High-speed internet is no longer a luxury; it is becoming a necessity. As reliable high-speed options have become the norm across significant portions of America and the world, much of rural America has remained unserved and underserved. Wolverine Power Cooperative has partnered with Michigan co-ops to explore the possibility of working together to provide broadband internet to their members. The first step is a [...]
At the last Alger Delta board meeting, Director Nancy Gardner-Platt announced she was stepping down from her position on the board. She and her husband are moving down state to be closer to family, which makes her no longer eligible to serve on the board. Gardner-Platt served as a director for seven years representing Alger Delta’s District 3, which includes Grand Marais and Burt [...]
Timothy Brechon of Paris and John LaForge of Delton were recently elected by Great Lakes Energy members in their district to three-year terms on the electric cooperative’s board of directors. Incumbent Robert Kran of Free Soil was also re-elected to the board. Brechon and LaForge are the first directors to be elected to these districts. Election districts were created in 2014 when Great Lakes [...]
The Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op Board of Directors recently approved participation in CoBank’s “Sharing Success” program, a $3 million charitable fund designed to benefit cooperatives and the charitable groups they support throughout rural America. CoBank is a nonprofit, cooperative bank that PIE&G uses and is a member of. Under the program, CoBank matches contributions by its cooperative members to the charitable organizations [...]
Midwest Propane is once again “Fueling the Fight” to raise money and awareness for cancer care and services in southwest Michigan. The logoed trucks have taken to the streets, and the company will donate one penny for every gallon of gas delivered in August to the West Michigan Cancer Center. August is the highest delivery month of the year as service technicians prepare customers [...]
The Governor's Energy Excellence Awards honors Michigan organizations and individuals for outstanding achievement in reducing energy waste. Nominations were spread across eight different categories in order to showcase exceptional commitment to responsible energy production and consumption across a variety of project types. Odawa Casino Resort, owned and operated by the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and a member of Great Lakes Energy [...]
Cyber attacks aren’t something many think about when considering the safety of electricity, but they are one of the largest dangers to electric grids. An extremely organized attack on Israel’s Electric Authority earlier this year shut down large portions of the country’s electric grid, and the FBI has recently begun a nationwide campaign for electrical power infrastructure security to protect the United States’ own [...]
In June, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced a new CEO, former U.S. Rep., Jim Matheson. Matheson took time out of his busy schedule to record a podcast with Cherryland’s Rachel Johnson and Tony Anderson for the 24th episode of Co-op Energy Talk. Matheson began by discussing his extensive background in Congress and public policy as well as providing services to large [...]
When rural communities stop voting, those who get elected won’t reflect their voice. The Co-ops Vote program through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) aims to reverse the decline of rural voters by encouraging co-op member-owners to get to the polls. At the CONNECT 2016 conference, Rachel Johnson, member relations manager at Cherryland gave a presentation on how to get cooperatives more involved [...]
Broadband in America has gone from being a luxury to a necessity for full participation in today’s global economy and society. Unfortunately, a digital divide exists where rural citizens lag behind their urban counterparts in broadband access, speeds and capacity. Midwest Energy Cooperative has been expanding access to high speed internet to its members in rural southwest Michigan by leveraging fiber assets used for [...]
