Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 51 - 75 of 143
By RYAN JARVI [email protected] BESSEMER — Bessemer school officials held a public meeting Monday night to provide additional information regarding the issue of consolidation which has caused confusion and concerns throughout the community. More than 50 people attended the meeting held in the A.D. Johnston High School gymnasium that followed the school’s Board of Education meeting. “If there is a vote, or when there is a vote, we want people voting with information, voting with their head and not their hearts,” said Dave Radovic...
BESSEMER — Bessemer school officials will host a public informational forum on consolidation in the A.D. Johnston High School gymnasium following the school’s Board of Education meeting Monday night. The consolidation of Bessemer and nearby Wakefield-Marenisco School District has been expressed by some community members as an appropriate path to improving the area’s education. A consolidation proposal was placed on the Aug. 5 primary election ballot this year, but was removed following a court order in June. Bessemer schools sued County Clerk...
PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS - The twangs of banjos and bass drum stomps were sent throughout the Porcupine Mountains this weekend and heard by hundreds of people who sat on blankets, in fold-up camping chairs or beneath tents, under threat of rain from the gray skies above. The 10th annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival drew one of the largest crowds yet to the three-day event, which features a number of performers from all around the country and world. The semi-circle of fans, which climbed high...
BESSEMER - New waste disposal services begin Sept. 2 in Bessemer and with it will come a change in pick-up days and no more blue trash bags. At its meeting Monday, the city council approved a resolution establishing the trash and recycling collection fee of $17 per month with the city's new provider, Eagle Waste & Recycling, Inc., of Eagle River, Wis. Residents who have received water or sewer services through the city will continue to get a bi-monthly utility bill, with the new trash and...
IRONWOOD - With classes set to begin Monday, Gogebic Community College administrators are gearing up for another busy year. "The whole of our existence is working with students," GCC president Jim Lorenson said. "While there's been a lot going on here during the summer break period, obviously when students and all the staff are back, it's a much more exciting time." Jeanne Graham, dean of students, said the college won't know its official enrollment until after Friday, when students are no...
HURLEY - Dozens of people attended a drive-in theater style fundraising event at the Hurley K-12 School Wednesday evening held by the 2015 Last Blast Committee. Hurley students graduating in 2015 and their parents hosted the event to raise money for the class' Last Blast party, which is held annually at the end of each academic year for the seniors and chaperoned by the junior class' parents. Each year, the class holds the Last Blast party at Gogebic Community College to encourage a...
IRONWOOD - A San Francisco-based financial tech startup company is considering opening a branch office in the area, and held a casual job fair Tuesday in Ironwood to scout potential employees. The company, Expensify, currently employs 13 full-time and more than 45 part-time people in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and is looking to expand those numbers. "We're looking for the best and brightest talent, and we think that the U.P. is a great place to find that," said David Barrett, CEO. He said the...
BESSEMER — Bessemer’s City Council denied selling the 7.1 acres of property near Steiger’s Field to private citizens, but did not make it an addition to nearby Bluff Valley Park as recommended by the city’s planning commission. At its meeting Monday, the council voted against selling the property, with Marlene Zaleski casting the only dissenting vote. “The feedback that I got from John Doe public was don’t sell it. Don’t sell any part of it,” Mayor Butch Semmerling said. Ron Zaleski, a member of the planning commission, and his wife, Marlene,...
WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP - Students in need of school supplies in the Ironwood and Hurley school districts will get a little help from a local business and the Hurley Area Lioness through its Lori Lorendo Backpack Project. Extreme Tool and Manufacturing, of Wakefield Township, has donated more than $500 worth of school supplies, and a matching donation to the project. Beverly Michaels accepted the gifts Thursday afternoon on behalf of the Lioness, and thanked the employees of Extreme Tool and...
BESSEMER - Bessemer's Planning Commission has recommended that city council shouldn't sell the 7.1 acres of public land near Steiger's Field to private citizens, and instead make it a part of Bluff Valley Park. Commissioners Bill Steiger and Ron Zaleski were absent from the meeting held Wednesday afternoon, though Steiger said in an email he opposed the sale. Zaleski and his wife, Marlene, a city council member, requested buying about 4.6 acres of city-owned land north of West Iron Street, and...
BESSEMER - The Bessemer Planning Commission will discuss today the possible land sale of the public property near Steiger Field that roused some recent opposition from city residents. The original purchase proposal was made by two separate parties for a total of 7.1 acres north of West Iron Street, and between Massie Avenue and State Street. However, several city residents objected to the sale and told City Council and Planning Commission members that the land is frequently used for snowshoeing...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Children and parents were invited out to the range for an annual Superior Range Family Fun Shoot event on Sunday afternoon. Members of the Superior Range Shooter's Club hosted the event and taught families how to safely shoot the variety of weapons available. John Pera, a Wakefield resident, has been active in the gun club for around 10 years and has held positions with its Board of Directors. He said club members bring their own firearms and ammunition to these types of...
