Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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IRONWOOD - Regional recreational leaders and business people gathered at Gogebic Community College Tuesday to discuss how to better capitalize on natural resources. The day-long seminar in the Lindquist Center involved approaches to "building a natural resource economy," or what happens when "nature, culture and community connect." Ironwood Community Development Director Michael Brown told the 50 participants who gathered for the seminar, "It doesn't stop today when you leave this room,"...
IRONWOOD - The fact that the parking lot at the U.S. 2 Michigan welcome center was empty around 5 p.m. Thursday shows the impact of the highway reconstruction project. The highway was open to the visitor center entrance for both westbound and eastbound traffic, but the stretch immediately to the east was torn apart and open to single lane, westbound vehicles, only. A few blocks away, at the Sunnyside Plaza, Angelo Luppino Construction, Iron Belt, Wis., workers were paving an alternate entrance...
HURLEY - A Mercer, Wis., man was honored Wednesday for his role in saving a 14-year-old girl from prostitution. Pat Brandt was presented with a plaque from the Iron County Sheriff's Department for his heroism. Iron County Judge Patrick Madden said while he couldn't comment on specific aspects of the case in the event of an appeal, Brandt was "a hero to a 14-year-old girl." Nikia Burchette, 28, of Milwaukee, was previously convicted in a jury trial and was sentenced in Iron County Court to six ye...
IRONWOOD - Ironwood's bag men and ladies hit the streets on a sun-filled Saturday morning. They collected any garbage they could find during the annual Make a Difference Day. "We have a small, but dedicated crew out here today," said city manager Scott Erickson, as he handed out garbage bags and gloves to the volunteers from the Depot. A slight breeze held off the booming mosquito population. Jean Basom and Becky Schwartz headed down Lowell Street at a fast pace, kicking off their effort around...
BESSEMER - Emotions ran high at Friday's Gogebic County Community School alternative education graduation ceremony at the St. Sebastian School gymnasium in Bessemer. Not only were students choked up about graduating, but GCCS coordinator Lori Struwe broke up when she announced that Denise Schmitz-Enking, an educator for 34 years, including the past 22 with the Gogebic County program, is retiring. "This is a tough one for me," Struwe said. The 11 graduates presented a tearful Schmitz-Enking with...
IRONWOOD - City commissioners learned Tuesday that since Ironwood's U.S. 2 reconstruction project is now under way, city workers will tackle some water leaks along Cloverland Drive with the reduced traffic there. Bob Richards, of the department of public works, said work on two leaks will begin today and could be completed by Friday. Commissioner Dave Sim noted there's water along the highway from the leaks. Richards said there are four or five other leaks in the city that also must be...
HURLEY - Five heads are better than one, or at least that's what the Hurley class of 2014 figures. When four classmates tied for valedictorian honors with perfect 4.0 grade point averages, it was decided they'd deliver the commencement address together, along with the salutatorian. Mark Saari, Cameron Rowe, Samantha Lardinois, Sarah Carroll and Beau Shafer tag-teamed to offer advice to fellow classmates and future graduates on Saturday. Salutatorian Shafer advised his classmates not to take...
WAKEFIELD - Wakefield-Marenisco superintendent Cathy Shamion said Friday the Class of 2014 is a "curious" bunch and valedictorian Brianna Greenough agreed. "Curiosity will not always kill the cat," Greenough said in addressing the graduating class of 14. She said her class wouldn't have accomplished much without being curious. "Talk to someone you don't know," she urged. Recalling how a "diverse" class came together as one on trips, class president Miranda Sibley urged future graduates to "make...
IRONWOOD - Ironwood's coldest winter in 100 years continued into April, with temperatures for the month nearly 6 degrees below normal. April 2014 in Ironwood enters the weather statistic books as the ninth coldest on record, according to Kevin Crupi, of the National Weather Service office in Marquette. Records date to 1901. "For the fifth month in a row, a cold northwest flow of Canadian air dominated the Upper Great Lakes," Crupi said in his monthly summary. The combined December through April...
IRONWOOD - The general contractor for this summer's Ironwood U.S. 2 reconstruction project said Wednesday work on the detour route will begin around the middle of next week. Tom Schneller, of Snow Country Contracting, Bessemer, addressed about 85 people Wednesday evening at a meeting at the Memorial Building. The session was set up by the Michigan Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the project. The 2014 work will be from the tourist park to Curry Street. "We'll make it a successfu...
IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Public Safety Department has been chosen as the hazardous materials response team to cover the entire Upper Peninsula. IPSD Director Andrew DiGiorgio said Monday eight of the 12 officers in his department are training to receive technician 1 certification to respond to hazardous responses and more training is planned. "The IPSD has received well over $1 million in equipment to accomplish this task, including a response vehicle, air sampling and monitoring equipment, prote...
IRONWOOD - Just a few days before a new garbage contractor is to begin serving Ironwood, city residents were told Monday the new company will do all it can to make the transition smooth. "Customer satisfaction is my company's priority," said Jim Whittinghill, sales manager for Eagle Waste, of Eagle River, Wis. The company will begin collecting garbage Thursday from customers' 64-gallon receptacles. If people prefer, they can receive 48- or 96-gallon containers, he told the city commission....
