PETOSKEY — Smoke and heat broke out in downtown Petoskey late on Sunday
According to a press release from Petoskey Public Safety Director Adrian Karr
— home of Willoway Spa and Wellness — to investigate a fire alarm sound and the smell of smoke
they found smoke-stained windows that appeared to be hot to the touch
the officers put on their fire gear and initiated fire operations
The fire was contained to the single storefront
though neighboring businesses sustained minor smoke damage
Willoway Spa and Wellness "sustained substantial fire damage."
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There were no injuries reported from the fire and inspectors were on the scene investigating the cause on Monday
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com
prompting a swift response from public safety offficers
According to a May 5 news release from the Petoskey Department of Public Safety
the fire was contained to a single storefront
and while the business suffered substantial fire damage
adjoining businesses experienced only minor smoke damage
Officers arrived at the scene around 9:15 p.m
after receiving reports of an audible fire alarm and the smell of smoke
officers noted smoke-stained windows that were hot to the touch
The officers donned fire gear and initiated fire operations
successfully knocking down the fire with their initial attack
No injuries were reported during the incident
Fire inspectors are expected to be on the scene today to investigate the cause of the fire
The prompt response by officers ensured that the fire was quickly contained
minimizing damage to surrounding businesses and preventing any injuries
(WPBN/WGTU) - - Fire inspectors are on scene Monday working to determine the cause of a fire that broke out at a Petoskey business late Sunday night
public safety officer emergency crews said they were dispatched to 407 Michigan Street
Willoway Spa and Wellness in Petoskey to investigate a fire alarm and the smell of smoke coming from the business
they said the windows were smoke stained and hot to the touch
Emergency crews said they were able to put out the fire on their first attempt
Public safely officers confirmed that it was contained to the single storefront
The business sustained significant fire damage
but fire inspectors say the adjoining business only had minor smoke damage
and fire inspectors say they will be on scene Monday attempting to determine the cause of the fire
PETOSKEY — After taking their first league loss of the season last week
there wasn’t much time for the Petoskey girls soccer team to mope on the defeat
Petoskey has jumped right back into it and added more wins late last week
The Northmen (6-3) picked up a 3-2 victory late in the week over Alpena
1 team in Division 4 with a 2-0 Saturday victory over Royal Oak Shrine
“We put together our most complete game of the season against a very high level opponent,” Petoskey coach Zach Jonker said
“One of the greatest strengths of this group is how diverse our attack can be and that was on display the past two games with five different girls scoring our five goals.”
Jonker is spot on what makes his team so tough
with so many legs capable of finding the back of the net
Annika Gandhi and Brynn Jonker getting the credit
then Claire O’Donnell and Lily Premo scored Saturday
Both goals Saturday came in the first half
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Top Performers: Petoskey softball makes program history in Cadillac. Top performers for May 1
“We didn't convert in the second half but we continued to generate chances with Mady Smith hitting the post and Annika hitting the crossbar,” Jonker added
a pair of goals did come in the second half following a 1-1 halftime
but more opportunities also could have come
“Alpena always plays us tough and they have the quickest player in the league,” Jonker said
“She got behind us twice and converted for both their goals
We hit a couple of posts and had a couple of other chances we just narrowly missed
Conditions were once again pretty brutal so it was nice to get out of there with the win.”
Sadie Corey earned the win in net in both games
though split it Saturday with freshman Isla Scheib
who had to make a diving stop on a Royal Oak PK in the second half to preserve the shutout
With so many games called early in the season
4-1) has hit crunch time on the season with a host of games ahead
They’ll welcome in Cadillac on Tuesday and Traverse City Central Thursday
before then hosting their annual Petoskey Invite Saturday at the Click Road Soccer Complex
Marquette and other regulars in attendance
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com
They were two areas of the Petoskey baseball team’s game that had no questions heading into the season
The Northmen were a team with plenty of arms back and pieces that could be moved around the lineup with ease, keys that helped bring a quarterfinal run a year ago.
Though midway through the 2025 season
Petoskey has racked up nine double-digit run games
including five straight and a pair over the weekend in the 14th annual Carol Hansen Memorial Invite at Turcott Field in Petoskey
The Northmen cruised to a 13-3 win over Reed City
followed then by a 13-6 victory over Shepherd
The tournament opened by recognizing longtime scorekeeper and helper of all things Petoskey baseball
Billy himself starred for the Northmen as a senior in 2008
Both wins Saturday came with at least 13 hits on the board and both also came with the Northmen jumping ahead early
What’s been key for the Northmen has been the hits coming up and down the lineup
Column: Kochanny: News of Charlevoix boys golf team's crash one of my biggest fears
One player that’s had no issues on the base paths this season for Petoskey has been newcomer AJ Speigl
After showing the kind of bat that made him the single-season hits record holder at Charlevoix and a two-time first team all-state selection
Speigl has delivered a .460 average with nine extra-base hits so far in 2025
Speigl is one of five Northmen currently batting over .340 for the season
with two more regular starters hitting over .280
only two PHS regular starters batted over .280 for the year
Speigl went 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored
four RBIs and three runs scored against Shepherd
Barrett Elliott earned a five-inning win behind a no-hitter in the Reed City opener
showing that pitching that’s carried the Northmen the last two years
Ely Pethers went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and Haden Janes singled
Brendan Swiss and Garrett Wodek each singled twice and had an RBI and Janes was 2 for 3 with two runs
striking out two and Speigl pitched in relief as well
While there’s been consistency on the field
it’s been tough to put together consistent weeks actually seeing the field
though it looks like that could be in the past as the weather turns
This week brings the opportunity for the Northmen to add Big North Conference and non-conference wins to the schedule when they meet Alpena at home on Tuesday
Petoskey will also get in a trip down to a Bay City Western hosted invite on Saturday
Whether it’s adding to a 4-0 start to BNC start
strengthening a resume against non-league and potential postseason foes or adding another strong weekend to the resume
Petoskey is hoping games finally stay as consistent as their pitching
is now facing nine felony charges related to alleged construction fraud
Bassett was charged with fraud and larceny in Presque Isle County for allegedly taking $76,000 for a job and not completing it
According to the Presque Isle County prosecutor
Bassett repaid the money in full at sentencing and is currently serving a six-month sentence in the county jail
His next court date for the new charges in Emmet County is scheduled for June 18
Multiple days of ice storms have left a lasting mark on Northern Michigan
Thousands of people across the region remain without power in freezing weather
with some roads still blocked due to downed trees and powerlines
The Emmet County Office of Emergency Management reported significant power restoration progress was made over the weekend
although many residents still remain without power as of Monday morning
Do not move tree debris to the road right-of-way. Local cities, townships and villages may be providing curbside debris pick-up, but residents should verify with their local unit of government. For more information, visit emmetcounty.org/news_detail_T13_R150.php
The Michigan Department of Transportation also reminded residents that placing storm debris in the right-of-way is prohibited
"We understand that residents are working to clear their properties of debris from the ice storm more than a week ago
but the roadside is not the place for that material," said Bill Wahl
MDOT North Region associate engineer for operations
"MDOT does not have the resources to collect those materials and has no plans to remove them."
the Cheboygan County Office of Emergency Management reported that utility companies made significant progress over the weekend in returning power to county residents
power has been restored to 66% of residents
While the Cheboygan County Road Commission is actively working to ensure all roads are at least two lanes wide for safe travel
an incoming snow system is expected to slow efforts and residents are advised to travel slowly and cautiously
there will be a food distribution event at Inland Lakes School
The Salvation Army will also be operating a mobile food canteen
which will be located in Cordwood Subdivision and in Hebron Township
The oxygen bottle fill stations at the Cheboygan Life Support Station in Cheboygan and Tuscarora Township Police Department are now open for citizens
Residents who require oxygen can have their bottles refilled at this location
O2 cylinders can be dropped off by 11 a.m.
PIE&G open Storm Camp for contractors As crews continue working around the clock
Great Lakes Energy and Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op have set up a volunteer-run
1,000-person Storm Camp as a place for contractors working across the region to eat and rest
The fully operational “Storm Camp” is located at the Otsego County Fairgrounds
“We want to thank the Otsego County Fairgrounds for allowing us to use their property during this time of need and thank our incredible line workers
contractors and volunteers in this effort,” said President and CEO of GLE Shaun Lamp
and our teams are working day and night to restore power to local families
businesses and all those affected by this unprecedented storm.”
in addition to city of Charlevoix employees
The camp expects to need more than 20,000 gallons of fuel per day for repair trucks
which are filled overnight while crews rest
“Storm Camp is an incredible community effort that demonstrates the true
supportive spirit of this unprecedented restoration effort,” said PIE&G CEO Allan Berg
“We are laser focused on getting the job done and will not stop working until all power is restored
and Storm Camp is a testament to the incredible outpouring of support for Northern Michigan at this challenging moment
I want to thank the countless elected officials
public safety officers and contractors who have joined this historic restoration effort.”
The two electric cooperatives made great strides over the weekend in returning power to thousands of people in storm-affected communities
GLE had restored service to critical infrastructure
including the Munson Health Clinic on M-32 in Elmira
The Johannesburg village was slated for restoration soon
Johannesburg-Lewiston and Seventh Day Adventist schools and they had restored service to the Onaway water tower and Atlanta Senior Center
Volunteer opportunitiesEmmet County's Emergency Management has set up a Volunteer Reception Center to recruit volunteers for recovery efforts across the county
Volunteers who register for Emmet County's Disaster Recovery initiative will have the opportunity to specify their skills and resources to support fellow residents as they recover from the storms
the effort will be coordinated by a Volunteer Michigan team
which will work closely with the Office of Emergency Management to assess local needs and allocate resources for assistance
Volunteer Michigan will contact you with instructions
The Volunteer Michigan team is already on the ground in Emmet County and will begin providing volunteer opportunities starting Monday
Those in need of assistance with storm recovery can contact 211 or (231) 348-1704 Monday through Friday
the following energy companies were reporting outages:
Consumers Energy was reporting 579 outages affecting 6,132 customers across the state
According to a Friday evening press release
Consumers Energy crews were on track to restore nearly all the 380,000 customers affected statewide by severe ice and thunderstorms in northern and southern Michigan by late Friday
“Damage caused by this week’s storms was no less than catastrophic across the state
and especially in northern Michigan,” said Norm Kapala
one of Consumers Energy’s Officers in Charge of restoration
“We thank our customers for their patience
perseverance and understanding as we complete final restoration
Because we count all of Michigan among our friends and neighbors
we also look forward to helping other Northern Michigan utilities restore their customers’ power
You can check the outage map at consumersenergy.com/outagemap
DTE Energy was reporting that power was interrupted for 137 customers
You can check the outage map at outage.dteenergy.com/map
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 687 outages affecting 24,639 customers in its region
Great Lakes Energy crews had placed nearly 400 new poles and 30 transformers in the past day
“This isn’t just a restoration — it’s a rebuild,” said Shaun Lamp
and our teams are giving it everything they’ve got.”
