This is where Johnny probably loses some of you but it needs saying...

Johnny was (and probably still is) one of the top media analysts who ever drew a check for predicting and knowing what American consumers would do, say and react to. Top companies requested Johnny's analysis through his agency. Point being, Johnny understands what he's about to talk on. He brings receipts. 

Nowhere did people stand up against socialism like Iosco County and Oscoda Township in 2024. Boy howdy, they looked at Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party and said NO socialism for us. That's not who we are. We REJECT out of hand stupid socialism policies because we're conservatives and that's what we believe.

ORLY? Find me one Oscoda Township elected official who stood up to the $700,000+ Oscoda Township got in Covid relief funds. That's a big chunk of that socialism that all the people who spoke against Harris sure were grabbing with both hands, Chester, back in 2021. Nobody said no.

How about that $60,000 in socialism money in the grant Oscoda Township got for a downtown walkway. Oscoda Township elected officials had no negative comments. Why is that? Maybe they'd like to tell us why the huge socialism grant for the new fancy bike path that runs from the passing lane into AuSable Township is ok. Anybody complain about that grant money? *crickets*

It may sound good and fashionable to claim and make stands against socialism, until you start spending that money and saying nothing and hoping nobody is paying attention. Hypocrisy, thy name is Iosco County and Oscoda Township elected officials. 

The weed situation certainly has changed in Iosco County

Where once there were seven dispensaries in Iosco County, four in East Tawas and at one point three here in O-Town, only three remain. The first to go was Inspire at F-41 and Cedar Lake Rd. Wasn't around all that long. Perhaps the most surprising closing was The Botanical in East Tawas. In fact Johnny had placed an order to pick up the next day and was met with a CLOSED sign at Botanical. Probably the saddest closing. The first retail cannabis shop here and the only one who'd accept debit or credit cards was gone. This spring brought the end of two more cannabis shops in East Tawas, Heritage Provisioning and High Level Health who have bailed on Iosco County and kept their Arenac County Omer store open. There were signs these two shops were on shaky ground as construction materials began taking up space in their parking lots. In fact the Heritage Provisioning shop got a new parking lot for customers who are never coming.

So, now, three there are, Puff, the craft weed experience at Top Tree in Oscoda and Great Lakes Exotics in East Tawas. Quite a change for the smokers and dabbers about. What was it that caused the big heyday of marijuana in Iosco County to die off? Lack of business obviously as seven shops at one point was probably a bit much. But what was it that left Great Lakes Exotics the only one standing in East Tawas? They have a great selection but so did the others. While they each had their own special promotional products, prices on most things weren't terribly different from the others. An interesting question as to why some made it and some failed. 

If you are someone interested in bringing a new dispensary to Iosco, maybe these closed shops provide a cautionary tale. If you have any insider info on the closed shops or the weed biz in the county feel free to drop a note in comments.

Sounding like Iosco Transit had better not take the next vote for granted

Johnny is one of those people who listens to others. He hears what they say even if he doesn't jump into the conversation. Years of being a tip top media analyst taught Johnny to keep his ears open and his mouth shut. Know what Johnny has been hearing around town and from his neighbors? They are really getting a negative impression from the Iosco Transit 'busses' and are not inclined to vote for another millage/tax next time it comes up. After about the fourth person who brought it up one really begins to think a lot more people think like these folks. In fact, neighbors on both sides of Johnny have expressed a disappointment with Iosco Transit and seem fairly put off by the entire system.

While Iosco Transit should be able to figure it out on their own from any number of online sources with complaints on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook but it all sure seems to be based around the same thing. Hideous drivers. Johnny would tend to agree with this as yes, he's been cut off in both his neighborhood and one pulling right out in front of him on US-23 in East Tawas. Multiply that across a county over a couple years and yeah, it becomes a thing. It's a problem of their own making and yet Johnny is going to guess they see no problem at all. It's a county program, they only care about the money, not changing up anything for you. 

The Oscoda City Desk Action Weather Team has an important winter weather update!

Winter has indeed found us friends. This week brings two snow events to our fair township. First, tomorrow (Tuesday) morning early the snow will start and depending on the drift of this one, could bring anywhere from 2-8' across the northern tier of the lower peninsula. Oscoda and along the lake is looking like a 2-4" currently, more south and northwest.

Now for the real fun, Friday.

It looks like it begins mid-morning Friday and goes through Saturday afternoon. Maybe this is why nobody is RSVPing to Johnny's Saturday afternoon Browns playoff buffet. So, there you have it, hippity hoppity winter's on the way. See you at the quickly emptying grocery store!

MDOT has announced the passing lane between Oscoda and Tawas will be closed...temporarily

The last couple years have seen sewer and drain work ruin traffic patterns along US-23 in Iosco County. Well get ready for a real kicker, MDOT has announced that for two weeks in July the passing lane between Oscoda and Tawas will be closed for MORE sewer work and re-routing of electric cables. 

Just wonderful.

They have upgraded this nebbish snow day to a 3-6" annoyance

3-6" of sloppy wet snow between, well, now and 7am tomorrow for Iosco (and Ogemaw but who really cares) Counties. Probably much ado about nothing unless you are a dog.

