Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 3474 - 3498 of 9848
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The Mercer Town Board held an information session Thursday to provide residents with the facts about a proposed ballot measure in the spring election. Town voters will be asked April 2 to decide whether to approve a .5 percent Premier Resort Area Tax on certain goods and services in the town. “We’d like people to have the facts. Be armed when you go to vote,” town chairman John Sendra told the audience. If passed, the measure is expected to generate roughly $200,000 to $250,00...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is considering reclassifying Iron County’s County Road A in the town of Saxon, changing it from a rural major collector to a rural minor collector. While the final decision hasn’t officially been made yet, county officials expect the reclassification will inevitably happen. “As of right now, County A does not meet the criteria for a major collector. So they are removing it and turning it into a minor collector,” Highway Commissioner Mike Swar...
IRONWOOD - The National Weather Service's Winter Storm Warning for Thursday was spot on as snow filled the air for much of the late morning, all afternoon and into the evening across the Gogebic Range. The NWS in Marquette had a report of 7.5 inches of snow in Ironwood by late afternoon. The official 24-hour snow total scheduled for this morning at the Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ironwood will give an official number. While the forecast calls for a slight chance of snow today with a high...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] SUPERIOR, WIS. — The University of Wisconsin Superior’s alumni association named Mike Wiggins Jr., of Ashland, to be among the 25 outstanding alumni recognized in celebration of the universities 125th anniversary. Wiggins is serving his third term as chair of Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and earned his bachelor’s degree at UW-Superior in 1992. He previously served as a conservation warden for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commi...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Michigan Senate Oversight Committee met Tuesday in Lansing to hear testimony regarding an auditor general's report concerning the Michigan Department of Correction's decision to close the Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco. The facility, which had 203 employees, closed Dec. 1. The report - a follow-up to a 2012 performance audit - found the MDOC partially complied with the changes recommended following the 2012 audit. "(The departme...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The ballotis set for the April 2 general election after Tuesday’s primary narrowed the field for the Mercer Town Board. Town voters chose between seven candidates in the primary, with the top four vote-getters advancing to the spring election. That ballot will feature Eric Snow, Opal Roberts, Christa Reinert and Tom Thompson. Snow received the most votes with 206, Roberts received 160 votes, Reinert received 124 votes and Thompson received 70. David McNutt, Tanner Hiller and Bra...
IRONWOOD - The Downtown Art Place will celebrate Youth Art Month in March as it continues to provide an opportunity for area students to showcase their artwork and for the public to recognize the local school talent in the visual arts. March is nationally recognized as Youth Art Month. It is a month of promoting art and art education in the United States. Thousands of American schools participate, often with the involvement of local art museums and civic organizations. Local art teachers from...
By RICHARD JENKINS and BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley School Board acknowledged mistakes had been made in the process, but voted Monday to proceed with plans to change the district’s mascot from the Midgets. “We certainly made some missteps along the way, and for that we truly apologize,” School Board President Joe Simonich said. He explained the process began with a desire for a discussion about the mascot, but when those efforts failed, the board felt it was best to...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] MARENISCO - The question of how to manage the recreational marijuana business was a topic at a Monday evening meeting of the Marenisco Township board. Board members voted Jan. 28 to consider opting into such business, but they do not yet have a draft of a preliminary ordinance from township attorney Jim Bucknell. Meanwhile, board members pondered how many issues they might need to address in the event of opening the township to various types of marijuana...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — If the stormy winter weather does not calm down now, Ontonagon students will be going to school in the summer. Ontonagon Area School District Superintendent Jim Bobula told the Ontonagon School Board Monday the district is “all out” of snow days. “As of this week, we have had nine snow days,” Bobula said. He explained that the state permits six snow days, or emergency days of school closure, each school year. The district can ask for forgiveness for three more. “That’s nine and any more emergenc...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus featured USSA Prostar racing Saturday and Sunday at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. Race Director Tom Auvinen said the crews, volunteers, and USSA officials did an "excellent" job to create a good weekend of racing. Gunnar Sterne, who finished first in both the Champ 440 and Champ Prostar Cup races on Saturday, said although the paycheck helps, the points for coming in first are critical for Prostar Cup Tour...