You can check the outage map at gtlakes.com/power-outages
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op was reporting 27,119 customers affected by outages
the co-op noted that the outage map does not fully reflect all restorations at this time
with the support of 600 personnel from across the U.S
turned the power back on for 4,527 members on Friday
bringing the total households restored up to 17,084
“Our crews restored nearly 80 miles of line today
which is just remarkable,” said Allan Berg
“We are working according to a strategic restoration plan that has our personnel currently working hard to make repairs in every single area of our nine-county service territory
They are making incredible progress across every hour of every day
and our members are really beginning to see the results.”
You can check the outage map at pieg.com/outage-center
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources said on Friday that all state-managed trails in a dozen Northern Michigan counties
including parts of the eastern Upper Peninsula
will remain closed following the severe ice storms earlier this week
The DNR is working with the Michigan National Guard and partner organizations to safely clear debris and eventually restore safe access
and many trails are impassable and unsafe,” said Tim Novak
state trails coordinator for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division
“Significant time will be needed to assess and address affected areas
Many areas may also be affected by erosion and culvert issues from the recent rains.”
Spectrum teams are continuing to make progress in restoring service to affected Northern Michigan areas
officials said Spectrum service interruptions are largely aligned with power outages impacting the areas
to make the necessary repairs to our network and get customers back online," the update reads
"We have team members on the ground and have brought in more than 60 additional technicians from neighboring areas to help expedite our restoration efforts wherever it is safe to do so
Our teams have made progress repairing damaged lines that accounted for many of the outages in the Petoskey
Gretchen Whitmer announced a new online resource on Friday for residents impacted by severe winter weather in Northern Michigan
“It’s critically important to get information to impacted residents as efficiently as possible
and we hope this new webpage will make it easier to stay up to date on community resources and response efforts,” said Col
director of the Michigan State Police and state director of emergency management and homeland security
“Our State Emergency Operations Center remains activated and as additional information and resources become available this site will be updated.”
Consumers Energy was reporting 940 outages affecting 14,137 customers across the state
According to a Thursday evening press release
Consumers Energy crews were finishing restoring power to most southern Michigan customers affected by this week’s storms
while continuing an around-the-clock effort to repair — and in some areas
rebuild — the electric grid in hard-hit northern counties
please know that we are with you 100% tonight,” said Chris Fultz
“Repairing the damage these storms have delivered across the state has been undeniably challenging
but we are determined to finish the work safely and quickly for our friends and neighbors.”
DTE Energy was reporting that power was interrupted for 202 customers
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 781 outages affecting 29,241 customers in its region
but due to the extensive infrastructure damage
some areas may not regain power for days or even weeks
the National Guard will aid Northern Michigan’s restoration efforts by clearing roads and allowing crews to access areas that remain inaccessible
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op was reporting 27,574 customers affected by outages
the co-op is seeing increased restoration success
our crews had restored service to 7,765 customers
Our dedicated teams continue to work around the clock to ensure the fastest and safest return of service to every affected customer,” the release states
“We want to thank our community for the patience and support shown thus far
our teams remain focused on addressing any remaining outages as quickly as possible
We will share further updates as our work continues.”
Crews from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Michigan National Guard are working together to help clear vital areas of trees downed by last weekend’s destructive ice storm
the DNR said more than 600 service members are currently activated
with approximately 130 teamed up with DNR staff across the 12-county area hit hardest by the storm
“We appreciate the Guard’s cooperation and help,” said Jeff Stampfly
Michigan’s state forester and chief of the DNR’s Forest Resources Division
was working with the chainsaw crews and said they had cleared miles of roads on Thursday in Emmet County
“There are areas where there is not much damage
and there’s an area where there is a 70-foot pine that looks like a toothpick sticking up
with every branch taken off of it,” he described
The DNR urges residents to avoid traveling any backroads or trails as clean-up continues
cracked or broken branches still hanging in the trees could fall without warning
The Little Traverse Bay Humane Society will host a special community event from 12-4 p.m
on Friday to help pet owners impacted by the recent ice storms and power outages
The free event will provide essential supplies
and information about fostering and volunteering opportunities
Supplies are limited and will be distributed while supplies last
“We understand that many people in our community are still facing the effects of the ice storms and power outages,” said Sarah Schertel
“Although we are currently without power as well
we are happy to help the community wherever we can
Our mission is to help serve pets and the people who love them
and we are hopeful that the support we can offer will help owned pets stay comfortable and safe during this unpredictable time.”
The event will take place at the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society
If you are in need but cannot travel to the shelter
contact LTBHS via email at shelterpets@ltbhs.org for assistance as it is available
The Emmet County Emergency Operations Center provided a progress update on Thursday afternoon
70-80% of Emmet County citizens remain without power
Reports from utility companies remain consistent and outages in some areas could last multiple days
Around 20-30% of roads in the county remain obstructed
and crews anticipate at least minimal access by the end of Thursday or early Friday
Residents in need of transportation to shelters or requiring non-emergency support can contact the following numbers:
Warming shelters remain operational and are ready to assist with food
Shelters equipped with power for medical devices
include Shay Elementary School and Odawa Casino
The update also notes that National Guard troops arrived today and will be assisting local first responders
Consumers Energy was reporting 1,621 outages affecting 37,621 customers across the state
According to a Wednesday evening press release
Consumers Energy crews are focusing on the final and most complicated restorations left after another storm system made its way through the state
“There is no question the last five days have been deeply challenging for our customers and our line workers alike,” said Chris Fultz
“Yet even as our co-workers continue encountering new problems in the field
their resiliency and determination has allowed us to stay focused and efficient during this restoration process
We’re grateful to them for their incredible dedication
and to our customers for their understanding and patience.”
Consumers Energy has restored about 75% of the 97,000 customers who lost power due to the initial ice storms
with plans for the majority of customers in the region to be restored by the end of the day Friday
DTE Energy was reporting that power was interrupted for 1,301 customers
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 725 outages affecting 33,786 customers in its region
restoration efforts gained throughout the northern region were offset by the introduction of additional storm activity in the central and southern portions of the cooperative’s footprint
Service has been restored to more than 103,000 members since the original storms began
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op was reporting 30,924 customers affected by outages
with some areas experiencing disruptions lasting five days or more,” said Allan Berg
“Our crews are working diligently to clear roads
repair power lines and rebuild damaged poles
We are bringing in more emergency crews and contractors
but the hazardous conditions from falling trees and power lines make our work challenging
We greatly appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding during this trying time.”
In response to the recent storms, Spectrum is offering out-of-home internet access points. The full map with available access points can be found online at Spectrum.com
Spectrum customers can log into their account at any location featured on the hotspot map
Multiple locations are included in downtown Petoskey
Charlevoix's power is back onPower is gradually being restored in Charlevoix after five days of outages caused by a severe ice storm
with the city re-energizing its North Substation around 12:35 p.m
on April 2 and beginning work on the South Substation shortly after
City manager Mark Heydlauff said key areas
and while some customers remain without service
Heydlauff emphasized the importance of tree clearing around substations
citing the storm as proof of its necessity
and said crews had to warm up substations and recharge backup batteries before carefully bringing circuits online one at a time
Area officials are reminding residents to use local warming centers as needed
While some power has returned to the region
Church of the Straits and Littlefield Township Hall
Odawa Casino and Shay Elementary School are both equipped with power to support medical devices for residents that rely on oxygen concentrators
according to a press release from the Emmet County emergency operations center
The Salvation Army Great Lakes Division is pooling resources from across the state to help areas of Northern Michigan hit by the recent ice storm
Consumers Energy was reporting 1,782 outages affecting 51,215 customers across the state
According to a Wednesday morning press release
Consumers Energy plans to restore power to most customers by the end of Friday
but are also preparing for upcoming bad weather
“This has been an unusual week of back-to-back storms
but we know we have to be ready to continue doing work that people count on us to do,” said Chris Fultz
one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge for storm response
“We encourage people today to make their own preparations and use our online outage map as a resource if the power does go out.”
DTE Energy was reporting that power was interrupted for 492 customers
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 539 outages affecting 34,996 customers in its region
Great Lakes Energy was able to return power to approximately 5,000 members Tuesday night
"Storm damage has left many roads impassable and caused extensive harm to power infrastructure
slowing the restoration process," the release states
in partnership with the Otsego County Road Commission
is prioritizing road clearance to ensure crews can reach affected areas as quickly as possible."
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op was reporting 32,125 customers affected by outages
co-op officials reported that their substations have power flowing to them
there is extensive damage surrounding the substations
which means we still have to make significant repairs before your lights can come back on,” the post reads
with line crews and tree crews working out from the substations as quickly and safely as possible
we estimate that power has been restored to nearly 3,000 members.”
The Mackinac Bridge is closed again Wednesday morning due to falling ice
Hazardous falling ice conditions also closed the bridge for parts of Monday and Tuesday
According to the Mackinac Bridge Authority
there is no expected schedule for reopening
More information can be found at mackinacbridge.org/fares-traffic/conditions
Electricity was restored in the City of Petoskey early Wednesday morning. According to the city's website
power has been restored to both substations
Circuits will be slowly brought online throughout the morning
Gretchen Whitmer announced on Tuesday that the Michigan National Guard would be deployed to provide more personnel and specialized equipment to help with ice storm recovery efforts in Northern Michigan
Whitmer also signed two executive orders to add Alcona and Antrim counties to the state of emergency declaration and to lift trucking restrictions to help expedite getting fuel and other critical supplies to the region
“We are continuing our all-hands-on-deck approach to help families and communities impacted by the storms in Northern Michigan,” said Whitmer in a statement
and I’m grateful to our utility partners for positioning hundreds of utility workers to help get power back online as fast as possible
State and local emergency teams are on the ground
and the Michigan National Guard will join them to clear roads
keep people safe and help first responders get to where they need to go
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced on Tuesday that some parks
trails and facilities are closed due to effects from the ice storms
They will remain closed while damage is assessed and clean-up takes place
The following state parks and facilities are closed to the public:
Thousands still without power mid-weekAs of 8:30 a.m
Consumers Energy was reporting 2,805 outages affecting 94,333 customers across the state
“We appreciate the patience of our friends and neighbors these last couple of days
We want to reward that patience by doing all we can to serve people in need today,” said Chris Fultz
one of Consumers Energy’s officers in charge for the storm restoration
“With more bad weather on the way Wednesday
we’re following our game plan to restore power safely and quickly across communities.”
the company has restored power to over 60% of about 260,000 customers affected by the weekend weather
Work will continue in the hardest hit areas
particularly in ice-covered Northern Michigan
DTE Energy was reporting that power was interrupted for 1,020 customers
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 473 outages affecting 41,613 customers in its region
Great Lakes Energy advised customers to prepare for a five-day to multi-week outage event
tree removal teams and partner cooperatives are working diligently to restore power as safely and efficiently as possible,” the post reads
“Extensive damage to trees and electrical infrastructure
Crews have identified hundreds of broken poles
while also repairing downed lines and clearing debris
Due to the scale of damage and resulting access issues
some areas have yet to be fully assessed for damage
GLE remains focused on restoring service despite ongoing challenges.”
Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-Op was reporting 32,286 customers affected by outages
PIE&G officials said members should plan on a multi-day outage that could extend five or more days and should make alternative shelter arrangements
“This ice storm and continued weather has not only had a widespread impact on our main distribution system to your homes and business
but it had a large impact on the transmission system which powers our substations
Many of the PIE&G substations are currently without power,” said Allan Berg
“Our fiber internet is also down for our service area
Our team and emergency support are working as quickly and safely as possible to remove debris and make repairs
and full restoration of all members will take an extended period of time
Please prepare to seek warmth and shelter and please have plans for five or more days
We hope to have some of the system restored sooner
but many members will experience an extended outage
having infrastructure damage to this extent will take a lot of time and resources to restore
We greatly appreciate the emergency support
and the understanding of our membership during this challenging time.”
On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Otsego
Mackinac and Alpena counties in order to help with response and recovery efforts
I’m declaring a state of emergency to get help out the door as fast as possible for Michiganders hit by the ice storm,” Whitmer said in a statement
I activated our State Emergency Operations Center to coordinate our response
State and local emergency teams are already on the ground
and we will continue collaborating with local first responders
I want to thank everyone working hard to keep people safe
Whitmer has made available all state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery efforts in the designated areas
The declaration provides that the Michigan State Police
Emergency Management and Homeland Security Division will coordinate state efforts
Consumers Energy was reporting 3,764 outages across the state
“We understand how frustrating it is to be without power and we thank customers for their patience as our crews continue working around the clock to get the power restored," wrote Chris Fultz of Consumers in a release Monday
"Crews from four states joined with our (crews) as they encountered uprooted trees
Officials estimate the majority of Northern Michigan's restoration is on-track to be complete Tuesday
with the hardest hit areas back online by Wednesday
“The ice storm and severe thunderstorms felt across our state was damaging
but crews were able to be out in the field responding to outages
we have restored power to 75,000 customers over the last two days,” Fultz wrote in the release
“We encourage anyone who needs to travel to please keep our coworkers and their safety top of mind.”
Great Lakes Energy was reporting 422 outages on Monday
Outages can be found in 15 of the cooperative’s 26 counties
widespread damage to trees and electric infrastructure is slowing progress
“Crews have already identified hundreds of broken poles
and many areas remain inaccessible,” the release read
“Replacing poles — a process that takes several hours — along with repairing downed wires and clearing fallen trees
is contributing to the extended restoration timeline
GLE is also monitoring forecasts for additional storms this week.”
Presque Isle Electric and Gas Co-Op was reporting 32,233 customers without power at 9:20 a.m
All available crews and emergency assistance from contractors and mutual aid from around the state are working to restore power
More: Severe thunderstorms pummel Michigan, leaving 3 dead and 183,000 without power
“This storm is unlike anything we have experienced,” wrote President and CEO Allan Berg in a release Sunday
“While we diligently prepare for any weather event
It only takes a quarter of an inch of ice to cause damage
and we have areas with over half an inch of ice or more
We are doing everything we can to handle emergencies while keeping our crews and the public safe
We expect this outage to extend through several days and encourage our members to seek shelter and plan accordingly
Please allow our crews to do what they do best while they safely restore power to the community
We greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding during this time.”
DTE Energy was reporting 21,913 customers across the state without power on Monday
they are estimating 95% of customers will be restored by the end of the day Monday
Some cities in the region are experiencing widespread outages
For example, the city of Petoskey was still in total power loss as of 9:30 a.m. Monday.
According to the city’s website, the first outage occurred around 8 p.m. Saturday and impacted about 50% of the city and associated electrical service area. Another substation went down at approximately 8:30 a.m. Sunday, resulting in total power loss. City officials do not have an estimate for when power may be restored.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.
© 2025 BVM Sports. Best Version Media, LLC.
The Lakers put runners in scoring position three times but couldn’t send them home in Game 1
Maddux Kipling gave up two hits and struck out six batters in the loss for the Lakers
Owen Smies had a double to lead at the plate
Oliver Smies got the win on the mound against Reed City
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(WPBN/WGTU) -- An Emmet County man is facing charges related to alleged construction fraud across northern Michigan
was arraigned Thursday in 90th District Court on nine felony charges including:
Police said Bassett was the owner of Northern Michigan Property Management and Construction and is accused of traveling across northern Michigan and accepting money from homeowners without finishing construction projects
Bassett is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on June 18
It's time to vote for the Petoskey News-Review Athlete of the Week brought to you by Harbor Brenn Insurance Agencies and Auto Owners insurance
the Athlete of the Week came from East Jordan a week ago
as East Jordan freshman softball player Emma Murray earned the honor
Murray has enjoyed a true breakout campaign in her first year with the Red Devils
helping turn around the EJ program in their first Ski Valley season
This week guarantees another school will pick up the honor and you can vote for these athletes from Monday
Look for another Athlete of the Week brought to you by Harbor Brenn Insurance Agencies and Auto Owners insurance to start back up next week
Harbor Light baseball Paulus was one of a few Swordsmen to impress in a 4-0 week
three triples and a double against Ellsworth
He also pitched 1 2/3 and struck out four vs
Harbor Springs softballSamyn looked good in a non-conference meeting with East Jordan last week
She also earned a six-strikeout pitching win
In the Harbor Kiwanis Invite she set a new PR in the 800 in 1:59.70 for a first place finish
then also set a new PR in the 3,200 in the Ken Bell Invite
Petoskey softball Cadarette had a heck of a dominant week
Petoskey baseball In a week of multiple standouts
Kemp was impressive against Brimley and Kalkaska a week ago for Charlevoix
She finished the week 10 of 13 with five RBIs
She also earned a win pitching against Brimley
Sulitis cracked the 100-feet mark in the discus for the first time last week
1-inch to shatter her previous best during the Ken Bell Invite
She placed third with the throw and was also fifth with a season-best 32-feet
Pearl was too good to keep off this list after an appearance last week
two RBIs and three runs scored against the Blazers
had five RBIs and five runs scored over Brimley
PETOSKEY — A few new restaurants are making their way to Petoskey
The Pittsburgh-based pizza chain is moving from their current location on U.S
The Petoskey location originally opened in March 2024
the chain has opened a new Boyne City location at 104 Water St
Scalawags Whitefish & Chips is opening a second location in Petoskey
the restaurant uses fresh fish from the Great Lakes and has a menu that includes whitefish baskets
the restaurant is expected to open in late April or early May
More: 5 new businesses coming to Petoskey
Panera BreadPanera Bread is set to open in Petoskey
the restaurant was expected to open in fall of 2024
The fast-casual restaurant offers a menu of coffee
More: Petok food truck brings gluten-free offerings to Petoskey
the Petok food truck — located at 825 Charlevoix Ave
beside Fletch’s GMC Buick Audi dealership — opened in March
utilizing ingredients available at local farms
there will be a standing menu for baked goods
More: POUR in downtown Petoskey to close, new Italian restaurant to take its place
After more than eight years of service, POUR in downtown Petoskey closed, making way for Leto's Osteria
an Italian restaurant taking the space at 422 E
and Leto's Osteria opened to the public starting in early April
The menu includes options like housemade pasta
PETOSKEY — Whenever you’re playing a team as talented as Traverse City West in soccer
all you can do is hope the outside elements don’t turn into an added challenge
No such luck for the Petoskey girls soccer team Tuesday night
In a battle of the last two remaining Big North Conference unbeatens
as frigid winds ripped through Northmen Stadium in Petoskey and brought even more adversity
The game later ended with that same scoreboard
giving TC West the early upper hand to the league
with how ferocious the wind was the first half
I actually went into halftime thinking we stayed pretty compact and made it difficult on them,” Petoskey coach Zach Jonker said
They’re really organized and really athletic in the back and we just could never break through
West improved to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in the league
Petoskey was playing without a few starters on the night
including Haidyn Wegmann in the midfield and Ellie Ward in the back
so once the league resets in a couple weeks and his Northmen meet TC West again on May 15
“We’re a little shorthanded right now with an academic field trip
but we’ll see them in a couple weeks,” Jonker added
“We’re still in the mix in terms of the league title
We’ve just got to reset Thursday when we head to Alpena and keep winning
Hopefully we’ll have a chance to split in a couple weeks.”
The pressure in the first half on Petoskey was constant
so Jonker was happy to get out of the half with only a 2-0 deficit
knowing senior keeper Sadie Corey came up big a few times
“Sadie had some big saves in the first half that kept it at two and kept us in it,” Jonker said
“They’re a really good group and I knew we were going to give up a couple in the first half.”
with everyone else holding at least two losses in the conference
Jonker sees a clear path to hopefully at least sharing a title with the Titans
“To think we were going to run the table in the league
giving who some of these teams have returning
“It’s all about how do we respond to this now
let’s turn the page and hopefully take care of business in Alpena.”
then will bring in Royal Oak Shrine Catholic on Saturday
PETOSKEY — A little more than a year after McLean & Eakin first started offering used books at their downtown Petoskey store
a second storefront will become home to "The Archives." The space will be entirely devoted to used books
According to general manager Zach Matelski
the used bookstore will serve as a way to give books a second life
They will be sold at around half their original retail price
formerly home of Sunglasses Shoppe and Unique Optics
The eyewear store moved down the street to the Katydid's vacated location at 305 E
"Not every person in our community is wealthy," Matelski said
"There are a lot of people who want books but can't necessarily afford them and this gives everybody an opportunity to get gently-used books from us."
