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Veteran U.P. TV meteorologist fired after refusing to get Covid vaccine

September 16, 2021, 4:51 PM by  Allan Lengel


Karl Bohnak (Facebook photo)

The war over the Covid vaccine is playing out in workplaces as employers use FDA approval of the shots to pressure employees to get them. In one of the latest battles, Karl Bohnak, who spent more than 30 years as a meteorologist for WLUC-TV in Marquette, announced on Facebook that he'd been fired for refusing to get a Covid vaccine.

"I am leaving TV6 because the station's corporate owner, Gray Television, has mandated vaccination against COVID-19 for anyone entering a property owned by the company," he wrote on Wednesday.

"Since I chose not to take one of the shots, I was fired. Many of you have taken one of these injections, and that is absolutely your right. It is also my right to choose the medical options I feel are right for me. I have authority over my body."

He thanked viewers.

"Today, it is with a heavy heart, I announce after over 33 years, I am no longer employed at TV6.

"I am sad, but, to borrow a quote from a famous ballplayer, 'I'm the luckiest man on the face of the earth' because I had a dream as a kid to be a weatherman.  That dream came true and to top it off, I got to broadcast weather for one of the most challenging, beautiful spots in the United States.  As an added bonus, the people I broadcast to all across Upper Michigan were so kind and encouraging. Thank you for watching."

About 2,600 people responded to his post. The response was mixed.

Here's a sampling:

Kathy Helgren Fleury
I respect your decision and I would have done the same thing! We will miss you!

Mary Boggs
Will miss you.

Carol Ann Kasun-Dixson
I hope you will be as willing to stand up for a woman’s right to chose her own reproductive health care when the time comes.

Megan Anderegg Malone
Perhaps you should really think about who is controlling you. You weren't fired, you quit because you didn't want to follow the policy. This isn't about the vaccine, it's about partisan misinformation and anti-science conspiracy theories. I understand that you have also written that "global warming alarmism" is your "pet peeve." TV6 viewers deserve a meteorologist who believes in science.

Marty Penniman
Karl, I so respect your decision to follow your own beliefs and convictions [not to mention our constitution]. Some people have forgotten that the government WORKS FOR US, not the other way around. You are a lion among the sheep. God will provide.

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