Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1113 - 1137 of 9883
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - For the first time in the history of the Sisu Ski Fest, racers took off from ABR Trails in Erwin Township and headed for the finish line in Ironwood's Downtown City Square. In years past, the race had finished in the parking lot that was once there, and before on nearby Aurora Street. "It was great, there was a lot of room for spectators and people loved the backdrop behind the stage. It's a big improvement," said race director Jackie...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HOUGHTON — There is still no end in sight for the coronavirus pandemic in 2022 as COVID-19 case rates have more than doubled in Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties since the last update in December, according to an update from the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department on Thursday. The update says that cases rates are 506 per 100,000 population in Baraga County, 392 in Gogebic, 390 in Houghton, 637 in Keweenaw and 254 in Ontonagon, for a total of 401 across the western Upper...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The town of Mercer board of supervisors discussed the recent use of the town’s bike path by snowmobiles at its regular meeting on Thursday. Mercer Area Sno-goers snowmobile club president Hank Joustra explained that two landowners revoked their permissions to use their snowmobile trails, so they had to bypass those properties. He said the Sno-goers are doing this by using about 75 yards of a bike trail within a 40-foot right-of-way on U.S. 51. Joustra said that this use in vic...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The city of Wakefield is in the process of writing a grant to apply for funding for training and recruitment of first responders, according to city manager Robert Brown. “We are going to apply for funds to cross-train some of our firefighters as medical first responders,” said Brown. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced the $5 million grant program for training and recruitment on Jan. 3. “First responders are on the front lines of our health and our safety, and are always there for us...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HURLEY — Iron County Public Health will hold Strong Bodies exercise programs for midlife and older people at three locations in Iron and Gogebic counties starting on Tuesday. Program Assistant Sue Herlevi said Strong Bodies is an evidence-based exercise program for older people. The objective is to improve their health and well-being through a structured, safe and effective strength-training program. During classes, instructors will teach exercises using a combination of dumbbells, adjustable a...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] On April 5, Iron County residents will elect candidates to the Hurley City Council, Mercer Board of Supervisors and Montreal Common Council, as well as to the Iron County Board of Supervisors and the boards of education for the Hurley and Mercer school districts. The deadline to file paperwork for the elections was Tuesday. Hurley Mayor Jay Aijala and alderpersons Steven Lombardo and Joanne Bruneau won’t return to their seats, as they filed non-candidacy papers for the election. Bruneau is running f...
by CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — It appears Mother Nature heard the pleas of area ski resorts and enthusiasts crying out for snow and made many area children happy to boot. On Tuesday night, between 4 and 5 inches of snow fell across the Gogebic Range and more was expected to come, according to the National Weather Service. “We’re looking at persistent lake affect snow to continue on and off through (today),” said Matt Zika, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Marquette. “Generally, an additional 6 to 10 i...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Sisu Ski Fest is gearing up for a weekend full of activities, including sponsoring First Friday events, the races on Saturday, and a fat tire bike event on Sunday. “We are returning to a live in-person event,” said Jackie Powers, race director. “We skipped 2021. It was a virtual race.” However, Sisu officials are requiring masks on the buses and all indoor spaces. Powers said that they are asking those who have tested positive within the last week and those who are experienc...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - With tonight's Powerball jackpot at an estimated $575 million, many are eager to try their hand in an effort to start the new year richer than ever before. "Powerball tickets are a really hot commodity right now,"said Marnee Bates, general manager of the Holiday Station Store in Wakefield. "It seems like every other customer is buying anywhere from $5, $10 to $20 worth of tickets." Bates said that although she doesn't usually play herself,...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] IRONWOOD - Despite arctic temperatures on Saturday, many racers and enthusiasts came out to attend the first day of the Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. Event organizer Greg Basom said the first day of the races went well and that they managed to fit all 52 of the scheduled races in. He said that there were no incidents, no racers had to drop out and with such low temperatures, there was no danger of the ice on the track...