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Dear editor
I would like to convey to the Karelian Bear Dogs, particularly after the tragedy of so many of your breed having been shot by snipers in the Russo-Finnish War, a friendly welcome to the Upper Peninsula. May your toughness allow you to live and thrive; may your enthusiasm bring a smile to your snout in this wintry land; may the pups you love bound alongside our children on long woodland trails through a brighter future.
Chevalier Dan Boyer, Houghton

Dear editor
The Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Inc, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in Big Bay, expressed disappointment with the Department of Environmental Quality in the promulgation of rules for Part 632, a statute developed for the regulation of non-ferrous metallic (sulfide) mining in the state of Michigan.
We knew going in that there would be areas that the work group could not all agree on, but the DEQ has chosen to change some key items that we did have group consensus on.
One item pertained to making sure there is specific language regarding liners and when a mining operator would be held in violation for a leaking liner and subsequent contamination of the ground water.
We all had agreed on specific language that would note at what point a violation would occur - once it was found that groundwater had been contaminated. As it stands right now, as long as the company fills out a report and identifies a plan for remediation—there will be no violation. It was so important to us that a mining company/operator be fully accountable for their actions. This will not be the case in Michigan if these rules go forward.
Other issues that have been identified by the YDWP include:
• The original rules called for a full two years of on-site flora and fauna studies to be part of the Environmental Impact Assessment. The new rules call for only one year of on-site data. · Subsidence (caving in) destroying natural features such as lakes, rivers, etc., will be allowed on an operator’s property
• Siting Requirements that would identify specific areas in the state where sulfide mining would not be appropriate were not added to the rules, despite much public comment to the DEQ about this requirement.
In general, the rules do not stand up to the excellence of the statute. Not only do they not stand up to the spirit of the statute, they create an arena for company misconduct with no retribution. The losers are our water, our unique places in Michigan and the citizens of this state.
Cynthia Pryor, executive director
Yellowdog Watershed Preserve

Dear editor
Michigan fell seriously short of Governor Jennifer Granholm’s goal of having the “strongest mining law in the nation” based on the final draft of the rules promulgated by the Department of Environment Quality (DEQ), outlined in a report released recently. Save the Wild U.P. believes these rules will fail to protect Michigan and control nonferrous mining.
In critical areas—such as the total lack of siting criteria, which would allow the DEQ to deny a permit for a proposed mine in an environmentally sensitive area, criteria which are included in virtually all state laws—these rules are among the weakest in the nation. No area is safe, no matter how beautiful, wild, close to water or sensitive it may be. The DEQ has shown bias towards nonferrous mining by producing rules that cannot protect Michigan, even if the agency finds the money and the will to attempt it.
The inevitable results, if this draft stands, will be a degradation of our water, the end of spawning coaster brook trout in Michigan, serious threats to the Great Lakes from a new and risky kind of mining district, the destruction of priceless wild places and lasting damage to the permanent economic base of the U.P.
At the public hearings, hundreds of citizens repeatedly asked for tougher rules.
“Marquette could be considered the current mining capital of the state with its rich heritage and with all of the people currently employed by mining, and of all the people we talked to, and of all the people we heard testify here tonight, not one person asked for (less restrictive) rules,” said Sierra Club’s Marvin Robeson at the Marquette hearing. “Everyone asked for tough rules. You need to keep that in mind.”
The DEQ did not. The stakeholders group came to agreement on many issues that DEQ has subsequently weakened. An outpouring of citizens testified and urged tougher regulations. That is not reflected in the result.
The rules are the result of compromises between industry and the DEQ.
It is Michigan’s environment and the U.P. economy that is compromised.
No state has ever successfully prevented significant pollution from metallic sulfide mines. Uranium mining also falls under these rules but is simply not addressed at this time. When degradation of the environment occurs, which seems inevitable, it is not even automatic that a violation has occurred: industry just has to propose a response plan. The damage may well in any case have already been permanently done. Some things, like wildness, and purity of the Great Lakes and the U.P. streams that flow to them, cannot be remediated. Industry will point to mines with pride and say, “We have not been cited for a single violation.” And that may be true, since it is unclear at what point, if ever, a violation has occurred.
The DEQ will have the option of charging fines when the damage begins. This has always appeared to be a major conflict of interest in the regulatory process. In many cases, no effective remediation will be possible. If there is an incident of subsidence (a collapse of the land below a river or lake) and massive acid and dissolved heavy metals flow into Lake Superior, there is no way to restore the lake and stop the damage. If full remediation is not possible, the DEQ keeps fines and is rewarded by the income from fines.
The incentives are all wrong. It is in DEQ’s interest to see mining start, and to impose fines repeatedly, which may be why the regulatory agency and industry seem to find themselves in agreement. It is also in the industry’s benefit to pollute and just pay fines. It’s cheaper. That process does not protect the water and environment of the state.
Tom Baldini, congressional aide of U.S. Representative Bart Stupak offered comments at the Marquette hearing from the congressman, who has said the state may not have enough money to enforce mining regulations.
“We cannot allow mining to begin until we know who will pay for the implementation of the law, who will be held accountable for any possible long-term damage from mining, and how we will go about requiring regular studies to ensure environmental and health damage is not occurring,” he said.
Save the Wild U.P. heartily agrees, and the proposed rules do not do the job. The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules has fifteen days to object, and we urge them to stand up for Michigan and object.
Albert Einstein famously said, “God does not play dice with the universe.” The DEQ appears willing to play dice with Michigan’s most precious resources.
—Dick Huey, Save the Wild U.P.

