home “You can feel an energy in the shelter today everybody is just so happy like nothing can bring us down today not even the weather like we're ready to celebrate,” said Naomi Pobuda Cherryland Humane Society Communications and Marketing Manager you can tell he's just so happy and these amazing people that are giving him a home Cherryland Humane Society also says it is in need of pet-safe ice melt They say it is essential for the safety of their staff and animals The shelter says Home Depot was kind enough to make a donation however they need more If you'd like to make a donation, you can find the pet-safe ice melt on their Wishlist linked on the Cherryland Human Society's website unique businesses,” says Assistant Manager GT Games Daniel Wysocki The Cherryland Center will be welcoming a new dog park in early 2025 This comes after new businesses joined the center Mexican Restaurant and Go-Kart Racing Business especially for our business,” explains Wysocki Built in 1976 as the only enclosed shopping mall in northwest Michigan until 1992 the Cherryland Center has fallen on some hard times in recent years But thanks to a group of dedicated business owners they’re putting their time and energy into making the shopping center better than it once was a lot of this depends on a lot of foot traffic And with new businesses bringing good vibes and high energy to our area It will have an indoor and outdoor space for the dogs and include a café and a taproom bringing in people from all over the community to hang out “We’re really kind of leaning in on an entertainment district unforgettable activity has been a great experience to bring to the community,” says Jessica Korson The Garfield Township Planning Commission approved the plans for the dog park on Wednesday and the business owned by two brothers will be expected to break ground in around a month Manager Daniel Wysocki from GT Games is excited for the attention to come back to the Cherryland Center all the new places coming in and trying the new restaurant and visiting the K1 Speed as a game store to have those people who might not know that we’re here K1 Speed is also looking forward to the amount of people it will bring to the Cherryland Center “it’s going to bring a lot of foot traffic The Cherryland Center has so much upward mobility for growth And the dog park is just going to be another exciting entertaining activity for families to be able to do,” shares Korson the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan received funding for an AED device Child and Family Services of Northwestern Michigan plans to use their funding for bags and advertising for its Brown Bag Campaign Remain in Touch will use its funding toward a literacy program for the children of incarcerated parents Women’s Resource Center for the Grand Traverse Area received funding to cover 60 nights of shelter at Helen’s House the Cherryland Cares program has awarded $15,365 in grant funding to regional nonprofits The program began in 2006 and has since given a total of $831,241.60 in grant funding to programs that support our local community Cherryland Cares is a charitable fund overseen by a group of five volunteer Cherryland Electric Cooperative members who review grant applications and allocate money to non-profit organizations seeking assistance Cherryland Cares is funded by members electing to round up their monthly electric bill to the nearest dollar (WPBN/WGTU) -- Cherryland Humane Society staff are sharing a sad update about a dog brought to them after suffering from abuse and neglect "Mighty Mac" and his siblings were brought to the shelter in October 2024 UpNorthLive even featured him in our Adoption Options segment in January staff announced Mac's health declined to a point where they're forced to say goodbye "He is suffering from Megaesophagus and some additional other underlying GI diseases kind of a rolling effect of some other medical needs," explained Tia Barbera the shelter's animal welfare and behavior manager "It mostly comes down to he's unable to absorb nutrients Barbera has been by Mac's side for months and has witnessed his ups and downs in health Until it became undeniable that Mac's quality of life wouldn't improve Barbera explained the effects of abuse and neglect on animals like Mac "It is incredibly disappointing and frustrating that the work that has been done for these animals behind the scenes and the evidence that has been submitted that there will be no justice or accountability and prevention for animals like Mac moving forward," expressed Barbera The couple accused of abusing and neglecting Mac and other animals now in Cherryland's care In a statement from the prosecutor's office Chief Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Attwood explained why he didn't issue charges and the case was dismissed Staff hope Mighty Mac's story will inspire others to get involved