Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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BESSEMER — To have the cup, or not have the cup. That is the question. That was the theme of Monday’s trial against Kenneth Wayne Peters, 50, of Bessemer. Peters is on trial for allegedly murdering his 79-year-old wife Ethel Grzena-Peters in August 2012. Peters continued to be cross examined by prosecuting attorney Richard Adams about his actions leading up the his wife’s disappearance on Aug. 4, 2012. According to a previous testimony from Tiffany Youngberg, Peters was drinking gin from a pur...
ONTONAGON — What started out as a nice Sunday kayak ride for two Ontonagon men ended up a cold spill into icy waters and an even colder night in the woods for one of them. The Ontonagon County Sheriff’s Department reported the men set in to the Firesteel River early Sunday afternoon. Undersheriff Gerald Balcomb said the river was very fast with the spring run-off and one of the kayaks overturned and spilled its driver into the water. The second kayaker assisted the spilled man, helping him to shore. The second kayaker continued to the Fir...
To the Editor: I often see in my mind’s eye a picture of Lady Justice with her blindfold around her neck, scale broken beyond repair, dress ripped, being chased out of the White House by Eric Holder and President Barack Obama. This week a new picture came into my head: one of Lady Liberty with a suicide vest locked on with the torch replaced by a dead-man switch she dare not let go of. Are the terrorists winning? I watched as the people of Boston cheered law enforcement as they concluded a weeklong search for the surviving marathon bomber. G...
TROUT CREEK, Mich. — Milan “Sonny” Shegan passed away at his home in Trout Creek Friday, April 26, 2013, following a courageous 10-year battle with cancer. He was born Oct. 3, 1938, in McKeesport, Pa., to the late Mike and Milka Shegan. Sonny served his country in the United States Marine Corps. Following his discharge, Sonny worked for 30-plus years as a police officer. He served on three police departments: Forest Heights, Md., Bladensburg, Md., and Laurel, Md. During his career, Sonny was instrumental in developing training programs for f...
BESSEMER — Kenneth Wayne Peters, 50, of Bessemer, testified Friday about how he came to meet the woman he is accused of murdering. Peters is on trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Ethel Grzena-Peters, 79, last August. Prosecutor Richard Adams rested and defense attorney Rudy Perhalla asked for Judge Roy Gotham to throw out the case, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to continue the proceedings. Gotham denied the motion, ruling there was enough evidence for a “rational juror to render a dec...
DETROIT (AP) — For the Detroit Tigers, it felt like 2011 again. Two of the key components of that year’s AL Central division champs reunited Wednesday night to help the Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals 7-5. Victor Martinez drove in a pair of runs and Jose Valverde returned to Detroit with a save. Martinez missed all of last season with a knee injury, and entered the game hitting .182. On a 39-degree night, he was robbed of extra bases by Eric Hosmer in his first at-bat, but he had an RBI dou...
BESSEMER — Jurors heard testimony from a former cell mate of Kenneth Peters who spoke about fixing “damning evidence” during 32nd Circuit Court proceedings on Tuesday at the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer. Peters, 50, of Bessemer, is on trial for allegedly murdering his 79-year-old wife Ethel Grzena-Peters in August 2012. Prosecuting attorney Richard Adams called Isaac Laplander, of Ironwood, to the stand and questioned him about his experience as Peters’ cell mate in early Decembe...
MARQUETTE, Mich. — Eddie R. Raisanen, 93, of 1902 Summit St., Marquette, entered eternal life on April 12, 2013. Ed was born in Wakefield to Isaac and Matilda (Lusa) Raisanen on Sept. 19, 1919. Following his graduation from Wakefield Senior High School, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Sunday Lake Mine until joining the Michigan State Police in 1942. In 1943, Ed was inducted into the United States Army. Following his honorable discharge, he resumed his career with the State...
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The MIT police officer killed during the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects was the brother of a machinist for Hendrick Motorsports, bringing the events of this past week closer to home for NASCAR teams already rallying around the tragedy. Sean Collier, who began working for Massachusetts Institute of Technology about a year ago, was found shot to death late Thursday in his vehicle in Cambridge, Mass. Police have said Collier was responding to a report o...
BOSTON (AP) — The FBI released photos and video Thursday of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing and asked for the public’s help in identifying them, zeroing in on the two men on surveillance-camera footage less than three days after the deadly attack. The photos depict one man in a dark baseball cap and the other in a white cap worn backward. The men were seen walking one behind the other in the crowd, and the one in the white hat was seen setting down a backpack at the site of the sec...
ONTONAGON — A program to dramatically reduce drunk driving in the five western Upper Peninsula counties was kicked off at the Ontonagon County Courthouse Wednesday and Thursday. Ontonagon, Houghton, Baraga, Gogebic and Keweenaw counties will form a regional driving while intoxicated court approach. Retired Judge Patrick Bowler, after 24 years on the bench, is the state judicial outreach liaison for the program. He conducted the training session for judges and officials of the five counties in On...
WEST, Texas (AP) — Rescuers searched the smoking remnants of a Texas farm town Thursday for survivors of a thunderous fertilizer plant explosion, gingerly checking smashed houses and apartments for anyone still trapped in debris or bodies of the dead. Initial reports put the number of fatalities as high as 15, but later in the day, authorities backed away from any estimate and refused to elaborate. More than 160 people were hurt. A breathtaking band of destruction extended for blocks around t...
