Welcome to the Brand New Copper Beacon: What We’re Doing and Why
Today marks the relaunch of a new and improved Copper Beacon. Let me tell you about its history, mission and plans for the future.
Today marks the relaunch of a new and improved Copper Beacon. Let me tell you about its history, mission and plans for the future.
A teleconference between the volunteer relaunch team: Josh Vissers, Laura Smyth, Jennifer Donovan, Juxta Sprague, and Lily Venable.
Just as there is no perfect person, there is no perfect media. We all, mostly, try our best. When I taught media studies, I would start each semester with a lesson on propaganda and faulty logic, because deceit, self-interest, and manipulation are as old as humankind. But so is seeking truth, helping community, and a need to communicate with each other. So, along with propaganda, I would talk (probably a lot) about personal bias—how to recognize it and move past it. One mistake we often make, both as media “consumers” and media “producers” is believing we are without bias. That’s not humanly possible. But recognizing our own biases, our own blind spots and prejudices, is not only possible, it is essential, both in a democracy and in a news outlet.
Joshua Vissers started this online news source, now called Copper Beacon, as an exercise in delivering local news to a rural community without the undue influence that can come from relying on advertising revenue.
(Read a short history of the publication here: https://www.copperbeacon.org/about-us).
It is the ideal of every journalist I have ever met not to be thwarted in what they cover and how it can be covered by the commercial necessities of their news outlet. Investigating stories, writing stories, editing stories, getting good visuals to help bring stories to life…all of this is expensive, and the tried-and-true model in American journalism has been advertising. Subscriptions in this model help, certainly, but primarily to give advertisers a sense of the readership they can reach if they pay for an expensive advertisement. The potential conflicts of interest are ever-present and obvious.
This publication has never sought or accepted advertising. We rely on subscriptions, though we now are seeking other local and national, non-commercial sources of funding.
Copper Beacon has been and continues to be hyper-local. We cover four counties: Baraga, Ontonogan, Houghton and Keweenaw. With the view that journalism is a community service and not a product, we value local knowledge.
As I was working on this article in my Hancock office in late April, I decided to get out and enjoy the sunshine and clear my head. Walking down Quincy St. I found myself in the middle of the setup process for this year’s Puppy Parade. How perfect. I leave my office to clear my thoughts and immediately am immersed in an important and lovely community project. Students from Hancock High School were creating the route all along the sidewalk with chalk, leaving inspiring messages and colorful pawprints. The coordinator for the Puppy Parade, Rachel Lamppa from Copper Shores Community Health, chatted with me about the artwork the students were making and her passion for helping survivors of sexual violence. Officer Olsen was on hand, helping with the artwork and looking after the students. I had walked out of my head and into a community event outside my door. I encouraged the students to consider writing an article for the Copper Beacon about their experience on this project. Citizen journalism recruitment on the fly.
Victim advocate Rachel Lamppa with Hancock Police Officer Olsen at the Copper Shores Puppy Parade.
Rather than attempting to cover the entire U.P., Copper Beacon chose a deeper focus on truly local issues, and our plan is to grow through the development of local journalists and citizen journalists.
One big accomplishment that the publication has achieved so far is obtaining a 501(c)3 status. Being a non-profit will help us with our mission: Copper Beacon will deliver high-quality journalism featuring diverse voices and deep research to the residents of Houghton County and the surrounding area. With ethics, accessibility, and media education held as core values, we will lead the way for the modernization of news production in the Upper Peninsula.
Yes, that’s a big mission, but what’s the point in a small one? Together, we don’t need to do this instantly but rather can build on past achievements and develop new local talent. We have a dedicated local board to help guide the way. We are actively seeking input from residents for stories that could use greater coverage, and we will be training local writers to take a leap into this important project: local news.
We’re currently an all-volunteer staff, although freelance writers are paid contributors, but one of the goals we have as a non-profit is to develop foundational funding sources from both inside and outside the region that will allow us to develop more opportunities for paid writers and also to engage and educate local communities on the importance of local news coverage. Money coming into our non-profit organization brings funds into the local economy rather than sending money out of the area through advertising revenue to a national or international corporate parent company. As Joshua said to me in a recent phone conversation, corporate news ownership is “a straw for sucking money out of the community.” And that straw seems to get bigger with each passing day.
