This Year in Review installment deals with the third quarter, July through September.

JULY

2 — Three teens from Schoolcraft County were taken into custody after leading law enforcement on a high-speed chase that started on U.S. 2 when a Manistique Public Safety officer noticed an eastbound vehicle without its lights on about 3 a.m. near Lakeshore BP. The chase ended in a crash — the driver, a 15-year-old male from Manistique, was caught after fleeing on foot; the two passengers were 14-year-old residents of Schoolcraft County who had minor injuries.

5 — The City of Escanaba, along with an outside consultant, announced the city’s master plan, a policy guide meant to inform future decisions for the community. Its last master plan was published in 2016.

Local schools went into lockdown Sept. 4 while law enforcement responded to a tip that a person with a gun was outside the Escanaba Junior/Senior High School. (R.R. Branstrom | Daily Press photo)

7 — Fourth of July celebration plans in both Escanaba and Manistique were rescheduled due to rain and thunderstorms.

11-12 — The Annual Trappers Convention/Outdoor Expo took place Friday and Saturday at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. One featured speaker at the event was “Mountain Man” Paul Antczak of Montana — one of the stars of the reality TV program “Mountain Men” on the History Channel.

12 — Last winter’s particularly cold conditions spoiled crops at the Gladstone Berry Farm, which was only able to open their picking season for five days.

16 — Delta County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jon Smith, Deputy Adam Flagstadt and Delta County Search and Rescue volunteer members Scott Brandt and Jayson Frandle were honored with lifesaving awards for their efforts last winter during two separate ice rescues.

18 — The City of Gladstone hosted the Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Masters Walleye Circuit Qualifier on July 18 and 19, which marked a significant event for both the local community and competitive fishing enthusiasts.

Bear Wheeler of Elcho, Wis., left, and Bob Peterson of Green Lake, Wis., perform a “ribbon-cutting” on a log using a large, antique, two-person chainsaw during the Great Lakes Logging and Heavy Equipment Expo. The annual three-day event in early September celebrates and connects various professionals and other parties interested in the timber industry at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press photo)

21 — Three graduates from the Delta County Drug/Sobriety Court program testified on how the program had changed their lives at the program’s 15th graduation ceremony in the Delta County Circuit Court room.

23 — A vehicle inside the U.P. Towing & Recycling building caught fire, setting off a chain reaction of exploding propane and acetylene tanks that hindered firefighters and sent shrapnel onto neighboring buildings.

25 — Deputies from the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a multi-faceted investigation in Menominee County led by the Department of Homeland Security. The Menominee County Sheriff’s Office was not involved in any ongoing investigative proceedings related to this matter.

26 — John Gudwer, the Escanaba director of Public Safety, announced his retirement after nearly 27 years in law enforcement. Gudwer was appointed to the director’s position in 2023.

28 — Mo’s Pub in Escanaba was heavily damaged by a fire that broke out in the kitchen, prompting an hours-long battle against the blaze. While the back of the building was heavily damaged by the fire and firefighting efforts, most of the building’s facade remained intact.

28 — Wreckage from the F.J. King, a “ghost ship” that sank during a storm almost 140 years ago off the Wisconsin coastline, was discovered by a team led by researcher Brendon Baillod. (Published Sept. 16)

29 — An Escanaba Public Safety firefighter sustained minor injuries from battling a fire that engulfed a two-story residence at 3101 14th Ave. S.

30 — A teenage boy was found dead after drowning while swimming with friends in Gwinn. Forsyth Township Police, Fire & EMS along with UP Health Systems – Marquette responded at Mehl Lake.

AUGUST

1 — Capt. Darren Smith was named the new Escanaba Public Safety director, effective Sept. 2. Smith entered the director position with 23 years of law enforcement and fire operations experience.

2 — Authorities identified a suspect in a 1986 incident in which a woman was kidnapped at gunpoint from a public bathroom in Garden Township and repeatedly raped but said the man died two days before he could be arrested.

4 — Callie Barr, the Democrat who lost to U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, in the November 2024 election announced she would run again in 2026.

5 — Dickinson County voters approved a millage renewal for Bay College, ensuring funding for the Iron Mountain Campus would continue until 2046.

6 — A passenger died and another person was seriously injured when the vehicle they were in collided with a tanker truck on State Highway M-35 near Elmwood Road in Menominee Township.

7 — Escanaba City Council approved a second study into a mysterious smell that has plagued parts of Escanaba for more than five years. The smell has been known to sporadically affect businesses on Escanaba’s west side since at least 2019, when it first came under scrutiny.

11 — The Gladstone City Commission set an Aug. 25 hearing regarding plans for a new subdivision that would add 24 homes atop the bluff.

11 — Escanaba Public Safety officers were called to Lot 107 of Fairview Estates, where a woman had been stabbed numerous times. Crystalyn Dixie Knuth later turned herself in at Escanaba Public Safety and has been charged with one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation.

13 — Escanaba Public Safety released few details on a fatal stabbing at an undisclosed Escanaba home; Kaw Tung has since been charged with homicide-open murder-statutory short form.

14 — Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist attended the U.P. State Fair. This marked the second year in a row that Gilchrist attended the U.P. State Fair and annual Governor’s Luncheon at the U.P. state fairgrounds in Escanaba.

14 — Tavaris Jackson, a man accused of murdering his pregnant ex-girlfriend Harley Corwin in 2023 and leaving her body in a Delta County’s O.B. Fuller Park, appeared in Delta County Circuit Court, where his murder trial was set for March 2026.