because they believe he's not getting the justice he deserves "I hope that the community can see that we need to make changes for when there are cases of animal neglect and that the people are held accountable," said Naomi Pobuda we can put a stop to it because it's just not fair." Barbera showed UpNorthLive the bucket list they've created for Mac's last week It includes eating chocolate and driving at night with the window's down but they tend to be booked most of the time The folks at MASHUP Rock ‘n’ Roll Musicals want to fill a gap with a new space at the Cherryland Center that could soon be available to all “It's really challenging when you're a theater company who's looking to be able to put up a set rehearse in the space and run more than one weekend,” said Lesley Tye Before Tye signed the lease in October, MASHUP had to find creative ways to rehearse. Their last show was "The Sound of mUZIc," a feminist take on the classic tale “We basically got a couple of rehearsals one week The next week we got a Sunday tech day where we set everything up We got to leave it up for Monday and do a dress rehearsal and then we had to leave the space until we set up on Friday to open the show We don't have the hours and the things to do that.” For a while, MASHUP used the former InsideOut Gallery in Traverse City’s warehouse district before it closed for good following its owner's retirement in 2016 It was a home for a lot of community groups Tye wants MASHUP’s new home at the Cherryland Center to be a space for the arts community Other smaller groups also struggle to afford or find space to rehearse or perform a local songwriter and theater producer in Traverse City “We rehearse in the clubhouse of my apartment complex and it's something we all have access to.” He said they have an easy time finding a place to perform But he is looking for a theater space to rehearse that's affordable "You want to keep your overhead as low as possible," Clark said "So if you're spending thousands of dollars just to rent a room to rehearse in there's hardly a chance you’ll make that back in ticket sales if you want to keep ticket sales affordable and accessible.” Sarah Bielman knows this story well. Bielman was the casting director for Parallel 45. It was a local theater group that shut down in 2023. Recovering from financial hardships caused by COVID-19 was too difficult to overcome Parallel 45 also struggled to find venue space especially in the winter months “I think there's a lot of artists in the area that have ideas and have momentum and want to put things on Bielman said efforts like MASHUP’s new space could be the future for helping the arts thrive in northern Michigan “People want to think and people want to be inspired MASHUP director Lesley Tye said closures of Parallel 45 and the InsideOut gallery are what inspired her to seek out a space where this community can thrive “When we come together and support each other and we find ways that our resources can support each other and help more art happen — that's where it's good," Tye said It's about us establishing a space where a lot of other organizations can use it Tye wants to rent their space to groups as soon as possible They have a current fundraising goal of $30,000 to officially open its doors MASHUP's upcoming show "Madonnativity" is a mash-up of the Biblical nativity story using music from pop legend Madonna BRUSSELS - Not just one or two but three titles will be up for grabs for the first time, along with thousands of dollars in scholarships, during the 28th annual Miss Door County Scholarship Program pageants Feb The 2025 pageants will crown Miss Door County for the 28th time and Miss Door County's Teen (from a jam-packed field of contestants) for a 14th time, but this year the program also will crown a first-ever Miss Cherryland The new title was launched to provide more opportunities for young women living or working in 11 other counties in Northeast Wisconsin to take part in a pageant and possibly earn scholarships Four women each are competing in the Miss Door County and Miss Cherryland contests with a record 10 vying for Miss Door County's Teen The Miss Door County and Teen winners will succeed 2024 winners Kylee Duessler and Emily Bley in the annual contests sponsored by the Miss Door County Scholarship Organization Areas of competition in all three contests are private interview The new Miss Door County and Door County's Teen will move on to take part in the Miss Wisconsin and Wisconsin Teen pageants held from June 18 to 21 in New Berlin advances to represent the state in the Miss America pageant in September three Miss Wisconsins would become a Miss America: Terry Meeuwsen Friedrich (1973) Laura Kaeppeler (2012) and Grace Stanke (2023) Appearing at this year's pageant as special guests are 2024 Miss Wisconsin host of the "Discover Wisconsin" syndicated and streaming TV travel