9/21/2026

BOULDER JUNCTION - Boulder Junction Winter Park is planning $110,000 in improvements after recording more than 20,000 visits last winter. The town has committed $55,000 in Room Tax funding toward the project. Planned upgrades include heated winter-capable restrooms, pavilion improvements, 20 permanent benches and picnic tables, plus new signage and wayfinding. An economic analysis found visitors generated about $1.2 million in direct local spending during the roughly eight-week season.

9/18/2026

ASHLAND - Ashland city streets may now be on a 35-year repaving cycle, rather than the every 25 years called for in the city’s strategic plan. The Daily Press reports that, ideally, following the freeze-thaw cycle means repaving should be done every twenty years to keep roads in optimal condition. City Administrator Brant Kucera says current funding, including the wheel tax and state and federal money, isn’t enough to close the gap. He says not using special assessments for sidewalks, curbs, and gutters adds about 20 percent to project costs. Although he’s dismayed at extending the cycle, Kucera said at least the city is not at the point of having to schedule repaving every 40 years.

9/18/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Governor Gretchen Whitmer has approved the allocation of nearly $7 million to Michigan communities impacted by severe spring and winter storms, flooding and tornadoes, including several counties in the U.P.  The funds are available through the state’s Disaster and Emergency Contingency Fund, which provides financial assistance to local governments that have exhausted local resources while responding to and recovering from disasters or emergencies when federal funding isn’t available. In the Western U.P.  Houghton and Ontonagon counties will be awarded just over $1.62 million dollars after a strong system of severe storms affected the area in July 2025 which produced heavy rainfall of up to four inches of rain over a four-hour period, causing significant damage to roads and related structures throughout the two counties.