Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 76 - 100 of 143
IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Carnegie Library hosted a day of zombie-related events, including zombie make-up face-painting, on Tuesday afternoon. Ironwood resident Tyler Strand used liquid latex, powders and other make-up to provide willing participants with an opportunity to look like zombies. Strand has been interested in zombies and other things of the horror genre since he was a kid. "My birthday is Oct. 26, so it's close to Halloween and I guess it just kind of became my thing," he said. He's...
HURLEY - The Iron County Mining Impact Committee discussed possible reclamation efforts at its meeting on Wednesday that would follow the mine being proposed by Gogebic Taconite near Upson, Wis. Joe Vairus, of the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department, addressed the committee with suggestions on how the mine's stockpile land could be used following completion of G-Tac's work and eventual withdrawal from the area. "I've heard ideas everywhere from putting a casino in there to having elk...
BESSEMER - The city of Bessemer is looking to promote and advertise some of its commercially zoned property with hopes of spurring some economic development in the area. The Bessemer City Council unanimously approved the decision at its meeting Monday to move ahead with the potential sale of three properties; two downtown lots, one on Sellar Street and another on the corner of Sellar and Sophie streets, as well as an 80 acre parcel along U.S. 2. City Manager Mike Uskiewicz said the city needs...
IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Chamber of Commerce will host a historical presentation with a few speakers to commemorate the 50th birthday of the giant fiberglass statue of Native American chief Hiawatha this weekend. The real-life Hiawatha is credited as co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, which united five separate Native American tribes. Ironwood Mayor Kim Corcoran is expected to say a few words, as is local historian Larry Peterson and Nancy Gotta, whose father-in-law, Charlie Gotta Sr., was...
BESSEMER - The big jackpot of $28,338 from the 2014 Bessemer Blast 50/50 raffle has finally been claimed by a Wisconsin woman. Gwen Arbuckle, of Odanah, Wis., a supervisor at the Moccasin Trail complex, is the lucky winner with ticket number 1209. Officials verified the ticket on Wednesday. "I'm going to pay off some medical bills that I have," Arbuckle said of her prize. "I could always use a new roof, and then I'm also helping a student through our local parochial school." Arbuckle is part of...
BESSEMER TOWNSHIP - The Bessemer Township Board recently approved a construction project to improve four of its gravel roads at a cost of nearly $85,000. The four roads to undergo construction are Chokecherry and Bluebird lanes, a small piece of Second Street and portions of Anvil and Koski roads. The portions of Anvil and Koski roads, slated for paving, will be the most expensive at slightly more than $46,000. The work on the remaining routes will involve putting down two layers of chip seal,...
HURLEY - The cultural organization Little Finland will celebrate 50 years of existence with a three-day festival beginning July 25 featuring music, dances and traditional Finnish foods. Sonja Luoma, has been president of the Little Finland board for about eight years, and has been a member of the organization off and on for more than 35 years. She said people should attend the event "Just to have a good time." "We're going to have really good music and fellowship," she said. Luoma said the...
RAMSAY - You know the old familiar aromas: that fried-food scent of heaven, roasted peanuts, the sugary sweetness wafting in from the creation of cotton candy, something reminiscent of farm life, and a little hard-work and sweat for good measure. It's not every day the circus comes to town, but for a majority of the year the entertainers and work crews with the Culpepper and Merriweather Circus visit small towns throughout the nation quite frequently. Leo has been a clown performer since 1998,...
IRONWOOD - The major event of the year for the city of Ironwood is coming back once again, and it's bringing a few new attractions with it. Festival Ironwood will run from July 16-20, and chief organizers Will Corcoran and Keith Johnson said there will be a couple of new items, but the old favorites are still on the schedule. "We've added a few more activities on kids day," Johnson said. "We're doing the fish pond and a few more things, but the base has been there and we've tried to add a few...
MONTREAL, Wis. - The Montreal Post Office is one of 13,000 small branch offices throughout the nation that may have its hours of operation reduced under the U.S. Postal Service's "POST Plan." The plan was introduced in 2012 to help the USPS restructure its service network and save costs. The USPS has sent out letters and surveys to Montreal residents asking for community input to help determine the best method for providing services to the community. According to the letter sent to customers wri...
IRONWOOD - A bridging unit of the Michigan National Guard made a pit stop at Luther L. Wright High School in Ironwood on Friday on its way to Camp Ripley in Minnesota. Capt. Alek Willson said the Engineering 1437th, a multi-role bridge company out of Sault Ste. Marie, was passing through on its way to Minnesota to complete three weeks of "fast-water training." Willson said the training is part of the ARMY Force Generation Cycle, which rotates on a five-year loop. Each year, military forces are...
BESSEMER - Gogebic County is one of five counties in Michigan expecting grant monies from the state to help remove a few of its blighted properties. Gogebic County Treasurer Sue Pertile said she hasn't officially received documentation, but she's heard from officials in Marquette County, the county acting as lead agent on the grant proposal, that it's going through. There are three blighted properties, two in Ironwood and one in Bessemer, that officials are hoping to eliminate with a grant...