In Memoriam—Leonard “Oakie” Brumm
The Marquette Monthly staff lost a good friend recently when Leonard “Oakie” Brumm lost his battle with a very aggressive form of cancer on January 17.
Oakie was a friend, mentor, someone to call on for advice often, one of our most trusted and interesting writers and someone we will never forget.
Much has and will be written about Oakie, but it’s enough to say that we at MM maintained and valued a friendship that began in early 1970s.
Oakie’s sense of humor, wry wit, loyalty, the ability to always be there when he could help and his insights into the world around us almost equaled his many accomplishments.
And he was a person with whom one could disagree and remain best of friends; that’s just about the nicest thing one could say about anyone.
Oakie’s family plans to hold a memorial in Marquette at a later date. Our condolences to his family; thank you for sharing him with us.
Following is a list of the articles Oakie wrote or was a part of; all are available on our Web site at www.mmnow.com
• May 2000—City Notes included an update on his age-discrimination lawsuit against the Elmbrook (Milwaukee) Public School District.
• July 2000—Lookout Point: “The Hottest League on Ice” by Oakie Brumm
• February 2001—Madonna Marsden wrote a piece called “The Day the Pros Faced Off with the Cons: Marquette’s Most Infamous Hockey Game”
• March 2002—Back Then: “Girl Goalie: How Pro Hockey’s First Woman Goalie Took the World by Storm—Right Here in Marquette” as told by her coach, Leonard “Oakie” Brumm
• August 2002—Back Then: “Dipping into the Past: Poor Man’s Paul Bunyan Makes one Frosty Dive” by Oakie Brumm
• Feburary 2003—Lookout Point: “Kuwaiti Ice Arena Provides Unique Social Opportunity within Arab Culture” by Oakie Brumm
• January 2004—In the Outdoors: “Fall 1940: Marquette’s Own ‘Boil’ Game” by Oakie Brumm

Marquette Choral Society searches for award nominees
The Marquette Choral Society invites nominations for its 2006 Upper Peninsula Choral Leadership Award. The deadline to submit names of candidates is February 14.
Nominations must be submitted in writing and provide evidence that the candidate has at least ten years of service to choral music in the Upper Peninsula, and has demonstrated excellence in teaching, conducting and/or support for quality choral music in the Upper Peninsula.
For details, call 249-4577. Nominations should be sent to Marquette Choral Society, 507 Hustler, Gwinn, MI 49841 or e-mailed to nightingale7797@yahoo.com

Munising hosts twentieth annual Michigan Ice Fest
The Michigan Ice Fest takes place February 2 to 5 in Munising. Munising is home to some of the best ice climbing in the Midwest, and this year event organizers are expecting about 400 participants from all over the United States and Canada.
Since its inception twenty years ago, the Ice Fest has grown to the third largest in the country.
There is a $20 entry fee, which includes access to an ice climbing demo, four slide shows and a raffle ticket. Instructional ice climbing courses are available for an additional $85.
For details, call 226-7112. The 2006 registration packet is available at www.downwindsports.com