So, moving forward, we will keep the community events calendar going on a weekly basis along with smaller news items as they arise. The primary change will be to take a monthly deep dive into one specific topic of importance in the community and cover it in-depth. Look for story topics to be announced in the next few weeks and contact the editor if you would like more information about writing for (or learning to write for) the Copper Beacon. We’re excited about the future of this news outlet. Taking my cue from the students who were enthusiastically chalking up Quincy St. before the parade, I can tell you that we do this work with a deep commitment to the well-being of the whole community, and also an appreciation of good chalk.
Edit: This article was corrected for typos after posting. “Office” was changed to Officer and “conversion” changed to “conversation”.
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Residents wanting solar panels face stumbling blocks
They include state distributed-generation regulations, net metering caps set by electric utilities and local zoning ordinances regulating installation of solar panels.
Editor’s Note: This story has been corrected. We previously wrote that Hancock’s new solar and wind ordinance entirely prohibits industrial solar, but that isn’t the case. It restricts industrial solar to I-1 industrial districts and requires permits. We apologize for the confusion.
Renewable energy advocates say that homeowners can save money on electricity by installing solar panels, but there are stumbling blocks to using solar panels in the Keweenaw area. They include state distributed-generation regulations, net metering caps set by electric utilities and local zoning ordinances regulating installation of solar panels.
Net metering is an electricity billing tool that uses the electric grid to “store” excess energy produced by an individual’s solar panel system. Under net metering, the value of the energy produced by solar panels that a homeowner doesn’t use is credited back to their electric bill.
Net metering was designed to encourage the adoption of solar energy. The system was pioneered in the United States as a way to help use solar and wind to provide electricity. It enables customers who generate their own power to receive credit for the electricity they contribute to the grid.
A report by the Michigan State University Extension Service calls net metering “the gold standard” for solar billing in the U.S. According to the report, it was one of the main reasons the number of solar installations in Michigan quintupled between 2011 and 2018.
In 2018, Michigan’s Public Service Commission replaced net metering with a distributed generation program. Using distributed generation, electric utilities can credit less to residents who send their excess solar energy to the grid.
The Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO), Detroit Energy (DTE), Consumers Energy and some other electric utilities and co-ops in Michigan are using the distributed generation program.
Solar Caps
State law does not prevent electric companies from setting caps on the amount of solar energy generation eligible for credit,
UPPCO, which serves the Keweenaw peninsula, recently raised its cap to 3.5%. That means that the most a customer with solar panels can contribute to the grid for credit is 3.5% of peak demand or load and capacity.
Peak demand is the highest amount of electricity demand within a particular period of time. Load is the total electrical power being removed by the users of the grid. Capacity is the maximum output an electricity generator can physically produce, measured in megawatts.
There’s a thornier problem facing homeowners who want to install solar panels in our area. They say they have been told that the cap has been met in the UP as a region, so no more solar panel installations are eligible for the credit.
UPPCO spokesperson Brett French says that is not true.
“We have not reached the cap, and we are accepting applications,” he said in a phone interview.
Dr. Elizabeth Benyi
Dr. Elizabeth Benyi, who lives near Calumet, talked to her neighbors and got a few of them interested in installing solar panels.
“But again, when it came to permitting, they were denied because of the cap on solar,” she says.
An osteopathic physician and surgeon, Benyi lived in L’Anse for 10 years before she moved to Calumet. She wanted to get solar panels installed on her house in L’Anse. She says Blue Earth Solar tried to get permits for the installation but were refused. They were told that the solar cap had been met in the UP, so no more solar projects that tied into the power grid were allowed.
Pending Legislation
Benyi has been working for two years to help get legislation passed to get rid of the solar cap. First introduced in 2021 by Greg Markkanen, state representative for the legislative district that includes the Keweenaw, it would have eliminated the solar cap.
“But to no avail,” Benyi said.
New bills recently introduced by both Representative Markkanen and State Senator Ed McBroom, who also represents the Keweenaw, would remove the cap on solar energy credits.
