Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 3007 - 3031 of 9883
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - The Bessemer city council voted Monday evening to support a potential redevelopment deal of property at 508 S. Moore St. The aim has been for the city to partner with the Gogebic County Brownfield Authority and the state of Michigan to create a "build-ready" lot that then would inspire a private developer to engage in construction, resulting in city tax revenue. Monday's vote was in support of establishing a Brownfield zone that may be eligible...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY, Wis. — The Hurley Board of Education on Monday approved 5-0 a transportation request for children living outside of the school bus routes. The Island Lake family lives 18 miles from the nearest school bus stop on County Road C. The family is in a hardship situation with the father working away and the mother expecting a fifth child. The action requires a school district driver and vehicle to transport four children to and from their home to school in Hurley for the school tear at approximat...
SPRINGSTEAD, Wis. — A Springstead man is dead following a single-vehicle crash Friday. A passing motorist reported the accident at the intersection of Wisconsin 47 and Wisconsin 182 to the Iron County Sheriff’s Department at approximately 11:10 p.m. Friday, according to Sheriff Paul Samardich, with an unresponsive man at the accident scene. Deputies — along with the Mercer Ambulance, Sherman First Responders, Sherman Fire Department, and Mercer Fire and Rescue — arriving on the scene found the unresponsive man inside the vehicle. It appears...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] ROCKLAND - Steady rain hampered attendance at Sunday's 37th annual Old Victoria Craft Fair in Rockland, but that didn't stop dozens of folks from making the most of their day with the aid of hardy character and umbrellas. "If you wait for the weather here, you'll never do anything," said Bev Michaels, who traveled to the site with her husband, Bob, from Ironwood Township. They joined many other folks in walking the grounds and mingling with visitors,...
ONTONAGON - The first of two demolition projects in Ontonagon was completed Thursday. The home of the late Doug Filpula, which was adjacent to the Ontonagon Township Park, was demolished as part of a two part grant to both the township and Ontonagon village. The cabin and two adjacent buildings were torn down and seeding of the area completed. The $10,875 project will provide a pad to enable the handicap access to the lake, according to Ontonagon Township Clerk Bill Chabot. "We are seeding the...
BY JAN TUCKER [email protected] SILVER CITY — The Ontonagon County Road Commission and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources agree something must be done to protect County Road 107, the main entry road on the east end of the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness State Park, but the question remains what course of action to take. High water levels and whipping winds off Lake Superior have undermined approximately 1.65 miles of the road, which is also known as the 107th Engineers Memorial Highway. Seven proposals are under consideration and a...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — Supporters of broadband expansion in Gogebic County are hoping residents will complete an online survey looking at demand in the region. The survey is part of a larger broadband expansion effort by Connected Nation Michigan, a non-profit partnering with “the Michigan Public Service Commission to engage in a comprehensive broadband planning and technology initiative as part of a national effort to map and expand broadband,” according to the group’s website. The goal of the survey is to d...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - Looking back, Joan Buchko of Ironwood remembers her time serving in the Gray Ladies fondly. The Gray Ladies was an organization dedicated to the support of their communities, providing friendly, recreational services to patients in local and military hospitals notably during the world wars, according to her son, Tom Buchko. The group was affiliated with the American Red Cross and was formed of volunteers that donned grey and white uniforms....
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — School boards need differences of opinion but should work together toward a common good, say new members of the Mercer Board of Education. Two interim board members, Sue Loth and Jeff Nehring, were elected by the full board in late July. Both said that board communication and the students were their priorities. “Sue, as a retired teacher in Racine, brings a real solid educational aspect to the board,” said Robert Davis, school board president. “Jeff has previous board experie...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Kay Johnson said her “art brain” kicked in when she saw the devastation that had befallen a pair of small trees in the Pocket Park in downtown Ironwood by a heavy, early October snowfall a couple years ago. The snow load had swashed the two ornamental Norway maples in the park at the corner of Suffolk and Aurora streets, leaving many of the branches broken. “I thought there must be something we can do with these trees, and I remembered th...
WAKEFIELD - A table full of pie slices in various flavors tantalized visitors at a Thursday afternoon social by the Wakefield-Bessemer Rotary Club. The colorful array at Wakefield's VFW Post 9084 included the flavors of apple, strawberry-rhubarb, lemon meringue, coconut cream, key lime, custard and various berry flavors. "We do it more as a social event than a fundraiser," said Rotary Club president Jeanne Graham, who was manning the entry table with Julie Hautala, who organized the event....