Local art group holds annual Glacier Glide in Marquette
The Lake Superior Art Association will host the eighteenth annual Glacier Glide Winter Outdoor Art Exhibit from noon to 5:00 p.m. on February 18 at Presque Isle Park in Marquette.
The exhibit is an opportunity for artwork to be viewed by hundreds of art and outdoor enthusiasts. Artwork displayed outdoors is accessible by hiking, snowshoeing or skiing, while youth-made art will be displayed inside the pavilion.
This non-juried show requires works that will stand up to the winter elements and are large enough to be seen from the trail. All entries must be pre-registered and suitable for family viewing. Ribbons and cash prizes will be awarded. Viewers vote for the people’s choice “Best of Snow” award.
There is no admission fee and refreshments will be provided.
Entry forms can be picked up at the City of Marquette Arts and Culture Center, Superior View and the Oasis Gallery in Marquette.
For details, to register art work or volunteer, call 227-2548 or 226-5310 or e-mail patsmith@nmu.edu and include “Glacier Glide” in the subject.

Community workshop offers leadership guidance
The Community Foundation for Delta County has partnered with the Great Lakes Center for Youth Development to offer a board development workshop for area nonprofits, faith-based and community organizations.
The workshop is designed to help boards and chief executive officers learn how to build boards that work well together and to take advantage of the skills and expertise available through board members.
Karen Dubow, a board development consultant and trained evaluator, will lead the workshop. The workshop will be held from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on February 9 in Room 962 at Bay College. The cost is $50. For details, call 228-8919.

Grant opportunity announced for social innovators
Civic Ventures, a national think tank and service program for aging Americans, is looking to nominate five innovators who wish to take on society’s biggest challenges. It’s for those with the passion and experience to discover new opportunities, create new programs and make lasting change.
Each year Civic Ventures awards $100,000 prizes to five individuals who have demonstrated uncommon vision, determination and entrepreneurialism in addressing community and national problems.
The deadline is February 28. To be eligible for the prize, the nominee must be at least sixty years old (by the deadline date), a U.S. resident, and currently working in a leadership capacity in an organization or institution (public, private, nonprofit or for-profit) to address a major social problem.
For details, visit www.leadwithexperience.org/prize/index.cfm

Lindberg announces candidacy for 109th House Seat
Lifetime Upper Peninsula resident and former educator, small business owner and 109th State House District Aide Steve Lindberg announced his candidacy for state representative today. With roots that run deep in the Upper Peninsula, Lindberg promises to work for better schools, new employment opportunities and affordable health care in Alger, Luce, Marquette and Schoolcraft Counties.
“I am running for State Representative as a Democrat in the 109th District because of my commitment to U.P. values and strong ethics in leadership,” Lindberg said. “From my time spent working in education, owning a small business, and implementing policy, I believe that I have the combination of knowledge and skills necessary to work towards solving many of the complex issues facing our state.”
Lindberg was born and raised in Marquette County in the rural community of Carlshend. He graduated from Gwinn High School (1962) and Northern Michigan University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in business administration, his teaching certificate and later a master’s degree in guidance and counseling.
After spending his junior year of college at the University of Michigan and his first year of teaching in Sheboygan (Wisconsin), Lindberg returned to Marquette in 1968 to teach at the Women’s Job Corps Center at NMU. He went on to teach in the Marquette Area Public School system as a teacher and guidance counselor until retiring in 1997.
In addition to teaching, he and his wife Paulette owned a travel agency in Marquette for twenty-seven years. As the accountant and business manager, Lindberg was on the front lines facing the everyday challenges that many U.P. small business owners experience.
In retirement, he went to work for State Representative Stephen Adamini as his District Legislative Aide in 2001. He was instrumental locally in such efforts as fighting to keep the Newberry Correctional Facility and Camp Manistique open, while defending NMU against drastic cuts, and working to preserve our all-important steel industry. Lindberg served as District Legislative Aide until late October 2005, when he resigned to pursue running for state representative and to continue to fight for the people of the 109th District in Lansing.
“While in Lansing, I will focus on the challenge of building a future that will allow our children and grandchildren to have the opportunity for a sustainable quality of life in the Upper Peninsula. I look forward to meeting that challenge,” Lindberg said.
He currently resides in Marquette Township with his wife Paulette. They have one son and two grandchildren. Besides spoiling his grandchildren, he enjoys those things which make the U.P. so special. He has been an avid sportsman, hunting and fishing since he first learned to walk. He loves to snowshoe, back country ski, kayak, and mountain bike, and is a member of the Negaunee Rod and Gun Club. He likes to tinker with technology in his spare time, focusing on computers, cameras, and ham radios (N8UZP). Lindberg also serves as the Treasurer for the Marquette Mountain Ski Patrol and the Northern Area Center Health Education Board.
“I look forward to campaigning within the 109th district, and I promise to listen to you. Your concerns and ideas will serve as my guide while representing you in Lansing,” Lindberg said.
The 109th House District includes the counties of Alger, Luce, Marquette and Schoolcraft. Due to term limits, the incumbent is ineligible to seek re-election. Visit www.stevelindberg.org for details.