Michigan State Rep. Greg Markkanen at a town hall event in Ontonagon. Photo by Joshua Vissers.
“I am very passionate about this issue,” said Markkanen in a phone interview. “We need to lift the cap and give people a choice. Many states near Michigan don’t have a cap.”
McBroom agrees.
“The system that we have in this state is rigged against controlling costs for individual consumers,” he said in a phone interview. “That’s unfair. The system isn’t working to the benefit of the people. Our high electric bills are stifling our economy.”
“The cap does discourage people from installing solar,” says Allan Baker, who has installed solar panels on the sides of the apartment building he owns in Houghton.
Senator McBroom has introduced two bills in the Michigan Senate. One would remove the solar cap. The other would bring back net metering and make it easier to establish community solar systems.
“Small-scale, local solar projects will be particularly useful to residents, providing an opportunity to independently produce energy for themselves and their neighbors, and providing savings on energy bills for those who subscribe,” the senator said.
According to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, Michigan currently does not have enabling legislation for community solar, so community solar programs in Michigan must be developed and managed through a local electric utility.
Escanaba and L’Anse have both established community solar systems. Those municipalities are served by their own, local electric utilities, not by UPPCO, Senator McBroom pointed out. L'Anse is served by L'Anse, Michigan Electric Utility, a municipally-owned organization. The City of Escanaba owns its own electric utility.
The senator thinks the legislation removing the cap and enabling community solar will pass. He’s less confident about bringing back net metering.
“The big utilities like UPPCO have powerful lobbies,” he explained.
Zoning Issues
As if caps on solar weren’t enough of a roadblock, there are zoning ordinances that severely regulate installation of solar panels.
The Michigan Zoning Enabling Act requires all zoning to be based on a master plan. The master plan therefore establishes the community’s formal policy position on solar energy development. Roof-mounted solar panels are allowed in most zoning jurisdictions in Michigan, according to an MSU Extension Service report.
The City of Hancock just passed a zoning ordinance regulating the development and use of solar and wind energy. The ordinance permits private, residential solar but limits “industrial” solar – systems designed for sale of power generated to off-site consumers – to the I-1 industrial district. This includes solar farms or gardens, which are community systems.
Calumet and Stanton Township have no zoning ordinances prohibiting solar panels, although Stanton Township Supervisor Marty Rajala said, “My personal opinion, not the township’s, is that anyone dumb enough to place a solar panel in our area, where the sun shines 15% of the year, should be allowed to throw their own money away and not be subsidized by the government.”
Houghton permits solar panels, subject to the city’s zoning ordinance, according to City Manager Eric Waara.
Adams, Franklin, Portage and Chassell Townships did not respond to questions about zoning ordinances regulating solar panels.
All About Money
What’s causing the ongoing conflict that has the solar industry and environmentalists on one side and utility companies and local zoning boards on the other?
It seems to be all about money.
“The cap has always been an artificial construct given to the utilities to help them make more money,” says Senator McBroom.
“UPPCO doesn’t have the best interests of the people at heart,” Representative Markkanen remarked. “It is a private, for-profit company with its eye on the bottom line and making money for its shareholders.”
If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.
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Small Pride event makes big waves
An estimated 300 people attended the Copper Country's first ever Pride event on June 3, featuring live music from local artists and a potluck.
The Ranger III passes Houghton Pride at Houghton Waterfront Park. Keweenaw Roller Derby (foreground) hosts their table and meets with interested locals. Photo by Juxta Sprague.
An estimated 300 people attended the Copper Country's first ever Pride event on June 3, featuring live music from local artists and a potluck. A dozen community groups lent tables, stickers, snacks, and even face-paint to help make Houghton Pride a success.
The afternoon started out with volunteers setting up tents as Houghton Pride's core organizers hung decorations and prepared tables, disposable dishes, and food labels for the potluck. The small venue was soon brimming with music, colors, and conversation as locals streamed into the park, many bringing food to contribute. At one point, snow cones were being distributed, and later a cotton candy machine made an appearance.
Evan Lanese, member of Bees! Bees! Bees! Bees!, sings at Houghton Pride. Photo by Juxta Sprague.
