Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2091 - 2115 of 9883
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — A Return-to-Learn plan was approved by the Bessemer Area School Board during a special meeting held over Zoom on Tuesday. The plan offers parents the option of enrolling their students in one of two ways — virtual or in-person, this fall as long as Gogebic County remains in Phase 5 of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Safe Start plan. If the county’s status should drop back to Phase 4, the in-person students will be put into a blended learning plan. “We want to keep it flexible, it’s a fluid-type...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — Thanks to progress now being made toward new standards in property maintenance, residents of Wakefield soon will face stricter rules and penalties if they do not comply. At a Tuesday evening meeting of the city’s planning commission, members strongly expressed their desire to create a new ordinance that will allow them to address persistent problems with blight and related issues. “Our city looks terrible,” said commission member Marsha Vestich. “There are so many buildings that should be...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Gogebic-Iron County Airport will need to close for a few days to wrap up the summer runway project, according to reports at the airport board meeting Monday. The airport will close again from Thursday to Aug. 20 to allow workers to paint permanent lines and to cut 2-inch drainage gaps across the surface of the runway, said Michael Harma, airport manager. The work follows the runway reconstruction that occurred over 45 days through June and until mid July. It takes about 3...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood’s department heads will soon start the process of updating the city’s comprehensive plan, according to reports at the city commission meeting on Monday. The commission 5-0 approved the Ironwood Comprehensive Plan and Planning Commission report and review. Approval is required by the Redevelopment Ready Communities Program of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The 10-year plan needs an annual review for insight on how much of the plan is completed or in proce...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to approve a curbside brush pick-up during the fall season. No date has yet been set, but City Manager Rob Brown provided a list of strict guidelines with agenda materials. “We’re not going to be picking up their junk or garbage,” said Mayor Dale White,” but we will pick up their brush.” White said the action will be in lieu of the city’s annual spring clean-up, which was postponed in the spring and now canceled. “I think, with the COVID, it’s go...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - It is a year to the day since a fire destroyed The Pines Cafe in downtown Ironwood, and owners Susan Craumann and Janice Miskovich re-opened the renovated restaurant a day earlier on Monday. "It's been a very long year," Craumann said. "Reconstructing the place was a long process." It was the pride in their business that helped them to navigate the "devastating path" resulting from the fire, she said. They wish it never happened but...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — People in the Ironwood area will be able to be tested for COVID-19 Wednesday during a testing event at the Ironwood Public Safety Department. The no-cost event is scheduled to run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., according to a flier, and is available to everyone. No pre-registration, insurance, prescription or doctor’s order is needed, the flier reads. The event comes as the number of local cases linked to the coronavirus pandemic continues to rise. The number of cases in Gogebic County ros...
HURLEY — Iron County voters head to the polls today to participate in Wisconsin’s August primary. Those participating in the election can choose between participating in the Democratic, Republican and U.S. Constitution parties’ primaries. Although there are no contested races on the local ballots, voters will cast their votes in federal, state and local elections. Voters will decide who will represent their respective parties in the November general election for the 7th Congressional District and 74th State Assembly District; as well as Iron...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] RAMSAY — Although the segment won’t formally open for another month or so, work extending the non-motorized Iron Belle Trail into Ramsay is nearing completion as the trail’s blacktop has now been poured. “The week after Labor Day is what we’re shooting for officially (for the opening),” said Paul Anderson, a project manager with Coleman Engineering who is overseeing the project. He said some shoulder restoration work still needs to be done, as well as the installation of fencing on the Ramsay side...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — Members of the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department made short work of a controlled burn of brush on Wednesday evening. According to Fire Chief Lou Boetto and Assistant Chief Mike Singleton, the brush dates back to a severe storm that hit the region in the summer of 2016. According to reports at that time, straight-line winds of about 90 mph destroyed countless trees and power lines and ripped the roof from the former ice rink on M-28 next to S...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Economic Development Corporation had an employment specialist attend the regular meeting on Wednesday. The meeting started with Steve Lehto, Jr., the new employer specialist for Gogebic and Ontonagon counties with MichiganWorks! Association. He is now in his fifth week on the job and available by appointment from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 100 South Mill St., in Bessemer. Lehto said he will assist people who are seeking employment along with helping e...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HANCOCK — As the number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to climb, local health officials are warning of high-risk exposure sites in Gogebic and Iron counties that may be partially responsible for the sharp increase in cases. “The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is raising concerns over recent case count increases in Gogebic County. Cases in Gogebic County have been steadily increasing, with over 90 cases reported in the last 30 days. Overall, numbers for the local health jur...