Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 3230 - 3254 of 9883
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - For the 129th time, the Ironwood community came together Sunday to see off another class of Ironwood graduates into the world. Following an address by Superintendent Travis Powell, members of the concert choir performed "You Get What You Give" and the members of the board of education were introduced. Social studies teacher Gordy Erickson, at the request of the graduating class, delivered the commencement address. He told them to not...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Music filled the Ironwood Memorial Building as members representing the United States armed forces prepared for Ironwood's Memorial Day ceremony on Monday. A chorus sang "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "Blades of Grass and Pure White Stone" under the direction of Annette Burchell to help set the atmosphere before the placing of American Flags. Lt. Col. Gary Harrington of the U.S. Air Force and master of ceremonies said the tradition...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] PENCE, Wis. — The driver of an all-terrain vehicle is dead after he crashed his vehicle while riding in the town of Pence early Sunday morning. Iron County Sheriff’s Department deputies and Beacon Ambulance personnel responded to the scene of the accident at the intersection of Spring Camp Road and Whiteside Street shortly after 12:10 a.m., according to Sheriff Paul Samardich. Those responding to the scene found the man involved in the single-vehicle crash unresponsive. Iron County Coroner Dia...
BESSEMER - Friday evening was bittersweet as graduates of A.D. Johnston Junior and Senior High School celebrated both big wins and heavy losses in a week steeped in emotion. Co-valedictorians Devon Elias Byers and Andrew Isaac Aspinwall both received perfect 4.0 grade point averages and served on the student council, respectively, as president and treasurer. They both also addressed the crowd. "Finally, we won't have to worry about keeping our grades up," said Aspinwall, drawing laughs when he...
WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield-Marenisco High School class of 2019 threw their graduation caps in the air friday, signifying an end to a chapter in their lives. Before the class celebrated their achievement, Jason Gustafson, superintendent of the district, gave the graduating class advice. "Before you act, listen; before you react, think; before you spend, earn; before you criticize, wait; before you quit, try," he said quoting William Arthur Ward. He told the class to listen to their hearts to...
ONTONAGON - The graduation speaker for the 2019 Class at the Ontonagon Area High School, Keven Store, was in familiar terrain Friday night, noting that 30 years ago, to the day, he sat as a student and received his diploma from OAHS. Store is the Executive Director of the Portage Health Foundation, and oversees and administers all aspects of a $67 million dollar charitable foundation that serves the Keweenaw Peninsula. He has been recognized by the Michigan Health Council for his work in develop...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - Progress continues at Saxon Harbor as workers strive to complete the new marina by the mid-August target date. "The original plan for the contract was to be completed by mid-August, they're on schedule for that," said Eric Peterson, the Iron County forestry and parks administrator. "If mother nature cooperates and it holds off raining every day, that should continue and they should be completed by mid-August." Peterson said much of...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] IRONWOOD — Cub Scouts from pack 323 learned about the area’s history during a their trip to the Historic Ironwood Depot and museum on Thursday. Carl Green, Cubmaster for the pack, said things like the museum are often overlooked. “We live in a nice area that does have a lot of history and has a lot of interesting things that happen,” he said. “You kinda over time get disconnected from those.” Greeen said being able to see all the buildings a...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Visitors to the O Kun de Kun Falls will have a new trail, bridge and improved parking lot to better enjoy the beautiful falls by July 31. Kenny Wawsczyk, of the North Country Trail Association, informed the Ontonagon County Board Tuesday the 1.4 miles of new trails to the falls is being paid by a DNR Trust Fund grant which will go through the county into the project. The DNR Trust Fund can’t give the grant to the trail association, but can send grant money to the county. The U.S. Forest Ser...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — An accident last Saturday morning that resulted in the fatalities of two high school girls in Bessemer has had a deep impact on the surrounding community. Lauren Powless, 18, and Madeline Jackson, 15, died when the vehicle in which they were riding went off of Lake Road and struck a tree at about 2:30 a.m. in Ironwood Township. Zachery Hammond, 20, of Ironwood survived the crash with minor injuries. The two girls also were from Ironwood, but they were students at A.D. Johnston Junior and Senior...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] LANSING — A bill to create a committee to advise on mining regulations in the state recently passed the Michigan House of Representatives. The bill to establish the Committee of Michigan’s Mining Future passed the House 107-1 on May 16. “My bill to create a committee on Michigan’s mining future had near-unanimous support on the House floor. Work on this bill began in 2015 when it was announced that the Empire Mine would be idled,” state Rep. Sara Cambensy, D-Marquette, said in a news release....
