Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 2190 - 2214 of 9747
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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... Full story
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...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council voted Monday night to change the terms of the Parks and Recreation Committee members from two years to three years, following a public hearing. “We have to rescind that motion on two years, it should be three years, like planning commission is three, DDA commission is three. They should all be uniform. They need to be uniform,” said councilman Bill McDonald during the hearing. “You can’t have two committees on three years and one committee on two years. That’s no...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - As lives and day-to-day routines continue to be disrupted while people practice physical distancing and follow the stay-at-home orders in a fight to end the coronavirus pandemic, the Ironwood Public Safety Department is doing what it can to help kids in the city. The department is one of several local agencies offering to use drive by local birthday parties with department vehicles. "Things aren't normal now and kids aren't able to have b... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY — The well-being of students is the most important thing as Hurley School District returns to a “new normal.” Students remember how they felt and how they were treated more than what they learned, said a message posted by School District Administrator Kevin Genisot. The ongoing monitoring of each student’s mental health status as well as ensuring the basic needs will help maintain a high level of confidence going forward. “Our students will be healthier and more resilient for the rest of the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BAYFIELD, Wis. — Bayfield County had its first death related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic last week. The Bayfield County Health Department announced Friday it confirmed the death of a county resident due to COVID-19 Friday. The person was a 78-year-old who had been hospitalized for over three weeks and had not recently traveled in the community, according to the department. It said the person had no known contact with a known positive COVID-19 case or traveled out of the area recently. T...
IRONWOOD — In light of the coronavirus pandemic and large group gatherings being prohibited, Gogebic Community College is preparing to take its 2020 commencement ceremony online. While the ceremony for the approximately 175 graduates will take place on Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m., the originally scheduled date and time, there will be no actual gathering but instead a virtual gathering — one that will be live-streamed so that everyone who wishes to attend can do so. Graduates will not be able to walk across a physical stage, instead there name wil... Full story
WAKEFIELD - Fishing is one of those curious pastimes that - funny enough - does not require a lot of success to enjoy. Kenny Kelch of Bessemer illustrated that while fishing at Sunday Lake last Saturday. While angling at the shoreline, where water was running freely over the Eddy Park dam, Kelch was full of enthusiasm about how he'd caught nothing of value. His brother, Kaine Kelch, of Wausau, Wis., was in just as good a mood. It was a beautiful day, full of sunshine, drawing happy hikers along...
With the remainder of the school year now canceled in both Michigan and Wisconsin due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, area seniors and their families await information on what the new plan for their graduation ceremonies will be. Although many of the area’s school districts are still developing graduation plans, the local superintendents expressed a desire to honor their graduating seniors in some way -- even if the final form is still unclear. “We’re trying to figure out ways to help honor and recognize our seniors for their hard work...
