Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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HURLEY — Since 1966, Highline has continued to provide rehabilitation services for individuals with disabilities in Iron County and the surrounding area. When the disability services program became incorporated in 1966, people thought it wouldn’t last more than six months, according to current CEO Donna Reinerio. In response, Hurley Mayor Paul Santini and a group of like-minded people formed a board and selected Santini to be chairman. They were determined to prove the naysayers wrong, Reinerio said. Moving forward, in November 1966 Rei...
MERCER, Wis. — Representatives of the Mercer Veterans Memorial on Friday dedicated a POW/MIA memorial and the Ladies Auxiliary Memorial at Veterans Memorial Park. Rhiannon Stryjewski, 15, of Mercer, sang the Star Spangled Banner in front of about 20 people. The crowd then made its way to the Ladies Auxiliary Memorial. Dressed in her uniform, Betty Snyder said the memorial is intended to honor the ladies who have supported veterans. The memorial was proudly donated by the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary Post 424 of Mercer and Manitowish W...
IRONWOOD - Based the success of the first miners mural in Ironwood, the Gogebic Range Murals and Attractions Committee is in the process of establishing a new mural that will feature the Pabst Mine. "We have history, and history is our future," committee member Sandy Sharp said Friday. She said the first Ironwood miners mural on McLeod Avenue has been well received, but "it's time for another mural." With that, Sharp and fellow committee member Peter Sturgul said the group is committed to...
BESSEMER - Bessemer Area Schools Superintendent David Radovich has released preliminary floor plans for the proposed A.D. Johnston High School expansion project that calls for closing Washington Elementary School and moving all students into one building. There are roughly 400 students attending the school district. To make room for the influx of students at the high school, Radovich said plans include moving and adding walls in the multi-purpose room and the library to make about 10 classrooms...
Hurley and Mercer students returned from summer vacation Thursday for the first day of school. The school bell rings to start school at Merer K-12 at 8 a.m. and school lets out at 3:45 p.m. At Hurley K-12, students in grades six through 12 start at 8 a.m. and students in preschool through fifth grade start at 8:05 a.m. Dismissal for pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students is at 3:12 p.m. For students in sixth grade through 12th grade, it is at 3:15 p.m. For students in the...
IRONWOOD — After coming close last year, the Gogebic County 4-H Market Animal Auction surpassed the $1 million in total sales mark Saturday at the Gogebic County Fair. Coming into the auction, the county’s 4-H program coordinator Ashley Hampston said the $47,894 raised last year was “just” $2,960 shy of reaching the $1 million milestone. The first animal up for auction Saturday put the club over the $1 million threshold, thanks to Ironwood’s Nicki Lekie’s grand champion steer weighing 1,330 poun...
IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College was filled with sounds and sights of students, faculty and staff on campus Monday for the first day of classes of the fall semester. The first day of school is "the highlight of the year," GCC president James Lorenson said. "The colleges exists because of our students," he said. "This looks like a great class of freshmen and we have a good number of returning students." Welcome signs featuring the school's forest green logo greeted students around campus and...
HURLEY — The Italian heritage of Iron County will be celebrated during Festival Italiano Saturday in downtown Hurley. The festival kicks off early with a new event, the two-mile “Dago Dash” at 8 a.m. Folks can pick up forms at the Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce office. Chamber director Rita Franzoi said all proceeds from the dash will benefit the Hurley cross country teams. Another new event will be a “Human Foosball” tournament, beginning at 10 a.m. Franzoi said the event “should be good for lots of laughs, whether playing or just watchi...
PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS - The strum of guitar strings and stomps of bass drums rang through the Porkies this weekend as hundreds sat on blankets, in fold-up chairs or beneath tents to listen to a number of bands from around the country perform as part of the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival. In its 12th year, the festival drew one of the largest crowds yet to the popular three-day event. Event organizer Cheryl Sundberg said past festival attendances have averaged around 1,000 people, but this...
IRONWOOD - Sunny skies welcomed the beginning of the Gogebic County Fair Thursday. During the afternoon, children and the young in heart rode carnival rides and played games in the midway. While the American flag was being raised, Alyssa Schwab, of Ironwood, sang the Star Spangled Banner alongside a color guard. Off in the distance at the grandstand, area high schoolers competed for bragging rights during the Youth Challenge. Teams from Wakefield, Ironwood and Bessemer participated. The first...
IRONWOOD - National Guard Civil Support Teams were on hand to conduct hazardous materials training with local law enforcement and fire departments Wednesday at Gogebic Community College. At the scene, Ironwood Public Safety Department Lt. Michael Rimkus said the training was a weapons of mass destruction drill. Partaking in the drill were IPSD, the IPSD Hazmat Team, the 51st Civil Support Team from Battle Creek, the 54th Civil Support Team from Madison, Wis., the Gogebic-Iron Area Narcotics...
IRONWOOD — Judith Kay Newton, better known as Juice, was part of the first wave of country singers raised on folk rock music and is excited to perform on stage Friday during the Gogebic County Fair. Over her career, Newton has been nominated for a Grammy five times for Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist, won an American Country Music Award for Best New Female Artist and won two Billboard Female Artist of the Year awards consecutively. The vocalist has several gold and platinum records to her name, including “Juice” and “Quiet Lies....
IRONWOOD - The final preparations are being made for the 95th annual Gogebic County Fair, set to run Thursday through Sunday at the fairgrounds in Ironwood. Fair Board President Jim Gribble said the 2016 edition will include many of the old favorites like carnival rides, grandstand shows and agricultural aspects, but there are plenty of new attractions this year, too. While the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners and fair board have been running the fair since 1921, the fair has roots back as...
