Santa Babies: One-day-old Evie Pruce and other wee babies (one was only two hours old!) got a visit from Santa at the annual “Presents for Paeds” event at the Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Each year the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service, the Kinsmen Club, Santa Claus and Elmer the Safety Elephant visit the hospital to give Christmas gifts to children, and Darren Taylor of SooToday documented the giving spirit in photos.
Meanwhile, SooToday definitely makes the “Nice” list this year, ramping up to Christmas with its 12 Days of Christmas surprises for deserving local folk thanks to gifting from various sponsors.
Also in the spirit of the season: An anonymous donor paid off all of the outstanding “negative meal accounts” for lunches in the School District of Ashland, Wisconsin, meaning that all students can start the year with a clean slate on lunch costs.
Power Funding for a New Trail: Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, exceeded a $50,000 crowdfunding goal for a mile-long Power Canal Trail that would run beside the St. Marys River from Lake Superior State University downtown to Water Street. The trail is meant to link outdoor recreation to downtown history. Construction is set for June 2018, reports Aaron Parseghian and Matthew Myers of 9&10 News.
Three Little Alligators: Three young gators arrived from Texas to spend a year on the other end of Interstate Highway 35 at the Great Lakes Aquarium in Duluth, reports Fox21. Crocosaurs (OK, we made that up) or rather ancient members of the crocodile species actually probably did roam the Great Lakes region, Natalie Riemer, an animal care specialist at the aquarium, told Fox21.
Ho, Ho, Holidays: Two Upper Peninsula towns made the nice list on OnlyInYourState.com among Michigan’s best Christmas towns. Christmas, Michigan, with its themed name and renovated Santa (see here) and Ironwood with its many community activities during the holiday season are guaranteed to grow the Grinch’s heart.
Mini Moose: A study shows that the moose of Isle Royale, while growing more plentiful as the wolves disappear, also appear to be growing … less. As Michigan Technological University researchers reviewed 40 years of studying the skulls of moose on the island, they noted a general 16 percent decrease in skull size during that period, reports Dan Kraker of MPR News. The Michigan Tech study, published in the Global Change Biology journal, suggests a climate change link to the shrink: “In particular, we document: (i) a trend of increasing winter temperatures and concurrent decline in skull size (decline of 19% for males and 13% for females) and (ii) a negative correlation between skull size and winter temperatures during the first year of life.” The study also noted decreased lifespans for the moose over the course of the four decades, especially if they were born during winters with higher-than-average temperatures.
Another Large Member of the Deer Family: The Lake Superior shoreline caribou have experienced a severe reduction in numbers on the main Ontario islands they inhabit. As we reported in the October/November 2015 issue of Lake Superior Magazine, wolves had crossed ice bridges to both the Slate Islands and Michipicoten Island. An emergency air-evacuation early next year of the Michipicoten Island herd has announced by the province’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, according to a story by Liam Casey of The Canadian Press published in the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Journal. According to the story, “A survey of the herd in 2011 showed 680 caribou on the island. Last year, there were only 120 caribou and about a dozen wolves.” The Michipicoten First Nation has raised concerns that the airlift may not be soon enough, reports the CBC. Meanwhile, the Slate herd may already be devasted by wolves. This week, Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer with the MNRF, told us that a June-October tally “confirms that there are two to four bull caribou at minimum, however, there have been no recent signs of cows or calves. Ministry research scientists are confirming status of caribou on Slate Islands this week.” On a related note, she adds that visitors to Neys Provincial Park on Lake Superior may see woodland caribou, but "viewing opportunities are limited with very few sightings each year. This has been the case for a number of years.”
End of the Saltie Season: The Beatrix, a Netherlands-flagged Royal Wagenborg freighter, left Duluth near 2:30 a.m. Wednesday (Dec. 20) with a load of spring wheat for Tilbury, England, becoming the last saltie to leave the Twin Ports for the 2017 oceangoing season and locked through at the Soo by mid-morning Thursday. The locks on the lower Great Lakes out the St. Lawrence Seaway are set to close on Christmas Day. The Soo Locks are scheduled to close mid-January until mid-March. You can track Beatrix on vesselfinder.com or marinetraffic.com. The Prescott Journal published a release on the latest Seaway cargo figures showing volumes up 8.5 percent over last year from March to November 30 with iron ore from our region helping to boost that tonnage. According to the release: “Year-to-date Seaway iron ore shipments reached 7.4 million metric tons, an increase of 34 percent driven primarily by U.S. iron ore pellet exports to Asia. Dry bulk shipments (including products such as road salt, stone, gypsum and coke) topped 9 million, up 12 percent. General cargo (which include steel, aluminum, project cargo) shipments via the Seaway totaled 3.2 million metric tons, up 28 percent.”
Bear vs. Corgi Dad: When a young male black bear lumbered into his yard in Isabella, Minnesota, and snatched Darla, his 2-year-old corgi, William Vagts didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bear’s neck in a bear hug. “The bear was right on top of her and I could see her eyes, they were like saucers. If I had waited even two seconds longer before I ran there, she would have been ripped open. He had her in his jaws,” William told Lisa Kaczke of the Duluth News Tribune. After releasing Darla, the bear turned and bit William in the abdomen and then ran off and not long after attacked two contractors working on a project nearby. The bear was killed after authorities responded to their 911 call. The Minnesota DNR is investigating what might have caused the bear to attack, especially during a season when it might be expected to be hibernating. William is getting rabies shots and Darla sustained three puncture wounds. An Associated Press story on MPR quoted the two contractors, Gary Jerich and Daniel Boedeker, who were injured while fighting off the bear, which chased them to their vehicle.
That Could Ruin the Felt: “Sex on the Pool Table” is one of the top requested cocktails at one of Marquette’s oldest taverns, according to a story by Amy Sherman at MLive about the 83-year-old pub in a Third Street building once home to an even older tavern started in 1870. Remie’s opened in 1934 when John Baptist Remillard purchased it just after Prohibition ended. His family owned it for three generations until the Moddell family bought it and continues to operate the popular spot, known for its super-sized (32 oz.) cocktails. Among the most popular libations: Sex on the Pool Table, Remie's Captain Cream Soda, Remie's Red Punch and highly popular pudding shots, 50+ flavors of which (like the Rocky Road shots pictured) have been created by Heather Moddell, current owner with husband, Russ Moddell.
Photo & graphic credits: Starline/Freepik; Darren Taylor/SooToday; Bob Berg; Paul Scinocca; Courtesy Remie’s.