Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1629 - 1653 of 9733
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — The annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks display on Thursday at Blackjack Mountain ski resort attracted hundreds of vacationing skiers and area residents to welcome 2021 or perhaps just to put 2020 behind them. Pete and Jackie Cannon, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said they are annual visitors to the area resorts and come to Indianhead often. “It’s the snow and this is a good time of year to come between Christmas and New Year’s,” Jackie Cannon said. The couple...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Mt. Zion opened for the season on Monday after a brief delay due to a lack of snow. “It went pretty good actually. It went as expected,” said Jim Vanderspoel, director of Gogebic Community College’s Ski Area Management program and operations at the hill located on the Ironwood campus. “It was a good opening day, we sold a lot of passes, but as far as numbers it was pretty average.” Vanderspoel said Mt. Zion normally sees between 100 to 115 people on opening day, but this year they only h...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER - Gerry Pelissero will retire this week after 20 years as the clerk of court and register of deeds for Gogebic County. Pelissero took office on Jan. 1, 2000, and served five terms. He credits his staff for his role in serving the public, the various county departments and employees. "I think first and foremost my staff, present and retired, have delivered to the residents of Gogebic County," Pelissero said. Getting to know the various clerk...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Westgate Nursing, Rehabilitation and Assisted Living in Ironwood will hold two rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations in January, followed by a booster vaccination around 20 days later, according to a facility official. Under the private-public partnership model the long-term care facilities within the Westgate family are working with Walgreens or CVS to provide free, on-site COVID-19 vaccinations for residents and staff, said Mike Deverso, vice president business development for Westgate in G...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] MARENISCO — A Marenisco couple has created an ice skating rink on Lake Gogebic just off their shoreline property. According to Kristie Peterson, her husband, Steve, made the rink as a way to have fun this holiday season with family and friends while maintaining social distancing. “It was fun. We had some teenagers over that were home for the holidays. It was just something to do that was awesome,” Peterson said. She said they waited to make the rink until the ice on the lake was at least 5 inche...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Area full time care facilities and group homes are now scheduled for two rounds of COVID-19 vaccinations throughout January, according to local health officials. A Monday press release from the Michigan State Police said skilled nursing home residents and staff began receiving vaccinations on Monday through a pharmacy partnership for long-term care programs. A similar announcement from the state of Wisconsin noted that on-site vaccinations started Monday at skilled nursing facilities a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Outgoing City Treasurer Sherry Ravelli imagined Dec. 17 as a final "relaxing" day as she said her good-byes and enjoyed pizza, cake and other treats with coworkers of the past 16 years. In an interview at the end of that day, however, she noted that she actually had been unusually busy due to routine auditing. "They're going to make me earn my pay right up to the end," she said, kidding. Although her final hours also included gifts from fellow...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Three partners will allow for the replacement of an electronic sign for the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center to be larger and better placed, according to reports at the Ironwood City Commission meeting on Monday. The city of Ironwood’s insurance company has agreed to allow for the purchase of the sign, known as a a reader board, to replace standard signage as part of its coverage for the replacement of the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center that is due to be completed in late January 2021, according t...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — When it’s one, two three strikes you’re out regarding municipal property assessment reviews — the Michigan Tax Commission has created the option of a designated assessor to step in and bring the taxing unit into compliance. The Gogebic County Commission designated Kathy Jo Koval, the director of the county Equalization department, as its designated assessor at their Tuesday meeting. The action completes the interlocal agreement process that was already approved by local governm...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO — Members of the Marenisco Board of Trustees learned at their regular meeting last week that one of three candidates for police chief is now out of the running. “Jason Roberts (of Ironwood) was hired by Ironwood Public Safety,” said Supervisor Bruce Mahler, who retired as chief at the end of August and then was elected to his current role after former Supervisor Richard Bouvette retired. One of two remaining applicants for the open seat as chief is Jesse Yesney of Bergland, who currently works...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The second annual free Community Christmas Feast at the Island View Lodge was not anticipated to be a big event due to the pandemic but it was a success no matter how you look at it, according to the owners and guests who attended on Friday. Last year there were around 17 people who came for the first free Christmas dinner, said Erin Doonan, who owns the resort with Alex Barnes. Many of those guests were senior citizens who saw the...
WAKEFIELD — Students from kindergarten through high school attended Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School on Monday and Tuesday after grades 9-12 had been on an extended break. The older students’ return followed a Dec. 18 announcement by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who lifted COVID-19 restrictions regarding high school students. Although Superintendent Jason Gustafson said it was nice to have “semi-normal” circumstances, the entire school once again was on break as of Wednesday — this time for Christmas vacation. The pandemic has created an erratic f...