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - Sharlene Shaffer of Ironwood was named Homemaker of the Year at the Gogebic County Fair last weekend. Shaffer and her family moved to Ironwood in 2011, taking up residence at a farm near Powderhorn where they raise a variety of fruit trees and other produce. This is the fourth time that she has tried to win the award. This year she entered 26 exhibits. Her exhibits included various baked goods, canned goods, vegetables, antiques, embroidery, qui...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER — The work to open a county economic development authority office is moving forward, according to a report to the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday. In her county administrator's report, Juliane Giackino said she and county board chair Dan Siirila took part in a Wednesday conference call with the U.S. Economic Development Association's regional office in Chicago. The two asked questions about starting a county economic development office. “This is still an ongoing pro...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] HURLEY - As the 2019-20 school year approaches administrators of area school districts said funding has allowed security upgrades in an ongoing effort to provide a safe learning environment. "Student safety is our number one priority," said Jason Gustafson, superintendent of Wakefield-Marenisco School District. "In order for students to learn effectively, they must feel safe in their learning environment." The school district has invested heavily...
IRONWOOD - A mountain lion image caught on a landowner's trail camera in Gogebic County has been confirmed as the state's 39th cougar report since 2008. The cat was photographed July 7 in daylight hours northwest of Ironwood, according to a Monday press release. "This is very close to where a cougar was documented on a deer movement study trail camera last year," said Cody Norton, a large carnivore specialist with the Bear and Wolf Program of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. A DNR w...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Pat O'Donnell Civic Center will have a temporary dome installed for use this winter, according to Scott Erickson, Ironwood city manager. In his report to the Ironwood City Commission on Monday, Erickson said it is still not known if the civic center will be able to be rebuilt or need to be replaced with a new structure after the roof collapsed from heavy snow in March. But a temporary fix will allow the building to be used for winter...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees introduced a new ordinance Monday night designed to update the township’s building code ordinance. Ordinance No. 58 would repeal and replace the existing Ordinance No. 14, which was enacted in 1975. “The old ordinance lacked a number of things, so what this does is update (the language),” said LeRoy Johnson, the township’s deputy supervisor and zoning administrator. He told the board there were a number of changes in the new ordinance...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Inspections and investigations are ongoing regarding the Sunday fire that damaged two second floor apartments and the Pines Restaurant below at 120 S. Suffolk. Ironwood Public Safety said the investigation is ongoing and there was no new information to provide on Monday. "Everything is still under investigation," said Susan Graumann, co-owner of the restaurant with Janice Miskovich. "We will not know anything until the investigation is...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission is proposing an engineering and funding search to build a water filtration system, according to discussion at its Monday meeting. The commission meeting drew around 200 people who were mostly present to express anger that the city waited until manganese levels were discovered approaching federal Environmental Protection Agency precautionary levels to take action on filtration. “Ultimately, the solution to this issue is filtration,” said Scott Erickson, city...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - An Ironwood man will serve over 6 years in prison on a criminal sexual conduct charge after being sentenced in Gogebic County Circuit Court Monday. Tylor David Morrison, 28, was sentenced to serve between 75 months and 15 years in prison for third degree criminal sexual conduct. The charge stems from the night of Oct. 13, 2017, when Morrison drove a woman he knew to a relatively secluded area of the county and assaulted her, according to...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The co-owner of Pines Restaurant said she will be closed until repairs are made from damage caused by an apartment fire above on Sunday. “We will be closed for a while,” said Janice Miskovich, who is co-owner of the restaurant with Susan Craumann. “The smoke and water damage from the upstairs apartment came into the restaurant and destroyed the ceiling.” A news release from Ironwood Public Safety said the police and firefighting personnel responded to a 5:35 p.m. emergency call abou...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Big machines are as much a part of county fairs as 4-H and agriculture as the fans showed Sunday by cheering on the 15th annual Mud Run, one of the final events of the Gogebic County Fair. "Lake States Mud Racers has been around for a while but this is our second year running it," said John Olkonen, club president. The races include the Gogebic County Fair, Iron County Fair, Ashland County Fair, the Bessemer Fourth of July, Butternut...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - After taking in the midway attractions and kids and parents want a break from the fun and excitement of the Gogebic County Fair they head inside the exhibition hall to visit the Kids Zone. The Kids Zone is a collaboration of Michigan State University Extension, the Great Start Collaborative, and Communities That Care of Gogebic County. Organizers said they wanted to offer something that would be fun, educational and slow things down a...