The atmosphere was decidedly festive, with many dressed in bright colors to express their LGBTQIA+ identities or support thereof. Striped socks, glittery shoes, patterned dresses, dyed hair, plaid pants, and flamboyant shirts were common sights. Attendance skewed younger, with many high-school and college aged, but infants to senior citizens were all represented.
Several local music groups performed at Pride and were paid out of a successful crowdfunding effort coordinated by Keweenaw Queers, the lead organization for the event. The band Bees! Bees! Bees! Bees! kicked off the event with their four-person group jamming out to cheers and applause.
Event organizer Riley Powers (left) speaks with a community member. Photo by Juxta Sprague
Many of the supporting groups hosted tables, including the Copper Country Community Arts Center (CCCAC), Dial Help, and Keweenaw Roller Derby. Two local faith groups also attended; Canterbury House and the Keweenaw Unitarian Universalists (KUUF). Various politically progressive organizations were also present including Michigan United, Equality Michigan, and The Red Nation. The Houghton County Democrats also were in attendance with a life-size cardboard cutout of President Joe Biden.
If you’re interested in republishing this story, please email us at editor@copperbeacon.org.
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Honey bees welcome, or not?
The City of Houghton is considering a controversial proposal that could ban beekeeping within its city limits, sparking concerns among local beekeepers and environmentalists.
The City of Houghton is considering a controversial proposal that could ban beekeeping within its city limits, sparking concerns among local beekeepers and environmentalists.
The Houghton City Council is currently accepting public comment on whether to rewrite or push forward Proposed Ordinance 2023-330, an ordinance on animal and pet keeping within Houghton City Limits, to replace Ordinance 10. The current language of the proposed ordinance would disallow beekeeping in Houghton if enacted. City Manager Eric Waara cites concerns over bee stings when hives are kept in small lots with close neighbors, particularly in regard to people who are allergic to bee stings.
Questions arise over whether the global environmental and impending food crises make it an appropriate time to ban the keeping of bees. Bees are a keystone species vulnerable to extinction and responsible for pollinating more than a third of the world’s food supply. Waara, points out, however, that some research suggests that keeping honey bees actually hurts the native bee population of an area.
According to Dr. Meghan Milbrath, a pollination expert at Michigan State University, native bees and honey bees end up competing for food resources. However, this can be offset by having policies and practices to promote more planting of flowers and flowering trees.
Waara maintains that trying to enforce beekeeping regulation and policy is a logistical nightmare.
“How deeply do you want to regulate things? That takes resources in a community. If the community passes an ordinance that's unenforceable, it has wasted its time,” Waara said.
Copper Country Beekeeping Club representative Pete Cattelino says the process of making an ordinance that appeals to everyone could be simple.
Local beehive, photo by Pete Cattelino
“Many communities have ordinances that allow beekeeping under certain conditions and generally accepted best practices. We feel Houghton can use these ordinances as a starting point to write an ordinance that will be acceptable to the City as well as local beekeepers and provide for safe and responsible beekeeping.”
Cattelino said that honey bees play an important role in pollinating vegetables, fruit, flowering plants, and trees in our community. He ultimately hopes the Council will put in the effort so that beekeepers can continue to have bees in their yards in Houghton.
“Many backyard beekeepers enjoy having bees to produce honey for themselves and to improve pollination in their gardens and property,” says Cattelino. “Prohibiting beekeeping in the City of Houghton would eliminate the opportunity for existing and future beekeepers to participate in this fascinating and beneficial hobby.”
Local beehive, photo by Cathy Azzarello
Some solutions being discussed might include requiring a minimum lot size or screening provisions for keeping hives (to make sure the bees fly up, away from people, instead of out), or appointing an officer to regulate sourcing.
The city council will decide whether Ordinance 2023-330 passes into law, effectively banning beekeeping in the City of Houghton limits. All residents are invited to attend and voice their concerns or lend their expertise on the matter. The next Council meeting is Wednesday, April 12, at 5:30 p.m. at 616 Shelden Aven. in Houghton.
