Business Announcements

Micheau elected to Michigan Fair Association board of directors

ESCANABA — Vickie Micheau, executive director of the Delta County Chamber of Commerce and Management Agent for the Upper Peninsula State Fair, was elected to serve on the Board of Directors for the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions during the organization’s 134th Annual Convention in Grand Rapids.
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Johnson recognized as Culture of Philanthropy Honoree at OSF

ESCANABA — Dr. Kim Johnson at OSF HealthCare St. Francis Hospital & Medical Group was named the Northern Region Culture of Philanthropy Honoree for OSF HealthCare Foundation. The Culture of Philanthropy Celebration recognizes one Mission Partner from each of the four geographical regions of OSF HealthCare.
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Aquila Resources announces positive feasibility study results

MENOMINEE COUNTY – Aquila Resources says a feasibility study for its Back Forty Project in Menominee County is positive. Building an open pit mine will take two years and cost $294 million. Over a seven-year life span, the Back Forty project is expected produce 468,000 ounces of gold, 512 million pounds of zinc.
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Valley Med Flight to expand services in the eastern U.P.

ESCANABA – Valley Med Flight is looking to expand in the Upper Peninsula. The company is opening a facility in Sault Ste. Marie on May 1. The move comes three years since the company started its helicopter service in Escanaba.
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CN to close Escanaba ore dock before the end of April

ESCANABA — The Canadian National (CN) Railroad ore dock in Escanaba will close by the end of April, ending 165 years of shipping iron ore from the Escanaba port. CN confirmed the move today with city officials.
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JC Penny announces store closures in the Upper Peninsula

JC Penny has announced that it plans to close four stores in the Upper Peninsula as part of an effort to reorganize the company. The stores affected include Escanaba, Houghton, Kingsford and Sault Ste. Marie.
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OSF Diagnostic Center receives program accreditation

ESCANABA — OSF St. Francis Hospital and Medical Group Adult and Child Sleep Diagnostic Center in Escanaba recently received program accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
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Upper Hand Brewery to expand distribution into Minnesota

ESCANABA – Upper Hand Brewery plans to begin distribution of its beers in Minnesota in early 2017. Minnesota will be the third state where the brewery’s beer will be available. Upper Hand’s current distribution includes the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin.
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Plan would end White Pine power plant’s SSR payments

LANSING – The Michigan Agency for Energy (MAE) today said it supports a plan by American Transmission Company (ATC) that would eliminate the SSR or system support resource payment for the White Pine electric generator in the Upper Peninsula. These SSR payments to White Pine are projected to cost U.P. ratepayers approximately $7.3 million each year. ATC’s proposal would allow similar reliability to be provided without running the White Pine plant. White Pine is a natural gas plant that is over 60 years old. U.P. ratepayers have been paying SSR payments to keep White Pine Unit 1 operating since 2014.
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Wisconsin Energy overcharged Presque Isle Power Plant customers

LANSING – The administrative law judge presiding over the case at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that is examining costs to keep the Presque Isle Power Plant in Marquette running today issued a proposal for decision that agrees with Michigan that the owner of Presque Isle – Wisconsin Energy Corporation – massively overcharged customers for the cost of operating the plant. In his decision, the judge is recommending that ratepayers receive at least $17 million, plus interest, in refunds. “We are pleased that the administrative law judge in this case is recommending what would be a substantial win for
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