IRONWOOD - The 12th Sisu Ski Fest will be a virtual event but organizers are excited about the prospect of the alternative event as they sent out registration packets on Monday. The 2021 Sisu registration period runs through Jan. 3, 2021. The event will run from Jan. 4 through Jan. 17. The difference this year is that there will not be a one-day event with a Sisu course and racers throughout Ironwood. To avoid the congestion of skiers, volunteers, observers and weekend events around the Sisu,...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — A state program can help cities and counties learn to use visitor first impressions to help identify assets and realize potential, according to a tourism specialist who spoke to the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. Will Cronin, the tourism and community development educator for Michigan State University Extension, appeared virtually at the county commission regular meeting to discuss the First Impressions Tourism program. He said the program has helped marketing and d...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Although perhaps shared virtually in these challenging times the message of Christmas is no less powerful and transforming, according to area pastors who reflected on the celebration of the reason for the season. --- Rev. Donald Nickolson, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Hurley said Christmas Day celebrates the birth of Jesus. "For many of us news of this event is familiar and traditional. It may not feel new or startling. It may...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — Members of the Wakefield Township Board of Trustees voted in a special Tuesday evening meeting to advertise an opening on the board. The action was taken in acknowledgment of last weekend’s passing of Gerald “Jerry” Niemi, who had just been re-elected to the board on Nov. 3. “I was looking forward to working with him,” said newly-elected Clerk Jennifer Ahonen in the virtual session. “He was a great board member.” “He was fantastic,” said Supervisor Mandy Lake. “He was an awesome...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The three-district football co-op team in western Gogebic County is no more after the Ironwood Area Schools’ board of education voted to dissolve the co-op Monday, with the other districts in the co-op taking similar votes. The team consisted of students from the Ironwood, Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco school districts. “All three schools, through very cordial and collaborative conversation, … have agreed to dissolve the current Gogebic Miners football co-op with the intention we will...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MONTREAL, Wis. — Northern Iron County Engaged Residents successfully completed its online crowdfunding fundraiser last week as the local group continues to raise money to develop a community garden in the city of Montreal. “I was pleasantly surprised by the support we received from everybody,” said Kari Klemme, NICER secretary and garden committee chairwoman. She said the online campaign on seedmoney.org — a non-profit focused on supporting public food garden projects — raised roughly $3,850, w...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO - Members of the Marenisco Township Board of Trustees voted Monday evening to explore how a newly-created ordinance could address a window to possible marijuana enterprise within the township. Newly-elected Supervisor Bruce Mahler made the matter his first major priority while directing his inaugural meeting after being elected to the role on Nov. 3. In the summer of 2019, board members had passed a previous ordinance allowing marijuana...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER - The turnout was so overwhelming for the drive-thru Santa event on Saturday that the host crew from the Bessemer VFW Post 3673 wasn't sure they were going to have enough gift bags. When all was said and done the volunteers had handed out 225 of the 250 gift bags to a line of cars that formed three circles in the VFW parking lot and stretched for a couple of blocks east down alleys to avoid congestion on Bessemer streets. Each car had a...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Residents at the Westgate Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Ironwood and the Aspirus Long Term Care in Ontonagon received some Christmas cheer on Friday. Students in the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District's CNA program visited the residents from outside their windows, and presented each of them with a bird feeder. "It's cool. I think they'll really like seeing the birds," said Savanah Clemens, a CNA student enrolled at...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — Although Christmas Eve isn’t until Thursday, Santa Claus was ready for business last Friday with an early evening errand in the Wakefield area. Members of the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department helped Santa to enact the important task of delivering responses to local kids who had sent letters to the big guy via the municipal building. “These are the little things that make a small town a home,” said City Manager Robert Brown, Jr. prior to the event. Late on Friday afternoon, Fire Chief M...
Email calendar items and community news to [email protected]. For more information, call 906-932-2211. Tuesday, Dec. 22 Gogebic County Veterans Service Officer, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Ironwood Memorial Building. 906-667-1110. Breakfast For Your Brain, 10 a.m., Mercer, Wis., Community Center. 715-561-2695. Alcoholics Anonymous, noon, Salem Lutheran Church, Ironwood. area74.org. Ironwood Kiwanis Club, noon, Golden Dragon. Alcoholics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Sharon Lutheran Church, Bessemer. area74.org. Woods and Blooms Garden Club, 6:30 p.m., Haines C...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Dr. Jason Bombard was the first person to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at Aspirus Ironwood Hospital on Friday as the region's healthcare system continues its effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Aspirus Health announced it received its first doses of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday and was beginning to vaccinate staff at several of its Upper Peninsula hospitals. "Our top priority has been the health and safety of our staff and communities,"...
