Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1756 - 1780 of 9883
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The city of Ironwood received high marks on its annual budget audit, according to remarks from the auditing firm during a work session prior to the regular meeting of the Ironwood City Commission on Monday. Details of the audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, were presented by Tony Pollack, a CPA with Makela, Pollack & Ahonen, P.L.L.C., the city’s contracted auditing firm, and Paul Linn, the city finance director and treasurer. The presentation noted that most activity occ...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — An additional half-mile loop has been added to the ski and snowshoe trails in the Miners Memorial Heritage Park. Friends of the MMHP started working on the new loop on Nov. 15, according to Rick Semo, the club’s president. The additional trail officially opened after the first major snowfall in late December. “We had it partially groomed before that, but it wasn’t really ready because it’s rougher than the rest of the trail,” Semo told the Daily Globe. “Next year we’ll get it worked out a...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Work on developing a motorized trail loop in the city of Ironwood continued with a recent work event featuring volunteers from the Gogebic Range Trail Authority and the Aurora Club. The group worked mostly in Miners Memorial Heritage Park, maintaining some existing trail and building a bit of new trail. "We had to clean it out to make (the trail) a little wider so the groomer can go through," said Leslee Hein, the secretary for the GRTA...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — A utility terrain vehicle crash in Iron County Friday night killed one woman and had a man sent to the hospital, the Iron County Sheriff’s Office announced the next day. Iron County Emergency Dispatch received a call reporting the crash with a woman under water at 8:42 p.m. Friday, but was unable to get a specific location about the scene of the crash from the initial caller, Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich said in a news release Saturday. Deputies — along with members of the Hurle...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] ERWIN TOWNSHIP - This year marks the 12th year of the Sisu Ski Fest, with participants near and far joining in the fun. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 race is being held differently, relying on individuals to record their times from whereever they ski, and report them instead of gathering for the large race of previous years. Racers are able to participate from any location, as long as they ski their proper race distance and record their time. This year's r...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Planning Commission is preparing for a busy year — much of which will be reviving conditional use permits for commercial marijuana license applications. The first order of business at the Thursday meeting was to elect board officers for 2021, with Sam Davey elected chair and Stephanie Holloway as vice chair on 5-0 unanimous ballots. Commissioners Robert Burchell and Mark Surprenant were not present. Davey served as chair in 2020. Holloway was appointed to the commission in...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD Township — A six-year-old dream of establishing a hotel and casino complex at the top of Indianhead Mountain in Wakefield Township is inching closer to reality as plans are now in the works to construct a viable road to the proposed site. Barry Bolich, manager of the Gogebic County Road Commission in Bessemer, said by phone Thursday that the GCRC will apply for a state grant in hopes of “totally” rebuilding Indianhead Road, which connects U.S. 2 to Big Snow Resort’s Indianhead location. The gran...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - With the construction calendar returning to normal following delivery and personnel delays, the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center may be open for use by mid to late February, according to officials. Most of the essential work is expected to be completed by mid-February, and if the ice is ready to be made, then the building could be open for use by the end of the month, said Michelle Rigoni-Sivula, civic center manager. That is contingent on...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer city council will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the city’s master plan. “We’re just in the early stages, but the master plan is the guiding plan for the city for the next five years,” said city manager Charly Loper. The meeting, Loper said, is a “brain storming” session for the city council. However, the public is welcome to listen in and provide feedback and-or ideas to Loper directly either before or after the meeting. The city sent out an open-ended...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Politicians around the region are reacting to the violence in Washington D.C. Wednesday as a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol to delay the Congressional certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The proceedings resumed later Wednesday after the Capitol was cleared by law enforcement and was completed early Thursday. “As are so many Wisconsinites and Americans, I am watching these horrifying events unfold in Washington, D.C. in disbelief. The...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Siblings say the strength they find from each other after the untimely loss of their mother and the amazing show of community support has helped a great deal with the healing process. Cody Durant, 27, is the eldest of five siblings and the only one not living at the Bessemer home of their mother, Beth Durant, when she died of heart failure at age 43 on Oct. 5, 2020. The family was in shock and Cody said it was a moment to "grab the bull...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley Police Department is embarking on a project to update its policies and procedures, according to reports at the city of Hurley Police, Fire and License Committee meeting on Wednesday. Hurley Chief of Police Chris Colassaco said revisions to administrative and operations protocols are always being conducted on an annual basis but that this year the department contracted with Lexipol, a law enforcement policies and training agency, to do a more thorough revision. “It’s a progr...