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$1 - Tuesday, January 14, 2014
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Charlevoix
snowballs
Brandon Hubbard/News-Review
Waves rolling in from Lake Michigan at Fisherman’s Island State Park in Charlevoix shape ice into thousands of solid ice balls, as seen in this photo taken Sunday.
Flu activity increasing in our area
Iced over
Ice cover in the Straits and northern Great Lakes is earliest, thickest it’s been in 30 years
Still time to get vaccinated Rachel Brougham (231) 439-9348 - rbrougham@petoskeynews.com
The flu is here and area health officials say reports of the influenza virus are on the rise in Charlevoix and Emmet counties. The Michigan Department of Community Health reports at least six deaths so far this season and many hospitals are reporting an increasing number of patients infected with the flu. “We’re just seeing an upswing now and I expect to see an increase in activity over the next few weeks,” said Joshua Meyerson, medical director with the Health Department of Northwest Michigan. The department covers Antrim, Charlevoix, Emmet and Otsego counties. “(The health department) gets reports from schools and hospitals, and statewide we’re seeing an increase, along with here in the northern region,”
Meyerson said. “Influenza has definitely been reported in our region and those re por ts are increasing.” The Centers Meyerson for Disease Control and Prevention reports Michigan is one of 12 states that currently lists flu activity as regional. And while a spokesperson for McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey said the hospital hasn’t seen too many cases yet this season, there has been a steady increase in Influenza A cases at Charlevoix Area Hospital’s emergency room since December. Some of these cases have required hospitalization. “On a positive note, Charlevoix Area Hospital has seen a decrease in number of patients with flu like symptoms, See flu on Page A10
T
Morgan Sherburne
(231) 439-9394 - msherburne@petoskeynews.com
Courtesy image
A NOAA CoastWatch satellite image taken on Jan. 9 shows an icedover Green Bay, along Wisconsin. On that day, according to NOAA data, about 36 percent of Lake Michigan was iced over to some degree.
hanks to early January’s arctic vortex, Coast Guard ice cutters have been putting in overtime. “We’ve had more and thicker ice than we’ve had in 30 years, when they’ve started to keep good records,” said Lt. j.g. Derek Puzzuoli, with the public affairs office at the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Sault Ste. Marie. The Straits of Mackinac and the St. Marys River, which links the locks at Sault Ste. Marie to Lake Superior, the Straits and Lake Huron, have about 100 percent ice coverage, said Puzzuoli. During the cold snap, the cutters had to plow paths through the ice several times a day in order for commercial vessels, See ice on Page A10
Emmet officials ponder future of controller position Ryan Bentley (231) 439-9342 - rbentley@petoskeynews.com
Enlisting a search consultant’s help is one possibility Emmet County officials identified Monday to help in fielding candidates for the county controller position. The county board of commissioners’ personnel committee discussed options for dealing with the controller vacancy Monday, a week after the unexpected death of longtime controller Lyn Johnson. In anticipation of other commissioners’ interest in that business item, the meeting was posted as a full-board gathering, with the four remaining commissioners on hand in the audience for the three-member committee’s discussion. “The question comes, where do we go and what do we do,”
Johnson
said Jim Tamlyn, who serves as chairman of the county board as well as its personn e l c o m m i t t e e. “Since Lyn had been here for 30 years, none of us are familiar with
this.” Kathy Abbott, the county’s civil counsel, provided some backg round about the various types of administrative officer positions that exist in Michigan counties. Michigan law identifies oversight of accounts as a key responsibility for a county controller, although Abbott noted that Johnson’s role evolved over the years to include other management tasks as well. “He has been responsible for personnel and a lot of other things that the county does,”
GAS PRICE CORNER $3.43
Gas prices as of 7 a.m. today, Tuesday, Jan. 14, according to what we saw, you reported and gasbuddy.com:
$3.43
Petoskey: $3.43 Charlevoix: $3.49 East Jordan: $3.31 Boyne City: $3.43 Traverse City: $3.39
Petoskey
boyne city
CHEAPEST: east jordan
she said. Along with controllers, Abbott noted in a memo to commissioners that Michigan counties also may employ administrators, coordinators, combinations of those titles or other administrative officers. “It really boils down to what the board wants that position to be,” she said. Tamlyn noted his desire to achieve some continuity in day-to-day county operations. “I want stability for our people,” he said. “I want stability for the programs that we’re doing.” From the audience, commissioner Charlie MacInnis said it may be useful to compile a listing of Johnson’s responsibilities and recent projects to help in planning for the future of the position. He and commissioner Les Atchison noted the option of lining up an outside entity to
“He has been responsible for personnel and a lot of other things that the county does ... It really boils down to what the board wants that position to be.” Kathy Abbott, Emmet County civil counsel help with some search tasks, such as advertising for candidates, fielding applicants and giving them a preliminary review. Atchison noted that the city of Petoskey had successfully used a consulting firm to help in a management search within the past few years. County staff made plans to
Charlevoix council seeks cold camel investigation CHARLEVOIX — City leaders want an official investigation regarding the camels involved in the annual New Year’s celebration. Temperatures proved subfreezing and some local residents grew concerned for the creatures’ safety. City council member Jeff Porter said on Monday that camel rides in Bridge Park on New Year’s Eve was a public display of the “height of animal cruelty” because of the cold temperatures in the single digits and a frigid wind chill. See page A3
29 Today’s high
100%
Follow @ryan_bentley on Twitter.
Obituaries A6 classifieds B5-B6 TV/Comics B7-B8
Local Weather Petoskey Charlevoix
Yesterday’s high 39°
39°
Overnight low
29°
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Precip. (snow)
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People A7
sunset: 5:22 p.m.
gather details about possible sources of search help in preparation for the personnel committee’s Feb. 10 meeting. Last week, the county board had designated assistant controller/human resources director Marty Krupa to handle controller duties until the personnel committee had an opportunity to decide next steps. On Monday, the committee made a recommendation for the full board to designate Krupa as an interim controller as the county goes about the process of filling the job for the long term. Tamlyn said the board will consider this proposal at its Thursday, Jan. 16, meeting, and potentially could explore an adjustment in compensation based on the additional responsibilities.
Health & science B9
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Vol. 139 NO. 73 | 22 pages • 2 Sections
NORTHERN MICHIGAN REVIEW, INC. • Copyright 2014