Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1737 - 1761 of 9679
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Area School District went to a virtual format for one day on Friday for grades K-12, as a precautionary measure, after three adults associated with a sports program at A.D. Johnston Junior-Senior High School were diagnosed with COVID-19. “We had three adult cases that ended up positive with people that work with our kids,” said Dan Niemi, superintendent of Bessemer Area Schools. “The Western U.P .Health Department said we don't have to do this ... but in Bessemer, what we have... Full story
EWEN - Local firefighters responded to a fire at a hay farm in Ewen Thursday evening. The fire was at the old Woracheck homestead on Fair Oaks Road. The farm is owned by a Wisconsin group and provides hay for large dairy farms in Wisconsin. An excavator was used to try to pull some hay from the barn as firefighters were fighting the fire. Ewen Fire Chief D.J. Staff said the old barn and most, if not all, of the hay and other items inside were destroyed. Staff said the call came at 8:45 p.m. and...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The town of Mercer has a blight ordinance, but enforcement is a more complicated matter, according to the Mercer Town Board of Supervisors at their meeting Thursday. John Sendra, town board chair, said there are more blight complaints from neighbors of a property in the area of Popko Circle West in Mercer. The most recent complaints were of the property owner conducting a burning that was allowed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, but took place on a Sunday, and b...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD – The Gogebic Community College Foundation will not hold its 25th annual Celebration of Achievement banquet this year, due to the restrictions on large gatherings with the COVID-19 pandemic. “Normally, we love it. It is one of our favorite events. It is a reason to bring alumni back to campus. But with gatherings not being safe, we had to change our plans,” said Kelly Marczak, director of the GCC Foundation. The banquet annually honors individuals and organizations the foundation's board... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER - The congressman for Michigan's First Congressional District spoke on the issue of local network television options for county residents at the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners meeting on Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, said his office is involved in an ongoing effort to ensure that cable and satellite companies offer all county residents the option of selecting Michigan television stations as their local channel pref...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — Even with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Northern Iron County Engaged Residents is preparing for its second annual Spooky Halloween Trail Walk. The event is scheduled for Oct. 24, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Hurley School Adventure Trail. NICER started the trail walk last year after the Hurley Fun Frolic didn’t happen. “So NICER decided to offer a fun Halloween event in its place,” said Rebecca Holm, one of the people planning the trail walk. She explained the group decided to purs...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Students in the Gogebic -Ontonagon Intermediate School District 's CNA program have become pen pals with the residents at the Westgate Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility Home facility. The residents at the facility are unable to have any visitors, including family, because of the pandemic. "I think its good cause they don't get to see their family," said Kylee Maki, 17, a senior at Luther L. Wright K-12 School in Ironwood, who is enrolled... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley City Council on Monday approved the Halloween trick-or-treating hours following a recommendation from law enforcement to let the event go forward with safety guidelines rather than cancel this year due to COVID-19. The council set the Halloween trick-or-treating hours for 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31. Guidelines for pandemic trick-or-treating will be posted on the city’s Facebook page, along with the city police department and Iron County Sheriff’s Office Facebook pages. The c...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Health Department is canceling its remaining drive-thru flu shot clinics, department officials announced Tuesday, and hopes to reschedule the events later this season. “All vaccination clinics have been canceled. As vaccine becomes available, we will plan to reschedule them,” an official said in the news release. “While we are waiting for vaccine, we encourage residents to seek other options including your health care provider, other open flu clinics, White Cross Pharmac...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] WATERSMEET - Nineteen-month-old Camillé McGeshick is still alive today thanks to the quick actions of Lt. Nick Christ of the Lac Vieux Desert Tribal Police, according to Laura Kopsi, a captain and EMT with the Watersmeet Fire Department. On the afternoon of Sept. 2, McGeshick - who suffers from Down Syndrome, along with a congenital heart defect - managed to pull her tracheal breathing tube out in her sleep. Her mother, Celia Brunk, found her... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Engineering and bidding requests to replace priority water and sanitary sewer infrastructure were approved at the Ironwood City Commission meeting on Monday. The commission unanimously approved authorizing bids for a 2021 water and sanitary sewer infrastructure project, along with the engineering services agreement with Coleman Engineering to conduct surveying, permitting, design, bidding, construction management and inspection not to exceed $339,339. The $2 million preliminary p...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Ironwood Township officials canceled Monday's board of trustees meeting due to a possible COVID-19 exposure. Along with the cancellation of the meeting, the township offices are temporarily closed until there's more information regarding the situation, according to Township Supervisor Jim Simmons. Simmons said Tuesday he hoped that information would become available in the next day or so. The next township meeting, which is scheduled for Oct. 26, hasn't been canceled yet — wit...