Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 9679
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - A memorial service for regional residents who died in the line of duty while employed in law enforcement was held in Ironwood on May 15. The annual U.P. Peace Officers' Memorial Service took place in the Lindquist Center of Gogebic Community College. The event honored officers of the U.P., as well as of border agencies in Wisconsin and Canada. Keynote speaker was Tiffany Romans, sister-in-law of Ervin Romans II, who died at the age of 43...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley School Board on Monday approved a 5% increase in wages for all staff, effective immediately. Genisot said that is higher than the union-stated Consumer Price Index of 4.16%. According to Investopedia, CPI is defined as “a measure of the average change over time in prices paid by urban consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services.” Genisot said the raises will cost the district $150,500 in the next fiscal budget year, which begins on July 1. As part of its annual r...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - At a Monday meeting of the Ironwood Area Schools Board of Education, members discussed the bus garage project and pitched some ideas for the future. "We have been working for the last couple of months on updating the bus garage," said Superintendent Travis Powell, "and we noticed that the main door would need some attention." Powell said that bus bay doors need to be changed into double doors, so that they fully close and allow clear access to...
WAKEFIELD — Members of the Wakefield-Marenisco Board of Education approved a new elementary school reading curriculum on May 20. “The elementary teachers have spent a great deal of time reviewing potential curriculum for students in grades K-6,” said Superintendent Jason Gustafson. “They have chosen ‘Into Reading’ as what they would like to go with.” The curriculum is a blend of online and print and encompasses writing, as well as phonics. Gustafson obtained a grant for $33,286 to help cover the cost of the curriculum. The board also learned th...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Public Library is preparing for a summer of fun, continuing with the “Adventure Begins at your Library” theme that many have adopted this year. Library director Melissa Lupino said that her staff has been working hard to schedule activities to draw kids into the library to have fun all summer long. “Programs will begin Saturday, June 8,” said Lupino, “We are having our summer kick-off party, and people can come and get signed up for the reading program. We will have art projects...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] MERCER — The Mercer Public Library is preparing for an exciting summer, according to Library Director Teresa Schmidt. “We have a lot planned,” she said, “as we always do at the Mercer Library.” From June 20 through mid-August, the library will offer children’s programming, ranging from nature programs to touring theater groups. “We are going to have weekly fun things happening for kids, most of which will be happening on Thursdays, maybe Fridays,” said Schmidt. The library also will offer programming...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - In 2021, Angela Brogan was in Ironwood's Riverside Cemetery when she happened to notice the headstones of several veterans. Last week, on May 17, she recalled the moment while standing with her husband, Scott Brogan, in the same place. "I was cleaning my own family stones," she said, "and I walked by these, and they didn't look like they should." She was referring to Section 38 of the cemetery, which includes dozens of small, white...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood City Commission rejected a request to rename its 52-foot Hiawatha statue but agreed to authorize plans to develop an educational display at the site. The action at the commission's Monday evening meeting was in response to a request from the city's Human Relations and Equity Committee. "We were approached a year ago by people who felt it was time to correct the situation," said Carol Erickson, who leads the committee....
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Gogebic Community College 90th commencement ceremony was held on Friday in the Lindquist Student and Conference Center gymnasium. The ceremony began with a welcome from GCC President Chris Patritto. This was Patritto's first graduation ceremony as the president of GCC, and he made it memorable, talking about various experiences he had in the weeks leading up to the ceremony. This year's commencement address was by GCC alumni Ian Lewis. L...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Reconstruction at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds is moving closer to reality, thanks to action taken at a May 8 meeting of the county’s Economic Development and Capital Improvements Committee. Committee members voted to advise engineers and the county’s insurer to collaborate on preparing plans to rebuild a 4-H horse barn, a hay barn and a grandstands structure. All three were lost to fire nearly eight months ago. The Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority is the county’s insurer...
By D. Lang [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council approved on Monday evening a resolution supporting a 2024-25 fiscal year budget of $4,211,574. The city’s new fiscal year will run from July 1 of this year until June 30 of 2025. The general fund millage will be 17.3564 mills, and the Bessemer Public Library millage will be 1 mill. General and library millages are expected to raise $580,000 and $35,000, respectively. Estimates of expenditures are as follows: General Fund, $1,608,763.00; Major Streets, $404,700; Local Str...
