11/16 - This is from a message received from a local resident: It appears that a sports dynasty is building in Menominee County. First, in Stephenson, we had a fleet-footed group of young ladies who left their track competition covered with dust. Then there were l8 gallant young men who caused havoc on the football field, only to have their playoff hopes crashed, questionably, in East Jordan. Now we have a group of young men wearing the Maroon and Gold, doing warm-up sessions in the 'Little Dome' so they can get back to the 'Big Dome' in Pontiac, led by a stonewall defense and a running back who has to have come from the planet Krypton! In short, we have a bunch of classy young people portraying Menominee County in a very positive light.

11/16 - Time for the not-very-serious horoscope for people with November birthdays. If yours has already passed, pick any other day this month and it will probably still work:

You do not believe in the accurate, proven, time tested predictions of horoscopes. Stay away from astrologers, they can't stand you. Your lucky star is Lassie and you have no lucky number at all. Expect some incredible luck on your birthday, like picking a shopping cart with four good wheels.

11/15 - The Mid-County Sportsmans' Club rifle range in Stephenson was a busy place this weekend with a steady stream of hunters getting in some last-minute practice before the firearms deer season started. Club members Sid Meyers and Loren Anderson welcomed people like Mike Roden from Taylor, Michigan, who was quite pleased with the accuracy of his practice shots. He and friends are hunting on property east of Stephenson on G-12, formerly owned by Clifton Hendrickson.

11/15 - It's weird. The schools are closed down. Lumber yards, repair shops, manufacturers, even jewely shops have closed. But the grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and bars are prepared for many extra customers. Men from all parts of the country have left their comfortable homes and loving families for the discomforts of primitive cabins on bumpy dirt roads. These are stocked with more than enough firewood, food and drink, guns and ammunition. Uniforms are mandatory and appropriate rugged vehicles are a status symbol. Many women flee the area for the security offered by the shops, stores and restaurants of larger, more civilized cities where any kind of dress or vehicle is fine as long as you bring lots of money and leave most of it there.

All of this has nothing to do with Y2K or an expected invasion by outer-space aliens.

It's just the start of the Michigan firearm deer hunting season. The blaze orange uniforms are acceptable wear most anywhere, from church to local eateries and bars. Although pickup trucks are not required most 'real' hunters own one. And each year more and more women are joining in the hunt. Outsiders and newcomers to the area though, still think it's all a little weird.