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] WHITE PINE — Jobs could be returning to White Pine in the near future. A June 4 hearing to be held in Ontonagon could be the answer. The hearing is a request by PM Power and the White Pine Refinery for a $490,000 loan from the Community Development Block Grant program. According to Zack Halkola, PM Power Group Chief Operating Officer, the refinery process would recycle 3 million pounds of cathode annually and return 15 jobs to White Pine. The requested funds are part of the Revolving Loan fund that O...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] HURLEY - Representatives from the Hurley K-12 School's rebranding committee narrowed a list of possible new mascots down to 13 names during a meeting on Tuesday. The list of the 13 mascot nominations making the cut include some that capitalize on the area's history, including Timberjaxx, Trailblazers, Rangers and Hematites. There are some that focus on the area's weather like Blizzards, Heat, Storm and Northern Storm. Others included the Lakers,...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Members of the Wakefield-Marenisco Board of Education voted at their Monday evening meeting to approve the school schedule for the coming 2019-20 school year. Due to recent approval by the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District, the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School will start this year in the week before Labor Day, as opposed to the day after it, as in the past. According to the calendar, the first day of school will be Aug. 27, and the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The group charged with recommending how Iron County should proceed with its effort to prevent chronic wasting disease from entering the county met for the first time Tuesday, choosing a chairman and selecting the basis for a mission statement. CWD is a fatal brain disease that affects deer, elk, moose and other cervids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no known cure once animals are infected, and symptoms include weight loss, stumbling, drooling and a...
HURLEY - The Hurley K-12 School Board and community members gave retiring superintendent Chris Patritto a round of applause at Monday's board meeting "Every challenge our board has given Chris Patritto he's performed admirably," board president Joe Simonich said. Simonich presented Patritto with a certificate of commendation from Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and a plaque on behalf of state Sen. Janet Bewley and state Rep. Beth Meyer, who represent Iron County in Madison. Simonich said the district...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department released the names of those in the car involved in a single-vehicle crash that killed two teens near Little Girl’s Point Saturday morning. Lauren Powless, 18, and Madeline Jackson, 15 died when the car they were in left the road and hit a tree. The third person in the car, Zachery Hammon, 20, survived the crash and walked to a nearby house to report the accident. Gogebic County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene of the accident on Lake Road north of Powers Road at approxi...
IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Two teens are dead and a community is mourning the loss following a single-vehicle crash near Little Girl's Point Saturday morning. Gogebic County Sheriff's Department deputies responded to reports of the accident on Lake Road near Powers Road in Ironwood Township at approximately 2:32 a.m. Saturday morning. Deputies arriving on the scene located a vehicle that sustained severe damage after it left the roadway and struck a tree, according to a department news release. Two...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - The third annual fundraising dinner for the U.P. Honor Flight drew nearly 200 people to Bessemer's VFW Post 3673 on Saturday night. "This event is so special to us because it is helping us to help our senior veterans to visit their memorials in Washington D.C.," said Post Commander Donna Frello while welcoming the crowd. "How cool is it that we all are helping to make that happen?" Frello's husband, John Frello, who is the post quartermaster, sa...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — Locals looking for some new reading material were drawn to the Ironwood Memorial Building Saturday as the Friends of the Ironwood Carnegie Library held one of its two annual book sales. “Well it was one of our better years, there’s no doubt about that,” Friends president Marie Peterson said. “When we opened … at 7:30 this morning we probably had at least 100 people in here until 9:30-10 a.m., then it thinned out a little bit.” The money raised from the sale funds the library’s summer pro...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY - With the school year almost over and Hurley students about to start summer vacation in a few weeks, Hurley Police Chief Chris Colassaco met with kindergarteners and third graders Friday to talk about bike safety. "I love the opportunity to talk to the kids," Colassaco said. He said he talks to the kindergarteners and third graders because not only are those ages good times to set them in the habit of wearing bike helmets, but it ensures...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Families from Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon counties sent 63 paper lanterns hurtling skyward during an appreciation event for Great Lakes Recovery Center's foster care program at Depot Park Thursday. Mandy Harris, the program's regional resource team specialist, said each lantern symbolizes a foster family in the tri-county region. "It's through events like this that we can train, provide support and recruit foster families," she said....