Features

Feature Story paddleboard

Following the trail of innovation in the U.P.

Innovation is not new in the U.P. And Invent@NMU and other organizations are mentoring and encouraging students and others to pursue innovations.

Feature Story Downtown Marquette hosts the start of the annual UP200.

Uniquely U.P.A few of the pure U.P. winter festivals and events

The U.P. is home to one-of-a-kind festivals and events that truly embrace winter. We highlight five that are uniquely U.P.

Feature Story ironwoodcoop

Ironwood co-op uses grant to expand offerings

Federal grant money helps Ironwood's downtown co-op spruce things up and add more freezers, with the aim to offer customers more food options.

Feature Story The grand opening of the new Menominee Tourist Lodge in 1937.

Iconic cabin still welcomes tourists to the U.P.

The Menominee Welcome Center marks 85 years of serving travelers bound for the Upper Peninsula, offering maps and information on lodging, tourist attractions and state and national parks.

Longform engagementrings

The U.P.'s beauty inspires Marquette jeweler

From birch trees in deep forests to pebbles found along the majestic Lake Superior shoreline, the rugged landscape of the U.P. has inspired the eco-friendly jewelry and artisan goods of Beth Millner Jewelry.  

Feature Story Call line staff working in the team room at Summit Pointe’s First Step Urgent Care.

Community mental health agency call lines connect Michiganders with local crisis care

A call to a local community mental health crisis line can sometimes be more direct and offer services that may not be available when calling 988 or MiCAL.

Longform An up-close look at a bus charging connection.

Electric school buses poised to roll into the U.P.

Three school districts in the Upper Peninsula will receive electric school buses, aimed at reducing emissions and improving the environment.  

Feature Story Refill U.P. shop sells a selection of environmentally friendly products to keep your home clean.

Refill U.P. helps residents kick the plastic habit

A new refillery in Hancock helps U.P. residents kick the plastic habit.  

Feature Story Because the kitchen is so small, the owners had to get creative and make the best use of the hallway.

Marquette's unusual test kitchen

Northwoods Test Kitchen is self-described as a “small scale deli and shared-use kitchen, dedicated to utilizing and respecting local food."  

Feature Story A customer visits the Munising Cannabis Company, which opened its doors in October.

U.P.’s first cannabis microbusiness opens in Munising

Munising Cannabis Company, a locally owned and operated “seed-to-weed” establishment, is now among 11 cannabis microbusinesses scattered throughout state but the only one in the U.P.

Feature Story baycliffsign

U.P. hosts winter outdoor camp for women

A national program has drawn thousands of Michigan women to the outdoors in pursuit of ice fishing, archery, hiking, cross-country skiing and even dog sledding. This winter's camp weekend takes place in the Upper Peninsula. 

Feature Story Robert Sheehan, executive director of the Community Mental Health Association of Michigan

Here’s good news for Michiganders’ mental health: Community mental health delivers cutting-edge care

Michigan's community mental health agencies lead the nation in innovation, serve all 83 counties, and help Michiganders of all ages access the mental health supports they need.

Longform Beth Maata releases a bald eagle back to nature. The bird was rescued and treated after being hit by a car while feeding on road-kill deer.

Rescuing and rehabilitating U.P. raptors

“The bird chose me, you could say,” says Beth Maata, the only certified raptor rehabilitator in the Upper Peninsula (and one of only a dozen or so in all of Michigan).

Feature Story Members purchase their own mug and pay an annual fee to join the “Mug Club.” 

Menominee brewery connects the community

Kristoffer Rusch traded a career in neuroscience to become a brewer in Menominee, where he owns and operates Three Bridge Brewing Co. with his wife, Sarah.

Feature Story The site of the Marquette Outdoor Venture Innovation Center.

Marquette's outdoor innovation center moves forward

The Marquette Outdoor Venture Innovation Center will serve as an incubator for budding entrepreneurs in the booming outdoor recreation innovation sector. 

Feature Story A high school math teacher, Ryckie Holm opened the store so local kids had a place to hang out.

Ironwood hobby store becomes gathering spot

Hobby store opened to entertain young people becomes a gathering place for game enthusiasts of all ages. 

Longform Jack Deo at his Superior View Studio.

Portrait of an artist: Preserving the U.P.'s past

“People will be using these images for the next century and beyond to understand what life was like in the U.P. during the 19th and early 20th century. His work, and collection, is an important repository of the ‘Yooper’ way-of-life,'" said Dan Truckey, director of NMU’s Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center.

Feature Story The Yooper Dog is among the most popular of the 12 varieties.

One couple's dream: Yooper Dogz

A couple opens an eatery in Menominee's Broadway District, realizing a long-held dream to create gourmet-style hot dogs.

Feature Story The new waiting area at the General Aviation Terminal at Chippewa County International Airport.

Soaring: New general aviation terminal opens at Chippewa County International Airport

“This project will ultimately strengthen the county’s competitive position and help build capacity that will generate economic opportunity for the region," says Chris Olson, president of the Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation.

Longform The entrance to the urgent care area at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center.

Giving Back: VA receives national recognition

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain, the most rural VA facility in the country, earns national accolades for its services and staff.