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AND BEYOND People of the year: Marquette County residents share stories of pandemic perseverance A special section of The Mining Journal - Friday, January 29, 2021
Stepping up: Local nurse volunteers to work in facility’s COVID-19 wing By RYAN SPITZA workplace, but it also altered Journal Staff Writer how Koski handled life outMARQUETTE — When side the facility. the COVID-19 pandemic “Pretty much everything I first took hold of the nation would say has changed,” she in March, Norlite Nursing said. “I had to live in a camper, Center in Marquette was separate myself from my famone of the first local nursing ily and I kept my distance homes to be hit hard by the from everybody. It was just go KOSKI virus. to work and go back home. Eight COVID-19 deaths Now that we’re kind of past have been recorded at the skilled nurs- that, I still don’t allow my family to go ing facility, along with 26 total resi- out and do much. It’s go to work and dent cases and 14 staff cases, accord- right back home. We’re continuing to ing to the state’s COVID-19 database. isolate ourselves until we get past No new resident cases or deaths have this.” been reported since the summer. Koski said being on the frontlines is When Norlite had its initial outbreak, a rewarding experience, but an eyeNicole Koski, a licensed practical opening one as well. nurse who’s worked at the facility for “It’s been very hard to watch all of four years, was one of the first to step the loss we’ve had over the last year,” up and weather the storm. she said. “It’s important to wear your “I signed up to work specifically in mask, socially distance and wash your the COVID wing when we had our hands. Do everything that’s recomoutbreak,” she said. mended and hopefully we can get this It wasn’t an easy assignment in the under control with the vaccines and
this will be over soon hopefully. It’ll take some time, but with the rollout of the vaccine, maybe we’ll see some improvement.” The Norlite night-shifter earned Employee of the Month honors for January. Koski was nominated by her peers for her quality care of residents, professional and positive attitude, as well as her willingness to help others, according to a Facebook post from the facility. Looking back, Koski said she has no regrets about jumping onto the frontlines. “I’m really glad I was a part of this,” she said. “It’s been an incredible learning experience. I’m really happy that I was able to help as many people as we’ve been able to. I know I’m definitely in the right career path for myself, that’s for sure.” Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.
At top, Sabina Villar, a Westwood High School teacher, says the COVID-19 pandemic has changed what she does greatly. (Photo courtesy of Sabina Villar) In the middle, Negaunee football head coach Paul Jacobson watches a Miners’ game while wearing a facemask. (Photo courtesy of Daryl T. Jarvinen) At bottom, Brendan King, an employee at Tadych’s Econofoods in Marquette, arranges rotisserie chicken at the store, which had to come up with a few adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)
Page 2 - The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021
Above & Beyond Managing a pandemic: Heffron outlines changes, challenges for city
Nick Dupras, manager and owner of Boomerang Retro & Relics in downtown Marquette, has had to pay more attention to cleaning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The store also has had to rely more on online sales. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)
Staying safe downtown By CHRISTIE MASTRIC Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — Small shops have not had the same challenges facing restaurants and bars, which have had to close indoor dining during the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, they have to accommodate safety measures while doing business. Boomerang Retro & Relics, located at 100 W. Washington St. in downtown Marquette, has a particular challenge in that it sells many small items that have to be kept clean. And they’re unique. Boomerang is filled with retro items such as old Thermoses, costume jewelry, ashtrays, hats, flasks, vintage-of-theera and retro clothing, and a host of other goodies with a mid-century feel. Manager and owner Nick Dupras said the summer and Christmas seasons were great, and after the holidays even has been all right. “It feels a little different — fewer tourists — but we’re doing good,” Dupras said. Boomerang has had to adapt to the COVID world,
though, and Dupras said it’s having more sales online than in the past. “We’re doing more with our web store and our website, because that was never a big part of our business,” he said. “We always had one, but we didn’t do much with it, and the pandemic and the closure kind of forced us to do that more.” Dupras promoted the website, found at www.boomerangretro.com, through social media, radio and “a lot of” word of mouth. There’s still the brick-andmortar store, however, which has to be kept clean. “We clean the door handles and we clean the register and the counters,” Dupras said. “We have a reputation for having a real clean shop anyway, and so we’re just doing that, only more so.” Even the hooks in the side rooms are cleaned. “We go through a lot of cleaner,” Dupras said. Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net