ONTONAGON — The home of an Ontonagon man who died two days before, burned to the ground on Saturday. Ontonagon Village fire official Jim Miles said he is “leaning to a heating involvement fire” which destroyed the home of the late Robert Anderson Saturday. Miles said the fire department received a call Saturday at 6:17 p.m. and when they arrived at the home at 718 N. 17th St., the building was heavily involved in flames with fire coming out of the roof and windows. He said 2 feet of snow on the roof hampered firemen, but probably kept the f...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Fire Department held its 10th annual fishing contest on Saturday on Sunday Lake. Volunteer fireman and chairman of the fishing contest, Mike Singleton, said 101 businesses, or people donated items, or cash. “We have more than $10,000 in prizes to give away and all the kids will definitely get a prize,” he said. The event was started to get kids “off the X-Box” and experience the outdoors, and in the process, raise money for...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Members of Bessemer’s downtown development authority voted Thursday to commit $2,000 toward a mini-marketing grant that they hope will help them to attract new residents to the city. Board member Dustin Filippini, who said he found the potential opportunity online, explained that the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region will pay up to $8,000 as long as the city also commits $2,000. Filippini said he already had discussed the matter with city manager Charly Loper, as well as...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] HURLEY - The Hurley school presented a plaque made by Northwood Manufacturing to Trevor Lesch Thursday for planting trees at the school for his project to become an Eagle Scout. Lesch said the reason he chose this project is because it will benefit the school for years to come. "They will eventually grow into big trees to provide shading and wind-breaking that will end up saving the school energy," he said. Lesch planted a total of 18 sugar maple trees...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] Wakefield — The Michigan State Police issued a legal update on its “Move Over Law” to expand the law from all emergency vehicles to now include snowplows, garbage trucks, wrecker, utility vehicles and any road maintenance vehicles that are parked stationary on the side of the road parked with flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights. The expanded Move Over Law begins on Feb. 13 and states drivers are required to not only move over in a safe manner to an adjacent lane when one is available, but slow...
IRONWOOD - The Red Bull 400 will return to Copper Peak May 11. Last year, the inaugural competition saw more than 450 local, regional and international competitors in a 400-meter race which included scaling the Copper Peak ski flying jump to the finish line on top. Organizers hope to double the amount of competitors this year, building upon the inaugural success at the world's steepest 400-meter race. Registration will open on Tuesday at 10 a.m. at redbull.com/rb400. Competition will be held in...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Remodeling of the office areas in the Wakefield municipal building is complete, and a public-use agreement for the building's new gym is official. The Wakefield City Council voted on the agreement at their regular meeting Monday evening, and city manager Richard Brackney reported the remodeling status. "Everything is in place," Brackney said. "I think it's very nice. We've had a lot of good comments on it." Starting last year, Brackney's...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The accidental discharge of a gun drew a police response and temporarily locked down the Ironwood Walmart Thursday afternoon. Deputies with the Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of a gunshot in the store at approximately 2:35 p.m., Sheriff Pete Matonich said in a press release. Responding officers quickly determined a customer accidentally discharged a gun in the store’s bathroom area, according to the release. While there was a brief lockdown in the store, Maton...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — A Superior, Wis., man pleaded no contest to three counts and was sentenced in Iron County court Wednesday for his role in a fatal car crash in the town of Saxon. Jesse Troy Gasper, 35, was the driver of a car involved in an early-morning car crash March 27 on U.S. 2 in Saxon that killed Amanda Rose Schiller, 31, of Menominee. Several of Schiller's relatives and friends gave or submitted victim impact statements prior to Judge Patrick Madden imposing his sentence. “Make no mistake, Ama...
By BRYAN HELLIOS [email protected] BESSEMER - The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners approved James Lorenson's appointment to the board and he was sworn into office by County Clerk Gerry Pellisero at the board's Wednesday evening meeting. Lorenson of Ironwood applied to the board for the vacancy in District 4 made by the recent resignation of Joann Balduc of Bessemer Township. District 4 is made up of all of Erwin Township, Bessemer Township and Ramsay, excluding Bessemer Township...
IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community College officials are in contract negotiations with Stacy Young, of Goshen, Ind., with hopes she'll become the next president of the college. “Dr. Young is a forward thinking and entrepreneurial leader. She is approachable and collaborative and has demonstrated success in enrollment growth and fundraising as well as serving as a Peer Reviewer for the Higher Learning Commission,” said John Lupino, GCC board chairman. “She is an enthusiastic leader and we look forward to her arrival on campus." Young holds a doctora...
