Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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Schools across the state of Michigan tallied up enrollment numbers for the annual count day for the Michigan Department of Education. School districts were required to submit the number of students in the school district, Wednesday, in order to receive state funding. More students equal more funding, but while other schools across the state deal with unbalanced budgets, districts in both Gogebic and Ontonagon counties deal with declining enrollments. Out of six districts between the two... Full story
IRONWOOD — Local author Pat O’Neill will be hosting a “story-bearing benefit” Tuesday at Tacconelli’s in Ironwood at 6:30 p.m. The event will feature passages from O’Neill’s book “Songs of the Coyote,” as well as poems from his upcoming book “Paste Baby Black.” Proceeds from the event benefit local creative programs through the Ironwood Carnegie Library, Downtown Art Place and Schneller Art Gallery. “Every penny goes to the kids,” O’Neill said. “They do a phenomenal job with those pro... Full story
HURLEY — Residents of Iron County took part in the first mobile food pantry Monday at the Iron County Courthouse in Hurley. The pantry was created through a partnership between the Iron County University of Wisconsin-Extension office and Second Harvest Food Pantry, of Duluth, Minn. Food was handed out for an hour in the parking lot, with many residents lining up before food was handed out. “It’s exciting to see how receptive people are, and it also shows us the level of need we have in Iron... Full story
IRONWOOD — Students at Gogebic Community College participated in the first ever food pantry/farmers market on campus, Wednesday. The idea for the project came on Tuesday morning, according to Cindy Franck, student outreach and retention coordinator at GCC, after students spoke to staff about not having enough food. “We had a good idea, and we went for it,” Franck said. Campus counselor Mark Wendt said many students are dealing with the changes of not qualifying for food-assistance Bridge Cards... Full story
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area School Board of Education heard from students and faculty about the possible movement of the Birchwood Alternative School from Bessemer to Ironwood, Monday. During an Aug. 19 meeting, superintendent Tim Kolesar was asked to make arrangements to move the alternative school out of the St. Sebastian building in Bessemer to help save the cost of renting the building. But with the start of school on Sept. 3, it proved to be an “impossible task,” said Kolesar. Diffe... Full story
WAKEFIELD — Out of hundreds of schools and thousands of students across eight states, Wakefield-Marenisco School pupil Kayla Kalmanek was one of 11 students featured in the annual Xcel Energy Safety Calendar for 2013-’14. Kalmanek, a fifth grader, participated in the contest while in fourth grade and drew a photo with the energy safety tip, “Never unplug electronics with wet hands, or you will be TOAST!” Her photo was selected for the month of August. On Friday, Kalmanek was presented with co... Full story
IRONWOOD — All her life, Karen Winkowski, of Ironwood, was a “Harley Honey.” She loved Harley Davidson motorcycles and the sound they made. A couple of weeks ago, Winkowski was diagnosed with cancer. She was given two days to live, and fought for two weeks. According to neighbor and friend Donald “Lucky” Morrison, Jr., she didn’t want an obituary or funeral. She wanted to hear Harley Davidson motorcycles. “She loved that sound and wanted to hear that rumble,” Morrison said. “It was her dyi... Full story
GILE, Wis. — Four years ago, Daniel “Danny” Baross lost his battle with depression and took his life, just two months shy of his 32nd birthday. His death was shock to his family and friends. Each year, his friends and family host a memorial softball tournament, not only to honor their lost friend and loved one, but to spread awareness of suicide prevention. This year marked the third annual Danny B Jack and Jill Softball Tournament in Gile. The tournament was on Aug. 24, and according to co-or... Full story
HURLEY — The Iron County Finance Committee continued to move forward with the process of refinancing courthouse-jail construction bonds from 2004 Thursday. If the bonds, originally borrowed for $3.2 million, are refinanced, the county is projected to save $15,000 to $20,000 a year, based on interest rates as of Wednesday, according to Dave DeYoung, senior vice president of the public finance department for Stifel, Nicolaus and Company of Brookfield, Wis. In July, DeYoung told the committee i... Full story
IRONWOOD — Women attended a “lunch and learn” at Aspirus Grand View Wednesday to learn health tips. Dr. Tarek Khalife, of the obstetrics and gynecology department, offered a “crash course” on women’s health. The event is part of a series of lectures that have been taking place over the past three years through Aspirus. “We try to do these every quarter,” Dave Sim, marketing manager for AGV, said. “We try to find topics that are of interest to people, and come up with providers who have the time... Full story
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees heard an update about the Airport Park project Monday. According to supervisor Alan Baron, the next step is to transfer dirt to level off an area for playground equipment. The equipment has been ordered and should be in by the end of the month, treasurer Jyl Renee Olson-DeRosso said. “Our goal is to have it so people can use it this year,” Olson-DeRosso said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a late fall.” Installing the playground equipment i... Full story
HURLEY — Hundreds of people celebrated their Italian heritage, or pretended to be Italian for a day, during the annual Festivale Italiano in downtown Hurley Saturday. Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce director Dorrene O’Donnell said the event was “humbling” in terms of community support. “It is just nice to see,” O’Donnell said. “To have this many people show up for a community event is wonderful.” Attendees dined on authentic Italian foods, including spaghetti, raviolis, gnocchis and other dishes... Full story
With Labor Day activities filling up the weekend and many traveling to spend time with family and friends, local law enforcement wants to remind people of safety practices during the holiday. Last year in Wisconsin, 10 people died in traffic crashes during the holiday weekend and in Michigan, eight people died. To prevent traffic deaths and injuries this year, Wisconsin, Michigan and other states are participating in the “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaign. In Michigan last year, off... Full story
