Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY - The Hurley K-12 School hosted Governor Tony Evers on Monday as part of his back-to-school tour. The visit included a tour of the school and visits to several classrooms as the administration introduced him to students. School officials also toured him through several key areas of the building, including the science labs and Northwoods Manufacturing shops. As he toured classrooms, Evers answered students' questions. One student asked about what he...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY — Board meeting attendance and agenda procedures were the major topics of discussion at a Monday meeting of the Hurley Board of Education, with members discussing concerns about missing meetings and the potential of shifting meeting dates to better suit member schedules. “When somebody is not here, we really miss you,” said chairperson Leslie Kolesar. “We have a board that discusses things, that has differing opinions and ... different perspectives. When you aren’t here, you are missed....
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] GOGEBIC RANGE - Michigan Reconnect, which began in 2021 by offering free tuition to persons 25 years or older, now is offering a temporary expansion to persons 21 to 24 years old. The offer also applies to students already enrolled in college, but not to people who already have a college degree. The application deadline for persons 21 to 24 years old is Dec. 31, and they then must submit a free application for federal student aid - known by its acron...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY - The Kivajat Dancers perfomed at Little Finland this past weekend, bringing with them traditional Finnish and American folk songs and dances. According to director Kay Seppala, the Kivajat Dancers consist of three age groups: the Pikku Kivajat, who range from kindergarten to second grade; the Kivajat, who are in grades three through six; and the Loistavat, who are in middle and high school. "We are pretty evenly divided across the three age...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] BESSEMER - The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners approved the 2024 winter tax levy at its Sept. 11 meeting. According to Kathy Jo Koval, the county's equalization director, the total millage to be levied on Dec. 1 will be 2.5791 mills. Agenda records in relation to her presentation to the board show that the millage was based on the 2024 taxable value of all county properties, which totals $692,678,879. The board also voted to schedule a public h...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council learned at its Monday evening meeting that members of the Bessemer Area Historical Society are reconsidering their original plans to build a new museum in the downtown area. The existing main street museum — known as the Bessemer Area Heritage Center — is at 403 S. Sophie St. “They are looking to possibly work with the city to showcase some of their items, rather than build a new building,” said interim city manager Mandy Lake, who emphasized that the society h...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - Area riders had an opportunity last weekend to see what it's like to ride a horse while also shooting. On Sept. 7, members of Mounted Justice - a Wisconsin-based group - held a mounted shooting competition on the Iron County Fairgrounds in Saxon, Wisconsin, with a shooting clinic held the day before. The Sept. 6 clinic aimed to teach local equestrians the basics of the sport of mounted shooting, including how to handle their equipment safely...
IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Public Safety Department hosted a Sept. 4 training session for local law enforcement agencies on the forensic interviewing of children. Leading the training were Julie Knop, the director of the Child Abuse Training Unit at the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan; Megan Aukerman of the LMTI Training Company; and Sam Smallcombe, chief deputy of the Three Rivers Police Department. "All three of them were terrific to work with," said Lt. Matthew Sterbenz of the IPSD...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY - Members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors engaged in several votes on Aug. 27 to to reduce a still lingering budget deficit. Some of the votes resulted as more controversial than others with some members voicing vehement disapproval. One example was a vote to save $100,000 by no longer subsidizing the position of Kelly Klein, coordinator of the Iron County Economic Development Zone. "Kelly did a hell of a job for this county for 22...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The old Wakefield City Hall, vacant on the main street now for a decade, might still see new life, according to a report from city manager Robert Brown Jr. In a Tuesday evening phone call, Brown said that the Wakefield City Council discussed at its Monday evening meeting the possibility of reviving the property. “We already have the demolition grant,” said Brown regarding $1.2 million received from the Michigan Land Bank Authority. That money was facilitated last year via Gogebic Count...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — For the past few decades, ABR Trails in Erwin Township has provided what it describes as a “full service ski touring center” for cross country enthusiasts who travel from near and far to use its 75 kilometers of trails. Located on more than 1,000 acres by the Montreal River, the operation has been run by Eric Anderson and Angela Santini, who have pledged to transfer it by the spring of 2025 to the Anderson Bluffs and River Trails Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity. At a Monday evening meeti...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley City Council may be ushering in a new hotel if steps continue to proceed forward in relation to a Monday evening discussion. Mark Guttater, a representative of the Cobblestone Inn chain, pitched a plan to establish a hotel within the city, and council members were highly receptive to the idea. “We like the area,” said Guttater of himself and his colleagues. “We like the potential for what we see here moving forward.” Guttater said that he was aiming for a four-story structure...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 28 approved holding the 2025 county fair at the fairgrounds during the dates of Aug. 7-10. The unanimous vote followed a request for that action by Fair Board Vice Chairman Tom Hampston. The vote was unanimous with no further discussion. Because of demolition and an unexpected fire in 2023, the county board had voted not to allow the fair or any other major activities to occur on the fairgrounds during this year. As explained by board c...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic County Fair needs a carnival supplier for 2025. At a Monday evening Fair Board meeting, board member Linda Nelson said the usual carnival provider has no openings during next year’s fair, which will run from Aug. 8-11. Nelson said that the board has its feelers out with several other companies, but that in the event they are unable to find a suitable replacement, the fair may have to get creative. One example that she listed as a possibility was to lean more heavily into app...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - Copper Peak, once home to the world's largest ski-flying hill, is poised to take a monumental step forward in its long-awaited revitalization. On Tuesday, Copper Peak hosted a public contract-signing ceremony, marking the official start of Phase 1 construction to modernize the iconic ski jump. The announcement was made via an Aug. 29 press release. "The signing event at the Copper Peak Chalet represents a triumph of community spirit and persever...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Board of Education heard a presentation regarding the district’s computer science program at the regular Aug. 26 meeting. According to Superintendent Richard Matrella, the presentation by instructor Rachael Hendges addressed this semester’s addition of a computer science/coding course. At this time, the class has around 20 students, according to Matrella, and the school is extremely pleased with the work that Hendges has put into the program thus far. The course is for stude...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON - A television show and a movie took first and second place at the 68th annual Ontonagon Labor Day Festival parade on Sunday. The Norwich Country Club, with its depiction of Gilligan's Island, narrowly defeated the Bauer family and Friends' float of "Grease" for the number one slot. The Norwich entry was multi-phased with a shipwrecked yacht, palm trees, island natives and all the TV favorites, including Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Howell III and...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRON BELT, Wis. — When a loved one passes away, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the loss. But it’s possible, sometimes, to find genuine comfort in deciding upon a meaningful commemoration. Donna Wiita of Hurley did just that — eventually — when she lost her husband, Edward C. John Wiita, just before Christmas in 2022. They had been married for 63 years when he died on Dec. 17, nearly two years ago at the age of 88. Over the many decades, they had shared good times and bad, including the loss...