No word on cause of Houghton apartment building fire
Investigators seem to have moved on
Investigation into a fire that destroyed an apartment building on College Avenue in Houghton last March has stalled. The state fire marshal’s report states that the cause is ‘yet unofficial,’ adding that a natural gas leak was the possible cause.
The building before the fire, via Google Maps.
The report lists the cause as “under investigation” and says that factors contributing to the start of the fire are “undetermined.”
“Cause yet unofficial” is a designation that leaves the incident open to further investigation. An official of the Houghton Fire Department said that further investigation is up to the fire marshal or Michigan State Police. Neither agency seems to be pursuing the investigation. Copper Beacon emailed both agencies. The fire marshal’s office in Lansing replied that they are not pursuing the investigation. We received no response from two emails to the Michigan State Police.
Photo by Juxta Sprague
We asked SEMCO Energy if they are looking into a possible gas leak. To date, they have not replied.
The building’s eight tenants all escaped unharmed. There were five vehicles on the premises at the time of the incident, and four of them were destroyed in the fire.
The fire marshal estimated the two-story building to be worth approximately $500,000, with another $250,000 in contents lost.
The owner, Gregg Nominelli, could not be reached for comment.
Photos by Juxta Sprague
MTU's Lakeshore Center walkway collapses into Portage Lake
Original photos and MTU's press release
I received this press release, and since I was going out anyway, I stopped to get some photos of the damage. Let me know if you’re interested in any follow-up on this. Seems pretty straightforward to me.
From Michigan Tech’s director of communications:
Late in the afternoon on August 25, a portion of a concrete dock next to the Lakeshore Center fell into the Portage Waterway. The Lakeshore Center is a Michigan Tech building that houses some administrative functions—it is located away from the main campus. The dock had been under surveillance due to cracking and shifting, and foot traffic on the dock was restricted two weeks ago while its condition was under assessment. Michigan Tech Public Safety and Police Services, as well as UP Engineers and Architects, were on the scene immediately after the dock portion fell.
Initial reports indicate the Lakeshore Center was not damaged and is not at risk. Out of an abundance of caution, access to the building is currently restricted, with only those who are helping assess and repair the damage allowed on-site. Employees have been asked to work remotely for approximately 10-14 days until repairs are complete.
Photos by Late Edition
Parcel split, collective bargaining agreements, thanking Rachel Lankton, upcoming public hearing
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Houghton City Council, June 23, 2021
Houghton’s City Council meeting was pretty quiet this week, but there were a couple of items of note.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Eric Waara’s report, he covered ongoing construction and beautification projects in the city, an update on pier funding, and possible futures for the city center building.
During the Police Chief’s report, he gave an update on calls and accidents, officer training, and the department’s work toward upgrading their body mics and in-car cameras.
Among other things under “New Business” on the agenda, the board approved a parcel split of “Lot D” of the proposed future development along Canal Road.
They also voted to approve new collective bargaining agreements with the Department of Public Works and police unions, as well as an updated agreement for non-union and non-contract employees.
The board also reviewed the Personnel Committee’s review of Waara’s performance. He got a raise.
The council also scheduled a public hearing for a rezoning ordinance for parcels of land along Canal Road near the mouth of Coles Creek for their next meeting, July 14.
And finally, they honored former Councilor Rachel Langkton with a round of applause and cake to go around.
Houghton City Council selects participants for pre-charrette workshop
Just a couple of noteworthy things in the last Houghton City Council Meeting; incremental movements in ongoing issues.
I was able to boost and scrub the audio from the botched recording. I found my error and it shouldn’t happen again, but I apologize for the delay and the below-par sound quality. It’s not up to standards, I’ll do better.
City Manager’s Report - City Manager Eric Waara gives the council an update on the recent and upcoming goings-on in the city. It starts at about the 8-minute mark. He typically includes ‘10 good things’ toward the end, which is kind of nice, too.
Pre-Charrette Workshop Participants - The council selected who among themselves and who from the members of the public that applied will participate in the upcoming workshop moving toward creating an inclusive process for development in Houghton. The discussion and vote start at about the 31:30 mark.
Rules of Order Discussion - An ongoing discussion about altering the council’s rules of order was continued with a brief subcommittee report and request for more information. The discussion starts just before the 34-minute mark.