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — Iron County voters head to the polls Tuesday in Wisconsin’s primary election, and although the lack of a single contested race takes much of the suspense out of the day, there are a number a federal, local and state contests to be decided. Voters will have to choose from between one of three ballots, choosing which party primary they wish to participate in — the Democratic primary, Republican primary or the Constitution Party’s primary. Four county-level races are on the ballot, accordi...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The attendance was lower but vendors and organizers were still pleased with the turnout for the 40th annual Loon Day outdoor shopping event on Wednesday in Mercer. As one of the region's only large scale activities that was not canceled due to coronavirus, the Mercer Area Chamber of Commerce Board decided to go ahead with a redesigned event as opposed to canceling. Loon Day had 171 vendors and 225 booth spaces filled on Thursday, acco...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] Incumbent Gogebic County Sheriff Pete Matonich outpaced two challengers for the post in Tuesday’s partisan primary. Matonich received 2,162 votes to overcome Joseph Cayer with 384 votes, and David Kinnunen with 144 votes. There were no Republican candidates and Matonich will likely move forward unopposed on the Nov. 3 general election ballot. “All in all with the COVID19 social distancing and safety precautions the primary went well,” said Gerry Pelissero, clerk of court and register of deeds...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Boutique Air, the new Essential Air Provider for Gogebic-Iron County Airport, started service to the area on Saturday with flights to Minneapolis and Chicago. Boutique took over EAS service from Air Choice One with a contract from Aug. 1, 2020, through July 31, 2022, that was approved in April by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The San Francisco-based Boutique has air service routes nationwide and fly mostly the 9-seat...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] The partisan primary election results from Tuesday showed there were some changes in contested seats going forward to the general election in November, but many incumbents for town offices ran unopposed. In Ironwood Township, the Democratic voters chose incumbent Mary Segalin for the town clerk with 313 votes against the 242 votes for challenger Marlene Saari Mieloszyk. There were no Republican candidates. There were five Democratic candidates in the Ironwood Township trustee race where the top fou...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — With the school year quickly approaching, the Ironwood Area Schools’ board of education approved the district’s back-to-school plan Monday. Ironwood’s Return to School plan — which has to be submitted to the state by Aug. 15 — lays out the broad strokes of the district’s plans for teaching amidst the coronavirus pandemic this fall, with the biggest change from the district’s previous updates being that the older students will have a blended schedule of both in-person and remote learning...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee heard updates on several projects Monday during a Zoom webinar meeting. The committee held its annual election of chair and vice chair. Sam Davey was the sole nomination for the election of chair. He was reelected to the chair role 7-0. Tom Kangas was the sole nominee for vice chair. Kangas was elected 7-0 to replace Linda Jindrich as vice chair. In his update on the Downtown City Square...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council debated Monday night over granting a variance request to allow Charles and Julie Kopecko permission to expand their storage unit business on U.S. 2. “We provide a very vital service to the area,” Charles Kopecko told the council. “When people have a need to relocate possessions because they are remodeling their house, or have fire damage, or snow damage caving in their garages, we can supply storage for people for temporary use.” The Kopeckos have been operating...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Health Department released the results of last month’s testing events in Hurley and Mercer Monday. A total of 251 tests were administered at the July 23 testing event in Hurley, with 17 positives cases reported; while there were 228 tests and six positive cases at the July 24 event in Mercer. Health Department officials said not all the positive cases were Iron County residents. Health department officials are pleased with the testing events themselves, but ack...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — Today is election day in Michigan as voters face a partisan primary election for many local, state and federal offices, as well as a few local millage requests. The winners of their respective primaries will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters may select either the Democratic or Republican party column on the ballot when choosing candidates in partisan races. There are no third party candidates in this election who are on the primary ba...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - John Cox and Mandy Lake were both born in Wakefield, and they each left the region to pursue higher education and the jobs that went with it. Both of them, however, returned and it appears they are here to stay. Cox is the supervisor of Wakefield Township and Lake is the township clerk who will assume the top job directly after the November election. She is the only person running for the role. In a recent interview at the township hall, the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich indicated his department won’t be forcing people to wear masks in a clarification he issued Friday regarding Gov. Tony Evers’ Thursday order mandating the wearing of masks or face coverings when in indoor public places. “In order to provide some clarification, please be advised the Iron County Sheriff’s Office will not be responding to complaints of individuals violating the governor’s mandate, nor will it be taking any direct law enforcement action as i...