Nearly everything in the 1,000-square-foot store has been used
which were donated by Schuler Books with the help of Tim Smith
The first shelves will welcome shoppers to take a look at the fiction section
Further into the store will feature the young adult novels
the store will offer remainders — which are leftovers from factory prints — at the lower price point
A few signed first editions will likely be available as well
although they are expected to be sold at the retail price
Some hard-to-find or more expensive books may be also available
though there are no plans to offer special collections or rare books on a larger scale
Matelski said used board games and puzzles may also be stocked
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who can bring in their gently-used books and exchange them for store credit
People who sell their books to the store can get 20% of the resale price in store credit
Matelski said he's wanted to bring a used bookstore back to Petoskey ever since the Book Stop closed
According to previous reporting from the News-Review
"It's a huge miss for our town not to have a used bookstore," he said
Matelski said he is expecting the store to be open before Memorial Day
Matelski said getting the store ready is both exciting and stressful
but the community response has been positive
CADILLAC — History doesn’t exactly always announce itself before its made
Historic moments become so often with the element of surprise
Take the Petoskey softball team’s start to the 2025 season for example
after a 3-13 start a year ago and 11-27 finish were that the Northmen would be improved at least
Petoskey softball put together the first-ever 15-0 start to a season Wednesday when they traveled down to Cadillac and earned another sweep
Petoskey also improved to 4-0 in Big North play
They’ve faced three ranked opponents to start – Clare
Negaunee and Elk Rapids – and will be tested ahead in their annual Kullick Memorial Tourney this Saturday
Wednesday’s games in Cadillac came behind multiple standout performances
perhaps none bigger than what Bre VerCautren and Alexis Cadarette brought to the field
VerCautren tossed a five-inning perfect game in the opener
striking out 11 without a baserunner allowed to Cadillac
MORE: Kochanny: News of Charlevoix boys golf team's crash one of my biggest fears
MORE: The players with Michigan ties drafted, signed by NFL teams in 2025
the day came behind going 8 of 10 with a double
She went 4 for 5 in each game in the leadoff spot
Lyla Janes went 2 for 4 with a double and two RBIs in the opener and Jordan Malec was 2 for 4 with three RBIs
Addisynn Segraves tripled and went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and Mia Owens doubled
Avery Leist also struck out nine across five innings
then went 3 for 5 with five RBIs and three runs scored
Petoskey will open Saturday’s tourney with a 9 a.m
here are the rest of the area top performers this week
All results come from Tuesday and Wednesday
with much of the May 1 action rained out across Northern Michigan
Top Performers, April 28: Harbor soccer finding scoring power; track standouts set PRs. Check out the top performers
PHS Soccer: Repeat BNC soccer title for Petoskey will have to go through TC West first now
Mackinaw City — Wallace went 3 for 3 with a triple
two steals and two runs scored in a 10-9 win over Boyne Falls
Boyne Falls — Matelski finished game one 2 for 4 with a home run in a 10-9 loss against Mackinaw
Boyne Falls — Fenske went 3 for 4 with three RBIs and three runs scored
in a 15-10 loss against Mackinaw City Wednesday
East Jordan — East Jordan split with Harbor Springs Wednesday in a 10-7 win and 14-9 loss
Guerriero finished the double 3 for 3 with three runs in game one and 2 for 3 with an RBI and run scored in game two
East Jordan — Burks went a combined 5 for 8 with three runs scored against Harbor Springs
East Jordan — Murray finished game one 2 for 3 with four RBIs and a run scored
Harbor Springs — Samyn was impressive against the Red Devils Wednesday in a split
Harbor Springs — Johnston went 4 for 7 with two runs scored and a double against East Jordan Wednesday
Harbor Springs — Richardson kept up her strong season Wednesday
Softball Rankings: Michigan high school softball rankings: April 29
Baseball Rankings: Michigan high school baseball rankings: April 30
East Jordan — The Red Devils took losses of 14-1 and 9-2 against Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart – ranked No
Webb went 3 for 3 with a run scored and six combined steals
Pellston — Bonter went 1 for 2 with a double
steal and two runs scored against Onaway in a 24-4 loss this week
Petoskey — Petoskey improved to 11-3 on the season with a sweep over Cadillac
Petoskey — Harmon went 2 for 2 with three runs scored in the opener against Cadillac
then earned a five-inning win with two hits allowed in game two
going 4 for 8 with an RBI and three runs scored against Cadillac
Petoskey — Hahn impressed against Cadillac
PETOSKEY — Petoskey is celebrating its annual Spring Restaurant Week
with specialty menus and deals available across the area
More: Petoskey's Spring Restaurant Week offers special meals and deals May 2-11
Spring Restaurant Week is taking place from May 2-11
and the News-Review wants to know which participating restaurants readers are most excited to visit
The full list of restaurants, as well as their specialty menus, can be found at petoskeychamber.com/petoskey-restaurant-week
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on Twitter at @KarlyGrahamJRN
PETOSKEY — Petoskey City Hall was bustling on Monday morning
but not with the usual tasks typically seen there
the building was opened as a warming center for people to find some reprieve from powerless homes and cold temperatures
Many arrived with phones and computers to charge
remains completely without power following destructive ice storms that swept through Northern Michigan over the weekend
There is no current timeline for service restoration
According to the city’s website
the first power outage occurred at around 8 p.m
on Saturday that impacted about 50% of the city
Another substation went down at approximately 8:30 a.m
We get fed by a main transmission line above the Gaylord area that has been compromised in the storm,” said Petoskey City Manager Shane Horn
“Our main focus has been getting that substation up and running
That would help us power about 50% of the city and then we can reroute from that station to get the rest of the city up and running.”
More: PHOTOS: Ice storm aftermath in Northern Michigan
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Horn said they had been making progress on Sunday
but then another round of freezing rain and snow hit the area
the weather last night set us back a little bit on that effort,” he said
“We lost a number of additional electrical poles and lines in the city
which likely means that we may be without power a few more days.”
electrical crews from around the state and from out-of-state are helping with the restoration efforts
“We’ve been in contact through the (Emmet) County emergency manager’s office working directly with the governor’s office
trying to get state support services directed our way due to this emergency that we’re currently experiencing in our region,” Horn said
“The governor’s office has been very supportive of directing additional resources our way.”
Horn said they are expecting to receive shipments of fuel that they can set up at the fairgrounds for first responders and crews
our crews that are out in the field,” he said
“We’ve been having to go outside of our area to find fuel
Horn said they will turn their attention to a “pretty massive clean-up effort.”
“It’s going to be a pretty large undertaking but we have great support services that we’re going to be leaning on,” he said
so we will take as much time as we need to make sure everybody’s trees and limbs are addressed appropriately.”
thousands in the area remain without power and heat
with temperatures expected to dip well below freezing
“This is becoming a life and safety issue for a lot of people
when you have power loss and you have power loss on top of (freezing temperatures),” Horn said
“We certainly want people to take advantage of the warming centers that are available
We have volunteers that are lined up to provide rides and assistance to get people here
The casino has been very gracious with their resources as well.”
For more information, visit petoskey.us
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com
bringing devastation to many people living there have never experienced before
People in Petoskey are still without power and are waiting for it to be restored
Many are gathering at warming centers to grab a bite to eat or charge their device
you will see fallen branches from trees that are covered in ice
and have fallen due to the weight of that ice
You will also see road crews on the side of the roads working as fast as they can to make the sidewalks and roads clear
We lived directly across the street from city hall,” Petoskey resident Nan Elizabeth Casey said
it was hard just to walk across the street to get here
but power crews are still out restoring electricity to thousands of customers
Petoskey has around 16,000 people without power and City Manager Shane Horn says it could take a few days to bring it back completely
“This is been one of those storms where it’s been all hands-on deck,” Horn said
We’ve had a lot of local contractors who have assisted us as well
We’ve had out-of-state crews that have been here and some more that are coming this way to assist us
This is going to be a massive cleanup effort for us once we’re done and once we have power restored.”
Petoskey City Hall has opened its doors for community members to stay warm and charge their devices
They are planning to stay open 24/7 until the power is back on
Casey said she has never experienced something like this
Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a State of Emergency for Emmet County
that is bringing in resources like fuel to prevent crew from coming and going
This could slow down the power from being turned back on
Horn said the crews are facing many obstacles in the field
really working around the clock to make this happen
It’s just they’re trying to work in elements that are very challenging
working in freezing rain and drizzle and sleet
And it’s made for a very challenging restoration process.“
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The first round of Northern Shores Conference play isn’t quite complete
though the Harbor Springs girls soccer team is happy to be making the first statement
After stepping away from league play Saturday to earn a 4-0 win over Cadillac on the road
the Rams returned to action Monday and returned to the league with a 4-2 win over Boyne City
The victory moved the Rams to 5-0 in league action and starts out a week filled with key games
“Busy week of soccer after competing with Cadillac on Saturday
away in Leland (Tuesday) night and home against Elk Rapids on Thursday,” Harbor coach Aaron Riley said
“All the girls are doing their best to continue building team chemistry while maintaining the focus and stamina we need to face Leland on Tuesday night
have been getting production from up and down the lineup
it came as a third straight game with at least one goal scored
Lizzie Bassett and Grace Hayhurst each scored as well
“Best game of the year for us,” Riley said Saturday
“We played well in all areas of the game from backline to midfield to forwards.”
