Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1784 - 1808 of 9679
BRUCE CROSSING — A traffic stop in Bruce Crossing Thursday that was part of an ongoing drug investigation has led to the seizure of alleged crystal methamphetamine and the execution of a search warrant in the city of Hancock, a spokesperson with the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team announced Friday. UPSET detectives received information regarding two individuals that were suspected of dealing meth who were traveling from Minnesota to Hancock with a large quantity of the drug, according to the UPSET announcement, and were able to l...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] LANSING — Gogebic County and other Upper Peninsula counties without active iron or copper mines for decades have had difficulty finding qualified candidates for elected mining inspectors. Legislation introduced to the Michigan Legislature would revise those requirements to help ensure safety and accountability, according to a Friday announcement. Senate Bill 1121 sponsor Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township, and House Bill 6240 sponsor Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, are seeking to remove a sta...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The fate of a proposed water trail project may be with city, county and state collaborations, according to discussion at the Downtown Ironwood Development Authority meeting on Thursday. The phased Montreal River Water Trail project would add shoreline features from Norrie Park to downtown. These would include canoe and kayak landings and fishing docks that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. In his updates to the DIDA board, Tom Bergman, director of Ironwood C... Full story
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — All fourth grade students were able to return to school on Thursday after a student in question tested negative for COVID-19. Students in one of the two fourth grade cohorts, along with their teacher and siblings, were sent home by the district after a student became ill with symptoms that could have potentially been COVID-19. Students in the elementary school are kept in cohort classes where they only interact with each-other and are isolated from other groups. As such, students are able t...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The board of education for the Ironwood Area Schools approved new contracts for several district administrative positions Monday, as well as a change to the master administrator contract. Ironwood Superintendent Travis Powell said the two-year contracts for the K-12 principal, business manager, supervisor of special education and board secretary are all the same terms as their current contracts. “We’re in the process of making some district-wide changes and continuous improvement, so wh...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council tabled the approval of the detour route for the U.S. 2 project on Monday to allow ample time for those residents that were unable to attend Monday's public hearing to submit written comments and questions. Residents will have until Oct. 5 to offer their comments, questions and suggestions to city manager Charly Loper. The U.S. 2 project starts in 2021, however, the detours won’t be in place until 2022. Councilman Bill McDonald pushed for the tabling of the rou... Full story
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Locals interested in canning foods got some assistance making sure their equipment was operating properly as Gogebic Community College hosted a pair of drive-thru events on Friday and Monday to allow those interested in pressure canning to have their gauges tested to make sure they are reading properly. Food that is not pressurized correctly can lead to many food-borne illnesses, such as botulism. The college worked in conjunction with the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Health Department announced several additional drive-thru flu clinics Tuesday as department staff encourage residents to get immunized in an effort to avoid an influenza outbreak from happening while the coronavirus pandemic is still occurring. Along with the previously announced Sept. 29 event at the Mercer Community Center and the Oct. 7 event at the Iron County Highway Garage in Hurley; the department is also holding a drive-thru clinic from 10 a.m. to noon on Oct. 13 a...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — A survey in which 90% of teachers say there are insurmountable challenges with combining in-school and at-home learning prompted the Hurley K-12 School Board to unanimously approve ending the virtual option at the end of the semester. In about six weeks, all Hurley K-12 students will start the second quarter attending in-person. The only exception are the students who signed up for the third-party Odyssey online curriculum program that does not require a live video feed with classes. S... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Components of the Downtown City Square project are taking shape this week including the fountain-splash pad, pergola and bandshell canopy. Department of Public Works personnel of the city of Ironwood were on site Monday to receive training on the Vortex fountain-splash pad water jets and lighting. The digital system allows for programming 16 water jets and LED lighting in white, blue, green and red. There are two outside directional jets...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Area Schools sent home a kindergarten and fourth-grade class Monday as a precaution against COVID-19 after a student in each of the classes became ill. Bessemer Superintendent Dan Niemi said the precaution went beyond what the district is required to do “Even though it is not required, we had to tighten the reins,” said Niemi. “I don’t want to have a pandemic breakout in our school system.” A letter to parents posted on the district’s Facebook page said testing for the kinde...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — A delay in the shipping of the vaccine means the Iron County Health Department is delaying one of its planned drive-thru flu vaccine clincs, the health department announced Friday. “The health department’s vaccine suppliers have notified the department that there are plenty of vaccines and there will not be a shortage this year, but shipments have been delayed until Sept. 30,” a department spokesperson said in the announcement. “Therefore, there will be a change to the upcoming fl... Full story
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - Sunday was a beautiful day to be out and about in Saxon, Wisconsin. Local farms had gotten together and organized their "Saxon Fall Farm Market Tour," which saw locals and visitors alike stopping by the three participating farms and getting a chance to win prizes, pet animals and pick a variety of goodies. "It started as a way to spread awareness to the community, to let them know that we are out here," said Deb Swartz, of the Swartz Family...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - People gathered at the Mercer Veteran's Memorial Friday evening in honor of the seventh annual flag retirement ceremony. The ceremony, held yearly on Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Day, consisted of the retirement of two flags, the U.S. flag and the Prisoner of War/Missing In Action. The first ceremony was held in 2013 and is an event that holds significant meaning to the community. Members of local VFWs aided in the ceremony, folding t...
