Superior Woman--Spring 2021

about being a part of the U.P. Honor Flight, which is part of a national
effort that transports veterans of war to Washington D.C. for an
organized one-day trip to visit memorials in the District.
All veterans on each flight are accompanied by a volunteer who helps
them throughout the day. Prusi first volunteered in April 2012 and she
completed a dozen flights in years following.
“I got to meet these veterans, and everybody there has a story to tell,”
she said of her experiences.
One of the things Prusi has enjoyed most about working at a local
daily newspaper over the years is her ability to help share the stories of
many people of all ages across the U.P., and she sees the way the issues
the newspaper covers impacts the community where she, in fact, lives.
“I think what we do is important,” she said. “We still report things
that other media would never bother with, like 50th anniversaries,
honor roll, and graduation classes. But we are digging for the truth, too.
“I feel privileged that people would share part of their lives with me.”
Prusi has had opportunities to leave the Mining Journal over the
years. But, every time an opportunity presented itself, she decided to
stay put.
“Other papers in the chain have offered me jobs, and it validates my
work,” she said. “I’d probably have made a lot more money if I’d gone
into other things, but I think what we do is valuable.
“The problem is people don’t want to pay for what we do, and we
are not a nonprofit,” she said. “But people still want someone watching
local government and telling them what is happening in their local
school district.
“I want newspapers to survive and I want to be a part of that.”
FUN FACTS
about Renee Prusi
• In 2019, she was named to the Marquette Area
Music Hall of Fame for her contributions to the
local music scene via her entertainment reporting.
“I love music and that’s one of the things I’ve
missed the most about the pandemic. I’m looking
forward to sitting outside on a lawn chair and
letting the music wash over me.”
• Saturdays are known as “Caturdays” in her home,
where her cats, Cash and Simon, are social media
stars on Prusi’s Facebook page.
• In Renee’s Wildest Dreams She... “is Aaron Rogers’
agent.” Would she help him get the gig as Alex
Trebek’s replacement on Jeopardy? “Absolutely!”
46.5° North
Da U.P., Eh?
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SPRING 2021 SUPERIORWOMAN.NET 7