Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1339 - 1363 of 9883
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...
WAKEFIELD - Unless advisories from health officials change, masks are a must on buses but only encouraged on school property for students in the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School. The 5-2 vote by the district's Board of Education on Monday evening was for a motion that states, specifically, that masks on school property will be "highly recommended, but not required" regardless of vaccination status, with the action contingent on continuing advisories from regional, state and national health...
IRONWOOD — With their children planning to start classes next week, concerned parents attended the regular Ironwood board of education meeting at Luther L. Wright High School on Monday in large numbers. During the start of the meeting, when citizens are permitted to address the board about items on the agenda, some parents expressed their fears about sending their children back to school without masks being required for all students. Others threatened to withdraw their students if the school required masks. Travis Powell, the school s...
HURLEY — The Hurley School Board modified its back-to-school policy concerning coronavirus contact quarantines on Monday, but will continue optional rather than mandated face coverings to start the fall semester. The school board 5-0 approved adopting the current recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding close contact with persons exposed to COVID-19 positive persons. Going forward, the policy requires vaccinated individuals to be monitored for symptoms and tested in three to five days after exposure, a...
HURLEY - A 74-year-old Marquette area woman was injured Monday following a crash with a pickup truck in Hurley. The crash occurred at approximately 3:21 p.m., when a pickup truck driving west on U.S. 2 attempted to make a left turn onto U.S. 51, according to information from Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich. The temporary intersection is part of a detour around the construction of a roundabout to be completed this fall. A sheriff's office deputy who was stopped on U.S. 51 while waiting to...
IRONWOOD - Great weather and solid crowds graced the 100th anniversary of the Gogebic County Fair in the final two days of its Thursday-to-Sunday run. The public clearly welcomed the return of the event at the Ironwood fairgrounds after the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in last year's cancellation. "We had beautiful weather. We had good crowds," said James Lorenson, fair board chairman, on Monday. "Overall, we were pleased." Lorenson said that some people wore optional masks and engaged in social...
IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community College officials announced Friday that the college will require face masks to be worn indoors. The decision follows the recommendation of both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Both organizations recently announced that masks should be worn indoors regardless of vaccination status. “The expectation at GCC at this time is to wear masks indoors,” said GCC president George McNulty. “With the uptick in COVID-19 variants both locally and nationa...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Hundreds of exposition entries were in place to take part in the centennial Gogebic County Fair through Sunday. The dozens of exposition categories categories in adult and youth classes allowed for friendly competition in traditional areas of food preservation, floriculture and plants, horticulture and culinary arts. There was quilting, needlework, knitting and crocheting, weaving, embroidery and creative areas of fine arts, photography...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Pumpkinfest is once again canceled for this year, the committee announced Wednesday night. The festival which celebrates fall in the Upper Peninsula was originally scheduled for Sept. 24 -25, but according to Donna Frello, who chairs the committee, multiple variables such as construction and the ongoing pandemic forced their decision to cancel. Frello said the festival only lasts a day and a half, so if an event were to get curtailed because of “mud in the road” or “rest...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - God was in the forefront on Wednesday night as hundreds of residents were drawn to the LifeLight UP City Fest for an evening of praise and worship. Festival coordinator Jill Seppala said they were thrilled to be able to hold their event at the new Ironwood Downtown City Square. The goal is to be as evangelistic as possible in places where they can draw people out who may not be spending time in church and present the Gospel to them. "We...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission on Monday approved demolitions and scheduled public hearings to address inaction on other dilapidated properties. The commission authorized advertisements to bid for the demolition of a residential dwelling at 400 E. Tamarack St. The structure is already under public ownership and the city has access to the property, according to Scott Erickson, city manager. “It’s in disrepair with holes in the roof and needs to be demolished,” Erickson said. The commiss...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - The centennial Gogebic County Fair opens today and runs through Sunday in Ironwood. K&M Amusement will provide the midway rides and carnival throughout all four days of the fair. The rides are included with a paid gate admission. There will also be horse drawn wagon rides throughout the fair. Harness racing continues to be a fair tradition with trotters and pacers circling the half-mile track in events starting at 1 p.m. Friday and 11...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The subject of blight was a priority for members of the Wakefield Planning Commission at its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday evening. That’s in part because City Manager Robert Brown, Jr. and other city workers, as well as a contractor with a semitrailer, had worked all day to clear a Plymouth site that had haunted the city extendedly. “This has been going on about 14 years,” said Brown, who noted that he had just received, in the past month, a court order to address the quarter...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Downtown Art Place offered a nature painting class on Tuesday. The class was held outdoors at the DAP Art Park, which is the green space across the street from the Downtown Art Place between Mattson's TV & Appliance Inc. and the former bookstore on East Aurora Street. Class participants used acrylic paint to create compositions with abstract backgrounds and then added botanical elements that overlayed on top of the background, such as...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — As part of a continuing discussion of how to extend the Iron Belle Trail from Ramsay to Wakefield, the Wakefield City Council heard public input this week from a local landowner who concedes that his property is “the cheapest route” now under consideration. Harry Butler, who said he owns one-half mile of shoreline on Plymouth Lake, has met with city officials in prior, private sessions, but addressed the council as a whole during its regular bi-monthly meeting. Butler told the council that he...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Downtown Ironwood First Friday of August event was held in the city on Friday. Crowds gathered in the Downtown City Square to listen to live music by the Superior Horns and Blue Ice, a local band featuring more than 10 musicians. Tim Erickson, community development assistant for the city of Ironwood, said that this month's First Friday event was part of their concert music series. There will be more concerts at the First Friday events...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Gogebic-Iron County Airport on Monday approved long-term planning for a combination of facilities in the area of the main terminal for efficiency and to accommodate growth. The board 4-0 approved adding the project to the airport layout plan as prepared by the airport’s engineering firm, Mead & Hunt. Airport board member Dan Siirila was not present. The plan includes multiple versions of a general aviation joint use facility that would relocate buildings to consolidate com...
By Zachary Marano [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Delta variant of the coronavirus has been identified in Gogebic County, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Laboratories. A COVID-19 update from Thursday said there were two confirmed cases of the Delta variant in the county. “When a variant is identified or suspected, additional measures take place, such as a strict 14-day quarantine,” said Kate Beer, health officer for the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department. “A new variant in our commu...