By RYAN SPITZA Journal Staff Writer NEGAUNEE — Being a city manager wasn’t easy pre-COVID-19, let alone during the pandemic. Just ask Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron. In the past year, Heffron navigated some daunting situations such as the roof collapse of downtown Negaunee’s Historic Vista Theater or the Kirkwood Building dispute. But he also had to ensure the city’s day-to-day operations ran smoothly and its residents were taken care of amid the pandemic. “I’m in a unique position where I was the one setting the (COVID-19) policy for (city) employees working underneath me,” he said. “The unknown at first was making everybody a little bit nervous. We first started by keeping as many people home as possible, splitting shifts and scheduling different crews to make sure we could mitigate the spread of the virus and its impact on employees.” With a population of roughly 4,500, the city operates with a limited staff. “The city is smaller, so we only have so many employees that work here and each employee only does certain things,” Heffron added. “There’s not a lot of cross-training. If the treasurer gets sick, about 30-40 percent of government activities could go down. The clerk is a better example, without the clerk, payroll might go down. It’s not as though we work in a bigger compa-
Negaunee City Manager Nate Heffron is pictured at City Hall. Heffron has adjusted to conducting business for a municipality throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Nate Heffron) ny where people can just fill in for folks.” While city buildings and offices remain closed to the public, Heffron said city services such as water and power have not been disrupted due to the pandemic. Most business can be conducted over the phone or via email. “Everybody who’s needed to conduct business has been able to,” he said. “Everybody who has a bill with the city has had the ability to have different methods to obtain those bills or obtain permits. It’s been pretty much
business as usual, just more talking on the phone and less face to face interactions.” City officials have conducted in-person meetings for certain tasks, but each staffer is subject to a health screening. “As we’ve gotten later into this pandemic, we’ve done some in-person meetings,” Heffron said. “However, those are screened, with masks and all that stuff. Nothing beats an in-person meeting but given the circumstances, those must be limited.” Heffron finished by saying business owners within the city, along with its residents, have remained tenacious in their ventures. “It seems like a lot of business activities are starting to brew in Negaunee,” he said. “It shows the resilience of entrepreneurship in the area. People want to move forward with life, regardless of how it affects them. “From my own standpoint, folks in public that want to see things get back to normal and want to see City Hall open, we get all of that. The first thing we have to do is make sure the facilities are safe. As long as we are still able to serve the public while this pandemic is ongoing, we’ll continue to have those policies in place until it is safe.” Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.
Above & Beyond
The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021 - Page 3
COVID-19 brings many changes to county jail operations; one may be permanent By RENEE PRUSI Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — Marquette County Sheriff Greg Zyburt can list more than a dozen changes in how his office does things because of the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those changes could become a permanent part of how the office works. That change is that court security has been shifted to one main entry point, screening visitors there by taking their temperature. “It has always been a big security issue,” Zyburt said. “We have had 11 entrances to the courthouse. We probably will keep it even after the pandemic is done.” Here are some of the other changes Zyburt listed: ! Deputies wear facemasks when interacting with people and use hand sanitizers after touching a person’s belongings. ! Cars and offices are disinfected at
the beginning and end of shifts. ! Deputies seek warrants unless the person needs to be physically arrested in serious felony cases. ! Complaints are taken over the phone rather than face to face whenever possible. ! Deputies limit traffic stops to people who are driving dangerously. ! Civil papers were not being served for a period of time due to most court proceedings being closed. ! Some deputies bring their patrol cars home to avoid congestion of deputies in the squad room at the start of shifts ! Anyone coming into the jail had to be isolated in blocks or wings for 14 days. Anyone new being put into the block set the isolation count back to 14 days. ! The department worked with the court system to get the jail population down during March and April. ! In November, the state mandated that anyone coming to jail had to have
a COVID test within 24 hours. Anyone being released had to have a COVID test within 72 hours before release. ! For a time, the state Department of Corrections stopped taking people sentenced to prison, which meant the county jail housed these people. ! Another Polycom video conferencing system was added so court arraignments, proceedings and attorney visits can be done remotely. For the most part, all court hearings and proceedings have gone remote. “We did have six cases where the jail staff did contract the coronavirus,” Zyburt said. “UP Health SystemMarquette helped us out immensely with getting staff tested and having a quick turnaround for the test results. ... UPHS continues to help us with testing and we sometimes have same-day results.” Renee Prusi can be contacted at 906-228-2500, ext. 240. Her email address is rprusi@miningjournal.net.
