Hi all - I'm sure you have seen on the news the horrible ice storm that has decimated the trees and foliage in the tip of the mitt area. Many communities have been without power since Saturday due to massive damage to substations and with temps going down into the teens, it has been chilly, dark, and unsettling. Petoskey power came up this morning, but we are still having trouble with phone lines. Many communities though are still without power. Data was very spotty throughout so getting any sort of news in our out was difficult. The damage to our trees is so incredibly sad. Good news is that of course our community pulled together and we have seen countless acts of kindness: Warming shelters feeding people and offering a place to charge devices; neighbors out hooking up generators for neighbors; friends clearing debris from the road; people sharing news and support; people bringing water to dry houses; people opening their homes up for hot showers, hardware stores opening in the dark for people to get fuel, batteries, generators, heaters. All in all, we are coming out the other side, and crossing our fingers that this next barrage of wind and rain won't take us down again. Anyway, if you have seen an issue with slow arrival of books from up here that is why. Boyne library opened yesterday; Petoskey Library is opening tomorrow, along with a few other libraries. Lots of lessons learned and we made it through. Valerie Meyerson (she/her) Library Director Petoskey District Library Please think of the environment before printing this message.