Bishop Sample ordained at St. Peter Cathedral
With St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette filled to capacity, Father Alex Sample was ordained Bishop Alexander K. Sample, the twelfth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Marquette on January 25.
Cardinal Adam Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, was the principal ordaining bishop. He was joined by the two retired bishops of the Diocese of Marquette, Bishop Mark F. Schmitt and Bishop James H. Garland, as co-consecrators.
Cardinal Edmund Szoka, a native priest of the diocese and President of the Governatorate of Vatican City State, witnessed the ordination.
In his homily, Cardinal Maida said, “On this feast of the conversion of St. Paul, we gather here in the Cathedral of St. Peter to celebrate the ordination of a successor to the apostles, Bishop Alexander Sample, a priest ordained for the service of this local church fifteen years ago, a priest you have come to know and love as a brother and friend.  
“Now he is being raised to the office of chief shepherd of this local church, the second oldest diocese of our state of Michigan, a diocese with a history of distinguished leadership stretching back to the Servant of God, Bishop Baraga, your founding bishop.”
Just forty-five years old, Bishop Sample made reference to his youth by referring to his first assignment as associate pastor at St. Peter Cathedral.  He recalled wearing a cassock as he busily prepared for his first Mass.  
“At the end of Mass, one of the ladies of the parish came up to me and said, ‘So you’re our new associate.  I saw you before Mass and I thought you were one of the altar boys.’  From that point on, I became known as the altar boy priest.  Being now the youngest bishop at the moment in the United States, I do not want to be known as the altar boy bishop.”
On a more serious note, Bishop Sample told those in attendance and watching the live television broadcast, “I hope to be truly a shepherd to minister in the person and in the image of Christ the Good Shepherd, who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life. I give to you that pledge today to do that to the best of my ability.”
Following the liturgy, hundreds of people from all across the Upper Peninsula patiently waited in line to greet the new bishop at a reception held in the Cathedral parish hall.
Within days of his ordination, Bishop Sample will be going on the road to meet and pray with parishioners throughout the Upper Peninsula.        
The bishop has scheduled a visit in each of the seven regions of the diocese through early April.
He plans to spend some time in Eucharistic prayer with the parishioners before socializing with them. Bishop Sample’s schedule follows, with the vicariate listed first, the date and time second, and then the parish where the visit will take place.