program Her community service initiative is "Empowering Voices to Protect Women’s Lives" and she will give a speech on “The Definition of a Woman” for her talent Her community service initiative is "Giving Students an Outlet Through Music" and she will sing for her talent a Northeast Wisconsin Technical College student Her community service initiative is "Preserve Today Protect Tomorrow" and she will sing for her talent Succeed: Inspiring Kids to Enjoy and Excel in Reading" and her talent performance is speed cake decorating Her community service initiative is "Empowering College Students with Sickle Cell Disease" and she will sing for her talent Her community service initiative is "POV: Protecting Our Veterans" and she will play the piano for her talent a student at Concordia University Wisconsin Her community service initiative is "Blood Donation: Let’s Save Lives!" and she will play the violin for her talent Her community service initiative is "Heart to Heart: Teaching the Importance of Cardiac Care" and she will perform a jazz dance for her talent Her community service initiative is "Ribbon to Reality: Bridging Awareness and Financial Support for Cancer Care" and she will sing for her talent Her community service initiative is "Undercover Wheel" and she will play the piano for her talent Her community service initiative is "Child Health and Safety" and she will give an EpiPen demonstration for her talent Her community service initiative is "Advocating for the Importance of Screen Time Management" and she will play the baritone euphonium for her talent Her community service initiative is "Priceless Princess: Taking the Price Tag Off of Beauty" and she will sing for her talent Her community service initiative is "Next Gen Civics" and she will play the piano for her talent Her community service initiative is "Little Literacy Launchers" and she will sing for her talent Her community service initiative is "Deep Roots Elevating Agriculture" and she will tap dance for her talent Her community service initiative is "Wisconsin Initiative For Superior Education: Promoting Educational Equity In Rural Areas" and she will perform a traditional Argentinian tango and malambo folk dance with boleadoras (stringed throwing weapons) for her talent Her community service initiative is "The Palette Project" and she will sing for her talent Miss Door County awards scholarshipsSince its first competition in 1997 which the organization claims makes it one of the top local pageants for scholarships in the state The Miss Door County, Miss Door County's Teen and Miss Cherryland contests start at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, at Southern Door Community Auditorium, on the Southern Door County School District campus, 2073 County DK, Brussels. Tickets are $20 and fewer than 100 remain available as of Jan. 21. For advance tickets, go to the Southern Door district office or visit southerndoorauditorium.org For more about the pageant or the Miss Door County Scholarship Organization, visit missdoorcounty.org MORE: The Door County Film Fest made some changes. Here's what's new, along with some of the movies playing MORE: Door County man hammers his way, literally, to historical society award as 2024's top volunteer (WPBN/WGTU) -- An anonymous call is how an ongoing investigation by Grand Traverse County Animal Control led them to a home on Buttercup Lane a dog was brought in to Cherryland Humane Society He was noticeably malnourished and emaciated which raised red flags for Cherryland staff Grand Traverse Sheriff deputies searched the Buttercup Lane home after an anonymous call reported that's where the dog at Cherryland came from Jaime Croel with Grand Traverse Animal Control said more animals were found in the home that needed immediate care The additional animals were taken to emergency veterinarians "We're all different entities," said Croel we all come together and work for the best of the dogs and to help these guys recover from these type of situations." the dog who helped launch the investigation sprints through the lobby of Cherryland eager to greet anyone who walks by but he warmed up pretty quickly," said NaomiPobuda with Cherryland Humane Society Mighty Mac came to Cherryland with damage to his esophagus "We weren't really sure what was happening or what it was caused from," explained Pobuda with medications and slow eating and treatments he's been able to gain six pounds since he's been in our care." Cherryland staff explain that just like humans "It's pretty amazing how resilient animals can be even though they've experienced some of the most unimaginable abuse and neglect," said Pobuda This isn't the first animal abuse case Cherryland and animal control have seen A 23-year-old man and his 24-year-old fiancé were arrested in connection to this case UpNorthLive cannot report their names until they've been arraigned in court on