PWPL adapts with express services By CHRISTIE MASTRIC Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — Libraries, like many other institutions and facilities, have had to adapt to COVID-19. However, Peter White Public Library now is allowing walk-in express services. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Curbside hours are 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday through Friday. Anyone needing curbside services outside of the these hours are asked to call the library at 906-228-9510 to make arrangements for pick-up. Safety measures, though, will still be enforced. The library said it will continue to strictly enforce proper mask wearing — over the mouth and nose — and social distancing. Throughout the pandemic, though, the library has made programming adjustments too. PWPL Director Andrea Ingmire said
Peter White Public Library is shown. PWPL is offering walk-in express services amid the pandemic. (Journal file photo) all programming is virtual, and that will continue along with the curbside services. Also, returned materials will be quarantined for two days. “It was five days for several months, but a lot of the research lately has showed that two days is sufficient,” Ingmire said. Of course, regular cleaning of hightouch services, such as doorknobs and
door handles, will continue as well. The check-in process is taking a little longer too, Ingmire said, so the PWPL isn’t taking any fines on overdue items mainly because of the delay in check-in. Ingmire has hopes for the day when things return to normal with people actually visiting the library. “The last time that we were open for some walk-in traffic, we really saw a good response from the community, folks coming and observing all the guidelines to be in the building — mask wearing, social distancing and the like — but I do think there’s just a lot for people to do remotely, and it will be really nice to get folks in the building again,” Ingmire said. For more information about the library and its programming, visit pwpl.info or call 906-228-9510. Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net
Marquette County Sheriff’s Office Corrections Officer Erika LaFoille is shown in full personal protective equipment at the jail. The county sheriff’s office has made a host of changes to adapt to the COVID19 pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Marquette County Sheriff’s Office)
Page 4 - The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021
Above & Beyond
The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021 - Page 5
Pandemic has ‘profound impact’ on teachers, students Sabina Villar has been a business and technology teacher at Westwood High School for eight years and has been teaching for 13 years all together and she says the COVID-19 pandemic has made a profound impact on what she does. Brendan King, an employee at Tadych’s Econofoods in Marquette, arranges rotisserie chicken at the store. The grocery store has had to come up with a few adaptations during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as closing its salad bar. (Journal photo by Christie Mastric)
Safe shopping By CHRISTIE MASTRIC Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — How do you keep a grocery store safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, considering most people need to buy food to eat? Zach Quinnell, manager of Tadych’s Econofoods in Marquette, has overseen the store’s adaptations to keep everything safe. “We’ve kind of settled into the ‘new normal,’” Quinnell said. “For the time being, there’s still lots of challenges as far as securing product for our shelves and that sort of thing.” He said the Econofoods employees have been “magnificent” in handling those challenges. “I can’t say enough about our employees,” Quinnell said. Special duties including taking care of all the touchpoints, he noted, including cleaning the credit card machine between each customer as well as door handles. “Anything you can imagine that gets touched in a grocery store we clean,” Quinnell said. He said products have been difficult to get, although he
said the situation is getting better since the spring. “But it’s still tough,” Quinnell said. “We have everything that you need. We just might not have the brand that you normally get, or a situation like that might come. “The situation is so fluid and it’s changing so much, and we have to stay on top of it every day.” He said Econofoods doesn’t have the open salad and hot-food bars for safety’s sake, but has gone to full service on all hot food and prepackaged salads so customers still have those options. Brendan King works at Econofoods, sometimes as the nighttime cook and other times handling different duties. One of the changes he’s seen involves the way some food, such as the hot dishes, are sold. Now it’s in packages. “This way we can save a lot more food because only we have contact with it,” King said. Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net
How has the pandemic changed what you do as a teacher? The pandemic has restructured every aspect of education. No area has been left unchanged. But the underlying principles of teaching remain the same. We are here to connect with, nurture, support and challenge our students in order to help them grow. With that in mind, we have come up with some creative ways of reaching that goal. I am lucky in that I am very comfortable teaching with technology. I also teach various aspects of technology which means most of my classes transferred to a virtual environment relatively well. Internet connectivity issues and the various computer configurations of students have been a constant struggle. Luckily