8-18 Media Book Reviews for Kids By Kids
Eldest by Christopher Paolini
Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 668 Pages
I couldn’t wait to read this book. I was hooked after reading Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance trilogy.
After finishing the first book, I could not stop thinking about what would happen next so I made my mom go out and buy the second one for me. Eldest proved to be even better than Eragon. I could not put it down once I started reading it.
Sixteen-year-old Eragon is a dragon rider. His dragon’s name is Saphira. In Eldest, Eragon must travel to Ellesmera, the city of the elves, for more training in magic.
After finishing his training, Eragon and a dwarf named Orik must ride Saphira to a land called Surda in the South. A great battle soon rages between the Evil King Galbatorix’s soldiers and the Surdans.
The Surdans finally win the great battle, but a new evil rider with immense power and skill defeats Eragon and Saphira. The evil rider tells Eragon a secret that involves both of them.
At the end, Eragon finds his step-brother, Roran. They decide together to avenge the monsters that killed Eragon’s uncle and captured Roran’s love.
Eldest is full of action, suspense and magic. I highly recommend it for anyone sixth grade to adult who loves fantasy.
I also recommend reading Eragon first to have a better idea of what is going on. There is a helpful recap of the first book in the beginning of Eldest.
This trilogy is popular already. Peter White Public Library has a long waiting list for its two copies of Eldest. I would encourage you to sign up now for your chance to read this great book. I can’t wait until the third book comes out.
—Ben Harris, ten

Planetarium announces monthly programming
The Shiras Planetarium has announced its programming for the coming months. In February, shows include The Planets and Fun with Music; March features Live Sky Tour and Point of No Return. April will investigate A Dipper Full of Stars and Legends of the Night Sky: Orion.
Due to noise concerns, it is requested that there be no unattended children or unattended preschoolers.   Public shows begin at 7:30 p.m. on Monday nights. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Entrance fees are $3 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens.
The planetarium is located at Marquette Senior High School on West Fair Avenue. For details and current sky information, call the Sky-Line at 225-4204.

Marquette Area Blues Society Announces Logo Contest
The Marquette Area Blues Fest planners are seeking logo submission for their annual contest. The festival will take place on Labor Day weekend 2006.
Submissions will be accepted until March 13. One logo will be chosen, for use on T-shirts and other merchandise. All ages may enter.
The winner will receive two tickets to the 2006 Blues Fest and two T-shirts with the winning logo concept. 
For details and entry forms, visit www.marquetteareabluessociety.org or call 226-5704.

Chocolay residents file snowmobile trail-related lawsuit
Seventy-five citizens of Chocolay Township filed suit on January 6 in the Marquette County Circuit Court against the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for the nuisance created by establishing a snowmobile trail in the Lakewood Lane residential area, according to Northwoods Wilderness Recovery.
The lawsuit states that the snowmobile trail is a nuisance because snowmobiles are being driven across plaintiffs’ property, creating a hazard and danger to the plaintiffs and their property. The plaintiffs allege that excessive noise, vibration, noxious fumes and inherent risk of snowmobiles operating at high speeds at all hours of day and night constitute a nuisance by interfering with citizen’s reasonable use and enjoyment of their property.
Visit www.northwoodswild.org for details.

Finlandia University seeks applicants for art scholarship
The Finlandia University International School of Art & Design invites applications for the Elsa and David Brule Scholarship.
In the fall semester of 2006, this competitive scholarship will be awarded to two new incoming students who are pursuing a bachelor of fine arts at Finlandia University.
Scholarship applicants must submit a Finlandia University admissions application and a portfolio in slide or digital format to the university no later than February 15.
The four-year scholarship covers full tuition and room and board as long as the student remains enrolled in the Art and Design Program at Finlandia and is in good academic standing with the university.
For details, call Jamie Krueger at 487-7234 or e-mail admissions@finlandia

Art on the Rocks application deadline set for March 31
The deadline for artists to apply for a spot in the forty-eighth annual Art on the Rocks is March 31. This year’s event will be held on July 29 and 30. Visit www.artontherocks.org for details.

Kappa Beta Gamma hosts March of Dimes fundraiser
The sisters of Kappa Beta Gamma, in conjunction with the March of Dimes, invites Upper Peninsula residents and Northern Michigan University, Michigan Technological University and Lake Superior State University students to attend the second annual “Dimes Around the Dome.”
The rally will be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. on February 19 at NMU’s Superior Dome.
In an effort to give back to the Upper Peninsula, the sisters of Kappa Beta Gamma are sponsoring this fundraising event for the Upper Peninsula’s only March of Dimes chapter.
All money raised remains at the local level.
At the all-ages event, there will be carnivalesque games, face painting, door prizes, food and more.
For details, call (734) 578-6737.