their charges If you have any information that would help with the investigation of this animal abuse case Croel encourages you to call animal control at (231) 995-6080 and leave a voicemail BRUSSELS – A record amount of scholarship and prize dollars were awarded Saturday night as Faith Blackley, Hanna Mertens and Elise Jackson won the top honors in the 28th annual Miss Door County Scholarship Program pageant Blackley was crowned Miss Door County 2025 Mertens was named the first-ever Miss Cherryland 2025 and Jackson was crowned Miss Door County's Teen 2025 during the Feb 1 event in front of a sold-out audience at Southern Door Community Auditorium Blackley and Mertens advance to compete in the Miss Wisconsin pageant and Jackson in Miss Wisconsin's Teen both of which take place June 18 to 21 in New Berlin Contestants received a total of $17,650 in prizes and college scholarships which also saw a record number of contestants Blackley earned a $3,000 scholarship for winning the Miss Door County title and another $1,400 in scholarships and prizes talent and evening wear parts of the competition along with the People's Choice Scholarship and a STEM scholarship She is a graduate of Southern Door High School and a current freshman at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College with an intended major of mechanical engineering Blackley sang the 17th-century solo madrigal “Amarilli she will promote her community service initiative Protect Tomorrow – Promoting Environmental Sustainability," throughout her reign Other Miss Door County contestants Isabella Dereszkiewicz-Hodowany Ellie Engerson and Amolia Jefferson won $750 $500 and $500 in scholarships and prizes respectively with Dereszkiewicz-Hodowany winning the interview portion of the contest As winner of the inaugural Miss Cherryland contest to represent Northeast Wisconsin regions besides Door County Mertens won a $1,000 scholarship along with $500 in other prizes and scholarships She won the fitness and evening wear parts of the competition and the Women in Healthcare Scholarship Mertens is a senior at Bellin College in Green Bay and in May will earn her second bachelor’s degree in radiologic science with the goal of becoming an X-ray technologist She performed a jazz dance to the song “Sax” by Fleur East for her talent She will promote “Heart to Heart: Teaching the Importance of Cardiac Care” for her community service initiative Also competing for Miss Cherryland were Chloe Staudenmaier Staudenmaier won the Peninsula Pride Award and Heyn was named Miss Congeniality Jackson earned a $2,000 scholarship for winning the teen competition and another $525 in scholarships and prizes won the fitness and talent parts of the competition and tied for first in the interview portion She is a sophomore at Southern Door High School and hopes to pursue a career in math or science She played Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” on piano for her talent and will promote “Next Gen Civics: Igniting Youth Engagement in Civics” for her community service initiative Ophelia Linnan was named first runner-up for Miss Door County's Teen She earned a $700 scholarship as first runner-up and $825 in other scholarships and prizes winning the evening gown competition and tying Jackson for first in interview as well as earning the Spritka Sister and Make An Impact scholarships Teagan Williams and Briana Barganz were named second and third runners-up Skyler Kopkey and Brynleigh Ash won $300 in scholarships with Reseburg winning the nonfinalist talent award Kopkey winning for nonfinalist interview and Ash winning for nonfinalist evening gown Sayde Jeanquart and Jakayla Steinhorst each won $250 scholarships For more information on the Miss Door County Scholarship Program, visit missdoorcounty.org (WPBN/WGTU) -- A 23-year-old Traverse City man was arrested Tuesday for abusing his three dogs Lieutenant Jon Morgan with the Grand Traverse Sheriff's Office said one of the dogs was taken to Cherryland Humane Society earlier this month by a relative Staff at CHS took the dog to the emergency veterinarian because the dog looked like it had been beaten Morgan said that's when animal control was contacted for an investigation animal control received an anonymous phone call on October 21 from someone who said they knew who the dog belonged to and tipped them off that more dogs could be at that person's home Deputies with the sheriff's office went to the home in Garfield Township with a search warrant A 23-year-old man and his 24-year-old fiancé were caught trying to drive away from the house they noticed a child was also in the car and called the man's mother to come get the child While on the phone with the man's mother she told deputies she knows her son loses his temper sometimes and punches his dogs She also said one dog had a damaged esophagus Deputies searched the home and found two dogs inside