Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - The third day of the trial of an Ironwood man facing multiple drug and gun charges wrapped up Thursday with testimony from more prosecution witnesses, including Ironwood Public Safety Department Sgt. Matthew Sterbenz, who is one of the primary investigators in the case. Donovan Howard Payeur, 32, is facing charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to deliver, felon...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - The trial of an Ironwood man charged with multiple drug and firearm felonies continued in Gogebic County Circuit Court Wednesday. Day 2 of the trial of Donovan Howard Payeur, 32, continued with more prosecution witnesses testifying against Payeur; who is standing trial on seven counts - possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to deliver, felon in possession of a weapon,...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - The trial of an Ironwood man facing a number of drug and weapons charges began in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday. Donovan Howard Payeur, 32, is facing seven felonies - the delivery of methamphetamine, conspiracy to deliver meth, possessing a weapon as a felon, possessing ammunition as a felon, possession of a controlled substance-Vicodin, possession of a controlled substance-marijuana and felony firearm. Following a morning of jury...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley City Council revoked one liquor license and granted another on Tuesday to the same establishment. The Class B combination beer and liquor license for MJ Petro Group, Inc., on Club Sierra, 21 Silver St., Michael Berghorn, president, was revoked. Bill Nordeen, representing city attorney Ray O’Dea, who was attending a jury trial, said the revocation was because the establishment was abandoned for more than 90 days and Petro Group was dissolved in 2014. It, therefore, failed to possess...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Michigan State Police Trooper Jerry Mazurek visited the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 school to discuss lesson 3 from the Teaching, Educating, and Mentoring School Liaison Program on Tuesday. The focus of the lesson is personal safety and recognizing danger. "Young teenagers are prone to being victims of crime because young people are reluctant to speak up," said Mazurek. The teenagers are beginning to spread their wings and get more freedom fr...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - A Hurley woman who had fled the state prior to her initial sentencing hearing was sentenced in Gogebic County Circuit Court Wednesday. Tracy Lynn Gehrke, 44, was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison on a count of delivering less than 50 grams of heroin. The charges carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. She pleaded guilty to the charge on July 1 as part of a plea agreement that stipulated she would be...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield City Council reconsidered a previous decision to purchase utility poles Monday, ultimately opting to go with the second-lowest bidder. The council had awarded the purchase of new utility poles to the lowest bidder, Hydrolake Inc. On Monday, City Manager Richard Brackney raised the concern that the poles from Hydrolake were treated with Pentachlorophenol, whereas the next lowest bidder, Bell Lumber & Pole uses CCA....
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - The 81-year-old driver of one of the vehicles involved in a Tuesday afternoon accident on Cloverland Drive was pulled from the car unconscious following the crash. Beacon Ambulance and the Ironwood Public Safety Department responded to the accident at the Luxmore Street intersection around 1 p.m. The driver of the van that smashed into the compact car said the Ironwood man had turned right in front of her on Cloverland Drive and she slammed...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — The 2017 city of Hurley budget is nearly identical to 2016 and that’s a good thing for taxpayers. The city council Tuesday approved a $2,324,849 budget for 2017 that is down .37 percent and a tax levy of $885,399, down .15 percent. City clerk Stacy Wiercinski briefly went over key budget items with council members after there were no public comments. She said the city’s debt has dropped slightly and she hopes the opening of the grocery store and a motel on U.S. 51 will help boost the water...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield State Police Post, for the second year in a row, hosted a Harvest Gathering food drive to support local food pantries as part of a statewide effprt. Area youth from the Bessemer Honor Society and Ironwood Reserve Officers Training Corps assisted in packing charitable food donations for St. Vincent's DePaul in Bessemer and Ironwood and the food pantry in Watersmeet. The Wakefield office, in 2015, was recognized with the highest...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — An Ironwood man, prosecutors said was a major player in the Gogebic Range drug trade, was sentenced to at least eight years in prison in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday in a pair of cases against him. Adam Lee Stone, 36, of Ironwood was sentenced to between eight and 20 years in prison on a charge of delivery/manufacturing of methamphetamine; the most serious of the four felonies Stone pleaded guilty to in September. “After processing these recent drug cases since I took office in...
IRONWOOD — The Michigan State Police’s Wakefield Post will be holding a pair of presentations on the dangers of illegal drugs, such as heroin and carfentanil — providing not only an opportunity to learn about the opiate epidemic that is often in the news but also provide answers to questions people may have. The first presentation is scheduled for Friday, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., at the Ontonagon Area High School’s cafeteria. The second is scheduled for Monday, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in rooms T112-113 of the technical building — above the cosme...
