Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1312 - 1336 of 9873
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Low income Ironwood residents are receiving fresh produce this year thanks to the efforts of the Norrie Park Community Gardeners. The gardeners decided to use four plots in the garden to grow produce to give to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry in Ironwood. "Every week we take in five gallon pails (of produce) and they are just so happy to get it," said NPCG board member Helen Slining. Bernie Smith, a board member who manages the garden,...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — After three years of work the city of Ironwood plans to have its revised zoning ordinance ready for approval by the end of the year and after various commissions and boards review the document. In his reports to the Ironwood Economic Development Commission on Wednesday, Tom Bergman, director of city community development, said consultants are creating hyperlinks to assist users in navigating the online zoning ordinance to relevant sections. Once that is complete the role of the EDC w...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a resolution required to consider a broadband initiative to be decided following a public hearing and special meeting in October. The county board 14-0 approved an initial resolution to consider revenue bond financing in support of a broadband infrastructure proposal from Bugtussel Wireless LLC. Board member Jamey Francis was not present. The approval during the regular meeting followed a public hearing on the broadband bond topic. T...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic Community College board focused on staffing during its regular meeting on Tuesday. The board accepted the resignation of Dave Erickson, head of the maintenance and custodial department. He will be retiring Sept. 30. He has worked for the college for 16 and a half years, and led the department for the last four and a half years. “His work ethic and attention to detail are a model to be replicated,” said Erik Guenard, vice president of business services. “During his time at Goge...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HURLEY, Wis. — The Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Festival Italiano event starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. This year’s celebration of Italian heritage will include a craft show, games for kids and live music. The festival is returning after it was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chamber of Commerce Director Rita Franzoi said the festival will be “a day of people getting out and enjoying the last hurrah of summer.” The festival will feature live music startin...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - The fall semester at Gogebic Community Campus started last week. The college marked the occasion with a week of complimentary lunches at the Ironwood campus. "Week One Eats," as it was marketed kicked off with a pizza lunch with college president George McNulty on Monday, Aug. 23. "What a great day on campus!" the college posted on Facebook last week. "We all welcome the energy and excitement brought by our students. We are so lucky."...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] GILE - There was some rain, but not enough to stop a successful 11th annual Danny B Jack and Jill softball tournament this past weekend in Gile. Nathan Fechter, tournament managing director, said it would be a couple of weeks to know how much the tournament raised in support of the Range Suicide Prevention Council this year. It will take some time for all the team and sponsorship money, along with silent auction and raffle funds, to come in before a...
ONTONAGON — The 65th annual Labor Day Festival returns in full this year with parades, the Maxwell Street sale, music and a race. The festival will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with most of the activity on River Street. The festival opens Friday with a community picnic at 5 p.m. at Marina Park featuring free hot dogs, pop and chips. There will be a display of rescue vehicles, Michigan State Police and Ontonagon County Sheriff’s Office vehicles, and the Aspirus helicopter if weather permits. Maxwell Street opens with a bang at 10 a.m...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — An assessment of the condition of county buildings will help prioritize future projects for renovation or replacement, according to business at the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners meeting Thursday. The board 5-0 approved a recommendation from the economic development and capital improvements committee to accept a $50,000 proposal from UP Engineers & Architects to evaluate county buildings. Board members James Lorenson and George Peterson were not present. The board approved up t...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — At this point in time, the Sisu Ski Fest is being planned as a traditional in-person event for the weekend of Jan. 7-9, 2022, according to race director Jackie Powers in a report to the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority on Thursday. The Sisu committee is evolving and wants to be more inclusive to make the event as great as possible, she said. DIDA is important in providing input on everything from skier promotions to coordinating First Friday activities around the race. “I gue...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Sandhill cranes are an awesome sight and - in recent times - an increasingly likely one in U.P. counties. That's good news for bird enthusiasts but bad news for farmers. The Michigan branch of the National Audubon Society reports that sandhill cranes are the state's oldest and largest bird, standing at up to five feet tall and with wing spans that may stretch about six feet wide. Their bodies are in neutral shades of tan and gray, but their heads feature...