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — Great weather, the excellent fall scenery in Iron County, and the last big fall off-road run before winter helped draw double the normal participants for the annual Pumpkin Run. The 18th annual all-terrain vehicle (ATV) and utility task vehicle (UTV) rally is an event for riders to enjoy Iron County trails and routes with stops at local taverns and restaurants as a friendly competition poker run. Riders put hundreds of miles on t... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Among the items on the November ballot are a variety of contested and uncontested school board races in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. Ironwood Area Schools Three names appear in the school board race, with voters in the district able to cast their ballots for no more than three of the candidates in the race. Incumbents Amanda Sprague and Marilyn Carey are joined by newcomer Adam Graser, who is running for the seat held by Steve Thomas after Thomas announced he won’t be seeking another term on the...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] There are several local township and Gogebic County offices to be decided along with ballot questions and federal offices in the Nov. 3 general election. All ballots across the county will include the contested Drain Commissioner contest with Dan Woods, Democrat, facing Michael Foley, Republican. Incumbent Ramona Collins is a Democrat running unopposed for Gogebic County clerk and register of deeds. She is the current deputy register of deeds to Gerry Pelissero, who is not running for reelection. C...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - On their second day of school, elementary students at Luther L. Wright School received instruction from Gogebic Community College nursing students, along with students in the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District CNA program on how to properly wash their hands. "As part of the safe back-to-school plan we felt that it was important to do some education in terms of hand-washing, social distancing, and proper mask wearing," said Amanda... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] LANSING — Locals are waiting to see whether any of the $500 million for water infrastructure upgrades Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced last week will make it to the region. Whitmer called the MI Clean Water Plan a “significant investment after decades of underinvestment in Michigan’s infrastructure,” in her Oct. 1 announcement of the half a billion dollars in funding. “Since the first day I took office, I have made an unwavering commitment to ensuring that Michiganders have access to...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] EWEN — Ewen-Trout Creek Superintendent Dave Radovich updated parents about continued protocols being taken by the school district to protect children and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Radovich said the district will continue to follow its preparedness and response plan. In an email to parents, Radovich said: “All E-TC students, staff and visitors, must continue to wear masks, wash masks, wash hands and social distance each day, except masks may be taken off during lunch time. Our school will con...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — Strategies to ensure that vehicle and equipment replacement schedules are followed without cramping the city’s budget were discussed at the Hurley Board of Public Works meeting on Wednesday. Scott Santini, the director of public works, said he would provide an updated vehicle and equipment replacement schedule within the month. The purpose is to inform the city council about the condition of items and the costs to replace them, used or new, to help guide decisions as funds are ava... Full story
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council voted to condemn the property at 304 E. Lead St. during a special meeting Thursday morning. The meeting was called after officials learned information that contradicted what the property owner had told the the council at its regular meeting on Monday. Clifford Chetnick, owner of the house, said he was not planning on selling the property when asked by council woman Linda Nelson during Monday’s meeting. However, Tuesday morning, councilman Lou Miskovich was inf...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee on Monday approved a resolution to support an organization's efforts to extend the western Upper Peninsula's state-funded motorized trail system to include a loop in Ironwood. The 6-0 approval serves as a recommendation to the Ironwood City Commission to designate off-road motorized trail routes for all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles within the city in support of the Gogebic Range Trail...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Growing interest in the Western Upper Peninsula might turn out to be the silver lining of the COVID-19 crisis, according to reports at Wednesday’s meeting of the Ironwood Economic Development Corporation. In his COVID-19 business update, Tom Bergman, director of community development for the city of Ironwood, said he is hearing at InvestUP meetings that the Upper Peninsula had better than average tourism and sales as compared to previous summers. The exceptions were bars and res... Full story
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — Students at Bessemer Area Schools will continue to attend classes in-person five days a week, after the school board passed an amendment on Monday, modifying its original plan for being in Phase 4 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan. The school had announced on Friday that it would be switching over to a blended learning plan due to the area dropping down a phase — from 5 to 4 — because of a surge in COVID-19 cases in the Upper Peninsula. The district’s original COVID-19 preparedn...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP - Members of the Wakefield Township Board of Trustees received good news on an audit of the fiscal year that ended March 31. CPA Karl "Gus" Ahonen of Makela Pollack and Ahonen, an accounting firm in Ironwood, provided the report, which indicated no problems. "You guys do a great job with your financials, and it's a very pleasant audit to do," said Ahonen. He said the township had a fund balance of $540,539 at the end of the fiscal year,...
