Tag Archives: U.S. Senator Gary Peters

On Tap: Mitten Brewing toasts Sen. Peters assistance, where to sample craft liquors locally

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Mitten Brewing Co. north, in Northport in the Traverse Bay area, will be a great place to stop by — summer or winter. (Supplied)

By K.D. Norris
ken@wktv.org

It is unclear which Grand Rapids area craft brew U.S. Sen. Gary Peters likes to order when he makes a stop in the area, but he probably has one on the house coming from Mitten Brewing Company.

Thanks to some federal-level advocacy from Sen. Peters’ office, Mitten Brewing Co. has a new Traverse Bay area craft brewing brewery and pub after Chris Andrus, co-owner and co-founder of the Mitten Brewing Co., was able to expedite a license from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.

Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, shown with Sen. Joni Ernst at Washington, D.C.’s annual Rolling Thunder First Amendment Demonstration Run in 2018 (Supplied)

The story, as given by Sen. Peters’ office recently, is that Mitten Brewing Co. discovered that a brewery in Northport, Mich., was going out of business and “They saw this as an opportunity to expand their brewery as well as protect the jobs of those employees. In order to do so, Mitten Brewing Co. needed to obtain their licensing quickly from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to open in time for the (past) summer season.”


 
Andrus reached out to Sen. Peters’ office for help, we are told, and “The office helped cut red tape for Mitten Brewing Co. by contacting the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau regarding the brewery’s licensing application. Chris soon thereafter received approval for the necessary license. The Northport location was able to open in time and is now a thriving part of the Northern Michigan community.”

Don’t know about you, but I love Mitten Brewing’ local locales and brews. Maybe I’ll buy the senator one next time we belly-up to the bar together.

Mitten Brewing’s Andrus shared his story in a video released by Sen. Peters’ office, and can be seen here.

Sen. Peters office states that Michiganders in need of assistance with a federal agency to contact his Detroit office at (844) 506-7420 (toll-free) or can visit his website at peters.senate.gov.

Grand Rapids, regional distillery choices growing all the time

It is no secret that Michigan is a booming market for craft distilled liqueurs, but the quality of Grand Rapids area, or nearby, sources might surprise you as much as they continue to surprise me.

In Grand Rapids, there is Long Road Distillers, with cocktails, small-bites, and bottles to-go are available — you can also take a tour for a behind-the-scenes look at the distilling process and get to know what is in your glass from a distilling expert.

Eastern Kille (once known a Grey Skies, FYI) has a downtown tasting room to sample their whiskey, gin, or coffee liqueur. A seasonally revolving menu of cocktails are available to highlight the spirits made onsite.

Nearby, in the great day-trip location of Saugatuck, the New Holland Spirits offer tasting flights and cocktails made with award-winning spirits, along with light snacks and a retail area with bottles to go. Holland, too makes a good stop as Coppercraft Distillery not only has small batch cocktails but an extensive dining menu.

And in the summer, when you are really in the mood for a road trip to the Traverse Bay area, we are told “Michigan’s oldest award-winning ‘Grain to Bottle’ Craft Distillery” is Grand Traverse Distillery. Grand Traverse Distillery distills all of their vodkas, whiskies, gin, and rum in a 1,100 liter Holstein twin column copper reflux pot still.

And I can personally vouch for the idea of getting a “Latitude Adjustment” at Northern Latitudes Distillery in Lake Leelanau, where their gin is to die for and their limoncello — aptly named Limoncello di Leelanau — is worth living for. The tasting room is open seven days a week, and tastings are free and you can buy your favorite selection by the bottle and/or have it mixed into an incredible cocktail.

OK, sharing a bottle of Northern Latitudes is a good reason to spend the night or weekend out of town.

Learn more about the Michigan small batch spirit producers and distilleries by visiting the website of the Michigan Craft Distillers Association.

Sen. Peters to hold Earth Day summit examining costs of climate change

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How much does flooding and other environmental problems linked to climate change, such as this past flooding on the Grand River, cost taxpayers locally and nationally? (WKTV)

By WKTV Staff
ken@wktv.org

Michigan’s U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D), who is ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will host a summit at Michigan State University on Earth Day to examine the rising costs to taxpayers from extreme weather and climate change.

