It’s been a year of economic developments as Upper Michigan continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Iron Mountain, thanks to large investments, the Continental Cup returned to Pine Mountain.
And in Gogebic County, Copper Peak Ski Jump received $20 million in state funding to fund renovations.
Some notable UP landmarks have faced challenges —
In Gogebic County, Big Snow Resort was purchased by the Skinner family of Minnesota. Now called SnowRiver Mountain Resort, it closed off part of a popular snowmobile trail. A newly laid section of the trail opened earlier this month.
And in Alger County, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore’s admission fees have soared as tourism slows.
One of the biggest stories of the year was the selection of a developer for the former Marquette General Hospital site. The Northern Michigan University Foundation named Veridea Group a Masters Developer. Rep. Sara Cambensy (D) raised concerns with Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D) about a conflict of interest with the project, but the AG’s office said there were insufficient funds to open an investigation.
Also in Marquette County, the Eagle Mine announced that exploration efforts could extend the mine life by a year to 2026 or 2027.
In Delta County, the Escanaba City Council approved the final purchase agreement for the prison rehabilitation site. The area is set to become the North Shore Flats – a mix of residential and commercial properties.
Additional marijuana dispensaries opened in the UP this year, and October’s Camp Cannabis marked the region’s first cannabis use event.
As for higher education, Michigan Tech University has had strong enrollment and was one of only three state universities to accept new students in the past decade.
And amid declining enrollment, Northern Michigan University’s board of directors announced a new president in Brock Tessman.
The federal student loan debt relief program took effect this year, but it continues to face several legal challenges.
It wasn’t all about opening the UP, as staffing shortages continued to be a problem – from area nursing homes to schools and grocery stores to restaurants.
The CDC began tracking COVID-19 through a new measure called “community levels” when new vaccines specifically targeting the Omicron variant became available.
It was also a year of new milestones – Stormy Kromer saw his first female CEO take the helm as Gina Thorsen took over for her father Bob.
And after eight months of negotiations, the Dickinson County Healthcare System announced a letter of intent to join the Marshfield Clinic healthcare system.
Also this year, the DNR introduced a new system encouraging hunters to report their game hunts online for the first time.
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