BESSEMER - There's about 7.1 acres of city-owned property to the north and west of Steiger's Field that's raising concerns among a few Bessemer citizens. A couple residents want to purchase the land for their own use, but others say it should be part of the city's park system because of its frequent use for snowshoeing. The City Council sent the issue to the Planning Commission for its recommendation, but the commission decided at its meeting on Wednesday to hold-off any decisions until its...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The Gogebic-Iron County Airport is once again open for commercial travel after months without during a transition from one air service provider to another. The first flight through the new provider, Air Choice One, took off at 4:40 a.m. Monday for Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Officials with Air Choice One could not provide information on the number of passengers, but the eight-passenger, single-propeller plane landed back in Ironwood around 10:30 a.m., making for...
RAMSAY - The Bessemer Township-Ramsay Fourth of July Committee hosted a day for the community to gather for live music, food and beverages, and the chance to enjoy more fireworks on Saturday. Though flashes of lightning and dark clouds in the sky threatened to cancel the event, the fireworks went off without a hitch right around 10 p.m. The event did see a little rain earlier in the evening, but the drops stopped falling well before the fireworks were set. The moisture, however, did bring the...
GURNEY, Wis. - The little town of Gurney, Wis., celebrated its 100th birthday on Saturday with a parade, games, food and other activities for all to enjoy at its community park. Penny Rowe, chair of the Gurney Centennial Committee, said the event caused people to search through their own dusty storage spaces to shed a little light on the 100-year-old town's history. "This has sparked a really high energy feeling amongst people," Rowe said. "They have just been digging and digging in their attics...
BESSEMER — Bessemer Blast 2014 came to a close Friday night with a spectacular “Thunder on the Mountain” fireworks show that lasted about 40 minutes and attracted quite the crowd. Before the fireworks display, Marty’s Goldenaires Senior Drum and Bugle Corps held a performance at Massie Field. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were packed elbow-to-elbow along Sophie Street and the rest of the route to watch the parade, which featured a number of floats, marching bands and other attractions th...
WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield Historical Society hosted its Hometown Variety Show that drew a crowd of around 100 people to the Wakefield-Marenisco High School music room-auditorium on Wednesday. Denise Haas, a member of the historical society, was master of ceremonies for the event. She also performed a solo song, as well as part of an a cappella group called the Tamster Trio. "This is a benefit for the museum," Haas said of the variety show. "All the proceeds and all the donations go to the...
BESSEMER - People excited to see the 23rd Annual Domino Fall, a Bessemer Blast attraction that draws a crowd every year, approached the doors of the A.D. Johnston High School gymnasium on Wednesday only to find out that the event was cancelled because of some pesky varmints. Turns out a family of raccoons had set up their home inside the trailer where the dominoes were being stored. But they didn't just snuggle up for a few nights of rest and relaxation. Event officials said they were probably...
IRONWOOD - Sixth through eighth grade members of the Valley Community Presbyterian Church of Golden Valley, Minn., came to the area to offer a helping hand. On Thursday afternoon, the group of kids was washing the Ironwood Public Safety Department's fire trucks. "We're here doing missionary work and helping out the city," said Andrew Gillett, a member of the Minnesota church and chaperone on the trip. Gillett said the group of junior high schoolers and chaperones arrived in town Wednesday night...
BESSEMER - The Bessemer Area Schools Board of Education approved its budget for next year, which officials say is moving the district's finances in the right direction. "Property taxes came in higher than budgeted, because the property values have gone up in Bessemer," Christine Bergquist, business manager, said. "So that really helped our budget." The 2013-14 general fund came in at about $88,000 under budget. That increased the assigned fund balance, which is used to pay off long-term debt, by...
HURLEY - Little Finland held its midsummer festival on Saturday and celebrated with a little dancing, some food and a bonfire at its cultural center and gift shop near Hurley. "Midsummer's day is a holiday celebrated in Finland, and we celebrate it here by lighting a bonfire; in Finnish it's called a kokko tuli," Virginia Benninghoff said. Benninghoff has been a member of Little Finland since 2000, when she moved back to Wisconsin from California. She was born and raised in Oma, Wis. "Oma is a...
By RYAN JARVI [email protected] BESSEMER - After a four-hour Gogebic County Court hearing Friday on the Aug. 5 consolidation question between Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco school districts, a consent judgment was approved to have it removed from the ballot. Judge Charles Goodman, of Houghton, approved the preliminary injunctive order after hearing testimony from both sides. "This is a unique and, for lack of a more educational way to say it, odd situation," Goodman said. "Courts have...
HURLEY - The Aging Unit of Iron County's board of directors heard that its financial books are in good shape Thursday. Dean Beaudoin, certified public accountant of Makela, Pollack & Ahonen, PLLC, spoke to board members about the Aging Unit's audit. "The books are fairly accurate," Beaudoin said. "That's what you want every year. ... to live within your means." Beaudoin said the unit's financial situation received a "clean opinion," meaning revenues and expenditures broke just about even so far...
IRONWOOD - John Salazar spends most days as an employee at a manufacturing company in Ironwood, but this weekend he will fight in armored combat for the honor of his shire, Hvitskogar, as Lord Marcial de Salas. The shire of Hvitskogar lies within the boundary of the Kingdom of Northshield. The area is more commonly known as North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula, as well as Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario in Canada. Salazar is a member of the Ironwood...