BOSTON (AP) — Called upon to console a grieving city and reassure a shaken nation, President Barack Obama on Thursday promised that Boston would “run again” after deadly twin bombings at its famous marathon. More than 2,000 people rose in a standing ovation in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and sang “America the Beautiful.” Obama’s message of resolve in time of tragedy was echoed by Mayor Thomas Menino and Gov. Deval Patrick at a packed interfaith service. “Nothing will take us down because...
IRONWOOD — The Gogebic County Children’s Trust Fund commended local high school students and community members for being role models at an annual awards banquet Wednesday at Gogebic Community College. Four students from the Gogebic County school districts were honored for their efforts. “All four of these students have not only applied themselves in the classroom, but have gone above and beyond for their communities,” CTF chair Kitti Colassaco said. “These are young people who have helped ot...
BESSEMER — Members of the jury listened to testimony on bloodhounds and forensic video analysis Wednesday during day five of the Kenneth Peters murder trial at the Gogebic County Courthouse in Bessemer. Peters, 50, of Bessemer, is on trial for allegedly murdering his 79-year-old wife, Ethel Grzena-Peters, in August. Gogebic County Prosecutor Richard Adams started the afternoon by questioning Det. Sgt. Louise Horn, of Vilas County, Wis., on her involvement in the case. Horn works with b...
BOSTON (AP) — Investigators poring over photos and video from the Boston Marathon bombing have a department-store surveillance-camera image of a man dropping off a bag at the scene of the one of the blasts, a top city politician said Wednesday. City Council President Stephen Murphy, who said he was briefed by members of the Boston Police Department, said he does not know if investigators know the man’s name. He said officers are chasing leads that could take them to the suspect. “They may be on...
WAKEFIELD — According to Michigan State Police Trooper Matt Lequia, of the Wakefield Post, it all started for him as an Upper Peninsula boy in middle school. “I did a ride-along with a trooper and I got a good taste of what it was like,” Lequia, formerly of Champion, said. Lequia is a trooper at the Wakefield Post after graduating from the 124th Michigan State Police Trooper Recruit School in March in Lansing, along with 90 other recruits. “I am really excited,” Lequia said. “I am happy to be in...
The report of a suspicious backpack found at the door of Gogebic Taconite’s office in downtown Hurley Saturday morning caused quite a stir. The good news is the bomb squad called in from Marathon County, Wis., found nothing explosive in the backpack and no one was hurt, but beyond that, it was, as always, heartening to see the quick and broad response of local officials. The Hurley Police, Iron County Sheriff’s and Hurley Fire departments were out in full force for the better part of seven hours. The area was efficiently evacuated and bar...
HURLEY — A backpack left near the front door of Gogebic Taconite’s office in downtown Hurley led to the evacuation of the area for more than six hours Saturday until a bomb squad declared there was no threat. Gogebic Taconite personnel located the backpack near the front door of their office at 402 Silver St. Saturday morning and reported it as a “suspicious item” to police at about 10 a.m., according to Hurley Police Chief Dan Erspamer. Police cordoned off a four-square block area of downtow...
NEW YORK (AP) — Sometimes the bait is a small amount of cash in a stray wallet. Or a credit card. Even a pack of cigarettes can do the trick. Police in New York City leave the items unattended — on subway platforms, on park benches, in cars — and wait to see if someone grabs them. The New York Police Department says the practice has been a valuable tool for catching career criminals and deterring thefts in public places. But a recent court ruling throwing out a larceny case against a Bronx...
BESSEMER — Friday’s continuing trial against Kenneth Wayne Peters, 50, of Bessemer, was “unpredictable,” according to 32nd Circuit Court Judge Roy Gotham after a day of testimony at the Gogebic County Courthouse. District attorney Richard Adams called numerous witnesses, presenting a case against Peters for allegedly murdering his wife, Ethel Grzena-Peters, 79, of Bessemer, in August 2012. Grzena-Peters went missing on Aug. 3, 2012, and her body was found on Aug. 13, 2012, in Watersmeet Townshi...
Prom season kicks off tonight with Wakefield-Marenisco High School’s prom at the Wakefield VFW. Seven area proms will be held through May 11. School and other public officials have tips for precautions to make sure the celebrations stay safe and everyone has a good time. For Wakefield-Marenisco, once the teens are at the prom site, they must stay there until it is over, as they will not be readmitted if they leave, said Melody Saubert, W-M high school secretary and junior prom advisor. For the p...
LONDON (AP) — Love her or loathe her, one thing’s beyond dispute: Margaret Thatcher transformed Britain. The Iron Lady, who ruled for 11 remarkable years, imposed her will on a fractious, rundown nation — breaking the unions, triumphing in a far-off war, and selling off state industries at a record pace. She left behind a leaner government and more prosperous nation by the time a political mutiny ousted her from No. 10 Downing Street. Thatcher’s spokesman, Tim Bell, said the former prime m...
BRIGHTON (AP) — You know those TV shows where the lead character is a medical specialist who also solves crimes? Andrea Lautenschlager is like that, but with a twist. A Brighton veterinarian and specialist in animal surgery, Lautenschlager also trains dogs for investigations beyond the scope of police canine units. “We have trailing dogs, disaster dogs and human remains dogs,” she told the Livingston County Daily Press & Argus of Howell. Disaster dogs, trained to assist in finding people during...
NEW YORK (AP) — It took a zombie to find Disaster at the Crossroads of the World. Two years after he disappeared from his Long Island home, Disaster the cat was found this week in the heart of Manhattan — by a Times Square haunted house promoter dressed up as a zombie. Jeremy Zelkowitz, who sells tickets for the Times Scare haunted house, spotted Disaster early Saturday morning crossing 42nd Street. He snatched up Disaster, a black and white cat who appeared to be well-kept and neat, and brought...