had no access to food and appeared to be abused Deputies arrested the man for intentional animal abuse His fiancé was also arrested for animal neglect Morgan said he didn't have an update on the condition of all three dogs You can submit your pet by clicking this link Each submission will cost $5 and each vote with cost $1 The top vote getters will be included in the calendar But there are also spaces allotted for purchase These small square grids can be bought for $10 and is a great way to celebrate a pet or post a remembrance to a furry friend that is no longer with us It’s also important to keep pets safe as temperatures drop to unsafe levels. Watch the interview above and click here for tips to protect your pets. NORTHERN MICHIGAN (WPBN/WGTU) -- Looking for a new best friend Every Friday we will feature some very special dogs and cats that might steal your heart Spirit is 9-years-old and found himself at the shelter due to no fault of his own he loves to play (favorites: Tug-of-war and fetch!) This sweet boy is looking for the love and companionship he deserves in his golden years He loves everyone he meets and is super affectionate Let spirit bring you the joy you deserve too Meet him at the Cherryland Humane Society in Traverse City She celebrated her one year birthday last week at the shelter but her birthday wish is to find a family who gives her the love she deserves Snow was brought to the shelter with her friend Luna so Snow is looking forward to enjoying a yard of her own Snow doesn't care too much for toys but wouldn't say no to a treat or two cats and kids (keeping in mind she's a big gal!) Meet Snow through the Grand Traverse County Animal Control at 231-995-6080 Luna is a big blue girl who is three-years-old She was brought to the shelter with her friend Snow White Luna says 'lazy is her style' she will go out in the yard and play for a few minutes but she enjoys chilling out She's a Great Dane mix and weighs in at over 100 pounds She will likely do well with other dogs and cats as well Luna is available for foster to adopt through the Grand Traverse County Animal Control He's 2-years-old and gets a long with other dogs at the shelter PoPo also loves people and can't wait to be in a home of his own Meet this sweet guy at the Missaukee Humane Society in Lake City The Missaukee Humane Society is starting a new program called Foster to Adopt The program will focus on the shelter's long-term residents Foster families will be given 2-3 weeks with the long-term resident to decide if they will fit into their family Approved foster and adoption applications will be required For more information you can head to the Missaukee Humane Society's website Rocco is 2-months-old and is one curious pup Rocco loves attention and can't wait to meet his forever family Meet Rocco at the Ausable Valley Animal Shelter in Grayling Walter is a 3-year-old Treeing Walker Coonhound who is friendly and playful Walter is looking for an active family who he can enjoy adventures with He is a smart pup and will make you laugh with his silly antics Meet Walter at the Ausable Valley Animal Shelter in Grayling Cornbread is a six-month-old brindle pup with a heart full of love and a wagging tail She is ready to take life's journey with a new family Cornbread was brought to the shelter with her six siblings and is now ready to find new adventures Meet Cornbread at the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society in Harbor Springs Little Traverse Bay Humane Society in Harbor Springs is in desperate need of foster families Three pregnant dogs were recently rescued from downstate One of the puppies named Catfish delivered seven puppies Thursday morning Staff wants mama to be in a home where she can rest and take care of her babies safely Handsome Harry is a one-year-old shepherd mix He was rescued from an industrial site where he was dumped Harry loves everyone and has never met a dog he didn't like so would be best in a home with older children Meet him at the Great Lakes Humane Society in Leelanau County Lake County Sheriff's Office welcomes new animal control deputy Joseph Marion was sworn in this week as a Deputy Sheriff for Lake County Animal Control LEELANAU COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Cherryland Electric Cooperative said in a social media post on Monday that they have crews working to restore power to customers following multiple outages "We have an update on the cause of this large outage,"Cherryland Electric said "Crews responding to the scene found a transmission line that's down which has resulted in widespread outages." this outage will last a little longer than usual We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience,"Cherryland Electric said Cherryland's Outage Web Map reported 6209 power outages "We are aware that there are currently a few outages in our service area," Cherryland Electric