Along with all of the Rams that are standing out on the pitch
below you’ll find the area’s top performers from the weekend and into Monday night
Check back later this week for another installment of top performers
Petoskey — Beer ran a new personal best in the 100 (11.03) in Mount Pleasant
nearly becoming just the second PHS athlete to ever run sub 11 seconds
It placed him second overall and he also took fourth in the 200 (22.88)
Petoskey — Fettig ran a 1,600 meter time of 4:41.04 in a Mount Pleasant hosted race
Petoskey — Boyce set a new PR in the 300 hurdles in a fourth place 41.85 seconds
Petoskey — Bailey set personal bests in the 100 (12.71) and 200 (25.74) during the Oiler Invite
Petoskey — Petok had another strong race in Mount Pleasant
setting a new PR in the 100 hurdles in fourth (16.19)
then was fifth in the 300 hurdles (49.61) in a season-best time
Emma Mitas and Petok placed fist in the Oiler Invite in 50.07 seconds
Petoskey — Corey placed second in the shot put in Mount Pleasant
Petoskey — Adair won the high jump at the Oiler Invite
Petoskey — Bailey set a new PR in the pole vault in Mount Pleasant at a height of 10-feet
Petoskey — Grieves had a season-best jump of 16-feet
5-inches to win the long jump in Mount Pleasant
won both the 800 (2:06.57) and the 1,600 meter (4:48.58) races Saturday at the Harbor Springs Ram Scram
Charlevoix — The freshman Jess stole the pole vault competition in Harbor Springs with a first place 11-feet even
East Jordan — Shooks won the high jump at the Ram Scram in 5-feet
then the senior also placed first in the 110 hurdles (16.98)
East Jordan — The EJ senior had a great day at the Ram Scram
setting a new PR in the shot put with a second place 40-feet
East Jordan — Burks placed first in the 300 hurdles in a new personal best time of 43.11 seconds
Harbor Springs — Kruzel led the way in 400 in the hosted Ram Scram
with the junior posting a PR of 53.84 seconds
Michael — Manthei placed first in both the 800 (2:30.67) and 1,600 (5:23.36) in Harbor
Harbor Springs — Shouldice set a new PR in the 300 hurdle event in Harbor Springs’ Ram Scram
good for first place by nearly two seconds
Charlevoix — A new season-best distance came in the long jump for the Rayder sophomore
Boyne City — Boyne City took losses of 5-4 and 16-0 against Elk Rapids Monday
with Bush going 2 for 4 with a pair of RBIs
She also went 2 for 4 with four RBIs and a double against Calvin Christian Saturday
three RBIs and three runs scored in two games against Manistique
She also struck out six and earned the win in one of the games
Kemp also went 2 for 3 in a 9-1 loss against Kalkaska Monday
then 3 for 3 with three runs scored and a double in a 16-5 loss against the Blazers
Charlevoix — Halberg struck out 15 batters across six innings of a 7-2 win over Manistique Saturday
Charlevoix — Gray had two triples and went 4 for 5 with an RBI in a pair of games against Manistique Saturday
Harbor Springs — Frost finished 3 for 5 with four runs scored and two steals Saturday in a JoBurg hosted tourney
Harbor Springs — The Rams took a 12-0 loss against Kingsley Monday
though Richardson went 3 for 3 with a double in the loss
Boyne City — The Ramblers dropped games of 5-0 and 4-3 against Elk Rapids Monday
Boyne City — In game two against Elk Rapids
Royce went 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts and five hits allowed
Charlevoix — Lemerand had a heck of a night Monday against Kalkaska
with the Rayders earning wins of 7-4 and 12-5
He went 4 for 4 with four RBIs and a double
then struck out eight in a five-inning no-hitter
He also went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and two doubles in the nightcap
Charlevoix — Wadkins went 3 for 4 with a double
RBI and four combined runs between two games against Kalkaska
Charlevoix — Pearl struck out 10 across five innings and allowed one earned run in a win over Kalkaska and also went 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored
Charlevoix — Reynolds went 3 for 4 with three runs scored and two steals atop the lineup in game one against Kalkaska
East Jordan — The Red Devils split in a pair of games against the Soo Black Sox 18U (7-9
10-3) with Aenis doubling in each game with a combined four RBIs
two doubles and a home run in a sweep over Forest Area Monday
East Jordan — Haley went 3 for 3 with four RBIs
a double and a triple in game one against Forest Area
then 3 for 4 with an RBI and three runs scored in game two
East Jordan — Malpass struck out 12 across four innings and allowed two hits
then went 3 for 4 with a double and RBI against Kalkaska
East Jordan — Boyer smacked a homer and doubled with three RBIs against Kalkaska
Harbor Springs — The Rams dropped games of 7-2 and 6-0 against Kingsley Monday
with Cosens bringing in the lone extra base hit on a double in the opener
I’m in the field I’m in because I love sports
They’re uplifting and it’s fun to write about positive moments and the kind of moments that shape lives
especially young ones at the high school level
community involvement or other classroom accomplishments
coaches or teams end up on the news side of things
it’s unavoidable in the most tragic of situations
with all the relationships and friendships built over the years
I can still remember hearing about the horrific Grayling golf team crash back in 2013 and the impact that had
my heart sunk when I was asked early Monday morning if I’d heard the news regarding the Charlevoix boys golf team and head coach Doug Drenth
I had just days prior looked over results from one of their latest rounds and hadn’t heard from Doug
as they were only just getting their 2025 season started
My fear was a reality, the Charlevoix boys golf team would be ending up in a tragic news piece.
While I was relieved to learn everyone came away from the crash
MORE: 'The community is heartbroken': Charlevoix rallies around golf coach, team after crash
MORE: 6 students, coach from Charlevoix golf team injured in Benzie County crash
I know quite a few of the Rayder players on the team and have written about them frequently in other sports
I also know their parents and have interacted with them
high school golf and youth golf over the last decade
you’re not going to find someone that’s more positive than Doug
He’s led the cross country program since the 2015-16 season and took over varsity golf in 2019
Doug’s always been there providing me with what I need and they’ve been calls I know I’ll get a spirited and excited Doug on the other end of
He’s just so passionate to talk about the kids
I’ve talked with Doug on the way home from golf matches multiple times
regional qualifying or whatever the accomplishment was
hear the positivity in his voice about how
I don’t yet know the extent of all of the injuries and I know Doug himself has a road ahead to recovery
but I know the kind of kids they are and mindset they have
They’ve got a community behind them and a great support staff and group of administrators at Charlevoix
And they’ve of course got a coach that’s instilled the kind of character and drive to overcome adverse moments
I’m thinking of each and every kid on that team
including the ones that weren’t on that van
There’s not a lot I can do from the keyboard for now but let you know that
when things do return to a bit of normalcy
I can’t wait to tell the uplifting stories of those moments
Things that seemed little before will be giant steps ahead and I hope to be there for them
A fundraiser GoFundMe for the Charlevoix boys golf team for medical relief has been started. If you would like to donate, visit here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/charlevoix-golf-team-medical-relief
(WPBN/WGTU) -- The Planned Parenthood in Petoskey and two other Michigan locations will permanently close their doors on April 30
with the last patient appointments taking place on April 25
The closest location in northern Michigan would be the Walker Health Center in Traverse City
Planned Parenthood Michigan said it is “reducing its brick-and-mortar footprint to ensure long-term sustainability,” citing “historic threats and cuts to federal funding.”
“The Trump administration and its anti-abortion allies have made clear their intention to defund Planned Parenthood and attack access to sexual and reproductive health care nationwide — so while these attacks are devastating
they are not a surprise,” said Paula Thornton Greear
“Our decision to restructure reflects months of strategic planning and careful financial analysis
These necessary changes strengthen PPMI’s ability to adapt quickly in a challenging political landscape
While implementing difficult decisions is never easy
they are essential to protect our long-term capacity to fulfill our mission and serve Michigan communities for generations to come.”
The other locations that will close are in Jackson and Marquette
The Marquette location is the only Planned Parenthood in the Upper Peninsula
The closest location in the UP would be at the Green Bay Health Center in Wisconsin
Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s president said
These necessary changes strengthen PPMI’S ability to adapt quickly in a challenging political landscape,” said Paula Thorton Greear
PPMI will consolidate two health centers in Ann Arbor by May 5 and
work to expand its Virtual Health Center to offer telehealth 7 days per week
The 2025 NFL Draft is officially a week in the books
Picks are getting settled into their new cities
though many are still signing with teams as undrafted free agents or finding temporary homes as rookie minicamp invites
hoping to turn a weekend stay into something longer
In the 2025 draft, 10 players came from Michigan collegiate programs, with the University of Michigan leading the way with seven selections
including three in the first round and five the fist two days of the draft
when it comes to ties to the Great Lakes State
A total of 25 former Michigan high school football standouts were either drafted
signed as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) following the draft or received a tryout invite to an NFL rookie camp
MORE: Lions GM explains why they drafted more Georgia players than any other team
with many hailing from the Motor City or just north up I-75
Below you'll find a complete (and growing) list of football players who played college or high school ball in Michigan and will be embarking on the NFL as part of the 2025 class
NFL rookie mini camps will begin this weekend (May 3) and continue throughout the following week, with most taking place between May 9-11, which is when the Detroit Lions will hold camp
MORE: These dozen Michigan football players could hear their name called in 2026 NFL draft
MORE: How many Michigan players have signed as NFL undrafted free agents? A full list
MORE: Michigan State OL Luke Newman goes to Chicago Bears in Round 6 of 2025 NFL Draft
MORE: Couch: When Michigan State football is back, you'll see it in the NFL draft
AROUND THE NCAAPlayerPos.CollegeNFLRd.Mich
Mary'sMaxwell HairstonDBKentuckyBills1 (30)West BloomfieldDeone WalkerDLKentuckyBills4 (109)Cass TechDorian MausiLBAuburnVikingsUDFAU-D JesuitKam ArnoldLBBoston CollegeWash.UDFAOrchard Lake St
Mary'sIan KennellyDBGrand Valley StateLionsUDFAUtica EisenhowerGarrett DellingerOLLSURavens7 (243)ClarkstonAnthony Tyus IIIRBOhioLionsUDFAPortage NorthernMatt HarmonLBKent StateVikingsInviteGibraltar CarlsonContact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com
and May is off to a fun start in Northern Michigan with hikes
The Northern Michigan Chorale will present “Musical Mosaic” this weekend at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts in Bay Harbor
their spring concert features “a unique collection of popular songs that may not traditionally go together but perfectly align through their theme
Tickets are $15 for the general public, $12 for students and seniors, and free for children age 10 and under. Tickets can be purchased from chorale members, at the welcome table in the lobby before the show or online at greatlakescfa.org
Celebrate World Labyrinth DayYou can celebrate World Labyrinth Day by joining the "Walk as One at 1" event on Saturday
everyone is welcome to participate in this worldwide moving meditation for peace centered on walking a labyrinth at 1 p.m
The program will be led by labyrinth facilitator and Labyrinth Society member Dr
in partnership with Petoskey’s My Oasis Center
The Cheboygan Opera House will host The Beach Party Boys at 7:30 p.m
The show is described as “fast paced and interactive with a focus on lots of nostalgia.”