The Oscoda City Desk Action Weather Team rates this a 1 Dr. Smith storm system.

Oscoda, we need to talk a little weather this morning...

...actually maybe we should have a big talk about the next 24 hours of weather around here. 

Snow and ice are on the way but the big problem is the ice and the amounts. Some predictions have almost a half-inch of ice setting up around the greater Oscoda area. You read that right, a half-inch. Bet on at least a third of an inch and that means loss of power and trees and branches coming down no doubt. If your phone or iPad or other electronics need charging, now would be the time. Now, there is the threat of some amount of snow, 2 inches, 3 inches, 4 inches, no model seems to have landed on a solid amount of snow on top of the ice. This whole winter storm party kicks off tonight around 6pm so whatever preparations you feel you need to make, you have some time today. 

Stay with the Oscoda City Desk Action Weather Team for more information as it becomes available.

Psych! The new dispensary in East Tawas called High Society? Nope, it's Heritage Provisioning

Anyone around Iosco County has seen those signs for the new "High Society" dispensary coming to East Tawas, almost across the street from the Botanical & Co. Suddenly though, those signs quickly went away and the sign out front of the business was covered over. Johnny thought maybe the process there had fallen through. So many hoops to jump through to get a license to sell cannabis in Michigan and elsewhere.

But just yesterday Johnny drove by and saw one of those silly air powered plastic 'characters' that go up and down with the air pressure out front. Then, this morning there was Heritage Provisioning on the Weedmaps site. Johnny also did wonder about naming a dispensary using the save naming convention as an out of print porn magazine from days of yore.

Welcome to Iosco County Heritage Provisioning. Put the THC%'s on your Weedmaps listings. Please and thank you.

Johnny would like to apologize for the lack of a proper Music Series this weekend

For this, the entire Oscoda City Desk family can thank Spectrum. They managed to drop Johnny's internet (and phone) connection Thursday afternoon and didn't manage to get it back up (sans phone) until 11:30 this morning. 

Welp friends, Johnny took names and times and the lies they told. He's going to put this all together like he's done before working at an agency, kind of a time breakdown of a how a company freely lies, insults and destroys customer relationships. Johnny has written award-winning timelines and Spectrum is about to get another one in the next few days. It will be truthful, it will be brutal and it will show how Johnny is pretty certain Spectrum games their customer service numbers. Twelve calls will do that.

Oh, did Johnny mention, his proposed solution Thursday night, one he was dismissed out of hand for, turned out to the the fix Spectrum went with. Nothing like doing their jobs for them.

We should have a Music Series up tomorrow, our first Monday Night Music Series ever.

Be on the lookout Iosco Country, the Monarch butterfly migration has begun

You may have noticed in the back yard or elsewhere outside a sudden preponderance of Monarch butterflies. The migration that takes them north to south, often along Great Lakes peninsulas on  their way to the Sierra Madre mountains in Mexico. 

If you love Monarch butterflies, you can help them by planting milkweed, so important to the ecosystem of Monarchs.

Accuweather is throwing around a number on our snow Tuesday night and all day Wednesday

You're not going to like the number, Oscoda. Accuweather is now calling for 6-10" of new snow beginning Tuesday evening and running all day Wednesday.

This has been an Oscoda City Desk Action Weather Team update.

We have good news and bad news: It all depends on how you feel about snow

Checking the Saturday weather situation on and off has indeed led to seeing a trend and that trend is MORE SNOW. Yesterday it was in the 6 inch range, now the Wunderground projection is north of 8 inches. Not trying to alarm anyone, just letting them know a trip to Roger's might be in order on Friday if you do your marketing on Saturday.

Johnny's got the company this weekend -- It's a Saturday night Music Series this week

Luckily right now you're outside in this fall-preview weather around Iosco County this weekend. Drop back by tonight, campers.

The Oscoda City Desk Action Weather team is relaying a winter weather advisory

By this time tomorrow there should be a cool 4-7 inches of new precipitation, in the form of snow (it might be rain at the tail end). The snow kicks off between 4-5 PM today and will go through the night. It will keep Johnny from a trip to Alpena this evening and isn't that just a little sad.

An Oscoda City Desk Action Weather Team update -- 2-4" of snow tomorrow afternoon into NYE

So Bunky, you want to go out tomorrow night and party hearty (or hardly), well the crack team at the Oscoda City Desk Action Weather wants to tell you that starting tomorrow afternoon 2-4" inches of snow will make your New Year's Eve driving hazardous. We're not saying don't go, we're saying make plans.

For snow updates make sure to follow this weather outpost...

Hellooooooooooo Oscoda!

Johnny's soon to be your problem next. He's coming in hot from Jersey City, New Jersey and he's decided to make Iosco County his home. You'll be hearing more from him, MUCH MORE as he gets settled in December. 

If Johnny will rip on Senators and congressmen and city officials out here in the Jersey City/NYC area, Oscoda officials better up their games! 

See you soon, Owls.