this year our district was proactive in reaching out to those without equipment before the shut down to make sure plans were in place. This helped when the time came as students knew how they would continue their education during remote learning. Flexibility has been the key to teaching during the pandemic. Our typical structure cannot be enforced when there are so many extenuating circumstances involved. Patience, realistic expectations, leaning on each other for support and guidance and a healthy dose of humor help us survive. What is the most difficult part of teaching during a pandemic? Many aspects have been quite challenging. The learning curve for all of us was quite steep. Attendance is definitely a major concern. It is hard to keep a student current when they are not attending, whether that be virtually, in person or via hard copy. But I feel the underlying constant issue has been the inability to end the
Students wear masks as they work in Sabina Villar’s classroom at Westwood High School. (Photo courtesy of Sabina Villar) school day. With students in communications and conperson, online and hard cerns. Will any of what you copy, we are answering emails and grading work have had to do differently during every waking hour, 7 during the pandemic days a week. It is not in our become part of your teachnature to ignore a concern or ing protocol when we get question no matter what time back to “normal” ? Normal? Is that even possiit comes to us but because this ‘temporary’ situation has ble? I truly don’t believe we turned into a long-term issue, will ever return completely it is necessary for our own to pre-pandemic teaching. So mental and physical health to yes, I definitely will continue establish ‘quiet hours’ regarding school-related See Class p. 6
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Page 6 - The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021
Above & Beyond Class from pg. 5
Playing it safe: NHS athletes reflect on challenges By RYAN SPITZA Journal Staff Writer NEGAUNEE — It hasn’t been easy being a student athlete — let alone a high school senior on a varsity team — since the coronavirus pandemic took hold in March. Preston Toutant and Will Luke are seniors with the Negaunee High School varsity football team, who just concluded its lengthy season on Jan. 9 after a grueling fivemonth season full of delays, pauses and the ultimate unknown of being able to play. “It was a learning curve for
sure,” said Toutant, offensive and defensive lineman for the Miners. “Just adapting on the fly. Everyone was willing to adapt and I think that was the big part. Everyone just wanted to play so they were willing to adapt to whatever change we had to make for guidelines and rules.” “Everyone was all in, all year,” Luke, quarterback and free safety, added. “If we had to wear a mask under our helmets, or a face shield, no matter what it was, we were willing to do it just so we could play as many games as possible.”
to do some things differently. In the teaching profession, we are constantly adjusting our approach to best serve our students. When we do return to some semblance of normalcy, I feel we will still have fami-
Negaunee High School senior quarterback Will Luke, far left, and senior offensive/defensive lineman Preston Toutant, far right, huddle up with teammates before a play. The high school football season spanned five months due to a series of COVID-19 delays and pauses. (Photo courtesy of Preston Toutant) When the season was shut down again on Nov. 15 due to an uptick in cases across the state, Toutant and Luke
didn’t know if that was the end of their high school footSee Miners p. 7
Coach, football team weather adversity, uncertainity amid COVID-19 pandemic By RYAN SPITZA Journal Staff Writer NEGAUNEE — High school athletics in Michigan have arguably been placed on one of the biggest rollercoaster rides during the pandemic. In a tedious five-month season that spanned the first day of practice on Aug. 10, to the first game over a month later on Sept. 18, to the final game on Jan. 9, the Negaunee High School football team eventually did complete its season, with Miners head coach and NHS athletic director Paul Jacobson making sure his athletes kept a positive attitude for the entire journey. “I remember hearing stories
of my grandpa when he went through the (Great) Depression as a kid,” he said. “I remember him telling me one time that growing up in the depression, he had a lot of potato soup and not a lot of potatoes. Adversity makes people strong, it makes people be able to cope with life, and we’ve definitely had our share of adversity from March 13 on. “This football team was no different. We talked about the startups and the delays. From starting up on Aug. 10 to shutting down on the 14th, shutting down for three See Coach p. 7
Negaunee football head coach Paul Jacobson watches the Miners’ game against Manistique on Sept. 18 in Negaunee. (Photo courtesy of Daryl T. Jarvinen)
lies who will prefer the distance learning environment. I feel we will also rely less on seat time and more on proving competencies. With that being said, the laws governing education can sometimes be slow to adapt so I am not sure how much flexibility we will even have at a local level.
