Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2284 - 2308 of 9848
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HANCOCK — Western Upper Peninsula Health Department officials said they were notified Thursday of the first positive confirmation of COVID-19 in Baraga County. The case involved a man with a recent history of travel, according to the officials, and the department is continuing to investigate whether the case is related to his travels and if others have been in close contact with the man. “We will be closely monitoring any individuals who may have had direct, personal contact with the ide...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY - The Hurley community and parents of the graduating class of 2020 have taken lemons and made lemonade in finding alternate ways to celebrate the students as traditional events continue to be canceled amidst the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, employees of the Hurley Department of Public Works, placed 46 banners on the decorative lighting poles along Silver Street in the downtown. Each banner depicts a photo and first name of a...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] The filing period for the next Gogebic County primary election has closed for candidates seeking county and township offices in the Aug. 4 primary election. The top vote getters in each party will advance to the Nov. 3 general election. The August ballot will also include several countywide millage proposals. (See related story on page 5). Ironwood voters will face a millage question asking for a 1 mill renewal to support the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center. County offices There are three candidates f...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Esports teams at Gogebic Community College were able to continue to compete in spite of the governor’s stay-at-home order in light of the cornavirus pandemic. According to GCC’s esports coach Jim Halverson, the season continued, but players were required to use their own equipment and play from home. This did result in one of the college’s teams having to withdraw because not all members of the team had their own equipment. When the order was put in place the esports season had only two reg...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - There's now another option for internet in the Ironwood area as Northern Michigan University installed equipment for its Educational Access Network on the Luther L. Wright K-12 School last week. Ironwood Superintendent Travis Powell said the district had been discussing installing the equipment for the last couple years, but sped up the finalization of the process as the district works to expand internet access for students and staff as...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - A lot of power line work this week is part of a larger project that is designed to improve service in the Ironwood area, according to Xcel Energy. Workers are installing new power line poles along the Michigan side of Silver Street near the Hurley border, according to Christine Ouellette, senior media relations representative for Xcel Energy's Michigan and Wisconsin office in Eau Claire. The work is to rebuild existing "feeder" lines...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Several ballot measures are on the ballot in Ontonagon County in the August election. Countywide, the Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency is asking the public to renew a .3 mill renewal for the operation of GOCAA’s programs for four years. Programs inlcude nutrition, meals on wheels, in-home care, snow shoveling, lawn mowing, help preparing taxes, Medicare/Medicaid counseling, medical escort and others. SONCO Ambulance is asking the public at the primary election for 1.25 mills. The sum is...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission on Monday heard COVID-19 response reports from department heads in a meeting held via the Zoom video conferencing app and broadcast on the city’s Facebook page. Andrew DiGiorgio, director of the public safety, said his officers update themselves daily on information coming out of state and federal government and health agencies. Recent changes require the wearing of masks in certain buildings and businesses, he said. “We continue to monitor changes,” DiGiorg...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - In their first virtual meeting on Monday evening, the Wakefield-Marenisco Board of Education received good and bad news about the status of the current state shutdown. On one hand, Superintendent Jason Gustafson said, "It's been a crazy world, but in a crazy world, it's going very smoothly." He added, "Overall, the teachers are satisfied with how things are going." He said that bus drivers have delivered paper packets to students, so as to aid...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] A bridge project in Ontonagon County recently received a private grant as the Iron Belle Trail Fund announced the work was one of five projects on the statewide Iron Belle Trail to receive a portion of $300,000 in funding. “With recreation trail use up more than 200%, trails are more important than ever and provide a means for people to stay physically and mentally fit during these challenging times,” said Steve DeBrabander, the executive director of the Iron Belle Trail Fund. “The Iron Belle Trail...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - What started as a donation of handmade face-masks from a few residents to the Ironwood Public Safety Department, has become a countywide effort to distribute masks to any household that needs/wants them. According to IPSD Director Andrew DiGiorgio, they have received more than 800 masks from area businesses and residents. "They've really stepped up and made quite a few masks available for free," DiGiorgio said. "So what we did is we took on...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood real estate agents are saying their coronavirus shutdown experience differs from that of colleagues across the Montreal River. In Michigan the governor’s executive order for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic does not consider the real estate industry as critical infrastructure. Real estate agents, brokers, and real estate service employees may not leave their homes for work and must conduct business remotely to the greatest extent possible, according to the order. The Wis...
HURLEY — Starting on Saturday, the Hurley School District will offer free breakfast and free to all students 18-years-old and younger every Saturday and Sunday until canceled. “We hope the families and especially the students enjoy the meals that are now prepared all seven days of the week to be delicious and something they look forward to each and every day,” said Kevin Genisot, school district administrator, in a letter to the school district on Saturday. Families are asked to send a driver only to the north parking entrance door betwe...