SAXON,Wis. - Sounds of roaring engines echoed across Saxon during Rolling Thunder races Saturday at the Iron County Fairgrouds. As rain poured, snowmobiles, pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles, vans and off-roading vehicles flung mud high into the sky. Snowmobiles on snow is a common sight in the Northwoods, but snowmobiles on grass? That is a different story. Traveling at speeds of more than 70 miles per hour, racers sped across a grass drag strip riding retro snowmobiles. Wearing pink...
HURLEY - Even though there are hundreds of books in the Hurley Public Library, storyteller Tracy Chipman didn't use any to tell stories Wednesday in an effort to inspire children to use their imaginations. "You have this movie projector in your mind," she said, referring to the imagination. Each tale she tells, Chipman said, is done with "the intention of celebrating our shared humanity." With a half dozen children gathered around, Chipman told a story about a farmer dealing with a severe...
BESSEMER — As work on the second phase of the Western Gateway Trail progresses from Ironwood to Moore Street in Bessemer, the authority governing the trail found out Wednesday the later phases of the project may have hit a road block. In Bessemer, the authority is negotiating with Pat Steiger to allow the trail to pass through his property on the western end of the city. Authority member Rob Coleman said Steiger recently pulled his property “off the table as long as Kathy Whitburn is mayor.” “I talked to Pat a lot. He wants the trail to go t...
May 28 was supposed to be a beautiful day for enjoying what the Northwoods has to offer. Paul Semo, of Rhinelander, Wis., and his 11-year-old daughter, Alexius, said they planned an outing on a four-wheeler Paul inherited from his grandfather. They traveled from the town of Carey with a group of friends onward to the Plummer Mine headframe in Pence, where they stopped for a break. Feeling the ride was too rugged, Paul said Alexius chose to continue with a friend on a different all-terrain...
IRONWOOD - The fall semester at Gogebic Community College is scheduled to begin Monday, Aug. 29. GCC Marketing Director Kim Zeckovich said enrollment numbers are comparable to a year ago. "We continue to accept students on a daily basis, so the numbers do increase," she said. "Classes are filling up quickly." On campus, Zeckovich said housing numbers are also similar to last year. "Rooms are still available, but filling up quickly," she said. GCC employs 36 full-time faculty members. With that,...
HURLEY - Children migrated to Hurley Public Library Wednesday afternoon to learn about monarch butterflies. Standing in front of a container of several butterflies, North Lakeland Discovery Center Naturalist Licia Johnson asked them how to recognize a monarch butterfly. A child said they are big and have orange wings. She said butterflies have wings that help them fly, antennas that help them sense their surroundings, eyes to let them see and feet to help them taste. A monarch's eyeballs...
HURLEY - The Hurley High School cheerleaders and football program will sponsor a 2.62-mile Glow Run to the Torch Friday evening. The run, in anticipation of Saturday's 48th annual Paavo Nurmi Marathon and Friday evening's torch lighting, will begin at 7 p.m. near downtown. Event organizer Melissa DeCarlo said the short course through the streets of Hurley is friendly for runners, walkers and families. The route starts at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Division Street, winds around residential...
BESSEMER - The Gogebic County Road Commission agreed Monday not to close the Lake Road spring, after coliform was detected there. Instead, they decided to put warning signs by it and see if Ironwood Township will help test the quality of the water. The spring is located on the easement for Lake Road, said road commission manger Darren Pionk. On July 29, the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department tested the quality of the water after the department received a complaint of an illness from a...
SAXON, Wis. - The Iron County Fair drew in a large number of people Saturday and Sunday under sunny skies. On Saturday afternoon, the Rice Bulls and Barrels Shock and Awe rodeo tour drew a good-sized crowd, as the stands and area around the horse arena were packed. People gathered around the fences and up on the hill to take in the exciting event which featured several bull riders as well as entertainment in between the rides. The crowd particularly enjoyed one bull, Crazy Eyes, who decided he...
HURLEY - To hone in their skills, the Hurley Midgets cheerleaders participated in a Universal Cheerleaders Association camp Friday and Saturday at the Hurley K-12 School. Watching the team practice, coach Melissa DeCarlo said the team has had "facelift" over the past couple years and decided to call on the UAC to help them cheer and perform at a higher level, one that she knows they're capable of. She said the team consists of 17 girls. Over the course of the weekend, the team learned stunts,...
Iron County voters head to the polls Tuesday for Wisconsin’s August primary. At the county level, clerk Michael J. Saari, treasurer Clara J. Maki and register of deeds Daniel Soine are all running unopposed as Democrats. They likely won’t be challenged in November’s general election. In a District Attorney race, two Democrats — Elaine Erickson and Anthony J. Stella Jr. — are vying for a spot on November’s ballot. The winner will face Republican Mathew J. Tingstad, who is unopposed Tuesday. Former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold and Scott Harbach will f...
SAXON, Wis. - Sounds of children laughing and cows mooing filled the air in Saxon Friday to mark the beginning of the 89th annual Iron County Fair. Under sunny skies, children played traditional carnival games. With a smile on his face, Alexander Kundinger, 6, of Hudson, rode the merry-go-round with his grandfather, Jimmy Francis. Elsewhere, Mason Bendixen slid down the giant colorful slide. Cows mooed in the barn as 4-H beef animals were judged. With careful consideration, judge Russel Rindsig...
