From an email received on January 17, 2010:
"Hi Mary, We just wanted to let you know that the car wash is open! We are running a FIRE SALE. $1.00 Self serve wash!! Thanks, Ted and Rochelle Jensen"
Luna Pier Auto Wash
10550 Evans Drive
Luna Pier, MI 48157
(517) 490-5089
January 17, 2010 - In this morning's Monroe News, Charles Slat writes about the City of Luna Pier's involvement in the Michigan Port Collaborative, which is now being formed. From the article:
[Luna Pier City Administrator Greg Stewart] said his community is hoping its involvement in the group will have multiple benefits. "What we’re looking for is, first of all, ideas," said Mr. Stewart. "I think a number of port cities in Michigan have gotten their acts together. We’re looking for best practices of what’s been done, but we’re also looking at ways to collaborate to either find grant money or influence what’s going on with the Great Lakes" ... "I think this is an excellent opportunity for Monroe County communities on Lake Erie, such as Luna Pier and Monroe," said Chris Heid, a Luna Pier city councilman. "We can learn from the western and northern Michigan port communities, find out what works, and what doesn’t. They can help us identify funding opportunities and speak as an effective voice in Lansing as well as Washington." Mr. Stewart said he and [Pam Stanley, economic development director for the Port of Monroe], along with John Kerr of the Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority, are the three Southeast Michigan representatives on the group’s steering committee. He said the Detroit officials expressed keen interest in the ideas Luna Pier is exploring.
January 14, 2009 - "It has been my honor to serve this City for the past two years and I am pleased that the citizens of Luna Pier have chosen to trust me to continue to look out for their interests. Just two years ago I had said, 'Change is both exciting and unsettling. To create change takes a lot of courage and considerable effort. We now find ourselves with an opportunity to recreate ourselves and move in a positive direction for the improvement of the community.' That statement continues to hold true with more urgency than before. As we face the likelihood of Consumer’s termination we must be of one mind more than ever in order to move forward together as a community. I am grateful for having Greg Stewart and this new Council as partners in this adventure. Each of these individuals brings a unique set of skills in developing a prosperous future for our city. I envision members serving on committees that they can put their heart and soul into. It will be imperative for all of us to make monthly progress evidenced in our Council reports, as even small steps lead to progress..."
Click here to read the full text of Mary's address.
The following is from an article by Steve Pollick in the Toledo Blade published on January 10, 2010:
When it comes to the National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count season, the 110th annual edition of which just ended Tuesday, the bald eagle rarely if ever makes the region's "highlights" listed by various count compilers ... "I was able to get a number of photos of the 125 bald eagles we counted [mostly at the Monroe Power Plant], but also an eagle attack on a black duck at the [Luna Pier] Whiting Plant earlier in the day," said Jerry Jourdan, Monroe count compiler for 18-plus seasons ... Cindy Bussell, who lives on Allen's Cove at Luna Pier, did not participate in the bird counts but said she certainly is an eagle fan. She recently has been counting 6 to 18 birds on the edge of the ice on the Lake Erie shoreline, but estimates as many as 50 birds on some occasions. They show up mornings and evenings ... "They're fishing the edge of the ice and open water," Bussell said. "People travel all the way to Alaska to see eagles and we have them right here. It's awesome."
Click here for the rest of the Blade article.
| January 4, 2010 - This afternoon at approximately 4:45 pm, Mary Liske was officially sworn in for her second two-year term as Mayor of Luna Pier by City Clerk Michelle Cureton in City Council Chambers. Mayor Liske continues her promises of open communication, an open-door policy whenever possible at her office at City Hall, and more importantly, a strong ability to truly listen to concerns. "I believe there are three sides to every story," she says. "There's the first party's story, then there's the second party's story, and then there's what really happened." |  Click the above photo for a larger version. |
LUNA PIER, Mich., Dec. 29, 2009 – Luna Pier’s city administration was informed in a meeting with representatives from Consumer’s Energy this afternoon at City Hall that key air permits were approved for a clean coal plant project contingent on Consumer’s ceasing operations at a minimum of five of its less efficient coal burning units.
