Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2677 - 2701 of 9836
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] DULUTH — A Chicago man who was sentenced to federal prison for dealing heroin in Bessemer in 2016 was arrested late last month in Duluth, in what authorities there say may be the biggest fentanyl seizure in Minnesota this year. Raymond Valentino Bowser, 35, was one of two men arrested Nov. 21 in Duluth during an undercover operation, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Denzel Lavon Hale, 29, of Duluth was also arrested. In addition to the arrests, BCA Superintendent Drew E...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - Despite a winter storm stirring, locals and tourists packed the Historic Ironwood Theatre on Saturday night to watch the latest Warren Miller film called "Timeless." Before the film even began, shrieks, howls and giggles filled the room and the balcony as emcee Mark Silver announced winners of prizes funded by sponsors. Volunteers then tossed the prizes across the theatre to gleeful recipients. A short trivia game then ensued, with questions abo...
By KIM E. STROM [email protected] BESSEMER - The Citrus Bowl Dancers of the Platinum Dance Studio of Bessemer are one step closer to realizing a dream after Saturday's spaghetti fundraiser. Eight local girls from the dance studio will perform at the Citrus Bowl halftime show in Orlando, Fla. New Year's Day 2020 as the result of a lot of hard work and fundraising. "We're all pretty close to what we need," said dancer Alexa Jilek of the funds being raised for each girl to go. The last...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Erwin Township Hall took on a second life as a bakery Saturday, with loads of cookies, other treats, and holiday wreaths for sale. Hot cider and coffee also were available. The event was a fundraiser for the Erwin Township Historical Society, a nonprofit organization that just formed last summer. The setting was apt since the township hall used to be the repository of the region’s historical artifacts, which include items from pioneer homes and former mines, etc., along with thousands of...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — Hurley K-12 School students have a head start on careers thanks to programs that allow for early college study and school-to-work opportunities. High school students can spend part of the day taking classes online, or attending classes at area colleges so that they can work afternoons with a partnering company in the community, said Kevin Genisot, school administrator. “These collaborations with area businesses present opportunities to pre...
By KIM E. STROM [email protected] A general consensus of three businesses - one each in Wakefield, Bessemer and Ironwood - showed sales were up from last year's Black Friday. "It's been tremendous," said Karen Stevens, the owner of The Leather and Gift Shop in Bessemer, regarding sales during Black Friday's shopping day. "It was really busy," said Nanette Paquette, who owns Nanette's Knits and Gifts in Wakefield. "We're fully stocked. It's been busier this year. There were lots of...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] As the calendar turns from November to December, local school districts are busy preparing for their annual winter concerts. Districts in Gogebic and Ontonagon counties, as well as Iron County in Wisconsin, will host concerts in the coming weeks. Bessemer kicks things off this year with its junior high and high school concert Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. in the A.D. Johnston gymnasium. The district’s fifth, sixth, junior high and high school band concert is scheduled for 4 p.m. Dec. 14 in the A.D. Johnston g...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — As they have since the tradition started, local skiers will likely fill the Historic Ironwood Theatre this weekend as the theater screens Warren Miller’s latest film, “Timeless.” The movie will start at 7 p.m. Saturday, with doors and the theater’s bar opening at 6 p.m. The annual debut of the latest Warren Miller film is seen by many as the unofficial start of the local ski season, something Warren Miller independent promoter Dan Tregembo said has definitely taken place in Ironwood sinc...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - A new St. Vincent De Paul cookbook offers a glimpse of the culinary diversity of the western Upper Peninsula while raising money for a good cause. People associated with the three St. Vincent De Paul conferences of Ontonagon, Bessemer and Ironwood submitted 300 recipes that were combined into this first cookbook project of the organization and now available at the three St. Vincent De Paul locations, the food pantries and Our Lady of...
By KIM E. STROM [email protected] BESSEMER - Over 200 people were served a free Thanksgiving dinner Thursday at the Bessemer VFW Post 3673 in Bessemer. This is the third year the event has taken place, according to organizer Donna Frello. This year, they took 229 reservations, but there was plenty for seconds and even for containers to go. "There were only three chairs left in the whole room," said Frello. "We turned down whole parties at the last minute. There's only so many we can fit...
BESSEMER - Thursday's Thanksgiving dinner will likely be extra special for a Caspian family after Gogebic County Judge Anna Talaska finalized the adoption of two brothers Tuesday afternoon - which happens to also be Adoption Day in Michigan. Colton Earle Houghtaling, 10, and Chase Joseph Houghtaling, 6, sat in the Bessemer courtroom with their new mom, Tina Houghtaling, as the formal process was completed before the family and court staff enjoyed cake to celebrate them joining their "forever fam...