MERCER — The town of Mercer Board of Supervisors on Thursday discussed the possibility of hiring a part time blight officer while determining a course of action for repeated violations. A complaint from a neighbor brought an individual to the attention of the town board who had also had a 2019 motorhome violation that resulted in a permit purchase after several communications. The motorhome is back along with reported blight issues and the board discussed whether the township or Iron County should take action. Town attorney Fritz Schellgell r...
IRONWOOD - With the ongoing coronavirus pandemic preventing large in-person gatherings, two Gogebic Range organizations are hosting virtual versions of their annual races. Both the organizers of the Bridges and Bluffs half marathon and Copper Peak Trails Fest are hoping the community comes out to support the virtual events this year as they are the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Friends of the Iron Belle Trail and Sisu Dirt Crew respectively. Rather than completing the race on a single...
IRONWOOD — Ironwood citizens unable to vote at the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3, may apply for absent voter ballots at the city clerk’s office in the Memorial Building at 213 S. Marquette St. Application can be made during regular business hours, Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city clerk’s office will also be open for such applications on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Completed ballots can be mailed back, dropped off at the clerk’s office or put in a special drop box scheduled to be placed near the flag pole in f... Full story
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WATERSMEET - Wednesday's first full day of school this year "went as well as it could," according to Gerald Pease, superintendent of the Watersmeet K-12 school. "Nobody knows all the answers," said Pease in relation to addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic, but he said school officials and other community members are trying their best to create a safe environment for students. Pease did not yet have an official count of this year's students, but he... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — As part of an effort to transition to online permit sales, the Iron County forestry and parks committee changed how much people will have to pay for a permit to harvest boughs on county land. Prior to the decision, there were two permit prices — with county residents paying $100 for a permit and non-residents paying $150. Iron County Forestry Administrator Eric Peterson said the transition to selling permits online would be simpler if the price was changed to a single price. “It would make...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community College is offering free testing of dial gauges for pressure canners from 3 to 6 p.m today and again on Monday, in conjunction with the Michigan State University-Extension and the University of Wisconsin-Extension. A pressure gauge used by someone who cans food items like vegetable and meat, must be tested once per year, according to a press release from the college. “It seems that with COVID and with other things around food safety this year, we have a lot more people who...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley City Council on Wednesday approved a recommendation from the public works department to inform the Wisconsin Department of Transportation that the city intends to conduct preliminary work ahead of a planned highway reconstruction. Jeff Seamandel, a project manager with MSA, the city’s engineering consulting firm, said WDOT is planning a U.S. 51 reconstruction project in 2023 that will include the 2nd Avenue section through Hurley. If Hurley would conduct a utility replacement pr... Full story
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon County Board Tuesday, adopted its 2020-2021 general fund operating budget and special revenue budgets. The general fund and other financing sources resulted in a budget of $3,791,986. According to the Ontonagon County Clerk Stacy Preiss, the number is just slightly over last years sum by about 3%. The special revenue budget includes funds such as the road commission, forestry fund, animal protection fund, court fund, SONCO Ambulance fund and similar funds and programs. Also in a...