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley School District is looking into building a trail along Range View Drive and Tenth Avenue into town to provide children with a safe path to walk or bike to and from school. The proposed path would go east from the school on Range View Drive to Tenth Avenue and then follow Tenth Avenue south to Oak Street, which is a block away from Riccelli Park. “It would provide kids or community members a safe walking path and bike path on the way to school or, if they were going to Riccelli Par...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] All area ski resorts are officially up and running. Blackjack Mountain Resort was the first to open for the season on Dec. 3, Indianhead opened the following weekend on Dec. 10, Whitecap opened on Dec. 22 and Big Powderhorn Mountain opened on Dec. 23. All resorts are reporting that they are seeing a number of skiers, despite a lack of natural snow. As of Thursday, the region had received 59.6 inches of snow for the season, but a warm, windy Dec. 15-16...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Salvation Army didn’t fare as well this holiday season as it has in previous years. Locally, the 2021 Red Kettle Campaign brought in $25,000, which is 50% of its 2020 earnings. The Salvation Army had a constant kettle at the Walgreens in Ironwood. Several volunteers manned the kettle from time to time. There was occasionally a manned kettle outside Walmart, thanks to the efforts of Dusty Boggs of Ironwood. According to Jamie Stiffarm, director of the local Salvation Army, Boggs was the...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The city of Wakefield is moving forward with Phase 1 of its water system improvement project. The city council gave permission for U.P. Engineers and Architects of Houghton to continue with the design aspect of the project, during its regular meeting Tuesday night. “I think we’re at a point now where we just want to get the ball rolling and get this thing done,” said mayor Dale White. “It’s nice to hear we are at that point where we can get some money pretty soon.” The city plans a $2,92...
Editor's note: The Daily Globe is counting down the Gogebic Range's top five stories of 2021 each day through Friday, New Year's Eve. We continue today with the No. 2 story of the year: Major road construction projects in Bessemer and Hurley. Other top stories in the list have included: at No. 3, The change in air service at the Gogebic-Iron County Airport; No. 4, the reopening of the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center, and No. 5, local preparations for recreational marijuana enterprise. By JASON JUNO...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — After a couple of miss starts, the Mt. Zion Ski Area plans to open today. The hill was originally scheduled to open on Dec. 19, but the opening was postponed twice due to a lack of snow. Jim Vanderspoel, director of Mount Zion Operations and the Ski Area Management program at Gogebic Community College, told the Daily Globe Tuesday that there wasn’t much snow, but he said it is skiable. More snow was in the forecast later Tuesday. “It is marginal. Tomorrow morning it will look a lot diffe...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The city of Bessemer will be applying for two grants to help cover the cost of a new trailhead for the Iron Belle Trail behind City Hall. City Manager Charly Loper told the city’s Recreation Committee on Dec. 16 that she felt it would be best to apply for both the grant from the Economic Development Authority and the one from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Loper said they would see which grant the city is approved for, or, if both, then decide which grant to accept. In ord...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — Officials from Republic Services were on hand Monday, Dec. 20, at the Bessemer City Council meeting to discuss issues the city has been having with the waste disposal company. City manager Charly Loper complimented Republic on the communication between its company representatives and the city, but said that the city had to do too much communicating with the residents on the garbage company’s behalf. Loper said there have been times with whole neighborhoods were being missed by garbage collec...
OMA, Wis. — Deputies from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office took a man into custody late Thursday evening after a report of a domestic disturbance at a Oma residence turned into an armed standoff with authorities. According to the release from Sheriff Paul Samardich, deputies were called to the scene of a domestic disturbance at 11:30 p.m., where the informant said both parties had been drinking. When deputies arrived, they found a “frantic” woman holding a toddler standing at the kitchen patio door. As the women let the deputies in, a man ent...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners heard a court update from District Court Judge Michael Pope at their regular meeting on Wednesday. Pope said that the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission recently found that the state’s criminal defense system was not up to standard. As part of the state’s changes to improve the system, he said that public defenders are required to receive continuing education on how to represent their clients. He said that the state is also increasing what publi...