said working diligently to restore power and get your lights back on!" For the areas shaded in red in the map above the estimated time of power restoration is 10:15 p.m Those experiencing a power outage are encouraged to text Cherryland at 800-442-8616 Outage reporting is also available via SmartHub For more information, visit Cherryland Electric's Outage Center webpage ©2025 America's Electric CooperativesPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions Ruby Ogemagegedo is glad for the extra money in her purse “I’m saving $32 a month on my electric bills this summer and that covers the costs of food for my five little dogs,” said Ogemagegedo The savings come thanks to Cherryland Electric Cooperative which is helping low-income members reduce their utility bills with a combination of weatherstripping upgrades and solar bill credits and when winter bills mounted and she fell behind in her monthly utility payments Cherryland EC contacted her about energy efficiency improvements and access to renewable energy for low-income members Just knowing I could save $30 to $40 a month on my electricity bill makes things a lot easier,” said Ogemagegedo Michigan-based co-op since buying her home 33 years ago “It means that I don’t have to worry about how my dogs are going to eat.” Cherryland’s program was developed with an $80,000 grant from the Department of Energy’s Clean Energy for Low Income Communities Accelerator program made available to the Michigan Agency for Energy The co-op also budgeted $100,000 to fund additional solar panels for the program The Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency completed weatherization on homes enrolled in the pilot project with funds from LIHEAP the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program “This program serves a segment of our membership that often gets left behind in the move toward renewable energy and energy efficiency,” said Tony Anderson He said the goal of the program is to help provide vulnerable members with more energy independence About 50 low-income members have received low-cost energy efficiency products including LED lightbulbs and weatherstripping They receive no-cost subscriptions to the co-op’s community solar program Combining energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives takes the sting out of participation by members with limited resources who have trouble affording the upfront costs of improvements.  Local officials supporting the project have said that low- to moderate-income families spend about 7 percent of their income on energy costs and Cherryland’s program should make energy bills more affordable “We should see a decrease in participating members leaving unpaid bills or getting disconnected,” said Tammy Squires “It’s a win for the state and all of our taxpayers because we should see a decrease in reliance on energy assistance dollars.” Get a fresh perspective on energy in rural America Two lineworkers from Michigan’s Cherryland Electric Cooperative rushed to an accident scene to de-energize power lines after a school bus crashed into a power pole with students aboard “One of the scariest calls a lineworker can get is that there was a car vs pole accident and someone is trapped inside,” said Dave Bott a journeyman lineworker and crew foreman who arrived at the crash scene after a 911 dispatcher called the co-op to report the Jan he saw that the bus had snapped the guy line wire He quickly warned first responders that the line could be energized and he had isolated the damaged line from the main line disconnected the meter at a nearby home and pushed the pole and a transformer off the bus That’s when apprentice lineworker Eric Brown arrived the bus was in the ditch and the pole and wires were on the ground,” Brown said “There were firefighters and a mess of people all over the place There were two or three firetrucks blocking the road there were six students from the local high school and middle school on the bus when the accident happened in Grand Traverse County as the bus was taking students home after 4 p.m but the driver sustained leg injuries and had to be freed from the front of the bus which was bashed in after it hit the power pole’s guy line and then slammed into a tree The cause of the accident is under investigation “Dave noticed that rescue crews were kind of walking all over a downed power line with no real certainty that it was dead,” Brown said “the line tripped out like it’s designed to do.” “It’s scary to think of a live line on an aluminum bus and how dangerous that could’ve been,” Bott said Bott and Brown tested and grounded the other wires to make sure that no one at the scene would be electrocuted and rescue crews could work safely the power pole and lines damaged in the crash belonged to the local investor-owned utility The IOU has customers right across the street from the co-op consumer-members