Local dentist group lauded for environmental action
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently recognized the Superior District Dental Society for voluntarily taking action to better protect local water quality and Lake Superior. The society represents fifty-eight dental offices in both Marquette County and Alger County.
After working with staff from the Central Lake Superior Watershed Partnership and the Marquette Wastewater Treatment Plant, members of the dental society unanimously passed a resolution to voluntarily install mercury amalgam separators to keep mercury out of local wastewater effluent.
The wastewater treatment plant cannot effectively remove all mercury from the waste stream, so some mercury currently passes through the treatment plant and ends up in Lake Superior.
There are many sources of mercury, but eliminating dental mercury amalgam is a significant step towards lowering mercury levels in wastewater treatment plant effluent.
For details, call Carl Lindquist at 228-6095.

Student group partakes in V-Day with Vaginal Monologues
The Northern Michigan University student group VOX will be participating in V-Day, a worldwide movement to end violence against women and girls. V-Day is recognized around the world on February 14.
VOX will present three benefit productions of The Vagina Monologues, which was first performed off-Broadway by Eve Ensler and dives into the mystery, humor, pain, power, wisdom, outrage and excitement buried in women’s experiences. Three student-directed and produced benefit productions of the ground-breaking, Obie Award-winning play will be held at NMU.
All proceeds from The Vagina Monologues will be given to the Marquette Women’s Center, Harbor House and Out of the Locker Room, a male education program that addresses issues of violence in relationships.
The play will take place at 6:00 p.m. on February 10 and 11 and at 2:00 p.m. on February 12 in the Explorer Rooms in the University Center on NMU’s campus. Tickets are on sale at NMU’s Diversity Student Services office, Planned Parenthood Northern Michigan, Book World, the Women’s Center and at the door of the performances.
For details, call Lacy Gregg at 360-0765 or visit www.vday.org

Public input sought on new museum exhibit area
The Marquette County History Museum invites the public to attend a planning session to design the new exhibit area in the former MarqTran building.
Plans to acquire and renovate the building are moving ahead, and museum planners are looking for unique ideas to display various facets of local history.
The meeting will be held from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. on March 9 at Upfront & Company. Light refreshments will also be served. For details, call 226-3571.

History museum announces staff changes, addition
Staff changes have been made at the Marquette County History Museum.
After serving as interim director for six months, Kaye Hiebel has been named executive director.  Previously, Hiebel served as museum curator for more than twenty years.
Jo DeYoung-Patrie has moved from assistant curator to curator.  She has worked in the curator’s office for nearly five years.  Jennifer Lammi is the new business manager for the museum, after serving as manager of the museum store for three years.
A development director position was created to oversee fundraising efforts relating to the location change. In the future, the museum will move to the former Marq-Tran building on the corner of Baraga and Fourth streets in downtown Marquette.
Cristine Osier has been named to the development director position. She has an extensive marketing and sales background.

Keweenaw hosts weekend of Scandinavian dancing, skiing
The first Keweenaw Scandinavian Dance and Ski Weekend will take place on February 18 and 19 in Laurium.
Excursions to local ski trails will be made throughout the weekend, while daytime dance lessons, taught by Jan Raven and Elise Peters, will be tailored to the dance level of those attending. Emphasis will be on getting novices on the dance floor.
Dancing will take place in the Laurium Ballroom, with live music provided by the Ole Olssons Oldtime Orkestra, although event participants are welcome to bring their own instruments. The Laurium Ballroom is located upstairs from the police station at Third and Hecla streets.
Registration for the weekend is $25, which includes dance lessons, smorgasbord and dance parties. Lodging, meals and ski passes are separate from the initial fee. For details, call Karen Schmidt at 337-2079 or Jan Raven at (651)646-3650.

U.P. high school students to compete in history challenge
Young U.P. history buffs will soon get the chance to test their skill in the fourth annual Local High School History Smackdown in Calumet.
The competition gives high school students an opportunity to showcase their knowledge of the history, geography and geology of Keweenaw, Baraga, Ontonagon and Houghton counties.
The event will take place at 7:00 p.m. on April 27 at the Calumet Theater. It is part of the popular “Fourth Thursday in History” series, sponsored by Keweenaw National Historical Park. The registration deadline is March 17. For details, call Brian Hoduski at 337-1104, ext. 251.

