Tracking Bird Migration at the Straits

Eagles, Hawks Converge Here To Cross Great Lakes, Making Bird Watching a Thrill

Birders of all skill levels are now scanning the skies in Mackinaw City as the community’s annual Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch and the accompanying Mackinac Straits Waterbird Count have begun. The daily counts track the annual northern migration of birds and will continue throughout the spring. The third annual Raptor Fest, held in conjunction with the counts, is also scheduled […]

Spring Storms Bring Fresh Snowfall


The calendars say April, but the winter weather isn’t done quite yet in the Straits of Mackinac area. Just as much of the snow had started to melt off, a large snowstorm rolled through St. Ignace and surrounding areas to the north and south Saturday, March 31, that again blanketed communities with snow. A second larger storm was expected to […]

St. Ignace Home Show Is This Week


The St. Ignace Home Show, Spring Expo, and Gun Show will take place inside Little Bear East Arena this weekend with a wide variety of vendors present offering their products and discussing their services. The show will be open Friday, April 6, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is […]

Variety of Jobs To Be Offered at Fair


“Anyone who wants a job can find one,” says Jim Clapperton of Michigan Works Upward in St. Ignace, speaking of the upcoming St. Ignace Job Fair Wednesday, April 11, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Little Bear East Arena. “I don’t know of any business that has fulfilled its hiring needs yet.” Approximately 45 businesses from the Straits of […]

Printing Moves To Petoskey

Several significant changes in The St. Ignace News will be noticed this week by our readers. A new header on the front page, what we call the Flag, updates the artwork to match our Web site. Designed by two of our graphic artists, Heather Nettleton and Brandi Kopitz, it was introduced to our online readers earlier this year. This week […]

Government 101: Engaging the Public, Seeking Input Are Roles of Local Officials

Engaging the public and seeking input on local issues is the role of local elected and appointed officials, who ultimately work for the public. That was the lesson of a recent meeting held by the League of Women Voters of the Eastern Upper Peninsula at the St. Ignace Public Library Monday, March 26. A panel of local township and county […]

Assessing Drinking Water Quality Varies From Place to Place; U.P. Fares Well




Pinpointing one area in Michigan that has the cleanest drinking water, or the worst, isn’t straightforward, because different areas have different environmental concerns. Mackinac County is one of the cleanest in the state in terms of naturally occurring levels of arsenic in groundwater, which is common in some areas throughout Michigan because of the geological makeup of the land. In […]

Carmeuse Receives Grant for Investments and Creation of 32 Jobs

Carmeuse Lime and Stone received a $200,000 Michigan Business Development Program grant in recognition of recent efforts to expand its operations in northern Michigan. The company plans to improve facilities in Cedarville, Port Inland, and Rogers City, invest about $96.3 million during the next several years, and created 32 jobs in 2017. The investments earned the company the grant, which […]

Additional Anchor Supports Will Be Installed Along Line 5

As soon as the weather allows, 22 new anchor supports will be installed along Enbridge Energy’s Line 5 pipeline the runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac. Enbridge has been seeking the supports since last summer, and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved permits for them Friday, March 23. Once the new supports are installed, there will be 150 anchors […]

St. Ignace City Council Members Paid $1,170 for Month of February

St. Ignace City Council members were paid $1,170 for the month of February. The mayor receives $70 to attend council meetings and $60 to attend committee meetings or represent the city at events. Council members receive $60 to attend council meetings and $50 to attend committee meetings. Council members received the following amounts: Connie Litzner, $260: Council, February 5; DDA, […]