Tickets are $25-$40 for adults and $10 for students age 18 and under
For more information, visit theoperahouse.org
CAKE CISMA will lead a Wander Walloon: Wildflower Hike at 10 a.m
blooming after the snow melts but before trees and shrubs leaf out
CAKE CISMA Coordinator Katie Gray will guide the walk
The hike is described as suitable for all ages but includes uneven
hilly terrain and can include muddy sections
For more information, visit cakecisma.org/event-details/walloon-wildflower-walk-2
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Paradise opens for the 2025 season on May 1
includes exhibits on the Whitefish Point Light Station
underwater research and shipwrecks of all kinds in the Great Lakes
For more information, visit shipwreckmuseum.com
PETOSKEY — After more than eight years of service
POUR in Petoskey is getting ready to close its doors
a new Italian restaurant will be filling the space under the new name of Leto's Osteria
Chinnock said chef Ray Kumm moved to Northern Michigan with the goal of opening his own restaurant
After issues arose with the building he planned to purchase
POUR teamed up with Kumm to help make his dream a reality
"We really believe in his (Kumm's) talent and his previous accomplishments and so we decided that we wanted to join forces with him," Chinnock said
We saw an opportunity with a unique talent
Leto's Osteria is expected to be up and running this spring
Chinnock said the collaboration with Kumm has been exciting and there's a lot of momentum they're feeling during the collaborative research and development process
Finding a chef that was interested in carrying out POUR's vision has been a challenge
knowing that a from-scratch operation can be labor intensive
so now felt like a good time to make a change
He added that while a few loyal customers are sad to see POUR go
he's been hearing a lot of really positive feedback since announcing the change that will be coming to the space at 422 E
adding that the type of restaurant he was trying to create doesn't exist in Petoskey
so they're looking forward to offering the chance to help bring Kumm's aspirations to life
PETOSKEY — Joann Fabrics in Petoskey is one of 500 locations nationwide slated for closure as the company moves forward with a major downsizing effort
The fabric and craft retailer recently confirmed plans to shutter 500 of its approximately 850 stores across the country
More than 30 Michigan locations are affected
According to court documents, the latest wave of closures will impact all 50 states, with Michigan among those hit hardest, alongside California, New York, Florida and Indiana, as reported by USA Today
the company acknowledged the significant impact of the decision
"This was a very difficult decision to make
given the major impact we know it will have on our Team Members
our customers and all of the communities we serve."
The company said store performance and long-term strategic planning factored into which locations would remain open
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The closures are part of Joann’s ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings
with a court motion already filed to gain approval for the closures
The Petoskey location is at 1608 Anderson Road
A timeline for the closure was not available
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at 231-675-0099 and adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com
PETOSKEY — The suspect in an armed robbery of a local gas station was arrested on Sunday night after law enforcement pursued the suspect for 4 miles
The armed robbery took place at the Bayview EZ Mart
located beside the Mobil gas station off U.S
along with the Cheboygan County Sheriff's Office K9 Unit
the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Police and the Michigan State Police all responded to the incident
According to a press release from the Emmet County Sheriff's Office
the pursuit of the suspect covered 4 miles of "diverse and rugged terrain." The suspect was located and apprehended wearing footwear that matched those at the scene of the robbery
gloves and a hat believed to belong to the suspect were found after additional investigation
weapon and jacket believed to be linked to the robbery have yet to be discovered
If anyone discovers these items in the vicinity of Kalamazoo and Jennings streets
"We extend our gratitude to the dedicated deputies and partnering agencies for their relentless efforts and vital support in this investigation," the release stated
"The continued cooperation from the public is essential in concluding this investigation and ensuring community safety."
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Emmet County Sheriff Matt Leirstein told the News-Review they don't know the total amount of money taken
but confirmed the suspect made off with everything in the register
Leirstein said the suspect is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday
Leirstein is unable to share the name of the suspect
Leirstein also told the News-Review via text that charges have been requested and detectives are conducting a follow-up investigation and tracking down additional leads
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com
PETOSKEY — Annika Gandhi has been on a soccer field most of her life
But her passion for the sport really took off three years ago when she first put on a Petoskey uniform
New to Northern Michigan and the program, Gandhi’s love of the game grew out of the friendships she's cultivated through the sport
but I really started enjoying it when I moved to Petoskey and playing (PYSA) Breakers,” Gandhi said
“I formed such a great connection with the girls
They’re just so nice and it’s been easy for me to be involved and want to be here with them.”
On Wednesday at Northmen Stadium, the beginning of the end got underway much like it started those three years ago
with a goal by Gandhi and celebration with teammates around her
The first goal of the 2023 season and first of Gandhi’s PHS career came against Big Rapids in a 2-1 win
starting things off with the season’s first score in a 4-0 win
nearly exactly like those three years back
so I’m excited to see what it’s going to be,” Gandhi added
the season should be a good one once again for the Northmen
who are coming off a Big North Conference title season with plenty of starters back
Soccer PTW: Meet the soccer players to watch across Emmet, Charlevoix, Cheboygan and Otsego Counties
Track & Field PTW: Here are the 44 area track and field names to get used to ahead of 2025 season
While many downstate programs have already seen the field for multiple games
Wednesday’s was forced through some frigid temperatures just to get things started
Gandhi is excited about the potential of this group
where you’ll find her with plenty of other firepower
Petoskey's Sadie Corey: Petoskey's Corey, a four-year starter in goal, not afraid of any pressure on the pitch
“We have a lot of veterans with Haidyn (Wegmann)
our wingbacks like Dezi (Plichta),” Gandhi said
“We’ve got Brynn (Jonker) and Lily (Premo) coming back and we’re all good veterans that can score
It wasn’t hard to find the others after Gandhi’s season opening goal
then Claire O’Donnell scored in the second half and Premo finished things off
They’re also not hard to find because they’re now numbered in order
so I’m glad to finish my senior year off with it.”
the season opener couldn’t have come with a better result
with his team coming out of an extremely long break between the recent ice storm school closure and spring break prior
“We’re thrilled to get going after basically having all of last week off,” Jonker said
“It’s been a 17-day layoff and the girls were excited to be back with their friends and playing soccer
That was a really good Big Rapids team and win for us.”
He was also pleased with what he saw out of his defenders and Sadie Corey in net early
up against a Big Rapids team full of athletes that were coming off a great basketball season
“They put us under some pressure with their athleticism,” he added
dealing with all the pressure and Sadie stepping up when she needed to deal with crosses.”
Petoskey (1-0) will head downstate to meet Grand Ledge and Richland Gull Lake over the weekend
PETOSKEY — As the Petoskey community waits for the lights to turn back on
community members are helping clean up yards and checking on neighbors to make sure everyone is alright following the weekend’s destructive ice storms
According to a Tuesday morning update on the city’s website
power restoration is trending in a positive direction
“Consumers Energy and contractors are diligently working to repair critical infrastructure,” the post reads
“City line crews with assistance from Zeeland
Grand Haven and Traverse City Light and Power are assisting in the power restoration efforts
Our current estimate is 1-2 days before power may be restored
If you are in need of a ride to a warming shelter and live in the city limits
please contact city manager Shane Horn at (517) 403-7610 or Public Safety Detective William Bowen at (231) 330-0219
They will arrange rides to warming shelters.”
More: Petoskey at total power loss, no timeline for restoration yet
Petoskey City Hall opened as a 24/7 warming station on Sunday and will remain open as long as people need somewhere to warm up
find something to eat and charge their phones or computers
Many people were enjoying the warmth at city hall on Tuesday
where Mayor John Murphy helped cook up some sloppy joes and volunteers and businesses provided other food donations
I talked to our city manager and I said ‘We have got to open a warming shelter here ASAP,’” Murphy said
there’s probably 50 people here now at least in the middle of the day
There’s been people sleeping overnight here
We have welcomed in anybody that needs a place.”
Jen and Payton Smock were at city hall to charge their devices on Tuesday
“We’ve been out of power since Sunday night
We have six children in our family and three pets,” Jen said
said she saw lots of branches falling during the weekend storms
Payton said she has been staying entertained with puzzles
Jen added that the family is planning to “just kind of ride it out” until their power is restored
so I think we’ll be OK at home and utilize city hall for charging stations and a little bit of warmth if we need during the day and continue cleaning up our yard,” she said
More: Live: Thousands still without power mid-week following ice storms
described the ice storms as “pretty horrendous.”
“I have two beautiful trees in my backyard that are decimated,” she said
“The odd part is like you listen and you hear this really pretty tinkling and then it dawns on you this is because of the trees blowing
and then you’re afraid because it’s windy and you’re waiting for the next branch to fall
and then sure enough a branch would fall and you’d hear it
That was the same this morning when I woke up to the sun
but then it’s not because you know what it’s doing to the trees
Knowing that our trees are decimated in Petoskey is just heartbreaking."
Meyerson was dropping off a donation of cookies to the city hall warming center
She said it’s “the way we are” to lend a helping hand to neighbors in need
adding that she has a friend who is an electrician who is driving around helping people get their generators set up
“I think that’s the attitude of a lot of people in town
is just to help out and open their doors to people in need,” she said
For updates and more information, visit petoskey.us/news_detail_T29_R210.php
PETOSKEY — Petoskey residents will soon have another alternative to the emergency room for non-life-threatening medical needs
McLaren Northern Michigan recently announced it plans to open a new urgent care center in March at 1890 U.S
The new center will feature seven treatment rooms and a procedure room
offering care for conditions such as viral illnesses
minor lacerations and orthopedic injuries like bone fractures that do not require surgery
X-ray imaging will also be available on-site
and the primary care clinic located within the same building will continue its services to patients
McLaren Northern Michigan President and CEO
emphasized the importance of the new facility in meeting the community’s health care needs
“We are very excited to share our plans to launch an urgent care and increase our community’s access to timely care,” Atchison said
we are taking steps to ensure our patients are provided with a convenient avenue to receive the appropriate level of prompt care for non-life-threatening conditions
We truly believe this expansion will be a great benefit to Petoskey and further affirm our commitment to serve the needs of our community.”
executive vice president and Chief Operating Officer of McLaren Health Care
added that the urgent care center aligns with the organization’s efforts to strengthen its connection to the community
McLaren is keeping and strengthening its commitment to serve the patients and families of Petoskey and the surrounding communities and provide them with the level of care they deserve,” Grant said
McLaren Northern Michigan hopes the addition of urgent care services will fill a health care gap in the area
According to the site’s director of operations
the facility is expected to treat approximately 25 to 30 patients per day
though it has the capacity to care for more than 50 patients daily if needed
The goal is to improve access to timely care for residents of Petoskey and surrounding communities
Urgent care centers typically offer shorter wait times than emergency departments for non-life-threatening conditions
which still require prompt attention but may not warrant a visit to the ER or waiting for a primary care appointment
The American Medical Association has noted the rapid rise of urgent care centers nationwide
citing the increasing demand for convenient and accessible health care options
For more information on the new urgent care center and other services, visit mclaren.org/northernmichigan
— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 and adoyle@charlevoixcourier.com
NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Despite facing continued power outages
blocked roads and further fallout from last week's ice storms
hundreds of people from across Northern Michigan made their way to local protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Saturday
More than 400 people were in downtown Petoskey to protest on Saturday
Around 100 protestors also took part in the nationwide Hands Off protests at Boyne City's City Hall
Affholter said the protest was very personal to people
and that's what brought them out to demonstrate despite the less-than-ideal circumstances the region has been dealing with in the ice storm's wake
"I think our democracy matters to them," she said
"I think they can see where they're going to be personally affected if some of these executive orders pass
so I think it became very personal to people."