Above & Beyond
The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021 - Page 7
Outlanders adapts with ‘ghost kitchen’ By CHRISTIE MASTRIC Journal Staff Writer MARQUETTE — One local restaurant is using a “ghost kitchen” to keep business going through the COVID-19 pandemic. Anne and Nicole Klingler are co-owners of Outlanders, located at 1014 W. Washington St., Marquette, which offers a lot of homestyle but healthy food. The restaurant’s interior is inviting too, and includes table-side board games such as a miniature Jenga set. However, the pause in indoor dining throughout Michigan has changed
Miners from pg. 6 ball careers, as the Miners were in the midst of a state playoff run at the time. “There were a lot of emotions, definitely mixed,” Toutant said. “I mean some days, you thought that it was over, other days you were working out. There was hope for finishing out, so I think having that hope and that light at the end of the tunnel was always there we were all looking forward to finishing.” “It was definitely a rollercoaster of emotions during that shutdown,” Luke added. “We were all jacked up after
things for Outlanders, which is handling things “one day at a time,” Anne Klingler said. “It’s been tough,” she said. “We got through the summer OK. We had a pop-up barbecue grill outside in front of the building all summer long. It was kind of like a makeshift drive-through, and it went really well.” The cold weather months, though, require a different outlook, and Outlanders is open for carry-out. So far this winter, a “tight crew” has been working Outlanders, Anne Klingler said. our district (playoff) win and we were ready to get back after it on Monday. I think it was that Sunday they shut us down for three weeks, and it ended up being five or eight weeks. “We just tried our best to stay ready. Staying in shape and trying to stay ready for hopefully when our time came, and then we got to play again which was nice.” The Miners fell to Grayling 56-26 on Jan. 9 in an MHSAA Division 6 state quarterfinal, but the team was grateful for one more opportunity to play together. “It was pretty hard to make us closer with how close we already were,”
“The part that’s killing us is we didn’t have the festivals, and there’s no catering for the entire year,” said Klingler, who noted the restaurant would cater at least one wedding a week, if not two, during summers. Enter the “ghost kitchen” concept in which the restaurant uses the same equipment to create new types of food. So, Outlanders now is home to Nikki’s Snack Dispatch, which offers food online for delivery or carryout from 8 to 11:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday, Toutant said of teammates sticking together throughout the shutdown. “But if anything, it brought us more together. It brought us closer together because we all wanted to play still and we all had the same focus and vision.” “Our team was really close together, even before the shutdown,” Luke added. “This shutdown really sucked, but it made us come together even more just trying to stay ready and stay together as a group.” Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.
and 8 a.m. to noon Sunday. The dispatch menu includes Mexican street fries, homemade potato chips and triple chocolate chunk brownies, among other items that probably would satisfy a late-night craving. “That’s help supplement some of our income,” Anne Klingler said. “That’s doing very well.” For details, visit outlanderstogo.com. Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net.
Coach from pg. 6 weeks, starting up again for five weeks, shutting down for a couple of weeks, starting up again for three more weeks, I mean it was just an on and off with the adversity, and it really brings out your true leaders.” Due to executive orders from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, high school sports teams had a strict set of guidelines to follow in order to continue to play. “Who would’ve thought you’d have been meeting in Zoom meetings with your
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Anne and Nicole Klingler are co-owners of Marquette’s Outlanders restaurant. The restaurant operated a pop-up barbecue this summer, and currently operates Nikki’s Snack Dispatch from its kitchen. (Photo courtesy of Anne Klingler) football team?” Jacobson said. “Never in my 30 years of coaching have I ever experienced anything close to that. Then coming back and having to go non-contact (practices), and then playing in snow in December. “There were a lot of firsts but I’m proud of the resiliency of these kids and how they’re able to bounce back and rebound and just stay focused on what they wanted to do.” The Miners were eliminated in an MHSAA Division 6 state quarterfinal contest against downstate Grayling by a score of 56-26 just weeks ago. Despite the disappointing ending, the team was grateful to be able to get one
final trip in together. “From Nov. 15 when we got shut down again, that was tough. It was hard as coaches and hard for the kids to be able to keep that focus and inner drive going. But that’s what’s great about our kids. We still had fun when we were able to get together and what we were able to do as a team through that time was great. These kids did whatever they needed to do in order to get the closure and in order to keep playing as long as they could.” Ryan Spitza can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. His email address is rspitza@miningjournal.net.
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Page 8 - The Mining Journal, Friday, January 29, 2021
Essential Workers: Thank you for doing your part to support our community through this global health crisis. We are inspired by your sacrifice and grateful for your service.
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