Finlandia to partake in organ donation challenge
Finlandia University students are participating in the annual Gift of Life University Challenge, in which Michigan colleges compete to sign up the largest number of potential organ and tissue donors. The contest runs through February 19.
Finlandia students won the 2005 contest, adding more than 450 new organ donors to the Michigan Organ, Tissue and Eye Donor Registry. The total represented more than seventy-five percent of the university’s student body.
Finlandia students are recruiting donors at many university and community events through February. 
For details, call 487-7306.

New DVD talks about local people living with diabetes
A new, locally-produced DVD entitled “Diabetes Hero” has been released, featuring the stories of five unique U.P. residents and how they are living life to the fullest while successfully managing their diabetes.
This twenty-four-minute video was produced, written and directed by Chandonnet Productions and released by the U.P. Diabetes Outreach Network.
The DVD includes Marquette County Sheriff Mike Lovelace, a Negaunee high school athlete, a retiree who loves fishing, a diabetes educator who is also a yoga enthusiast and an MGH employee who enjoys cake decorating.
For more information about diabetes or how to obtain or view the Diabetes Hero DVD, call (800)369-9522.

Jack Pine 30 dog sled race returns for fourth year
The fourth annual Jack Pine Mushers Association Jack Pine 30 Gwinn to Marquette sled dog race will take place on February 18. 
The major sponsor of this competitive sport class event is Bell Hospital of Ishpeming.  The six-dog, thirty-mile race will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Larry’s Family Foods in Gwinn. This is one hour earlier than in past years. 
The course is identical to the Midnight Run trail until mushers reach the Carp River M-28/US-41 bridge, where they will turn north and follow Lake Street toward downtown Marquette. Teams will finish just east of Upfront & Company, off Lakeshore Drive, and are expected to cross the finish line between 11:45 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The eight fastest teams will receive engraved plaques at the awards ceremony, planned for 5:00 p.m. at the Upfront.
The entry deadline for racers is February 16. For details, visit www.up200.org

A word to the wise
Verbum satis sapientibus: A word to the wise is sufficient
The need for “agreement” between a subject and its predicate verb seems simple enough: a singular noun must have a singular verb, and a plural verb must go with a plural noun. “The truck goes fast; the trucks go fast.”
When we were wee, this matter gave us some trouble. “Truck go fast,” we might have said, unaware of our grammatical naiveté. However, by kindergarten, most of us had the subject-verb agreement issue pretty well in hand.
And so we have today. Pretty well. Let’s see how we do in this unannounced quiz.
1. The musher, along with his six remaining dogs, is/are famished.
2. A number of snowshoe styles was/were available.
3. The number of snowshoes styles has/have increased.
4. Fifty-two kilometers is/are the distance of the Noquemanon race.
5. Either the figure skaters or the hockey team is/are scheduled at the rink.
6. Ham and eggs is/are a favorite of this snowshoer.
7. The right choice of ski wax, among many other details like clothing and energy bars, preoccupies/-y the racer.
These special examples illustrate some common dilemmas in choosing between a singular and plural verb, for different reasons. Let’s look at them according to type.
Numbers 1 and 7 point up the same problem. Each begins with a subject, both of which are singular here (musher and choice). However, each is followed by a “parenthetical” phrase set off by commas, a phrase that might appear a part of the subject, before we even get to the predicate verb.
Because they are parenthetical, or “asides,” however, the phrases are not actually parts of the subjects at all. Notice how your voice drops when you speak these phrases, telling you that they are not essential. The right choices, then are singular (is and preoccupies).
Numbers 2 and 3 illustrate a curiosity with respect to the subject noun number, whose choice of verb depends on the usually insignificant article that precedes the noun. The article a takes a plural verb, while the article the is followed by a singular verb.
The logic here is, first, that a is indefinite: it suggests no fixed number, but clearly more than one is meant. Second, the always wants a singular verb, because the number of styles seems an organic unit, like a collective noun, a group.
In number 4, fifty-two kilometers is obviously a plural, and yet groupings like this are also viewed as a single unit, and so take a singular predicate verb, is. Number 6, ham and eggs, follows the same rule, and the verb is is the right choice. Other phrases like these include monetary amounts (“Nine cents was, not were, the admission.”) and most organizations (“The United Auto Workers is, not are, viewed as one unit.).
Finally, number 5 betrays what really seems the most arbitrary choice, but the “rule” here is that the verb always agrees with the second noun, in this case the singular team. The correct verb, then, is is.
Here’s why: even though the either/or nouns, the skaters or team, may seem like a plural compound, we are really choosing between one or the other, not both. The same principle applies with neither/nor.
These examples don’t exhaust the list of questionable subject-predicate choices. Some pronouns in particular will provide material for another column, and probably another quiz, once I’m sure you did well enough on this month’s.