BESSEMER - Names of loved ones were written on paper bags that lined the track at Massie Field Friday afternoon. On the infield grass were tents, a dunk tank and a big, pink logging truck all set up to help raise money in the battle against cancer. The Gogebic County Relay for Life event typically raises between $20,000 and $30,000, and Carole Lillar, the event's chairperson, said this year's goal was to break that high-end mark. The nice weather Friday might have helped to do just that. "We've...
HURLEY - As of Friday afternoon, 588 people had signed up to take part in today's 46th Paavo Nurmi Marathon. During registration at the Hurley K-12 School, race officials said there were 48 teams signed up for the five-member relay race, 184 people signed up for the full marathon, 152 for the half-marathon, and six teams for the two-person relay, as of Friday afternoon. Race director Rita Franzoi was pleased. "We try to keep adding and making it more for the entire community and also for familie...
IRONWOOD - Eastbound traffic on U.S. 2 will still have access to the Gogebic County Fair set to begin next week, regardless of the ongoing U.S. 2 reconstruction. Several traffic barricades equipped with "Do Not Enter" signage still remain in place on the western end of U.S. 2, however signs were recently put in place informing eastbound travelers that the fairgrounds are accessible without having to take the detour route. The fair's western entrance will be available for visitors. "They should...
BESSEMER - Two local welders may get a shot at being on national T.V. Employees of Lucky Dog Films, a television and video production company, are eyeing up Skeeter Winkowski and Jake Armata, of North Country Welding and Docks, in Bessemer, for a new television show to focus on repairs and fixing "odd objects and big projects." "What happens is, they're going to come here next week and they're going to film for four days," Armata said. "They'll present it to other networks and the networks will...
After 11.8 percent of Gogebic County’s 13,481 registered voters submitted ballots at the polls Tuesday, the results are in. Michigan voters approved the ballot’s Proposal 1, which looks to remove the state’s Personal Property Tax and replace it with a local community stabilization share. With 86 percent of statewide precincts reporting, the proposal was set to pass with 69 percent support. The measure is believed to increase the number of small businesses in Michigan, by reducing the amoun...
BESSEMER - Bessemer city officials are in the process of applying for grant money provided by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to fund repairs to damaged infrastructure resulting from this past winter's harsh conditions. The MEDC recently made $6 million in grants available to communities affected by the deep freeze. However, communities are required to meet certain criteria in order to be selected as a grant recipient. "We're adjusting ... based on the highest impact areas and urge...
BESSEMER - With vows exchanged underwater or near volcanoes, and reception parties with hundreds of guests and price tags for thousands of dollars, the norm for weddings seems to be shifting toward the more extravagant, the better. But there are still those who prefer something a little more simple. Evelyn Carroll, of Eau Claire, Wis., now goes by Evelyn Lane after marrying Daniel Lane at the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer Friday morning. "To me, marriage is about more than just all that...
By RYAN JARVI [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Brock Inglehart and Leola Walker are originally from southwest Michigan near Kalamazoo, but they have an official mailing address in Box Elder, S.D. The reason for the "mailing address" is because the couple has been living life on the road for the past two years as "professional RV'ers," Inglehart said. Driving around a motorhome, with a truck in tow and a motorcycle secured in its bed, Inglehart joked, "He who dies with the most toys...
IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College is looking to increase its appeal with a new logo and website, as well as improve its social media presence, to attract more potential students. Some of the college's degrees have seen a growing interest, such as its welding program, for which administrators are in the process of finding an additional instructor. However, in April three of GCC's programs - sociology, paraprofessional in education and a certificate of childcare - were suspended for having no...
HURLEY - Four people were honored with the Distinguished Alumni and Friends Award given by the Hurley Education Foundation during its 12th annual awards ceremony held Saturday morning in the commons of the Hurley K-12 school. The first recipient was Roger Myren, who was the Hurley district administrator from 1987-97. Myren was instrumental in unifying all of the district's students under one roof by establishing the K-12 school building. "This was, and still is, a nice memory for me," Myren...
OMA, Wis. - The second annual Aging-Friendly Communities Summit was held on Friday at the Oma Town Hall and featured a number of speakers discussing a variety of topics from elder law to dementia. The event was hosted by the Iron County Aging Friendly Communities Coalition, of which Andrea Newby is a member. Newby is a family living agent with Iron County's University of Wisconsin Extension Office. "We really just want to spread the word and try and engage as many people as we can," she said of...
HURLEY - The Iron County Historical Society and the Iron County Museum has taken recent measures to insure the clock at the old courthouse building keeps ticking. Members of the historical society, along with David Malmquist, a clock repairman from Ashland, recently cleaned the clock and analyzed it for further work. "The clock is fairly dirty and I would like to take it down and overhaul the entire piece, but overall it appears to be in fairly decent shape," Malmquist said. The historical...
IRONWOOD - Members of the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority heard a brief update about a proposed "Art Park" for an empty lot on Aurora Street Thursday morning. Ironwood Community Development Director Michael Brown updated DIDA members about the proposed Art Park for the city-owned green space between Mattson's TV and Appliance and Book World. "We're working with the Downtown Art Place and theater in conjunction on this project to come up with an idea where artists can display their art...