MERCER, Wis. - The recycling committee of the Mercer Lioness Club has discovered a win-win situation for all when it comes to old Christmas lights. The lights can be recycled for the metal inside which can be reused, Habitat for Humanity of Wausau collects them and gets paid by the pound for them, and the lights stay out of the landfills. "We take all sizes of stringed holiday lights. You can recycle new, used or non-working holiday lights," said Martha Pierpont, president of the Mercer Lioness...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission on Monday 4-0 approved a preliminary engineering report for the city’s pump station and water filtration improvements. Commissioner Joseph Cayer was not present with an excused absence. SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc.) of Minneapolis, was awarded a $45,000 contract as the recommended firm among five engineering firms that specialize in water infrastructure and that replied to the request for proposals, said city manager Scott Erickson. The proposals amo...
RAMSAY - At its regular meeting of the board Monday, Bessemer Township received a check for $7,500 from the Ramsay 4th of July committee. The funds were obtained from the sale of 50/50 tickets this summer. The committee sold a total of 15,000 50/50 raffle tickets during the Fourth of July celebrations. The prize for the winner amounted to $7,500. A drawing was held and no one came forward to claim the prize, said 50/50 chair person Tori Davey. "I called the name and waited for a shout, but none...
IRONWOOD - The Historic Ironwood Theatre hosted the Garland City Chamber Players Sunday afternoon in the mezzanine of the theatre. The four members from Ashland featured the music of Franz Schubert in a two-hour concert to a cozy crowd of about 12 people. They are part of the Baroque Chamber Orchestra of the Garland City Consort, said violinist Andrew McInnes. This is the third time the group has performed at HIT and another concert is scheduled for June 7, 2020," he said. "It's a lovely space....
ERWIN TOWNSHIP - The Erwin Township Community Club held its first "Paint Your Holidays" event Saturday at the Erwin Town Hall. Several families came throughout the afternoon to paint Christmas tree ornaments and to get to know their neighbors while enjoying hot drinks and cookies. Chris Johnson and her granddaughter Jillian Johnson, 9, both of Montreal, enjoyed the outing. "We're having fun, making a big mess," said the elder Johnson. Iris LaBo, 4, of Ironwood took her work seriously as she...
By KIM E. STROM [email protected] MERCER - Wisconsin Remembers: A Face for Every Name traveling exhibit is a tribute to lost life and lost potential. It features the pictures of over 1,161 Vietnam War Veterans of Wisconsin and is on display at the Mercer Public Library through Wednesday Nov. 27. It took eight years to gather the photos, according to Wisconsin Public Radio's website. Volunteers, including family and friends of those killed as well as teachers, students and others who just...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The Mercer Town Board of Supervisors on Thursday addressed the issue of the growing number of vacation rental units without permits. There are at least three residential homes in the community are being used as tourist rooming houses, said John Sendra, town board chair during his report to the supervisors. The owners are advertising as vacation rentals through online rental agencies such as AirBnB and VRBO but as far as the city is aware, no one is paying lodging or other taxes a...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY, MERCER, Wis. — If an Iron County grant application is approved the town of Mercer and city of Hurley may receive subsidized public transportation services sometime in 2020, according to officials. Bay Area Rural Transit (BART), based in Ashland, is a subsidized public transit system that operates at minimal cost to passengers. BART also provides accommodations for physical accessibility to the disabled. Cally Bucknell, director of the Iron County Department of Human Services, and Trista O...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Downtown Ironwood Development Authority on Thursday started the discussion of developing a downtown comprehensive plan. The First Impressions program of Michigan State University Extension, where visitors reported on observations and experiences after visiting the city, is an opportunity to list ideas to prioritize in a comprehensive blueprint plan, said Tom Bergman, director of the Ironwood Community Development office. The downtown plan would be consistent with the city c...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] WASHINGTON D.C. — Gogebic County is one of four Upper Peninsula counties sharing close to $100,000 in funding for expanded telemedicine services, Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced Thursday. Ortele Health received a $99,978 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide telehealth treatment for opioid misuse and general medical care in Gogebic, Mackinac, Luce and Marquette counties in the U.P., and two counties downstate. “Michigan families in rural communities often lack access to hea...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY, Wis. — Staff of the Aging and Disability Resource Center of the North (ADRC) looks to move into the former Veterans of Foreign Wars building in Hurley by the end of the month, according to a report at the Hurley Senior Center, Inc. Board of Directors meeting Thursday. The Hurley Senior Center staff has functioned as the county aging unit but is now a separate entity, said Trista Olson, director of the Senior Center. Senior Center staff are now contracted with the Iron County ADRC office in...