More: Thousands protest Trump, Musk across Michigan
More: ‘Hands Off!’ protests happening across USA on Saturday: What to know
Affholter said people were calling for the government to keep their "Hands Off" social security benefits
The local group hosted a protest in Petoskey in March as well, where around 120 people attended.
With more than triple the attendance on April 5, Affholter said she was hearing more horn honks from passing vehicles to show their support on Saturday as well.
In addition to the protests, Affholter said the group has been hosting letter-writing events to send to local officials, as well as sign-making events.
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@petoskeynews.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
EMMET COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- Several warming centers have opened in several northern Michigan counties to help residents in need of food, water and power.
Petoskey City Hall has suspended staff operations and is staying open 24/7 until power is restored to the rest of the city.
City Manager Shane Horn said a significant transmission main leading into the city was damaged in the storm.
“Unfortunately, last night was not helpful to us, with the additional freezing rain and temperatures,” Horn said. “We lost a number of additional power poles and a number of lines went done last night. That’s likely going to set us back a bit on how we are able to restore power across the city.”
Horn said it may be one to two days until power comes back and that volunteers are available to drive Petoskey residents to warming shelters.
The slow starts to the season have been well documented.
But the Petoskey girls tennis team is trying to make the most of it, even as the wind, temperatures and wet conditions have kept them away.
Late last week brought a new opporuntity to get outside and get Big North Conference duals started, as they met up with Traverse City West and took a 5-3 loss, though plenty of heats delivered blows to the Titans’ armour.
At No. 1 singles, Petoskey’s Tara Brantly earned a victory with a 7-6(3), 2-6, 6-4 win, then Eva Rindfusz claimed a victory in the No. 2 singles slot, winning 6-3, 7-5.
The No. 1 doubles team of Charlie Todd and Meg Gietzen won 1-6, 6-4, 6-4. Petoskey’s Arden Copeland of No. 3 singles also battled through a close match.
Along with Petoskey’s tennis lineup, other standout performances can be found below.
This is the second week of top performers, with results coming from Thursday, April 17 to Monday, April 21. There will be no set number of athletes chosen for each sport or team, only notable performances.
Check back later this week for another installment of top performers.
Peyton Harmon, Petoskey — Harmon helped the Northmen to a sweep over Elk Rapids last week as the winning pitcher in a walk-off victory. He went eight innings with one earned run, nine strikeouts and no walks issued. He also singled twice.
AJ Speigl, Petoskey — Speigl went 1 for 3 with two RBIs, three runs scored and two strikeouts in 1 2/3 innings of a 10-5 win over Elk Rapids. He also doubled in an 11-2 loss to Hudsonville Saturday.
Drew Olson, Petoskey — Olson went 2 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored against Elk Rapids.
Cal Royce, Boyne City — Royce pitched 2 1/3 innings in a 7-5 win over Harbor Light late last week, striking out six. He also went 2 for 3 with two RBIs, two steals and a run scored.
Logan Wadkins, Charlevoix — Charlevoix split in a pair of games against Gladstone Saturday (9-3, 2-5) with Wadkins going a combined 4 for 5 with four RBIs, three runs scored and four steals.
Hunter Lemerand, Charlevoix — Lemerand had a strong pitching performance despite a loss to Gladstone, going six innings with 10 strikeouts and just one earned run.
Korbyn Russell, East Jordan — The Red Devils earned a sweep over Pellston with wins of 15-0 and 18-3. Russell tossed a four-inning no-hitter with one walk and 10 strikeouts. He also had an RBI, five runs scored and three steals.
Brady Wilson, East Jordan — Between a pair of games against Pellston, Wilson went a combined 3 for 5 with five RBIs, two runs scored and a double.
Jacob Haley, East Jordan — In an 18-3 win over Pellston, Haley went 3 for 3 with a double, two RBIs, four runs scored and a steal. He also drove in two runs in the opener.
Daniel Urman, Harbor Light — Harbor Light split in a series against Boyne City last week, winning 11-1 and falling 7-5. Urman went a combined 5 for 6 with two doubles, two RBIs, three runs and three steals. He also struck out five across three frames.
Vaughn Henagan, Harbor Light — Henagan went 3 for 3 with four runs scored, a steal and RBI in a 11-1 win over Boyne City.
CJ DuBois, Harbor Light — DuBois eared a victory on the mound over Boyne City, striking out seven in four innings with one hit allowed. He also singled, had an RBI and scored a run.
Bre VerCautren, Petoskey — Petoskey earned a pair of huge wins over Division 3 No. 2 Clare (4-3) and Negaunee (4-1) over the weekend, with VerCautren playing a key role. She had a three-run home run against Clare and earned the seven-inning win with four strikeouts and no earned runs. Petoskey is now 9-0 to start the season.
Avery Leist, Petoskey — Leist picked up a seven-inning pitching win over Negaunee with six strikeouts, then also doubled, had an RBI and drove in a run against Clare.
Lyla Janes, Petoskey — Janes had a pair of hits, an RBI and two steals in a pair of wins in Clare over the weekend.
Ayla Kemp, Charlevoix — Kemp went 2 for 4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored in a 10-2 win over Rudyard, then also singled and stole two bases in a 7-3 loss against Rudyard.
Mayors Halberg, Charlevoix — The Rayders split in a pair of games against Rudyard, with Halberg earning a six-inning win with four strikeouts, one earned run and no walks issued in game two.
Kassie Temple, Alanson — Temple went 4 for 4 with two RBIs, a run scored, a double and a triple in a 16-13 loss against Wolverine. She also doubled in a 17-4 loss.
Lorelei Henderson, Alanson — Henderson went 4 for 5 with three RBIs and two doubles, along with four runs scored against Wolverine.
Sidney Bush, Boyne City — The Ramblers fell to Meridian (1-6) and Evart (7-16), then defeated Charlevoix (10-1) over the weekend. Bush finished with six innings pitched, no earned runs and 10 strikeouts against Meridian. She also finished the series 7 for 10 with five RBIs, three runs scored and three doubles.
Sadie Bush, Boyne City — The younger Bush had a strong weekend in a trio of games, going 5 for 9 with four RBIs, six runs scored, two doubles and a homer.
Natalie Grobaski, Boyne City — Grobaski pitched a no-hitter against Charlevoix, going six innings with two walks issued and eight strikeouts.
Lauryn Matelski, Boyne Falls — In a 16-3 win over Forest Area, Matelski went 3 for 4 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a steal. She also scored three runs in a 10-0 three-inning win.
Mackenzie Brown, Boyne Falls — Brown pitched a combined eight innings against Forest Area, earning two wins with 12 strikeouts. She also scored seven runs between the two games.
JoJo Kirkpatrick, East Jordan — EJ swept Pellston (7-6, 13-1) late last week and Kirkpatrick earned one of the wins with eight strikeouts, then went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and a pair of doubles and then added a double in the second game.
Bristol Skop, East Jordan — In a pair of games against Pellston, Skop finished 5 for 8 with two doubles, a triple and three runs scored.
Caitlyn Burks, East Jordan — Burks finished a 13-1 win over Pellston 4 for 4 with three RBIs, three runs scored and a double. She also went 2 for 3 with four runs scored, a triple and a double in the 7-6 win.
Bree Willis, Pellston — Willis doubled, drove in two runs, scored a run and had a steal in a 7-6 loss against East Jordan.
Sophia Balistreri, Harbor Springs — Earned a new PR in the 800 meter in a Mancelona hosted meet with a time of 2:36.73, good for second.
Grant Corlew, Harbor Springs — Corlew had a great trip down to Mancelona, setting a new PR in the 3,200 with a second time time of 10:24.27, then won the 1,600 meeter race (4:49.70) as well.
Reagan Kelso, Harbor Springs — Kelso earned the win in the 100 meter dash in 13.69, a race that included more than 40 runners in Mancelona.
Andrew Glass, Charlevoix — Glass placed first in the discus in an Elk Rapids hosted meet on Monday, throwing 123 feet, 4 inches, a season best.
June Kirkpatrick, East Jordan — Kirkpatrick had a second place finish in the 200 (28.93), then added a third place finish in the 800 (2:41.75). She was also fourth in the 1,600.
Jasmine Joseph, East Jordan — Joseph set a new PR in the pole vault in Mancelona with a height of 7-feet, 6-inches, good for second.
Coen Burks, East Jordan — Burks won the 110 hurdles in Mancelona in 16.40, a new PR, then was second in the 300 hurdles in 45.34.
Austin Sneed, East Jordan — Sneed set a new PR in the 800 (2:11.71) and placed second, then was third in the 3,200 in a new PR (10:26.60) in Mancelona.
Logan Beer, Petoskey — Beer won the 100 meter dash the Cadillac Rathbun Invite, running 11.08 for a new PR, then won the 200 in a new PR of 22.87.
Zahar Rush, Petoskey — Rush ran a new PR in Cadillac in the 3,200 in 10:09.46, which gave him a first place finish.
Kaiden Boyce, Petoskey — Back to his traditional hurdle events, Boyce set a PR in the 110 hurdles in 15.99 in Cadillac and also ran 42.41 in the 300 hurdles, both placing him first overall.
Lyla Janes, Petoskey — Before she stood out on the softball field Saturday, Janes shined with a PR in the long jump, leaping 16 feet, 1 inch in Cadillac, placing her first.
Alison Bailey, Petoskey — Bailey placed first in the 200 (26.44), first in the 400 (100.07) and helped the 4x100 team to a win (50.26). The 400 meter time came as a PR.
Contact or send game stats/info to Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny
EMMET COUNTY, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU)- - Staff at 106 KHQ (WKHQ-FM) said its 630-foot-tall tower fell Sunday night due to accumulating ice from this weekend’s storm.
Staff there said its engineering team is working to learn the extent of the damage.
The tower is located on Dutchman’s Bay Road, close to Behling Road, Wilson Township, just outside East Jordan.
They said their team is working to figure out how they can get back on the air as soon as possible.
Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall.
