Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2553 - 2577 of 9848
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools’ board of education held its organizational meeting Monday, selecting a new person to chair meetings. Amanda Sprague replaces Steve Thomas as board chair, with Clancey Byrne replacing Sprague as president pro-tem. Marilyn Nezworski will continue to serve as treasurer and Caroyln Mieloszyk remains the board secretary. Along with electing officers, the board: —Adopted its schedule of meeting dates for the year. —Designated Gogebic Range Bank as the deposit...
GILE, Wis. - Ice fishing enthusiasts from as far away as Green Bay came to the Gile Flowage Saturday for the third annual Ice Fishing Jamboree. Organized by the Bank Club, the tournament had anglers competing to catch the largest pike, walleye, crappie and perch. Joe Smoczyk, one of the tournament's organizers, said the 52 anglers participating was down from last year but Saturday's snowstorm probably kept some people off the ice. The weather also likely kept the fish from biting aggressively,...
IRONWOOD — The first draft with architectural renderings of the Downtown City Square Project was presented at the Ironwood City Commission meeting Monday. Mike Foley, a project manager with Coleman Engineering, said the draft completed last week was the result of stakeholder meetings of local residents, city staff and engineers who all provided input for the project design. The two-phase project has not been finalized but it is close, he said. “There have been many iterations but this is what is boils down to,” Foley said. A complete desig...
HURLEY — A woman is dead after a Sunday morning snowmobile crash in Hurley. Iron County Dispatch received reports of a snowmobile operator being unresponsive after her snowmobile went off the trail outside of Hurley at approximately 1:52 a.m. Sunday, Iron County Sheriff Paul Samardich said in a news release. Officers with the Hurley Police Department and deputies with the Iron County Sheriff’s Department immediately responded, according to Samardich, along with Beacon Ambulance and Hurley Snowmobile Rescue. Officers located the scene of the...
BESSEMER - A snowstorm that lingered through the weekend dropped a solid base on local ski hills, which also were busy with other activities such as live music and the annual Yooperfest at Big Snow Resort's Blackjack location in Bessemer. The annual event on Saturday featured busy slopes outside, as well as an indoor art show. Even the artists addressed the theme, dressing in plaid items and/or displaying Yooper crafts such as woodworking and handmade outerwear. Deb Harvey of Wakefield was...
BESSEMER - The Monday evening meeting of the Bessemer Area Board of Education resulted in a lot of people in new positions, including a new position of dean of students/head teacher at A.D. Johnston Junior and Senior High School shared by two teachers. After a unanimous vote by the board, Richard Matrella now will assume that role for grades nine through 12, and Mark Movrich will assume the same role for grades seven and eight. Both men also will retain their current teaching positions at the sc...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - It may have been close to a week, but Aspirus Ironwood Hospital and Clinic welcomed its first baby of the new year - and new decade - into the world Jan. 6. Adria Lea Owen was born at 2:44 p.m., to Brittany and Jordan Owen, weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches at birth. The couple had Adria Lea at Aspirus Ironwood because it was the closest birthing center to the family's home in Tipler, Wisconsin - near Iron River,...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Gogebic Range Solid Waste Management Authority decided to keep its board leadership in place at its meeting Thursday. The Authority’s board approved keeping the chair, vice-chair and secretary-treasurer positions held by the same members for 2020. Jeff Randall will remain chair. He is the Bessemer Township representative. Mandy Lake will remain as vice chair. She represents Wakefield Township. Marlene Saari, representing Ironwood Township, will remain as secretary-treasurer....
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — An Erwin Township man pleaded to two sex crimes in Gogebic County Circuit Court Friday. Thomas Perez, 60, entered no-contest pleas to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person between the ages of 13 and 16 as part of a plea agreement that will have three other counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct dismissed at sentencing. Each of the two counts Perez pleaded to carries a potential life sentence and mandatory lifetime electronic monitoring if released. T...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - By all accounts it was a very successful event, said Jackie Powers, race director of the 11th Sisu Ski Fest on Saturday. "I think it's brought a lot of community pride and has given Ironwood a piece of its identity," said Powers, noting the planning team is aiming for 800 skiers at the 12th Sisu Ski Fest in 2021. There were 755 registered skiers for Saturday's event. That was more than matching the 680 skiers who came in 2019, with...
As snowmobilers hit the trails this weekend, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is stepping up its patrols in an effort to ensure everyone makes it home safely. Anticipating the increase in snowmobile traffic, the DNR announced Thursday it and its law enforcement partners will be conducting group patrols to help ensure snowmobilers “Ride Right.” “It’s always a really busy weekend,” Sgt. Jerry Fitzgibbon said in the announcement. “We want everyone to know ahead of time that there will be an increased presence of officers conducting...
