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

HCDP HOSTS WAYNE STILES TONIGHT

Join us this evening at 6 PM at the Super 8 in Houghton for a Meet & Greet with candidate Wayne Stiles.

From the candidate’s website:

An RSVP is not required for this event.

FIRST HIGHWAY CLEAN UP OF 2026 WILL BE NEXT WEDNESDAY, MAY 20

COME JOIN US FOR THE FIRST HIGHWAY CLEAN UP OF THE YEAR!

The Houghton County Dems will be out on the road again for our first highway clean up of this summer. We’ll be cleaning our stretch of highway as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program — M-26 from just past Goat Hill Rd heading out of Ripley, and on through to Dollar Bay.

IT’S STILL EARLY IN THE SEASON BUT ITS ALWAYS ADVISABLE TO BRING YOUR OWN WATER BOTTLES.

OUR FLOCK CAMERAS RESOLUTION RESCINDED FOR REWORK

In our April 1st meeting, the Houghton County Dems unanimously passed a resolution opposing the implementation of Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras, as sold by Flock Group Inc. (See the April 7th newsletter for more information). Last week, in our May meeting, Policy and Resolutions Chair Katie LaCosse motioned to have that resolution rescinded, while proposing to submit a revised resolution on ALPR cameras at our June meeting. Her motion was approved.

The reason for the motion, as explained at the meeting, was not a concern about what was actually resolved, but about the wording that laid the grounds for action in the resolution. A close reading after the fact by a lawyer in our midst led to the conclusion that perhaps some of the legal cases cited in the resolution can be seen as part of still evolving law, and so might not be as solid a basis for our resolution as originally thought.

In anticipation of the revised resolution at the June meeting, Katie has asked that we all review the Flock Camera Fact Sheet she shared with us so as to be prepared to discuss the new resolution in June.

SENIOR CAUCUS HOLDS “PROTECTING OUR ELDERS” ZOOM CALL

THE MICHIGAN DEMS SENIOR CAUCUS INVITES YOU TO A ZOOM CALL ON MONDAY, MAY 18, AT 7 PM.

Scott Teter, head of the MI Department of Attorney General’s Financial Crimes Division, and lead of the Department’s Elder Abuse Task Force, will speak on important legislation that will protect Seniors, Person with Disabilities and Veterans.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing Zoom info about joining the meeting.

UPCOMING EVENTS

With Spring Fling now behind us, many summer events are coming up quickly. Our first event is the first 2026 Highway Clean Up on May 20. See above for more details. For Parades, we will share information about walking in them closer to each date.

Most urgently, we need to fill the shifts for Tabling at Pridefest and Bridgefest. Tabling involves greeting people who stop by, answering questions, and helping to make buttons. Email or text Events Chair Nancy Verive ([email protected] / (812) 573-1403) to sign up for any of the following shifts:

SPECIAL ELECTION IN MI SENATE 35TH DISTRICT WON BY IMPRESSIVE MARGIN!

Chedrick Greene won the special election last week in Michigan’s 35th Senate District (Saginaw area) with 58.5% of the vote, beating his Republican opponent by 19 points. Greene won in all three counties in the district - Midland, Saginaw and Bay counties. In the city of Midland Greene won every single district. He won Saginaw with 81% of the vote, and Bay City with 69%.

These are impressive results, given that Kamala Harris took the district in her 2024 Presidential bid by a margin of only 1. Greene’s win continues the string of “over-performance” by Democratic candidates since Trump began his second term.

FIND PRIMARY CANDIDATE INFO ON OUR WEBSITE

Just a reminder that we have a list of all the Democratic primary candidates for August on our website, along with links to their websites. The list has slimmed down a bit over the last month, with a few candidates dropping out.

You can find our list at https://www.houghtoncountydems.org/2026-primary-candidates.html.

PROTECT THE PORKIES

Protect the Porkies is, according to their website, “a collective of concerned citizens from around the Upper Peninsula, the great state of Michigan, and beyond, who are uniting to resist the development of Copperwood, an inexperienced Canadian company's proposal to mine next to and underneath Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.”

The group is asking for action THIS WEEK - they are asking concerned folks to comment on the company’s permit for wastewater discharge with EGLE, the state’s environmental protection agency. There are specific steps to take, but they must be taken by this Friday May 15th.

Protect the Porkies stresses that “EGLE thinks this is a permit without public interest. Let’s show otherwise by setting a record for the most comments ever received on a NPDES (wastewater discharge) permit.”

Click on the button below to learn more about the permit, the comment process, and how you can help.

TUE MAY 12

This month's regular meeting of the Houghton County Board of Commissioners is tonight at 6 PM in the Conference Room on the fifth floor of the Houghton County Courthouse. Find more information on the Board's webpage (find the Microsoft Teams virtual meeting info in the Agenda).

WED MAY 13

The Houghton City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Meeting Agenda is typically posted to the Searchable Document Center of the Council's website in advance of the meeting.

MON MAY 18

The Calumet Village Council will hold a Public Hearing at 6:00 PM in the Red Jacket Ballroom to discuss Calumet Train Depot’s request to abandon a section of 9th street. This meeting is also available via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86998774486. For Zoom attendance, use Meeting ID: 869 9877 4486, and Passcode: 699798

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.