17 — About 30 volunteers at the annual Cooks Corn Roast fundraiser for the Inwood Township Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services served 3,900 ears of corn.

19 — The Delta County Board unanimously voted to sign a resolution expressing their opposition to a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services plan to bid out contracts for prepaid inpatient health plans, or PIHP, for the public mental health system.

22 — Sgt. Austin Young was promoted to captain of the Escanaba Public Safety Department, effective Sept. 2.

22 — The Bark River-Harris cheerleading team attended a Detroit Lions’ preseason game at Ford Field and received a $7,000 Touchdown in Your Town grant from the Detroit Lions Foundation.

25 — Despite efforts by Escanaba Public Safety officers and other agencies, a large fire left a house at 803 First Ave in Escanaba a complete loss.

28 — Owners of the Stonehouse Restaurant & Lounge in Escanaba confirmed plans to rebuild the well-known restaurant at Ludington Street and Lincoln Road after a devastating fire on Dec. 21, 2024, left the structure a complete loss.

28 — One man was dead after what authorities said appeared to be a shooting in self-defense in Menominee County.

30 — Law enforcement and first responders performed an active shooter drill/simulation at the Escanaba Junior/Senior High School to test and refine emergency procedures.

30 — Hadley Polfus, daughter of Mike and Kaitlyn Polfus, was in the running for Toddler of the Year in the national America’s Adorable Toddler Search contest.

SEPTEMBER

1 — A fire broke out in the back of the Rapid River Pub just after midnight with patrons still inside marking the Labor Day holiday; everyone got out safely and the pub was able to reopen later that week. A man who had been ordered to leave the pub earlier that night, Steven Prestridge, now faces charges of second-degree arson and arson-preparation to burn real property.

3 — A competency exam was ordered for Kaw Tung, a man accused in a fatal stabbing from Escanaba on Aug. 13. Tung has been charged with homicide-open murder-statutory short form.

3 — Crystalyn Dixie Knuth, arrested after a stabbing Aug. 11 in Fairview Estates, was granted a competency exam. Knuth faced a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder or by strangulation.

4 — Local schools went into lockdown on a report someone may have been outside the Escanaba Junior/Senior High School with a gun. No one was injured in the incident and the lockdown was lifted later in the day.

4 — The Escanaba City Council voted to reverse a 1977 decision to designate a 5.17-acre parcel for public and recreational use after a developer made an offer on the land for a condominium project.

5 — Hundreds attended the 2025 customer appreciation event at McCoy Construction and Forestry’s new facilities in Escanaba. The event coincided with the Great Lakes Logging and Heavy Equipment Expo at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds.

8 — City Manager Eric Buckman announced at a Gladstone City Commission meeting he he planned to retire later in the year. The city then opened up the position to applicants, first being opened to internal applicants.

12 — Escanaba Motor Speedway hosted the annual Yooper Fall Classic, where Brian Vinney Jr. took home the $500 payout and Matt Valiquette earned the King of the Hill title.

12 — Both Michigan and Wisconsin National Guard teams conducted joint training operations at the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.

12 — One male died and a female had to be rescued after both fell off a personal watercraft in Little Bay de Noc near Gladstone harbor.

13 — The Village of Calumet celebrated its 150th anniversary with a block party downtown, blocking off a section of Sixth Street. About 20 vendors, food trucks and live music were in attendance.

15 — A Roscommon, Michigan, woman, 65, died after being pinned between a fifth-wheel camper and a truck at a campground on Moosehead Lake in Gogebic County.

16 — The Delta County Board approved multiple grants submitted to the Delta County Opioid Taskforce this spring for funds to come from the county’s share of opioid settlement funds. Grants for various amounts were awarded to the 94th District Court, the Escanaba Area Public Schools, Great Lakes Recovery Center and the Escanaba Student Success Center.

17 — The 27th Upper Peninsula Honor Flight mission returned from Washington D.C. after taking almost 80 veterans to the nation’s capital to be celebrated and tour historic war/service branch memorials.

18 — Steven Prestridge, accused in the Sept. 1 fire at Rapid River Pub, was granted a competency exam after virtually appearing in the 94th District Court. Prestridge faces charges of second-degree arson and arson-preparation to burn real property.

19 — Capt. Darren Green retired as commander of the Michigan State Police’s Eighth District after 25 years of service to the department.

20 — The Gladstone Middle School brought back their art program after 10 years by hiring a new art teacher.

21 — A 54-year-old Niagara, Wis., man was killed in a motorcycle crash in Marinette County about one-fourth mile east of U.S. 141 in the town of Niagara.

22 — Gladstone Public Safety Officer Dylan Nadeau-Enright and K-9 Bico were allowed to break their four-year contract with the City of Gladstone after a vote by the Gladstone City Commission.

25 — Michigan’s Legislature and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced they reached a deal to fund the government after months of standoff and stalemate on the state budget framework for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

26 — The Michigan State Police Gladstone Post were investigating an endangered missing person case involving a Gladstone woman named Brenda Meadows, 58, who was reportedly last seen about midday Sept. 15 in the Gladstone area. Meadows was found dead Sept. 26 when her vehicle was located with her body inside.

30 – The Daily Press had its 15th-annual Senior Expo hotels at the Highland Golf Club, with speakers from 10 different organizations presenting on various topics.