LANSING — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer extended her “Stay Home, Stay Safe,” Executive Order through May 15 Friday, while also lifting some restrictions and requiring people wear face coverings while in enclosed public spaces. “Data shows that most Michiganders are doing their part by staying home and staying safe. That’s good, but we must keep it up. Social distancing is our best weapon to defeat this enemy,” Whitmer said in her announcement. “With new COVID-19 cases leveling off, however, we are lifting some of the restrictions put in place in the...
BRUCE CROSSING — Drivers on M-28 west of Bruce Crossing may experience slight delays for the next few months as work on the bridge over the Baltimore River was scheduled to begin Thursday. The $1.5 million project includes “deck replacement, full painting, pin and hanger replacement, guardrail work, and concrete curb and gutter approach work,” according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. While the project is underway, there will be a single-lane closure, with one lane of alternating traffic being used with a temporary traffic signa...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - With the arrival of warmer weather and the beginning of the construction season, work is under way to complete the rebuilding of Saxon Harbor after flood waters destroyed it in the July 2016 storm. Saxon Harbor's marina was completed last summer, therefore the focus is now on completing the harbor's campground. "(Snow Country Contracting) has ... started working again for the spring, they spotted a bunch of equipment and materials (at...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — The county 911 fee was set at $2 by the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday. The commissioners 6-0 approved a recommendation from the county’s 911 Committee to increase the county’s 911 operating surcharge from $1.50 to $2 per month effective July 1. Commissioner George Peterson was not present. Heidi DeRosso, county emergency management and 911 coordinator, said the intention of the committee is to remain at $2 for the foreseeable future. The voter-approved fee incre...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY - So that they can participate in their first Hurley School Board meeting as full members, two newly elected board members took the oath of office at the school on Wednesday. Newcomers Kathy Levra and Kathy Saari were elected to the school board in the April 7 spring election. The two will join fellow school board members Joseph Simonich, Leslie Kolesar and Andy Laurin at the next regular meeting on Monday. Saari said she is "thrilled" to be...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Members of the Gogebic Iron Area Narcotics Team and Michigan State Police arrested a Minneapolis, Minnesota man Tuesday they say was involved with distributing illegal narcotics in Michigan and Wisconsin. Jay Saarela, 33, was arrested during a traffic stop in Ironwood Township that was part of an investigation that began earlier this month, according to a GIANT spokesman. The spokesman said officers also allegedly seized methamphetamine, heroin, prescription narcotics, a revolver and other weapons, and over $2,000 in U.S. c...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — With the entirety of its membership either elected or re-elected in the April 7 election, the 15 supervisors on the Iron County Board of Supervisors were sworn in for their new terms Tuesday evening at the Iron County Memorial Building. Following the swearing-in, Joe Pinardi, of Hurley, was re-elected as board chairman and took over running the meeting — which was held at the Memorial Building as the extra space allowed for participants to practice social distancing during the ongoing cor...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] The Ironwood Public Safety Department teamed up with the Hurley Police Department Tuesday to pick up food donations from residents for area food banks, which have seen a heightened need as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. "We really wanted to encourage people to stay home and not travel to the food bank to make a donation," said Andrew DiGiorgio, director of Ironwood Public Safety, who organized the effort. Ironwood Public Safety picked up 14 boxes...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The city of Hurley held a special reorganizational meeting Tuesday to swear in the newly elected mayor and alderpersons to the city council. This was the first virtual meeting held by Hurley since the start of the coronavirus pandemic that has state executive orders for closures and stay at home to avoid exposure to COVID-19. There were 16 participants attending the virtual meeting which by law is accessible to the public with the links made available by the city staff. Mayor Paul M...
Email calendar items and community news to [email protected]. For more information, call 906-932-2211. Thursday, April 23 Gogebic-Ontonagon Community Action Agency food commodity distribution for seniors, Bergland Lake Gogebic Senior Center, 9:45-10 a.m. EDT; White Pine Township Hall, 10:20-10:35 a.m. EDT; Ontonagon Holy Family Catholic Church, 11-11:45 a.m. EDT; Mass City Resource Center, 1:15-1:45 p.m. EDT. Alcoholics Anonymous, noon, Salem Lutheran Church, Ironwood. area74.org. Alcoholics Anonymous, 6:30 p.m., First Presbyterian...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Planning for summer events is difficult in times of uncertainty. The Ironwood Chamber of Commerce has not officially canceled the citywide rummage sale scheduled for Saturday, June 6, but it’s highly unlikely it will be held, said Michael Meyer, chamber director. The chamber board will make the decision to cancel or to move it to the fall, he said. “It’s just coming up too soon,” Meyer said of the event in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. There are usually a lot of calls...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] MONTREAL, Wis. - The Iron County Food Pantry remains open, having developed a system to allow their older volunteers to continue to service residents of Iron County in need of food throughout the COVID-19 crisis. According to Mary Mattson, the office manager at Iron County Food Pantry, the health department was originally wanting to replace the volunteers at Iron County Food Panty with younger volunteers from the county's Health and Human Services...
