Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2505 - 2529 of 9883
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — A census official stressed the importance of counting every citizen in the 2020 U.S. Census to the Ontonagon County Board Tuesday. Marti Wenger told the board that numbers count when it comes to funds distributed by the government into the county. She said it has been estimated that 50% of the Upper Peninsula was not counted in the last census, which resulted in $1,200 loss for each person not counted. Wenger said her job is to recruit counters, noting she needs 40 counters in the area. Wenger s...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO - After losing an appeal to the Michigan Court of Appeals, the Marenisco Township Board of Trustees voted Monday evening to cease any further legal action in relation to the closing of the Ojibway Correctional Facility. The Michigan Department of Corrections closed OCF on Dec. 1, 2018, and Marenisco Township sued MDOC in November of that year for not considering carefully enough the economic impact such action would have on the region. The...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Area Schools school board voted Monday to pay its portion of the latest legal bill related to the effort to get the tax money owed from former Ironwood Township treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso's embezzlement case. The district paid $23,063 to the Detroit-based law firm Clark Hill. The firm charged a total of $48,430 for its legal services during the period of Sept. 30 through Dec. 31, 2019. "We are spending money on this lawsuit...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY, Wis. — The Hurley School District Board of Education on Monday started the process of doubling the school’s parking capacity. The board 4-0 directed the administration to get bid estimates on the cost of removing a section of trees and creating a gravel overflow parking lot adjacent to the existing paved lot. The lot would have space for 130 to 140 vehicles to nearly double the approximately 150 existing spots. Board member Andy Laurin was not present. The action followed discussion at pre...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO — Marenisco Township Supervisor Richard Bouvette reported Friday that the township has lost its appeal with the Michigan Court of Appeals regarding the closing of the Ojibway Correctional Facility. The Michigan Department of Corrections closed OCF on Dec. 1, 2018 after only a few months of notice to local officials. The township had sued MDOC that fall for not engaging in a longer-term study as to how the closing would impact the local community. In November 2018, however, Michigan Court of C...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The ice shanties were out on Sunday Lake and the Wakefield VFW building was packed Saturday as the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department held its annual ice fishing tournament. Organizers were pleased with the turnout for the event, saying the community has continued to support the effort for the 11 years the tournament has been held. "In 11 years, I haven't seen the VFW this full at 1:30-2 p.m.," said Jim Tarro, a firefighter who is one o...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - Pursuit racing was back in the Northwoods for another year this weekend as the MECCA trails in Mercer hosted the second annual Turtle River Pursuit cross country ski race. "(It was a) fantastic result. The community came out, the skiers loved the course and it was an overwhelming success," MECCA President Mike Shouldice said. Pursuit racing features two days of racing - an 11-kilometer classic leg Saturday and an 11K freestyle leg...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Historic Ironwood Theatre invited the community to celebrate Valentine's Day at the theater with a night of champagne, chocolates and excellent music Friday evening. "I've been wandering, talking to people and it sounds like everyone is having a great time," theater board president Zona Wick said, calling the event a bit of an experiment for the theater. She explained Friday's event is part of an effort to replace the "Big Hit"...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Historical Society’s mission is to preserve the region’s story for generations to come. The society’s museum and artifacts room in the old Chicago North Western Railroad depot in downtown Ironwood are full of photographs and newspaper articles, yearbooks and business directories, local business paraphernalia, a few pieces of furniture, some articles of clothing and other mementos of the past — each helping tell the story Ironwood. “It’s been an ongoing mission for t...