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] GILE, Wis. — Thirteen years after Danny Baross, of Erwin Township, died by suicide, his family and friends continue to keep his name alive, by holding the annual Danny B. Jack and Jill softball tournament at Gile Field. The event, which benefits the Range Suicide Prevention Council, will take place this weekend starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday and continuing through the late afternoon. Eight teams of men and women are registered to compete in the tournament this year. Six teams will advance to Sunday’s a...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The School District of Mercer Board of Education held its monthly meeting in the school cafeteria on Monday. The board discussed safety precautions for classes starting on Wednesday and recommended updates to the district’s policy manual from a policy service provider. District Administrator Sheri Kopka said that face coverings are currently optional but encouraged in the school building. She said that all the school districts around Mercer have the same masking-optional policy. Per...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Area businesses and historical societies found there is a shared interest for collaboration of people and resources. Nonprofit museums and historical societies act to preserve and interpret the heritage of the respective communities and instill an appreciation for learning local history. Area chambers of commerce found that combined efforts with printing costs and shared materials help small budgets have a larger impact. This year's colla...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The city of Ironwood has scheduled dates and times for the city compost site and a fall cleanup event, according to reports at the city commission meeting on Monday. The city composting site will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, starting this weekend, according to city manager Scott Erickson in his report to the commissioners. There will be a gate attendant to check residency and make sure materials are deposited at the appropriate locations. T...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic is that it resulted in more than one allotment of related relief funds - not only for individuals, but also for businesses and other public entities such as cities, townships and schools. For Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School, a major result of that federal largesse is a brand new and still growing curriculum for students. "It's the biggest investment we've made in textbooks in a long, long...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER - Marty's Goldenaires Drum and Bugle Corps' annual picnic fundraiser drew a large, steady crowd to Bluff Valley Park in Bessemer on Saturday. The Dweebs, "a family band from Wisconsin," headlined the event with costumed, and charactered performances of popular music from a variety of eras. The band interacted with the audience from the get go. Lead singer Claire Blue, was walking on tables, as she sang "Walking on Sunshine." Many audience membe...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — Just under 70 students who attend Washington Elementary School, will receive a backpack this year from the Washington School Adopt-A-Backpack program. Approximately half of those took advantage of an opportunity to pick out their own bag on Saturday morning at the VFW Post 3673 hall in Bessemer. The program, which is now in its seventh year, selects three grades to assist each year, along with all special needs students, according to Al Gaiss, one of the group’s organizers. Students in tho...
BESSEMER - The Bessemer Area School District held an open house at both Washington Elementary and A.D. Johnston Junior/Senior High School on Thursday afternoon. According to science teacher David Rowe and special needs instructor Jamie Stiffarm, the annual event helps students with anxiety over the start of the school year, by allowing them the opportunity to meet their teachers and possibly some classmates, go over their schedule ahead of time and find the location of their classes. "Some of...
IRONWOOD — Students and their families were invited on Thursday to Luther L. Wright K-12 School in Ironwood for a Back to School Fair. The open house provided an opportunity for children and their parents to get ready for the first day of school on Tuesday by meeting teachers and completing important paperwork. Incoming students formed queues at tables in the gymnasium to receive their final class schedules and Chromebook laptops. “We’re one-to-one, so every student from K-12 has access to a Chromebook,” principal Melissa Nigh said. “A lot...
IRONWOOD - The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved the new Essential Air Service provider for Gogebic-Iron County Airport, according to a Wednesday announcement from the agency. Denver Air Connection was selected as the low-bid and community preferred EAS to replace Boutique Air Inc. with a two-year contract from Oct. 1, 2021 through Sept. 30, 2023, according to the announcement. The airline will fly six weekly nonstop flights to Chicago O'Hare International Airport using the 50-seat...
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools Board of Education held a special board meeting on Wednesday to hear an update on COVID-19 requirements and recommendation from superintendent Travis Powell. He said students will not be required to wear masks inside of the school building when they return for classes next week. “After careful analysis of the current conditions in our community as related to COVID-19 and thorough analysis of our legal obligations and requirements, I recommend making no change to our current policy on COVID response,” Powel...
IRONWOOD - Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist were in Ironwood Tuesday to kick off their U.P. Jobs Tour across the Upper Peninsula. The governor's delegation visited with owners of Jacquart Fabric Products and Cold Iron Brewing and toured the facilities. She said the pandemic prevented a 2020 visit, along with many aspects of her normal routine. "It's great to be up here," Whitmer said to the Globe on Tuesday while touring Jacquart. The U.P. is an important part of the...