that Cherryland serves so it was easy for the 911 dispatcher to confuse which utility owned the equipment communications and member relations manager at the Grawn-based co-op “We have agreements in place with our local IOU and municipal utilities so that if there’s an emergency and one of us has somebody qualified onsite they can do what they need to do to make it safe,” she said Brown said he’s just glad that he and Bott were working nearby and could help I didn’t think much about what we did,” Brown said and I was thinking about what would have happened if they had slammed into a power pole and a tree We did what we needed to do to make it safe and then we left.” Doyle said that what Bott and Brown did was critical to ensuring the safety of everyone at the accident scene “They didn’t think twice about whether it was our power pole that had been hit,” she said We’re just really proud of our team for always putting safety first (WPBN/WGTU) -- Elk Rapids school officials have deemed a threat at Cherryland Middle School to be non-credible According to Elk Rapids Schools Superintendent Stephen Prissel a hand-written note was found in the boys bathroom at Cherryland Middle School on Tuesday Investigators said the first line of the note indicated that a student was going to harm themselves The second line was a threat directed toward the school with a date of May 10 Prissel said a message was sent out to all middle school parents Standerfer reviewed surveillance video footage to narrow down who had entered the bathroom They interviewed all of the students they viewed on the video entering the bathroom including some parent input were shared with the Elk Rapids Police Department both police and the school district deemed the threat as non-credible School and all events will continue as planned for Thursday There will be additional staff and police at CMS for the day (WPBN/WGTU) -- Thousands of power outages have been reported by Cherryland Electric Cooperative and Consumers Energy after a thunderstorm passed through the northwest Michigan-area Thursday afternoon In the red-shaded area in the map above, provided by Consumers Energy, over 2,000 outages have been reported as of 6:45 p.m Cherryland Electric said in a social media post that they were handling over 2,400 total outages "We’ve called in all Cherryland line crews as well as our contractor crews from CC Power," Cherryland said "They’re already getting to work and assessing the outages along with any necessary repairs." Cherryland said they'd provide an update on their efforts to restore power at 8:30 p.m For the latest updates from Cherryland, click here For the latest updates from Consumers Energy, click here. Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. Cherryland Electric powers most of region with carbon-free energyby Devon Mahieu (WPBN/WGTU) -- Cherryland Electric Cooperative is now powering area homes and businesses with the largest amount of carbon-free energy in the region The carbon-free portion of the cooperative's fuel mix now represents 56% of its total power supply “We’re proud of all the hard work that brought us to this point in our portfolio,” said Tony Anderson general manager of Cherryland Electric Cooperative “There isn’t an electric utility in the Grand Traverse region with a better mix of affordable In order to achieve thesignificant carbon-free energy portfolio Cherryland's power supplier has signed a long-term contract for zero-emission nuclear energy The new energy comes in addition to Wolverine's current solar Correspondent Tom Wilmer visits with 87 year-old Dale Seaquist who’s great grandfather emigrated from Sweden to Door County Anders Seaquist was among the first settlers in the county to plant apple and cherry trees in the 1890s Before long the legend of the farmers’ tangy tart cherries became the rage nationwide and the Door County peninsula was dubbed Cherryland USA approximately 730 Door County peninsula growers annually shipped more than 50 million pounds of tart cherries Market conditions eventually depressed wholesale prices, combined with alternative land-use options, tempted most of the growers to tear out their orchards. Today, less than eight growers remain in Door County, with the Seaquist family retaining title as the largest and oldest cherry and apple producing enterprise Even though Door County lost their crown as America’s largest cherry producer the county remains as number one in Wisconsin. The Lautenbach Orchard Country farm has been a family affair since the 1950s Three generations of Lautenbachs welcome vacationers who come to partake in the Lautenbach’s u-pick cherry experience and much more Join Chris Lautenbach as he shares stories of his family’s diverse ag-tourism attractions—including the ever-popular annual cherry seed-spitting competition Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by the Society of St