Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1783 - 1807 of 9733
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HANCOCK -- Gogebic County has over 100 active cases of COVID-19, according to the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department -- a stark contrast from the single-digit case numbers reported less than one month ago. The health department is also reporting a second fatality in the county. Gogebic County has had a total of 218 positive cases and 84 probables as of Tuesday, according to information on the WUPHD’s website. That includes 108 active cases and 157 recovered cases, the two fatalities and 3...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley K-12 School administrator recommended no changes regarding pandemic attendance policies at the Monday school board meeting. Last March no one could predict what the situation would be right now, said Kevin Genisot, school district administrator. The school district plan to move forward was based on the latest information in consultation with the Iron County Health Department and that will continue with the understanding that no one knows what the situation will be six months f...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Lutheran churches that are part of the Northern Great Lakes Synod are inviting churches of all faiths to ring their bells for five minutes starting at noon on Sunday, Nov. 1, as part of an All Saints Day ceremony, to remember those that have died, not just in their individual parishes, but across the country from COVID-19. "We honor those people that passed in our congregation throughout the year, and then now this is the added for the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD -- In what will likely be the first of many such votes, the Ironwood Area Schools’ board of education approved the district’s Extended Continuity of Learning Plan Monday. Superintendent Travis Powell said the plan contains a fair amount of overlap with the similar plans the district has passed since the start of the pandemic in March. The document lays out how the district will educate students if they are forced to stop in-person learning again due to the coronavirus pandemic. The big...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - A lot of time and effort has gone into beautifying the downtown but some of that love is now going to the Ironwood business route along U.S. 2, thanks to some holiday ornaments courtesy of the Ironwood Tourism Council. The city is a partner with the Ironwood Tourism Council, which has provided funds to purchase holiday ornaments in an effort to create a sense of destination, said Tim Erickson, a community development specialist for the ci...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley K-12 School District Board unanimously approved its 2020-21 budget following a hearing and annual meeting on Monday. The board approved a general fund amount of $2,774,576. The board then approved the total funds budget of $8,214,112, which includes debt service, capital projects food service and interfund transfers. Declining enrollment and increasing property values make Hurley look like a rich school district, said School District Administrator Kevin Genisot. There is a 7% d...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic Range United Way fund-drive campaign for 2021 is underway, despite being forced to cancel its annual fundraising dinner, because of COVID-19 restrictions on large gatherings. The organization raises monies to give to local nonprofit charities, in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as Iron County, Wisconsin. “We would hope that the community continues to support this agency, who in turn supports the below agencies in our local area,” Cindy Simmons, director of the GRUW told...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] UPSON, Wis. — Although it won’t be used until next camping season, the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department installed a new bathroom-shower facility at the Weber Lake campground last week. “It’s been long-awaited,” Iron County Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson said. “It’s been requested (that) flush toilets and showers were brought to Weber Lake (for many years), and just with all the other things that have been going on in the county in the past four or five years, we’re just no...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