Petoskey rallies to support local deli after burglary amid generational disaster recoveryby Daniel Zivian
(WPBN/WGTU) — In the wake of a generational natural disaster
residents of Petoskey have come together to support Bill and Carol’s Party Store and Deli after it was burglarized Monday night
a customer discovered the store's door broken down on Tuesday morning
Nearly an entire display of vape pens was stolen
Owner Bill Hansen said that three suspects have since turned themselves in
so they figured they’d better turn themselves in," Hansen said
"It wasn’t a crime of somebody needing food or things like that because we’d be more than willing to help anybody at any time
I think it was more just a way of making money
Now that power has been restored to much of Petoskey
the deli at Bill and Carol’s is fully operational
CHARLEVOIX — A man fleeing police in a stolen vehicle crashed head-on into a van carrying the Charlevoix High School varsity golf team on Sunday night in Benzie County
the incident took place on M-115 between Lindy Road and Wallacker Road in Joyfield Township
The Benzie County Sheriff’s Office had been attempting to stop a suspect involved in a stolen vehicle and felonious assault complaint when the man
After driving approximately a mile and a half
the suspect crossed the centerline and collided with the golf team's van
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All of the van's occupants were transported to a nearby hospital with what authorities described as "numerous injuries." Their conditions have not yet been officially released
Charlevoix Public Schools Superintendent Mike Ritter and Charlevoix High School Principal Dan Terryberry sent a letter to families in the evening on Sunday
April 27 confirming that members of the varsity golf team and their coach had been involved in a serious crash
"We are deeply saddened to inform you that earlier today
our varsity golf team and their coach were involved in a serious accident," Ritter and Terryberry wrote
and several individuals are receiving medical care
Out of respect for the privacy of those involved
we are not sharing further details at this time
coach and their families in your thoughts and prayers."
The crash prompted a major emergency response
with assistance from the Benzie County Sheriff's Office
Benzie County EMS and Mobile Medical Response (MMR)
Charlevoix school officials have not announced any changes to school operations as of Monday morning
but are expected to provide support services for students and staff impacted by the tragedy
PETOSKEY — A new option is now available for gluten-free diners in Northern Michigan
Husband and wife duo Alexander and Catalina Petok opened a new food truck located at 825 Charlevoix Ave
Alexander Petok said the two originally met in Hawaii
Florida for 10 years before moving to Petoskey last year to be closer to his parents
they found there weren't many options for people who are on a gluten-free diet
'Let's provide something that is not up here
that can help the community,'" Alexander said
Catalina said they have both worked in the service industry their entire lives
with backgrounds in luxury hotels and resorts
Alexander said that helped them have a customer-first approach to their services
which has been certified by the National Celiac Association
will have a rotating menu depending on what's available at local farms
"We want to stay local because all the local restaurants are supporting us," Alexander said
The truck offers breakfast items like avocado toast
the bakers will have products like pizza crust
millionaire bars and more available to purchase without buying a meal
Alexander said the food is all fresh and they don't put any preservatives in their items
"The menu is going to reflect the season and the menu is going to reflect the farms," he said
She said she wanted to make sure their food truck was a safe place for people with food allergies
making sure they don't feel excluded from a dining experience
Catalina added that starting the new business has been fun and has allowed their two children — a 16-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son — to see them grow something from scratch
Petok will be supplying gluten-free breads and baked goods to various restaurants and hotels in the area
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Alexander noted that while some gluten-free options are available at restaurants
so we want to make the experience just as good
for the gluten-free community as for the regular community," he said
They are also trying to spread awareness about gluten allergies and intolerance
so they plan to host a seminar in May at the Grand Unity Center to talk about what gluten and wheat are
For more information on the truck, visit chefpetok.com
PETOSKEY — Anyone who has attended a Petoskey athletic event or seen any of the facilities Northmen athletes take to each season knows there is no settling for average
why would National Signing Day be any different
That day came Wednesday at Petoskey High School and the Northmen did that day big too
as a total of 12 PHS athletes signed to compete at the next level of collegiate athletics
A range of sports and athletes were represented
Find out all the athletes and hear some of their stories below
Haden Janes and Korbin Sulitis were as close as it got on and off the field
Only part of that will continue at the collegiate level
Janes, an all-state defensive back, signed with Hillsdale College and Sulitis, an all-state quarterback and defensive lineman
both members of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference
but just the fact that we can compete against each other is pretty cool to think about,” Janes said
so we’re going to carry the rivalry no matter what.”
While Janes will indeed head to Hillsdale to play defensive back after a record-setting career
“I’m going to do whatever the program needs me to to,” Sulitis said
“I’ve trained myself to be a football athlete and I’m just looking forward to competing against (Haden).”
Janes got an up close look at the season Sulitis had and felt great knowing how much he excelled in a new position
“Everyone was doubting him coming in about him moving to quarterback and he just refused to let it bother him,” Janes said
“He came in as a great leader and commanded the offense all year
it was just as much fun being on the field and watching one opponent’s pass after another meet Janes’ hands
“I couldn’t be more proud of having him as my teammate,” Sulitis said
We were holding some high-octane offenses to numbers they hadn’t seen all year.”
offensive lineman Logan Coutcher singed with Alma College
He was a three-year varsity starter for the Northmen
Coutcher joins an Alma team that’s put together seasons of 11-1
Grand Rapids Community College baseball; Bre VerCautren
senior student-athletes everywhere will become the new teammate in the locker room
It’s something AJ Speigl and Bre VerCautren are already familiar with
Both new to Petoskey over the last couple years and standouts in baseball and softball
they’ll also both be taking the community college route
signing with Grand Rapids CC and VerCautren
For Speigl, the 2023 News-Review Baseball Player of the Year that helped Charlevoix to the semifinals in 2024
They’ve been really welcoming and it’s going to be a really good year.”
With joining Grand Rapids and taking the community college route
Speigl knows it can be a solid step in advancing to something more down the road
especially with the new junior college rules where you keep your four years of eligibility,” Speigl said
“It’s going to be great to go see and be a college athlete and then work my way up.”
Adrian College hockey and track; Alison Bailey
Both Madeline Loe and Alison Bailey will head to the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association soon
but they’re hoping to set more records this spring together first
Loe and Bailey are both standouts on the Petoskey track and share the 4x200 relay record together
“I’m really excited about this spring season,” Loe said
really good senior group and I’m excited about what we can do.”
Bailey singed with Calvin University to run on the track
as she’ll compete in both hockey and track
Loe has spent multiple years playing for a team out of Detroit at the AAA level
“I’ve been playing hockey since I was nine and skating since I could walk,” she said
it was a big decision and I ended up living down there for the hockey season.”
Loe is looking to build off the hockey season
“They definitely work with each other,” she said
“Hockey is a very explosive sport and so is sprinting
I’ve had some really great coaches that have helped me too
Petoskey’s Abby Wonnacott and Emma Berg don’t compete on the same Northmen team
they’ll enter college heading to the same conference
who helped the PHS girls golf team reach new heights
Both have been part of some special groups over recent years and Wonnacott gets one final run with hers this spring
I think we’re an amazing group of people and I couldn’t be the person I am without them.”
After falling in a district championship shootout a year ago
Wonnacott is also anxious to leave a better ending on her PHS chapter
When we’re in the weight room in open gyms
Centre College lacrosse; Austin Klingelsmith
Aquinas College lacrosse; Griffin Riccinto
Since becoming an official varsity sport at Petoskey a handful of years back
lacrosse talent within the program has continued to grow
Those wins came out of a solid core all around the lineup and three will be heading to the next level
Charlie Thomas signed with Centre College in Kentucky
Austin Klingelsmith will head to Aquinas College and Griffin Riccinto will make his way to Adrian College
For Thomas, who entered the MHSAA record books for points in a season a year ago
so I’m really happy to see all the guys were able to find somewhere to go and somewhere they’re happy with.”
which included a dominant regional win over Lansing Catholic
Thomas is looking to build off of it and being able to just go out and play and not have to worry about what’s next will help
“It’ll take some pressure off and we’ll just be able to go out and have fun and play.”
(WPBN/WGTU)— The city of Petoskey is grappling with a prolonged power outage as Consumers Energy has yet to restore power to a local substation
the restoration process could take one to two days
Petoskey City Hall has been transformed into a 24/7 warming center
"Community organizations have risen to the occasion and provided resources for us to take advantage of so we're thankful for food and drinks that were donated throughout the community
We have a number of folks that have taken advantage of getting to a warm location
to be able to charge devices so we encourage people to take advantage of that we will remain open until power is restored ," said Shane Horn
Public safety officers are conducting wellness checks
and Horn encourages residents to look out for one another during this time
Emmet County residents in need of further assistance are advised to call 211
MARQUETTE — The Petoskey boys basketball team isn’t used to rebuilding seasons
A program with the kind of history the Northmen have
it’s not exactly a normal sight to see them on the wrong end of the scoreboard more times than not
the 2024-25 season was in fact one of those
While they competed with the same kind of tenacity you’d expect out of Petoskey basketball
the Northmen were a year or more away from making it show at the final buzzer
when Petoskey traveled to Marquette in a Division 1 district semifinal and took a 93-62 loss
The loss closed out an 11-13 season for the Northmen
the first time in well over two decades that they’ve had a losing record as a program
Petoskey trailed in a 48-31 game at the half against the Sentinels
then got it as close as 11 points in the second half
never able to chip away any closer than that
That 11-point deficit quickly turned into 20 at the close of the third in a 69-49 game
then Marquette put its foot down in the fourth
leading by as much as 34 points in the final quarter
The Northmen struggled to contain a Marquette lineup full of talented players and veterans
who will play at Michigan Tech next season
McPhee gave the Northmen problems throughout the night
he found his 3-point shooters on the back side or someone cutting to the basket,” Petoskey coach Matt Tamm said
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Marquette (20-3) will meet Traverse City West in Marquette on Friday
The Titans (19-4) earned a dominant 68-36 win over Traverse City Central in the district Wednesday
Mason Fralick closed out his strong final season with 17 points
It was a special season for the Fralick brothers
with both starting every game together and the younger Braden a big piece of the future of Northmen hoops
“They are both passionate about basketball
are tireless workers and challenge each other daily,” Tamm said
Playing together was definitely a highlight for the brothers
their extended families and anyone who knows Mason and Braden.”
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Senior Haden Janes also had 10 points and sophomore Zach Wodek and freshman Lukas Nemec each had eight
Korbin Sulitis and Ely Pethers also closed out their PHS basketball careers
“We want to wish our four seniors the best of luck,” Tamm added
While it’s tough to say where the Northmen will be in building the program back up
staring a pair of freshmen this season in Braden Fralick and Nemec likely sped up the process
PETOSKEY — McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey has announced the first baby born at the hospital in 2025
was born to parents Jayley Beer and Steven Himebauch of Petoskey at 9:54 p.m