By D. LANG [email protected] The Wakefield City Council voted on Monday evening to retain professional services in relation to $350,000 that the city received last fall in grant and loan funds for the city’s water project. In October of 2023, Wakefield was informed that it would be granted a $175,000 loan and a $175,000 grant from the Lead Service Line Replacement Program of the state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. “State law requires municipal entities that receive funds from the (DWSRF), which are in the form of bonds, to retai...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] Members of the Gogebic County Personnel and Negotiations Committee on May 8 tabled action in relation to county fairground winter storage. The motion recognized the associated need to gather additional information from Marlene Saari-Mieloszyk, former fairground coordinator. An as-yet-undated letter signed by Daniel Siirila, committee chairman, includes a list of questions in relation to how fairground storage has been managed. He already had sent a letter of similar questions to Thomas Hampston, a...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners received a clean audit for the fiscal year of 2022-23. CPA Joe Verlin of Gabridge and Company of Grand Rapids provided the related report at the board's May 8 meeting. "Everything came back clean as of Sept. 30, 2023," said Verlin in the virtual presentation. "Your numbers were verifiable." Verlin said that county staff members were able to provide "accurate financial statements" and other related data. "Is...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on May 8 approved revised bylaws for the county Fair Board. The action followed a recommendation by the board’s Personnel and Negotiations Committee, which met just prior to the board meeting. No related discussion occurred in either meeting, but revisions made by James Lorenson were included within committee agenda materials. Lorenson chairs the county board and also is a member of the Fair Board. The first change reads as follows, under Article 1 Name, P...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — The U.S. 51 utility reconstruction project, which began on April 29, is entering its second phase, and construction officials are reporting positive results so far. “Things are going well,” said Jeff Seamandel, project manager, at a Tuesday evening meeting of the Hurley City Council. Seamandel, who is employed by MSA Professional Services in Rhinelander, said that sanitary sewer and water utilities have been replaced on the highway stretch from Silver to Copper streets. The next phase...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission on Monday adopted a memorandum of understanding between the city and the Gogebic County Council of Veterans Affairs. Effective July 1, the agreement says that the city will provide its traditional proportion of cost to the county’s Veterans Services Office “as budget appropriations allow.” The action was in response to a request from John Frello, the county’s Veterans Services officer, who in turn was responding to the city’s claim earlier this year that s...
By Megan Hughes [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Friends of the Ironwood Carnegie Library spring book sale was a big hit, according to Library Director Lynne Wiercinski, with almost $2,000 being raised over the two-day event that was held at the Ironwood Memorial Building. The sale is a tradition that is maintained year to year by the Friends of the Ironwood Carnegie Library, with members working together to sort through the mountains of donated books each year to pick out those that are...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] The Bessemer City Council took steps on May 8 to create a new position for a director of community development. Council members asked interim city manager Mandy Lake, with the assistance of other office staff, to create a rough draft of an application form for the pending new position, which may result as either part time or full time. Council members first questioned what title and responsibilities to associate with a new role. “I think it has to include economic development,” said councilman Ada...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] RONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools’ proposed operating millage has passed. The non-homestead property tax rate for the school will now continue to be 18 mills, or $18 per every $1,000 of taxable valuation, and it will allow the school to continue to receive its maximum funding. The district must ask voters to approve the tax paid by business and rental property owners every four years. It does not impact taxes for residents who live in the home they own, according to Ironwood Superintendent Travis Powel...
By Pamela Jansson [email protected] IRONWOOD — Funding and task management were the major topics of concern at Monday evening’s meeting of the Gogebic County Fair Board. Scheduled for Aug. 8-11, this year’s fair is now three months away. Despite it being a smaller event to be held at Ironwood’s Pat O’Donnell Civic Center, many of the same tasks as in any other year must be addressed. Fair Board members spent part of the meeting studying a list of nearly 50 responsibilities that must be addressed in the time left. Prepared by Marlen...