Word for the month
S picule (SPICK-yool), a noun describing a tiny, slender object. The word is used for the smallest floral spikes, for minuscule bony growths or hard splinters. When the heavens cannot decide whether to send us rain or snow, icy and needle-like spicules are sometimes the result.
—Gerald Waite

Edtior’s Note: Questions or comments are welcome by writing MM or at marquettemonthly@marquettemonthly.com

News and Notes from Congressman Bart Stupak
• Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) announced The Pine Mountain Music Festival in Hancock will receive a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. The funds will be used to support a musical performance that will tour a portion of the Upper Peninsula.
• In the ongoing effort to move the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum from Michigan Tech’s campus in Houghton to the Keweenaw National Historical Park, Stupak announced that Tech would receive a $297,600 Department of Housing and Urban Development Fiscal Year 2005 special project grant. University officials are pleased with the funding boost, which brings the museum much closer to its relocation to a premier new facility on Quincy Hill within the Keweenaw National Historical Park.

Tidbits from the desk of Senator Debbie Stabenow
• U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) made the following statement in response to comments President Bush made to the Wall Street Journal regarding U.S. automakers: “I think it’s unfortunate that President Bush would prefer to take potshots at our American automakers rather than engage in a real effort to help them at this critical juncture. There are things we can do right now to help our auto industry—enforcing trade laws, helping with the high cost of health care and securing their pensions—but this administration has been frustratingly slow to listen and dangerously slow to act. Our way of life is at stake. I urge the President to join with our bipartisan Michigan delegation to help level the playing field for our automakers instead of standing on the sidelines offering criticism.”

Local business and news ventures…in brief
• Marquette General Hospital has received a $144,336 grant through the Department of Housing and Urban Development for construction of the trauma and emergency center.
• The Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School District received a $30,495 grant from the Department of Commerce to explore the necessary technologies to connect six public school districts through an interactive distance-learning network.
• Range Financial Corporation declared a quarterly dividend of eighty-one cents per share, payable on December 15, 2005 to the shareholders of record on December 1, 2005.
• Cleveland-Cliffs announced that Leonard Parker was named district manager of environmental affairs for Michigan and Dale Hemmila was named district manager of public affairs for Michigan.
• Northern Initiatives announced the addition of Ruth Solinski to its staff as a social entrepreneurial consultant.
• Digestive Health Specialist Dr. James Surrell joined the Marquette General Digestive Health Clinic and now is on staff at Marquette General Health System.
• Finlandia University hired Pastor Phillip Johnson as Campus Pastor and Assistant to the President.
• Finlandia University received a $77,800 grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, designed to foster immediate and deferred financial gifts to the university through a program entitled “Creating A Legacy.”
• This year’s Operation Action U.P. awards went to the following: Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc., EMP Advanced Development, LLC, Terex Handlers and Systems Control.
• On January 20, the Marquette Area Public Schools’ bargaining team and the Marquette Educational Support Personnel Association negotiations team which represents bus drivers, custodians and food service staff, reached agreement on a two-year contract.
• Marquette General Health Systame hired two new certified nurse anesthetists, John Kus and Laura Ayotte, both Upper Peninsula natives who recently graduated from Oakland University with master’s degrees in nurse anesthesia.
• Two northern Michigan groups were among the 711 community coalitions nationwide to receive funds from the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy through the Drug-Free Communities Support Program; the Marquette County Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Coalition (MC2) was awarded a $100,000 grant to prevent substance abuse among local youth and the Healthy Youth Coalition of Marinette and Menominee Counties received $100,000 to build the coalition’s infrastructure.
MM

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