MADISON, Wis. — The City of Park Falls is receiving a $250,000 state grant to help finance the renovation and expansion of an existing lodging facility into a rebranded hotel. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation announced Thursday that it will support the remodeling of a historic facility into a 50-room Cobblestone Hotel & Suites with a $250,000 Community Development Investment Grant. The funds are aimed primarily in downtown areas. The $3.6 million hotel project is projected to create 14 jobs and is expected to be completed at the e...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - An ordinance on the regulation of adult-use marijuana establishments cleared the Ironwood Planning Commission following a public hearing Thursday. The commission's 5-0 approval is a recommendation for the city commission to use the ordinance should it decide to allow adult-use marijuana establishments, said Tom Bergman, director of community development for the city of Ironwood. The planning commission recommendation was not an endorsemen...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] UPSON, Wis. - Years ago, after her first husband had passed away in 2012, Sheila Sukanen said she eventually began praying about love. She said her words included the following plea: "God, if you think I should meet someone, it's up to you." Clyde Sukanen also had lost his wife in 2010, and at around the time that Sheila was praying, a salesman told him, "Within a month, you're going to find a woman." Shortly afterward, Clyde and Sheila both happened to...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — An Ironwood woman avoided a prison sentence on drug charges in Gogebic County Circuit Court Thursday, getting another chance to treat her unhealthy substance use issues. Carolyn Elizabeth Kauffman, 26, was sentenced to three years of probation, with the first 12 months to be served in the Gogebic County Jail, for possessing methamphetamine. As part of the sentence, Gogebic County Circuit Judge Michael Pope ordered Kauffman participate in several addiction treatment programs. ...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday, authorized the start of a process that may add 4,000 acres of forestry land to adjoining county land. The commission 7-0 approved the request from Greg Ryskey, director of county Forestry and Parks, to start the process of appraisals and grant-writing to see if it's feasible for the county to purchase the land from the Melvin Flannery Estate. The bulk of the property is already within county fo...
IRONWOOD - The Historic Ironwood Theatre is taking a new more intimate direction in fundraising starting with a Valentine's Day event on Friday evening. Patrons can enjoy a special dinner at Sharon's East Wing in Hurley from 4 to 8 p.m., followed by music, singing, champagne and chocolates at the theater from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. "We encourage people to grab a glass of champagne and walk around and catch some music and visit with people," said Zona Wick, president of the Historic Ironwood Theatre...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors is expected to act on a pair of resolutions regarded planned projects in the county after the county’s forestry and parks committee forwarded the measures to the full county board Tuesday. The resolutions are a necessary part of the process for many projects the county intends to complete in-house, according to Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson. “(These resolutions) give the county permission to complete these projects internally,” Peterso...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — An alarm to alert law enforcement of a lockdown situation at Hurley K-12 School was tripped accidentally on Tuesday, bringing agencies from Wisconsin and Michigan to the campus. “We did not have a lockdown today,” said Kevin Genisot, the administrator for Hurley School District. A technician was working with wiring and in the process had inadvertently tripped the “panic button” which sent an alert to the Iron County Sheriff’s Department that a lockdown situation was occurring on the camp...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Lake Road spring continues to be an agenda item at local meetings, with both the Ironwood Township Board of Trustees and Gogebic County Road Commission discussing its future at their respective meetings Monday. At the township meeting, Ironwood Township Supervisor Jim Simmons reported it appears the township doesn’t actually own the spring located just off Lake Road at Little Girl’s Point. Although the township board had a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Members of the Wakefield Planning Commission learned on Tuesday evening that city residents are expressing interest in a farmers' market, food truck hook-ups, and a splash pad next to Sunday Lake. The opinions were gathered as part of a survey in relation to the city's pending recreation plan. "The survey ran for about two weeks," said City Manager Rob Brown as he presented a slide show of the feedback from 203 participants. He said 108...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] ONTONAGON — A Greenland Township man is facing charges after allegedly shooting a 23-year-old Ontonagon man this weekend. Cole Wascher, 24, was arraigned Monday in 98th District Court in Ontonagon on charges of assault with intent to murder and possessing a firearm while committing a felony. The assault charge carries a sentence of up to life in prison, while the firearm charge is a two-year felony. Negaunee Regional Dispatch received a 911 call at approximately 8:35 a.m. Sunday regarding a man b...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — As part of an upgrading goal the Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board on Monday said it would consider approving a new hangar at its next regular meeting. In the airport manager’s report, Michael Harma said the new commercial carrier, Boutique Air, which takes over from Air Choice One on Aug. 1. Putting their two planes inside a heated hangar helps with liability, he said. “Heating hangar space is limited at this point,” Harma said. “The airline plans to bring two airplanes here an...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Members of the Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to hire Robert E. Peterson, an attorney from Ontonagon, to oversee an audit by an independent party that will test city meters to determine their present and ongoing viability. The decision was made after City Manager Robert Brown asked Peterson 10 questions, after which council members were welcome to respond to the candidate's answers. During the course of questioning, Peterson...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — A youth ski club developed from a 4-H organization’s effort to develop programming that reflects the community in terms of outdoor recreation. The Sisu Endurance Team XC Ski Club is open for K-12 youth in Gogebic County and Iron County, Wisconsin, said Neil Klemme, the 4-H youth development educator for UW Extension Iron County. “This is another entry point for 4-H in the community,” Klemme said. “We’ve had kids do this and join the ot...