HURLEY — The Hurley City Council will consider the budget for 2017 at a special session today at 4 p.m. at city hall. The budgets of the various city departments will be reviewed before the council makes recommendations on a proposed overall budget. The council will also act on approving short-term borrowing for a new truck for the department of public works and to purchase radios for the police department. The meeting will begin with a closed session for bargaining, including a discussion of employee compensation and the police union c...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Bob Graham, the Ontonagon Area School District’s head mechanic, stressed to the school board Monday the importance of passing the bus millage vote November 8. Graham was replying to a question from board members on the cost of recent expenses for bus repairs. The mechanic said the fleet is plagued with badly rusted undersides on the old fleet and added that inspectors have already failed the 2002 bus, preventing its use. He added the 2006 bus has 176,000 mileage, 2005-190,000; 2004- 200,000 and...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — It’s possible the case of a 52-year-old Hurley woman who is charged with six counts of theft from Iron County may be settled in a month. The attorney for Mary Peterson Tijan, of 112 Germania St., told Iron County Judge Patrick Madden Wednesday that negotiations with special prosecutor Fritz Schellgell are continuing. At a pre-trial hearing, Joseph Rafferty Jr. told Madden, “I assure the court that there’s a cauldron (of activity) bubbling underneath,” referring to the talks. Madden told Raff...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - A 47-year-old Ironwood woman waived her right to a preliminary hearing and was bound over for trial Tuesday morning in Iron County Court on 26 counts of identity theft. Wendy Wuorinen is alleged to have withdrawn around $7,613 from the Iron County Community Credit Union in Kimball from a customer's account without authorization. The withdrawals occurred from November 2014 to December 2015 while she was employed there, according to the criminal...
BESSEMER, Mich. - Don Lee Bennetts, 72, a lifelong resident of Bessemer, passed away unexpectedly early Monday morning, Oct. 3, 2016, at his home. Don was born on July 4, 1944, in Bessemer, a son of Walter and Vivian (Tobin) Bennetts. He attended A.D. Johnston High School and graduated in 1962. Don proudly served his country in the U.S. Navy, aboard the USS Eldorado in the Bay of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. He was honorably discharged on Aug. 30, 1966, as a Boatswains Mate Third Class Petty O... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — A plea agreement was reached in the two cases against a man authorities say is a key figure in the Gogebic Range drug trade which will see him serve at least eight years in prison. In Gogebic County Circuit Court Friday, Adam Lee Stone, 36, of Ironwood, pleaded guilty to a total of four felonies — two in each of the cases against him. Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs said he pushed for the sentence due to Stone’s importance in the area’s illegal drug trade. “After processing these r...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon County Board Tuesday joined the growing chorus of those objecting to the decision of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to cancel the services of the White Pine Electric Plant. In a letter to the governor, the Michigan Agency for Energy and MISO; the board stated it understands MISO plans to replace "this critical generating resource (White Pine) with a 1998 operating protocol called radial reconfiguration that will provide the same level, or assurance, of r...
WHITE PINE, Mich. - Roland "Rocky" Antoine Jr., 60, of White Pine, passed away Friday morning, Sept. 16, 2016, surrounded by his family after a lengthy illness. Rocky was born on May 30, 1956, in Wakefield, a son of Elaine (Powell) and Roland Antoine Sr. He grew up in Ramsay. In 1972, his family moved to White Pine, and he attended White Pine High School and graduated in 1974. For two years, Rocky proudly served his country in the U.S. Army as a military police officer. Following his honorable d... Full story
HURLEY — A preliminary examination date has been set in the case of an Iron County woman accused of identity theft. A preliminary exam will be held Oct. 4 in the case of Wendy Sue Wuorinen, 47, of Ironwood Township. Wuorinen is facing 26 felony counts of identity theft. Each count carries a potential maximum sentence of six years in prison and/or a fine of $10,000. According to a Hurley Police Department report, Wuorinen is alleged to have used her job at the Iron County Community Credit Union to withdraw approximately $7,613 from a c...
WAKEFIELD — The Michigan State Police Wakefield Post reminds parents to talk to their children about bus safety. “To reduce the chance of transportation-related injuries, we encourage parents to teach their children about proper behavior around a bus,” said trooper Jerry Mazurek. He said parents should talk to children about “school bus danger zones” that extend 10 feet from the bus in all directions. When leaving the bus, Mazurek said children should walk 10 feet away before turning. He said children crossing in front of a bus should mo... Full story
ONTONAGON - Huge crowds and great weather ushered in the 60th anniversary of the Ontonagon Labor Day Festival in Ontonagon over the weekend. It was estimated that 5,000 people lined the streets for the large Festival Parade on Sunday as floats and bands made their way down River Street. Competition for float prizes was stiff and the Norwich Country Club with its "Dukes of Hazard 39 years later," float scored first place in the open division. All the Dukes of Hazard characters were there. Boss...
ASHLAND, Wis. - James "Dewey" Morzenti, 69, of Ashland, passed away in Ironwood, Mich., on Sunday, Sept. 4, 2016, in the home of his best friend and caregiver Faye Korpi and under the care of hospice. "I am walking point for the rest of my family." He was born in Ironwood to Albert and Pauline (Cornetto) Morzenti on Sept. 7, 1946. Dewey graduated from J.E. Murphy High School in 1965 and then enlisted in the United States Air Force. After graduating from the Air Police Academy in Texas, he served... Full story