While the City has been preparing for a decision regarding the Consumer’s Energy J.R. Whiting plant, today’s meeting marks the first official announcement from Consumer’s that it has cleared the first hurdle of several required under the new clean air standard regulations.
Click here for a complete copy of this news release from Mayor Liske and City Adminstrator Greg Stewart.
| Other Documents:
Please Note: You may need to download and install the free Adobe Reader to view these documents. |
 Mayor Liske speaks with 13abc's Christine Long on December 30, 2009 for a news story on how the decisions may affect Luna Pier. Christine's story as broadcast on 13abc at 6 pm on the 30th can be viewed by clicking here. |
| December 29, 2009 - The Rasey Memorial Branch Library in Luna Pier is nearing completion on a remodeling of the checkout desck and patron service area. Gone are the VHS tapes and DVDs which were to the right as you entered the library. These are now located in the room in the back-right corner of the library facility. The desk has been relocated to the area the movies and other programs shared along that west wall. The result is that the patron area now has more room than before, while the staff still has a large work area. Head on over and check it out! |  Click the above photo for a larger version. |
| December 24, 2009 - The Luna Pier Business Association President for 2010 is Terry "Murph" Murray of Lighthouses by Murphy, located in the Pier Plaza. Murph is a world-renowned artist committed to creating exact replicas of original lighthouses from around the world. Products include: granite lighthouses for the yard or garden, ship models, nautical antiques, lighthouse gifts, lighthouse collectibles, nautical artwork, lighthouse photography, lighthouse history and public speaking. Murph is also one of the leaders of the HUB committee working to get ferry services in Luna Pier. |  Click the above photo for more images from Lighthouses by Murphy. |
| December 5, 2009 (updated December 7th) - This evening the City of Luna Pier held it's annual Christmas Tree lighting ceremony. At 5:30 p.m. Santa arrived at First Street Park for the ceremony. After a couple of Christmas Carols were sung as led by Santa and Mayor Liske, the countdown commenced and the tree was lit. After the ceremony something happened most people didn't see: A marriage proposal occured next to the now-lit tree, and she said "Yes"! [update] Melissa Parker wrote, "The couple that got engaged under the tree this Saturday night was Jake Litton and Deanna Ridner. I am Jake's cousin and we were all there. We were all quite shocked as he didn't even tell any of us he was going to do it!" Congratulations Jake and Deanna!
Attendees then joined Santa on the bed of the decorated flatbed truck for the short trip to the afterparty at Pyramid Transportation. Performances for the evening included Miss Monroe County 2009 Ryleigh Linsenmeyer, Miss Monroe County Outstanding Teen 2009 Breanna Davis, Junior Miss Monroe County Brooklyn Lambert, Little Miss Monroe County 2009 Courtney Baumann, Tiny Miss Monroe County 2009 Olivia Moore, with music by Emcee Bill Wilt. |
 Click the photo for a larger version. |
(October 25, 2009) This morning the Bay City Times is reporting that new emission rules are in effect that will affect Consumers Energy's J.R. Whiting Power Generating Plant here in Luna Pier. From the article:
The state has finalized new emission rules, requiring all electricity-generating plants to cut their mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2015 ... “The issue is how do we comply without spending tens of millions of dollars on older units that we are going to end up retiring in a few years,” said Jeff Holyfield, a Consumers spokesman.
Charles Slat of the Monroe News has also written on this subject, and specifically looked into information on the Whiting plant:
The Monroe Power Plant has been one of the largest emitters of mercury in Michigan, putting about 1,147 pounds into the air last year. The Whiting plant emitted 108 pounds last year ... [Holyfield] said the new state rules are "do-able, but challenging." ... "It’s too early to tell what that would mean for Whiting and what investments we might make there," he said. "The rule is just out so we’re going to have to do an analysis and figure out how were going to meet it and what the strategy’s going to be."
The Whiting power generating plant provides 60% of the tax base for the city of Luna Pier, and is Consumers' oldest coal-powered plant in the state of Michigan. Losing this plant and the taxes plant pays would be devastating to the Luna Pier city budget. These new coal emission rules are why city leaders need to act rapidly to replace the potantial loss of this revenue.