MARQUETTE — The Marquette-based Superior Health Foundation has updated and made minor changes to its existing grant policies. The biggest changes are to the foundation’s smaller grants, foundation executive director Jim LaJoie said in a press release. The foundation is a health-centered, grant-giving organizations. The foundation’s mini-grants are now “Pilot Project Grants.” The grants were originally designed to offer seed funding for start-up projects related to health around the Upper Peninsula, according to the release, however the foundati...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MARENISCO - Two Marenisco residents were unhurt when their log home on Lake Gogebic was lost to fire Tuesday morning. Bruce Mahler, chief of the Marenisco Police Department, said the home in the 9000 block of M-64, belongs to two adult residents who were not hurt in the blaze. Six fire departments responded to fight the blaze through Tuesday evening, according to local residents. Mahler was the first first responder to reach the home. He would not...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Thanks to continuing progress on Wakefield's pending recreation plan, city residents can expect to have an opportunity soon to provide feedback regarding a number of options for development. At a Tuesday evening meeting of the planning commission, Wakefield City Manager Rob Brown said he hopes to post a "Survey Monkey" online on the city's Facebook and/or website pages, perhaps within the next week. Hard copies also will be distributed. Brown...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon Township Board Tuesday approved a sign to be erected on the newest park in Ontonagon. The Douglas Filppula Sunset Park is adjacent to the Ontonagon Township Park on land purchased by the township. The late Doug Filppula lived on the land for many years and the home was torn down and the park erected to honor the former Ontonagon teacher. Township Clerk Bill Chabot said signs will also indicate the new park is a “day park” with no camping. He said the park will have “picnic tables and...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] ERWIN TOWNSHIP - Just prior to the start of the 11th Sisu Ski Fest on Saturday morning a group of family and friends dedicated a spot where a longtime race supporter and participant passed away the year before. Mike Fauerbach, 67, of Saxon, died just after starting out on the 15K Heikki Lunta Classic cross country ski race in the 10th annual Sisu Ski Fest on Jan. 9, 2019. The Saxon attorney was remembered with a bench and plaque dedication at the...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO — The Michigan Court of Appeals heard statements Tuesday from both sides of a case in relation to the 2018 closure of Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco. “It lasted about 10 minutes,” said Marenisco Township Supervisor Richard Bouvette, who was speaking by phone while traveling back from the Lansing session. Bouvette said three state judges now will decide on the issue, which resulted when the Marenisco Township Board of Trustees sued the Michigan Department of Corrections in the fall of...
HURLEY — The Gogebic Range Health Foundation recently awarded Iron County Outdoor Recreation Enthusiasts a $20,000 grant to help develop local non-motorized trails in the area. The money will help the group make improvements to the trailhead between the Montreal River and 2nd Avenue/U.S. 51 in Hurley. It will also help extend the non-motorized trail from the trailhead toward Hurley’s Cary Park and the city of Montreal. “We are very grateful to the Gogebic Range Health Foundation for suppo...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — A few weeks after hearing it received a clean 2017 audit, the Ironwood Township board of trustees heard the same good news about the 2018 audit. Karl “Gus” Ahonen — with the Ironwood-based firm Makela, Pollack and Ahonen — delivered the news Monday that the 2018 audit was another unqualified, clean audit — the best classification an audit can receive. “The township made significant changes in the accounting system over the last few years, you now have checks and balances in p...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to create a policy that will provide guidelines regarding how alcohol may be consumed on city property. The action came after strong encouragement from City Manager Rob Brown, City Attorney Ray O'Dea and Mayor Dale White. In a written document to staff, Brown said the increased use of the newly remodeled community gym in the past year led to a report that alcohol had been served on the property la...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — In an unusual move Monday, the Ontonagon Village Council both un-appointed and re-appointed the same person as a trustee. Maureen Guzek was appointed a village trustee in November 2019. At the December council meeting, Ontonagon resident William Johnson noted that Guzek’s name was among a list of residents with unpaid property taxes printed in the Dec. 18 Ontonagon Herald, and said the law does not permit someone in default to the village at the time of appointment to serve as an officer. On Mon...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Technology is catching up to the outdoors lifestyles of the Upper Peninsula. Youth and adults alike converged on the Wolverine Nordic Ski Trail on Sunday to take part in the fourth annual Fat Bike Try Out The Trails event to close out the Sisu Ski Fest weekend. The event, organized by the Sisu Dirt Crew, 906 Adventure Team and Hobby Wheel, provided fat bikes to people who didn't have one yet and a chance to ride a portion of the eight miles of groomed single track mountain...