IRONWOOD — Football players at Luther L. Wright High School in Ironwood are drinking something different after games as part of the “Rethink Your Drink” campaign through the National Dairy Council. Instead of water, juice or sports beverages, players are drinking chocolate milk. “Each year different grants are available in different areas and this year we received a grant from the National Dairy Council,” Mary Hampston, school district food service director, said. “It’s a good connection be... Full story
HURLEY — The annual Festivale Italiano is taking place Saturday in downtown Hurley. According to Dorrene O’Donnell, executive director of the Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce, the “fun-filled, family event” starts at 11 a.m. with craft and food vendors set up for “shopping and lunch.” “I encourage everyone to come down and celebrate all things Italian with the rest of us,” O’Donnell said. “Be Italian for a day.” The stretch of Silver Street from U.S. 51/Second Avenue to Fifth Avenue will be... Full story
HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors approved language and alterations to the zoning ordinance for the county, in relation to ferrous and nonferrous mining, Tuesday. The changes approved by the board for sections 9.4.4 through 9.4.11 were in relation to districts with ferrous and nonferrous mining and the uses authorized by a conditional use permit in those areas. The addition of two new sections to the ordinance were also approved, which focused on the requirements set by the county f... Full story
HURLEY — The Iron County Comprehensive Planning/Land and Zoning Committee approved a motion to changes and additions of sections to the zoning ordinance, in relation to both ferrous and nonferrous mining after a public hearing, Monday, in Hurley. The motion was to approve the language and have it sent to the Iron County Board of Supervisors for final approval during tonight’s board meeting. Changes were made to sections 9.4.4 through 9.4.11 in relation to ferrous and nonferrous mineral explorati... Full story
HURLEY — During a Iron County Mining Impact Committee meeting Wednesday, John Sendra presented an economic impact study in relation to the proposed Gogebic Taconite iron mine in Upson, Wis. The purpose of the study, according to Sendra, was to analyze the potential economic impact of the G-Tac mine in Iron County, as well as show impact in a 12-county area. The 12 counties include Iron, Ashland, Douglas, Bayfield, Washburn, Sawyer, Price, Oneida, Vilas and Forest counties in Wisconsin, and Gogebic and Iron counties in Michigan. The study i... Full story
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Scholarship Foundation received a $50,000 donation from the late Thomas C. Basso, formerly of Ironwood. Basso died on June 24, 2013, leaving a donation to the foundation. In 2003, Basso’s mother, Dorothy, left a $20,000 donation in honor of her late parents, Axel and Lena Wickman. The donation was presented to the Ironwood Area School Board of Education Monday. Superintendent Tim Kolesar wass amazed at the generosity from former alumni. “I think that one of the n... Full story
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area School Board of Education discussed possible actions to alleviate parking and possible safety issues for the Safe Routes to School initiative during a meeting, Monday. Superintendent Tim Kolesar presented an action plan for the project, including changing bus routes, not allowing parents to park near specific entrances anymore and other possible changes. One change is having all of the buses pick up students at the handicap entrance on Pabst Street at Luther L. W... Full story
SAXON, Wis. — Snowmobiles on snow is not uncommon, but snowmobiles on grass? That is something entirely different. Hundreds of people spent Saturday afternoon at the second annual Rolling Thunder Vintage Grass Drags at the Iron County Fair Grounds, sponsored by the White Thunder Riders of Hurley. Attendees watched classic snowmobiles race on top of grass, in excess of 80 miles per hour, with many machines from before the late 1980s. In addition to the drag races, visitors also participated in t... Full story
As summer draws to a close, I am reminded of that dreaded feeling that all children get when the weather gets a little cooler, days get a little shorter and Mom starts taking you shopping for pants instead of shorts. School is just around the corner. As an adult that feeling is not so much about dreading school, but more about feeling that time went by way too fast. When I think back to my summer, while it was supposed to be just over three months, it seemed more like three minutes. Every summer, days are filled with events, parties, vacations... Full story
HURLEY — A vast majority of the people attending a hearing on mining in Hurley on Thursday morning spoke against allowing bulk sampling and the Gogebic Taconite mine in general. More than 70 people attended the morning session of a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources public hearing on bulk sampling and a pre-application notice from G-Tac. The hearing was at the Hurley K-12 School. The event ran until 8 p.m. Larry Lynch, a geologist for the WDNR and technical lead for the project, said G... Full story
IRONWOOD — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder helped dedicate Depot Park in Ironwood, Monday as part of his plan to create a 600-mile biking-hiking trail from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood. Snyder and local leaders spoke about the project, and how the park has become a trailhead for the statewide trail system. “It is great to be here and I couldn’t think of a better place to start than right here in Ironwood,” Snyder said. Before Snyder spoke, Mayor Kim Corcoran spoke about the history of Ironwoo... Full story
IRONWOOD — Luther L. Wright School in Ironwood has been named as one of "America’s Best High Schools in 2013," according to the U.S. News and World Report. According to middle and high school principal Michelle Kanipes, she found out LLW had received a bronze award in July. "It was really some wonderful news in light of all the negative information surrounding public education in middle-high schools in Michigan," Kanipes said. "This is especially important (to me) because the award is a reflection of the commitment to student achievement our... Full story