The event, scheduled for Monday. April 22, at 10:30 a.m., in East Lansing, is open to the public and will be streamed live on Facebook.

“The Cost of Inaction: The Impacts of Climate Change and the Financial Burden on Taxpayers” will focus on the financial impacts of climate change on our national security, infrastructure, economy and public health, according to supplied material.

Sen. Peters will also announce a report with recommendations to help prevent further costs to taxpayers from the failure to prepare for and address damage from climate change.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)

“In recent years, communities in Michigan and across the country have seen a rise in extreme weather events driven by climate change that have cost taxpayers nearly half a trillion dollars in cleanup and recovery,” Sen. Peters said in supplied material. “The federal government must take action today to combat and prepare for the effects of climate change so that we can save Michigan taxpayers billions of dollars in the coming years and protect our planet for future generations.”


 
Michigan communities including Lansing, Houghton and the Detroit metro area have experienced several historic rainfall and severe flooding events in the last five years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to roads, bridges, property and businesses, according to supplied material.


 
The summit follows a recent Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) High Risk List report, which identified a need for the federal government to address the risks associated with climate change in a fiscally responsible way.


The report concluded that, “to reduce its fiscal exposure, the federal government needs a cohesive strategic approach with strong leadership and the authority to manage risks across the entire range of related federal activities.” In particular, the report examined the direct costs and impact associated with climate change on national security, public health, infrastructure, small business and more.


 
Experts invited to the summit include: Rear Admiral David W. Titley, U.S. Navy (ret.), Professor of Practice in Meteorology, The Pennsylvania State University; Director, Center for Solutions to Weather and Climate Risk; Paul C. Ajegba, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation; Dr. Lorraine Cameron, Senior Environmental Epidemiologist, Michigan Climate and Health Adaption Program, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; Dr. Maria Carmen Lemos, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan; and Jim MacInnes, CEO of Crystal Mountain Resort and Spa.


The summit will take place at the Michigan State University Union, 49 Abbot Road. Public parking is available in the MSU garage located on Grand River Avenue. Additional public parking is available in the nearby East Lansing parking garages. Directions and maps for the MSU Union are available here.

 

Peters delivers annual reading of Washington’s Farewell Address

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Michigan’s U.S. Senator Gary Peters delivered the annual reading of President George Washington’s Farewell Address on the Senate floor Feb. 26 in honor of the first president’s birthday.

 

To this day, Washington’s Farewell Address is considered be one of the most important documents in American history and the foundation of the Federalist party’s political doctrine. In 1862, during the American Civil War, thousands of Philadelphia residents signed a petition requesting that Congress commemorate the 130th anniversary of Washington’s birth by reading his Farewell Address in either the House of Representatives or Senate. It was first read in a joint meeting of the House and Senate on February 1862. Both the House and the Senate read the Farewell address until 1984 when the House abandoned the practice. Since 1896, senators of alternating parties have delivered the 7,641-word speech.

 

“President Washington’s Farewell Address offers a powerful message about the strength derived when our nation comes together as one — a message that is as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1796,” Peters said. “Washington’s words provide a valuable perspective at a time when our partisan politics are deeply divisive and increasingly marked by vitriol. I’m honored to take part in this tradition that returns to our country’s roots, inspires all Americans to strive for unity, and guides elected officials to seek out bipartisan compromises that help our national move forward together,” Peters said.

 

Peters is the third senator from Michigan to deliver the Address. Michigan’s U.S. Senators Julius C. Burrows (1895-1911) and Arthur Vandenberg (1928-1951) delivered it in 1902 and 1930, respectively. Peters’ family also has  a personal connection to Washington. He is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and his forefather, William Garrett, served in the Virginia militia alongside General Washington at Valley Forge during the harsh winter of 1777-1778.

 

After the reading, the selected senator signs their name and writes a personal note in a book kept by the Secretary of the Senate.