| Jack Hall Blog | | Posted 9/2/2010 1:30 AM |
The weather may be rainy and dreary this weekend, but here's to a fun Labor Day holiday. It's the last blast of summer, and before the kids go back to school next Tuesday (I can hear parents singing "Happy Days Are Here Again" all over the U.P.)
Also....let's make it a safe holiday weekend. I know I'm the 1,000th person to say "Don't Drink and Drive", but I feel that we can never say that enough. I am lucky in my life that the times when I did drive after having too many (when I was much younger and thinner), I never hurt anyone.
There's nothing worse than coming into the staton over the weekend and having to read news stories on the air about someone killed in a drunk driving accident. So, please, everyone, let's keep it safe. Enjoy the parades, BBQ, high school football games, parties with friends. But let's do it sober.
Speaking of football, tune in tonight at 7:00 on AM-600 for Rapid River vs North Central, and Friday night at 7 on FM-105.5 for Bark River-Harris vs Pickford. Hope I have a couple of good games to broadcast.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 9/1/2010 12:50 AM |
President Obama declared the end of major combat operations in Iraq during a primetime speech last night. He was gracious enough to mention former President Bush as a patriot, but he wasn't gracious enough to point out that Bush's "troop surge" in 2008 was the turning point in the war. We have seen a steady reduction in violence in Iraq since the insurgence of American troops began going door-to-door to root out the bad guys.
Let's face it, though, Obama is following through on a campaign promise. The American people wanted our trrops out of Iraq, and Obama has begun that process. I don't agree with much of what Obama has done since taking office, but I agree with getting our troops out of Iraq and having that country take responsibility for its own future.
I'm not celebrating just yet, though. It's still a fragile situation there, and there is still violence in Iraq. Personally, I will celebrate when the last of the 50,000 troops who are still serving in Iraq come home.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/31/2010 2:09 AM |
If I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn;t have believed it. Obama Administration officials were on TV yesterday talking about the need for another federal stimulus package. Obama himself was there, blasting Republicans again, pleading for the passage of a so-called "small business jobs package" that the Small Business Administration has said won't create a substantial amount of new jobs. Businesses are not hiring because they are afraid of what this administration is going to do to them next. Businesses are worried about new tax increases related to health care, new taxes related to climate change (cap and trade), and defacto tax increases when the "Bush tax cuts" are allowed to expire in January. Speaking for myself, I am not spending money except on necessities, due to the same long-term uncertainty. I am trying to stockpile money in the bank because when you see the national debt skyrocket the way it is, it's pretty obvious that tax increases will be coming for all of us, sooner or later. So, this call for "another stimulus package", ie more government spending, really bothers me. Speaking of Obama, he is giving a speech to the nation on Iraq at 8:00 tonight. We will carry it live on News Talk 600 AM, and on-line at www.rrnsports.com. ---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/30/2010 1:36 AM |
When I was in college at NMU, the fascination amongst us kids was to go out onto the breakwall in Lake Superior during high wind events or storms. It was awesome to watch, but also deadly. Several of my classmates died when they were swept into the water and drowned.
Well, now, the fascination appears to be swimming in the Picnic Rocks area of Presque Isle Park. The currents there are wild, and it can be fun to swim there. But people are dying. Another teenaged boy died there this weekend, and now four people have drowned there this summer. The City of Marquette has urged people to swim only on the beaches, where lifeguards are on duty, and the currents are not quite as strong.
Kids love to have fun, and with temperatures in the 80's, the cold waters of Superior can feel awesome. But remember, that lake took down the Edmund Fitzgerald. It can kill humans much easier. Hopefully, this latest tragedy will be the last one.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/27/2010 1:48 AM |
Are you ready for some football? I am. The high school football starts tonight with 24 games around the Upper Peninsula. Menominee, North Dickinson, Kingsford, Negaunee, Cedarville will all be good again. But I'd also keep my eye on North Central and Stephenson as "teams to beat". I will be at the Rapid River-Pickford game. Hope you will tune in at 7:00 on 105.5 FM, 600 AM, and rrnsports.com. Go Rockets!
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/26/2010 1:59 AM |
School doesn't start until September 7th in Michigan, but high school sports seasons are already in full swing. Girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, and girls volleyball have all begun their regular seasons. Starting today, the high school football season begins (although there's only one game in the Upper Peninsula tonight).