HURLEY - "It has been growing every year," former Iron County, Wis., Veterans Services Officer Bob Morzenti said of Saturday's 24th annual steak feed at the Memorial Building in Hurley. Iron County Chapter 529 of the Vietnam Veterans of America expected to serve about 450 people before the event concluded on a sunny, but cold Saturday, compared to around 430 last year. It's an annual fund-raiser that was initiated by Morzenti, who is one of about two-dozen volunteers who make the dinner a...
Iron County regained the dubious distinction of having the worst unemployment rate in Wisconsin in March. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Iron County’s jobless rate shot up to 13.1 percent for March, compared with 12.6 percent in February. A year ago, the rate was 13.8 percent in Iron County. Bayfield County, which had the worst rate in the state in February, improved to third worst, improving from 13.1 percent to 12.3 percent. The WDWD said rates improved or stayed the same in all but six of the state’s 72 count...
HURLEY -The Hurley School Board's strict policy requiring proof of insurance with bids came to light again Monday. As the board considered bids for refinishing the gymnasium floor, three of four bids were rejected because they didn't include any proof of insurance. The board accepted a $17,150 bid from Pro Star Services, of Mequon, provided its insurance is current. There was a lower bid from an Ironwood company, at $16,050, but it didn't include insurance proof. "We set bid specifications for a...
HURLEY - The Hurley School District was officially recognized Tuesday as a national Green Ribbon award winner for environmental stewardship. It was the welcome news administrators and teachers had been looking forward to since the district was earlier named a Wisconsin Green Ribbon award winner by the U.S. Department of Education. Mike Boots, acting chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced Green Ribbon award winners in...
The term global warming wasn't used much over the winter on the Gogebic Range. With a 110-year record set for the coldest December through February period in Ironwood, as revealed by the National Weather Service office in Marquette, it was more like global freezing. The early arrival of spring weather in 2011 and years preceding has all but been forgotten with the past two severe, "old-fashioned" winters. Now, an international panel of climate scientists and economists released a new report...
IRONWOOD - The early spring storm that blasted the Gogebic Range with more than a foot of snow beginning Thursday evening lingered on into early this morning. Ironwood received 9.5 inches for the 24-hour period to 7 a.m. Friday and it snowed throughout the day after that, most likely doubling that total. The National Weather Service's winter storm warning for Ironwood was extended to 1 this morning, long after the storm had ended in the Duluth-Superior area. The snow was wet, heavy and...
First, the good news: There's no chance of snow or rain today or Sunday in Ironwood and the high will reach 46 degrees. Then, the bad news: There's a 90 percent chance of precipitation on Monday and Tuesday. With a high of around 40 predicted, it would likely come down as rain, but it could create more of the slush that made driving hazardous on Thursday evening. Ironwood received a mix of rain and snow into Thursday evening, with .39 inch of precipitation recorded at the Gogebic-Iron...
IRONWOOD - Kratos and Oceta took a furlough from their prison training program Saturday to attend the Spring Home, Yard and Sport Show at the Patrick O'Donnell Civic Center. The dogs are two of many up for adoption at the HOPE animal shelter. The dogs walked through the crowd at the civic center, stopping to be petted by youngsters and adults alike. They are staying at the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco, where they are being trained by inmates right in the prison cells. The inmates'...
It's no secret that northern Wisconsin's winter has reached the "very severe" stage, as reflected in Department of Natural Resources readings. The Winter Severity Index reading at Upson stood at 107 through the end of February. A reading of 100 is considered to be very severe on the DNR's scale. The index measures days with snow of at least 18 inches and temperatures below zero, so at least another 20 points could be added to Upson's total for March. The same holds true for Mercer, with a...
Temperatures in the 50s and sunshine across the Gogebic Range on Monday carved a substantial chunk out of winter's snow accumulation. Ironwood posted a 55-degree reading by 3 p.m. The high for northern Wisconsin at that time was 57 at Arbor Vitae. The melt-down won't last for long, however, as the National Weather Service predicts a Wednesday high for Ironwood at 13. Although Ironwood recorded a high of 40 for the 24-hour period to 7 a.m. Monday, the snow didn't melt much on Sunday because it...
IRONWOOD - Storm Seneca packed a wallop on the Gogebic Range that was still being felt Friday evening, as blowing and drifting snow continued to make driving hazardous. The Gogebic Range was hit with from a foot to 15 inches of snow on Thursday night into Friday evening, closing schools and businesses. Strong winds continued into Friday night as the plows couldn't keep up with the drifting. The impact of the storm was every bit as severe as the National Weather Service had predicted. The...
Numerous communities across the Upper Peninsula, including Ironwood, have issued water let-run notices to prevent homeowners' pipes from freezing. With frost already more than 7 feet deep across the U.P., homeowners are struggling with frozen water lines, especially where there is little snow cover. Many U.P. water customers are being asked to run their water at a pencil eraser width until further notice and keep the snow cover over the lines. Bob Richards, of the Ironwood department of public...
BESSEMER - After more than 40 years of seeking a solution to keeping the Oman's Creek boat landing from frequently washing shut, it appears some action is on the horizon. It might not be the near horizon, but the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners learned Wednesday that the Department of Natural Resources at least has the Lake Superior site on its radar. Eric Cadeau, a planner with the MDNR, said a long-term plan alternative is to construct a 120- to 160-foot long groin into Lake Superior...