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP -- The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees passed the township’s general fund budget at a special meeting last week but opted against approving raises for the three elected officials -- at least for the time being. The budget -- which passed by a vote of 6-1 -- projects $962,246 in general fund revenue and $1,005,067 in general fund expenses over the coming year, with the remainder of the expenses coming from the township’s fund balance. The fund balance is projected to be $587,26...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - There is a new sledding hill in Ironwood. Miners Park Sledding Hill, which opened Tuesday, is within the Miners Memorial Heritage Park and makes use of an abandoned road. The road used to be known as Bonnie Road, before the road was moved. "It's a fun, modest hill. Thrill seekers won't be as excited about it, but it's good fun," said Rick Semo, president of the Friends of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park. Semo said the hill was the...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Discussion at the Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee on Monday included the potential for adding fitness equipment stations along walking trails. In his presentation on Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant application ideas for 2021, Tom Bergman, director of community development for the city of Ironwood, said fitness equipment for the Iron Belle Trail or other trails could be an upgrade to attract more and different types of trail users. The presentation was for the c...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Gogebic Range Trail Authority has reported that a $450,000 state budget appropriation has been allotted for ORV trail work between Wakefield and Marenisco. GRTA President Steve Hamilton said the project already had been approved for $250,000 from the state’s trail permit program. The new funds will bring the project total to $600,000. On Monday, Hamilton told the Globe that the money will cover completion of construction within an ORV trail known as the State Line Route. Michigan’s Departm...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Commission members elected Jim Lorenson as board chair during an annual reorganizational meeting on Monday. The commissioners approved Lorenson as chair 6-1. He was the sole nominee by fellow commissioner George Peterson. Commissioner Tom Laabs was the lone no vote. Lorenson replaces previous commission chair Dan Siirila, who continues to serve as the District 1 county commissioner. “Thank you for your support,” Lorenson said to his fellow commissioners. “I will do...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Even as the vaccination process continues, the number of local COVID-19 cases continues to rise; with Gogebic County passing the 1,000-case mark in the last week. The county has had 712 confirmed positive cases and 294 additional probable cases, according to the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department’s Monday update, for a total of 1,006 cases since the presence of the virus was first confirmed in the area in March. The county has 18 active cases as of Monday’s update and 39 deaths. Ont...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] As the process of vaccinating locals against COVID-19 continues, regional health departments are providing additional information on the rollout of the vaccines and when it is expected to become available to various groups of residents. “WUPHD expects vaccine administration to roll out over a series of months and is working with area hospitals, physicians and outpatient clinics to distribute available vaccines according to a phased approach that has been adopted by the Michigan Department of H...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] ONTONAGON - Snow was slow this year, but it finally allowed the last ski hill in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties to open to a grateful crowd on Saturday. Mother Nature appeared to make amends as she flooded Ontonagon's Porcupine Mountains Ski Area with kindly rays of sun and temperatures in the 30s. "It was a busy day," said Mountain Manager Bill Perrin as the afternoon wound down. He estimated that 375 patrons visited the hill. "It was a little more...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — People wanting to tube down Mt. Zion will have to wait at least 10 more days, according to Jim Vanderspoel, director of Mt. Zion operations at Gogebic Community College. The delay is due to a broken pump for the snowmaking machines. “The terrain park and the tubing park are not open, because I need to make a lot of snow to get those open and I have no capability of making snow at the moment,” Vanderspoel said. “I need to make a lot of snow in the tubing park to make that area safe. I need...
EWEN - Ewen-Trout Creek students in kindergarten through sixth grade were recently introduced to the school's new Fab Lab. Don Sidlowski, founder of the Northwoods Broadband and Economic Development Coalition, gave each grade a 25-minute introduction in the maker space room. In giving them an overview of the Fab Lab program, he introduced to the technology available in the room. Superintendent Dave Radovich said staff orientation on the program was held earlier in the school year, adding...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — The annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks display on Thursday at Blackjack Mountain ski resort attracted hundreds of vacationing skiers and area residents to welcome 2021 or perhaps just to put 2020 behind them. Pete and Jackie Cannon, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said they are annual visitors to the area resorts and come to Indianhead often. “It’s the snow and this is a good time of year to come between Christmas and New Year’s,” Jackie Cannon said. The couple...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Mt. Zion opened for the season on Monday after a brief delay due to a lack of snow. “It went pretty good actually. It went as expected,” said Jim Vanderspoel, director of Gogebic Community College’s Ski Area Management program and operations at the hill located on the Ironwood campus. “It was a good opening day, we sold a lot of passes, but as far as numbers it was pretty average.” Vanderspoel said Mt. Zion normally sees between 100 to 115 people on opening day, but this year they only h...