The question is this: are the high school sports seasons starting too early, or is the school year starting too late? Well, obviously, school is starting too late, but districts have no choice on when they start having classes, thanks to a state law that requires schools to stay closed until after Labor Day, which falls on September 6th this year.
That law was designed to help tourism, and I'm told that it has helped tourism. But on the other hand, the kids who play sports (and their families), don't get the benefit of that extra vacation time, because they start practicing in mid-August.
For some sports, maybe the MHSAA could start some of the sports seasons a week to ten days later, and condense the regular season by a week. But for football, well, it looks like we will always have a couple of games before the kids open their first book.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/25/2010 12:49 AM |
I'm taking a quick vacation, just for yesterday and today. Anyway, it's good to get away for a day. But I'm never totally away, so as News Director, I need to alert you on this:
The Michigan Department of Agriculture confirmed on Tuesday that some of the millions of eggs that are being recalled due to slamonella contamination have been sold here in Michigan. Some here in the U.P. So, click here to see a list of effected brands from the Egg Safety Center. Click here to see the full statement by MDA Director Don Koivisto.
One other thing: the men and women of the 1437th Engineering Company are coming home today (Wednesday) from Iraq. They should arrive in Escanaba at around 11:30 or noon, Manistique around 1:00, and the Soo between 3 and 4. Welcome back, guys! And thanks for your service.
OK, back to my vacation....Jack
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| | Posted 8/23/2010 1:26 AM |
Congratulations to the people who ran the Upper Peninsula State Fair this week. What a success! Attendance was up, profits were up, costs were down. And it was done for the first time under the auspices of the Upper Peninsula Fair Authority Board, made up of representatives of all 15 U.P. counties and the Hannahville Indian Community.
It appears that having the State of Michigan cut funding for the Fair was the best thing that could've happened. It is OUR Fair now.
It takes leadership to make such a venture a success. Vickie Micheau, the director of the chamber of commerce, has shown that leadership as the defacto Fair Manager. As soon as she took over, she went on a massive cost-cutting move. It should be no surprise that she ran the fair this year on HALF the money the State was using.
Kudos to Micheau, and to her staff. Thanks to their hard work, lots of kids, old folks, and people in between had a great time this week. Count me as one of those who had a GREAT time.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/20/2010 3:14 AM |
I remember when I was young, I went to the drive-in movies with my parents and sister. And later, other times, with my girlfriend. In the suburban Detroit area where I lived, there were like more than a dozen of them. I am told that Escanaba had two drive in theatres, but the U.P.'s last one, in Manistique, closed a few years back.
I remember, as a teenager, how cool it was to sit in the car with a girl and watch a movie. There were crude speakers that you put inside your car window, to hear the audio from the movie. Then, there was the walk, barefooted, on gravel, to the concession stand, to get some popcorn or a hotdog.
I know some people used these places as a place to get drunk or high, but us kids never did. It was just a fun night out. Well, I hear that drive-ins are making a comeback. They have one down by Appleton, and another one in Door County. And there's still one down in Dearborn Michigan that's going strong. Maybe before the snow flies, I will make it to see a drive-in movie. I think that would be cool, after all these years.
---later, Jack
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| | Posted 8/19/2010 1:36 AM |
Have you always paid money to watch TV? I still remember watching TV for nothing.
I was looking at my cable bill tonight, and it's $24.09 for about 18 channels (local channels, three C-SPANs, weather channel, shopping, channels 2-29). That same "package" was $13.09 two years ago, and since then, Charter has taken channels out of the package, like G4 and EWTN.
Well, anyway, this isn't a rant about Charter. I mean, I have friends who pay $100 a month for cable or satellite. I remember when I was a teenager in suburban Detroit, we had an antenna on the roof and we got about a dozen channels. It was free. And somehow, we survived, and we always found something to watch. It seems like so long ago.
Come to think of it, I work in the only industry that doesn't charge its customers anything: radio. You can still turn on the radio, and especially on AM late at night, listen to dozens of stations, playing everything from music to news to sports. I hope that radio never goes the way of TV, where you have to dig into your hard-earned money for information and entertainment.
---later, Jack
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