Events featured in our newsletter can also be found on the Events Calendar on the main page of our website.

SPEAKING OUT AGAINST ICE DETENTION IN MARENISCO

Word spread quickly early last week after Northern Indivisible gave the heads up that the Marenisco Township Board was meeting and would be discussing House Resolution 151. That’s the bill introduced last August by Rep. Markkanen to make the abandoned Ojibway Correctional Facility in the township available to ICE for use as a detention facility.

Several people from Houghton County made the journey to the Marenisco Township Hall to speak out against the resolution, where they became part of a large group of concerned citizens at the meeting.

Among those speaking during the public comments was HCDP Policy and Resolutions Chair Katie LaCosse who discussed her white paper and the resolution adopted at our meeting last October. The white paper outlines a proposed re-use of the facility as a State Psychiatric Hospital. Many of the other speakers voiced support for that proposal.

All who took the floor during the public comments spoke against Markkanen’s proposal. All were pleased when Township Supervisor Mahler later said that, after speaking with Rep. Markkanen earlier, he could relay that Resolution 151 “is dead”.

TV6 sent reporter Colin Jackson to the meeting, and you can see his report here. (Katie LaCosse is heard speaking starting at 2:09). There were also excellent write-ups about the meeting and LaCosse’s proposal in the Mining Journal on February 21 (here), and the Daily Mining Gazette on February 22nd (here). (The DMG article is behind a paywall).

HCDP SPRING CONVENTION & POTLUCK MARCH 4TH, FOLLOWED BY MONTHLY MEETING

Membership in the Houghton County Democratic Party is encouraged, but not required, to attend meetings. We welcome all Houghton County residents who support progressive Democratic government to attend our meetings and events and to become involved.

Please remember that you must have been an MDP member NO LATER than 30 days prior to the County Convention (or by February 2nd) to vote on matters at the County Convention. (Note that Precinct delegates, Democratic elected officials, and Democratic nominees to partisan office in the County are automatically eligible to vote.)

SPRING FLING TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

SATURDAY MAY 2ND, 2026 @ 5 PM

BONFIRE GRILL, HOUGHTON

HONORING MIKE LAHTI

At this year’s Spring Fling we will be honoring Mike Lahti, whose years of service to our community is an inspiration for a lot of us. One way you can honor Mike’s legacy is by giving back to your community through serving as a Precinct Delegate, and we have some great news for anyone considering becoming a Precinct Delegate.

EASY FILING FOR PRECINCT DELEGATE

County Clerk Jennifer Kelly has confirmed that she will bring Precinct Delegate Affidavit of Identity forms to the Spring Fling so that you can fill them out there. She’ll even notarize them for you personally at no charge. If you are unable to attend Spring Fling, you can bring the form to the Clerk’s Office in the Houghton County Building and ask for it to be notarized and submitted (also at no charge). You must complete the form by May 5. Thanks to Clerk Kelly for helping to make the first step in serving as Precinct Delegate much easier.

You can learn more about what it means to be a Precinct Delegate on our website.

BUY ADS OR DONATE AUCTION ITEMS

Would you like to place an ad or memorial in this year’s Spring Fling program? In addition to the printed program distributed to Spring Fling attendees, new for 2026 we will also be sharing a link to an online version of the program in our newsletter. That's a lot of eyes on your message! Quarter page ads start at just $25, half page is $50, or choose a full page ad for $100. Your ad helps cover the cost of providing the printed programs.

Or maybe you have an item or service you can donate for our Silent Auction fundraiser? We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to Events Committee Chair Nancy Verive at [email protected] to get the conversation started. THANK YOU!

MDP 2026 LEGACY DINNER

MDP 2026 ENDORSEMENT CONVENTION

ALL MEMBERS OF THE MICHIGAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE 2026 STATE ENDORSEMENT CONVENTION.

HELP MICHIGAN JOIN THE DEMOCRATIC WINNING STREAK IN STATE SPECIAL ELECTIONS! — SUPPORT DEM CANDIDATE GREENE

SUPPORT CHEDRICK GREENE IN MI 38TH STATE SENATE RACE

THE PEOPLE’S STATE OF THE UNION

The State of the Union address is tonight. If you’re not up for more of the Trump “weave”, there is an alternative. See below for more info and to RSVP for the livestream.

And don’t forget - Democratic Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger — elected last November in an off-cycle election dominated by Democratic wins — will give the response to Trump’s speech tonight.

From the organizers:

NO THRONES, NO CROWNS, NO KINGS

NO KINGS IN THE COPPER COUNTRY 3.0

A few more details from Keweenaw Indivisible about the Houghton event. The quote below is from their Facebook post. The Facebook event link mentioned is here. We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.

IN MICHIGAN

NATIONWIDE

WED FEB 25

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 PM on Wednesday. Agendas and agenda packets for Council meetings are typically placed in the City’s Searchable Document Center on the Monday before the meeting by 5:00 p.m.

THUR FEB 26

The Calumet Village Council will host a Public Hearing to discuss the FY 2027 Budget and FY 2026 Budget Amendments on Thursday, February 26th at 6:00pm. The Village Council Regular Meeting is also Thursday, following the public hearing. Additional information, including Zoom links, is on the Village’s News & Events web page.

A FULL LISTING OF ALL LOCAL CITY, VILLAGE AND TOWNSHIP GOVERNMENTS, WITH CONTACT INFORMATION, AND (WHERE AVAILABLE) TIMING OF LOCAL COUNCIL MEETINGS CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE.