Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 3798 - 3822 of 9883
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — An Ironwood Township man appeared in Gogebic County Circuit Court Wednesday to confess to sexually assaulting a child. Jason Elliot Irvine, 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual conduct-first degree, a crime that carries a potential maximum sentence of life in prison. In exchange for pleading guilty to the two counts, three additional first-degree criminal sexual conduct charges are expected to be dismissed at sentencing. Irvine’s plea agreement also stipulates pro...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners Tuesday agreed to sign the necessary documents for a $6.6 million project at the Gogebic-Iron County Airport. The project will involve resurfacing the runway and lighting improvements, according to board member Jim Oliver, of Ironwood. Gogebic County’s share of the federally-funded project will be 2.5 percent, or around $116,000. Iron County, Wis., will be responsible for the same amount. The county will again deal with the Mead and Hunt firm for...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Students, teachers, veterans and other local citizens gathered Tuesday for what Mike Rydeski called "a thankful remembrance" in the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School gym. Rydeski, a past commander of Wakefield's VFW Post 9084, was the guest speaker of the formal Veterans Day program. "In the military, the contrast between wartime and peacetime is frequently murky," he said, adding that current service members not only are in Iraq and...
By The Associated Press and Daily Globe staff MADISON, Wis. - A state appeals court isn't letting Donald Rick withdraw his guilty plea in the gruesome Bear Trap homicide in Saxon. Rick, 46, formerly of Hurley, told investigators he decided to rob the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon on March 12, 2016, after he lost all his money at a casino in Lac du Flambeau the night before. After the bar closed, he tackled bartender Lisa Waldros, of Kimball, stabbed her and then burned down the bar with her body...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — Having pledged to support the effort to keep the Ojibway prison in Marenisco from closing, the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners Tuesday agreed to spend $25,000 to help cover costs of a lawsuit. Marenisco Township Supervisor Richard Bouvette said a judge still has not ruled on the lawsuit that is attempting to block the prison from closing. A letter has been sent requesting the judge make a decision, Bouvette said. Up until now, “They didn’t want to poke the bear,” he said. If the pri...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - A day after Veterans Day, the community gathered in Luther L. Wright's John Krznarich gymnasium Monday as the Ironwood Area Schools held its annual celebration to honor the area's veterans. Following the introduction of colors, national anthem and performance by the middle and high school bands, JROTC Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Hayley Jarocki introduced guest speaker, Staff Sgt. Michael Arneson. A Colorado native, Arneson enlisted in...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - The Gogebic Range never forgets its veterans. On a snowy Monday morning with poor driving conditions, the Hurley K-12 gymnasium was about three-fourths full with students, teachers and community residents for a salute to veterans. Two members of the senior class plan on enlisting in the armed services and 21 of the students attending the ceremony will likely one day be veterans, if averages hold true, said Maj. Fred Matusewic, of Hurley, U.S....
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield city council learned Monday that the Michigan Department of Transportation has scheduled a “rehabilitation” of U.S. 2 in Wakefield within its 2021-22 program. Wakefield City Manager Richard Brackney said the targeted area of the highway runs from Eddy to Pierce streets and said MDOT will be studying curbing and gutter work. “They’re looking to limit the egress to U.S. 2,” said Brackney to the city’s planning commission, which met directly before the council. He added that the aim...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] Friday’s blizzard arrived late, but packed even more punch than advertised. The National Weather Service had first predicted up to a foot of snow and then revised the total to 15 inches, but nearly two feet fell in some locations across the Gogebic Range. The 24-hour snowfall total at the Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Plant on the Montreal River was 14.6 inches, which was on the low side of area weather stations. Nevertheless, that set a single day Ironwood record for Nov. 9-10, dating to 1901, a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The words "Wherever you are, it is your friends who make the world" are framed on a wall in the back dining area of the 906 Café in Wakefield. The quote from William James, an American philosopher and educator who died more than a century ago, aptly represents Charles Picoldi of Wakefield, who said he eats breakfast in the restaurant "every single morning." It's all about the friendship, said Picoldi, who always seems to be surrounded by a...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] KIMBALL,Wis. - With the recent storm dumping snow across much of the Gogebic Range, it was a perfect weekend for soup as Little Finland held a Mojakka stew dinner Sunday. Mojakka, or a Finnish fish soup, was offered at the dinner; along with beef stew, bread, rice pudding and other desserts. Organizers were pleased with the turnout. "It was good ... over 40 people (showed up) I think," said Ken Hannula. "And whoever didn't show up really missed out...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — While it hasn’t committed to spending any money yet, the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday to seek bids for rebuilding the Saxon Harbor campground. With the Federal Emergency Management Agency announcing in recent months it would be capping the amount of money the county can be reimbursed for the campground after its destruction in the July 2016 storm, the board decided it was worth seeing the bids for various parts of the project before deciding how to proceed. “Ul...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Forecasts of a snowstorm slowed Friday traffic at a Wakefield Public Library book sale in the municipal building. Nevertheless, Loraine Mussatti said the sale had attracted some brave souls, including one woman who bought a stack of Golden Books from the children's section. Mussatti, supervising the sale Friday afternoon, said prices will drop even lower when the sale continues today from 8 a.m. to noon. She said buyers will be invited to fill...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission on Monday will consider a five-year body camera contract for public safety department employees. “We are at the end of our one-year trial period with Axon and are requesting authorization to enter into a five-year agreement to continue those services,” IPSD fire marshal Brandon Snyder wrote in a memo to commissioners. Snyder indicated the implementation of body cameras and data management software has resulted in “increased accountability and citizen trust....
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — More than three of every four registered voters in Iron County cast ballots in Tuesday’s mid-term election, a rate that helped the state of Wisconsin set a new mid-term turnout record. A total of 3,118 of the 4,012 registered voters in Iron County went to the polls Tuesday, a 77.7 percent turnout rate. The Associated Press reports more than 2.67 million Wisconsin voters cast ballots — or 59.38 percent of the state’s voting age population. It marked a new record for Wisconsin mid-ter...
IRONWOOD - Eighty-one area high school band students gathered for a day full of music at the Historic Ironwood Theatre Tuesday. Students from six area high school band programs participated in the annual Gogebic Range Honors Band under the direction of Nicholas Enz, assistant professor and director of bands at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. It was a long day, but a great day, according to Bessemer band director Dan Pitrone. "They rehearsed from 8 until 3 and then put on a show," he...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The National Weather Service predicted blizzard-like conditions today throughout the Gogebic Range and Ontonagon County. From 6 to 12 inches of snow was possible, with winds up to 35 miles per hour gusting from the north at times. The warning was from 6 a.m. today to 6 a.m. Saturday. The snow is nothing new, as it has been snowing in Ironwood since Monday. As usual, the heaviest amounts today were expected in the higher terrains, with the least snow falling south of a line from Marenisco to...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MADISON, Wis. — It took until 1:24 a.m. Wednesday for the Associated Press to call the race, but Democrat Tony Evers will be the next governor of Wisconsin, defeating Republican incumbent Scott Walker’s bid for a third term in office in Tuesday’s election. In a race that initially appeared to be headed for a recount, Evers received 1,324,648 votes to Walker’s 1,293,799. In Iron County, it was Walker who came out ahead; getting 1,788 votes to Evers’ 1,264 votes. Libertarian Phillip Anderson...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] Republican Greg Markkanen squeaked by Democrat Ken Summers in Michigan’s 110th State Representative race Tuesday. The final vote tally, tabulated well after midnight, was 17,980 to 17,401. Summers, from L’Anse, beat Markkanen, from Hancock, 3,485 to 2,895 in Gogebic County. Summers campaigned extensively in the western Upper Peninsula. Markkanen defeated Brady Tervo, Kirk Schott and Keith LaCosse to advance to the mid-term election. He listed the biggest campaign issues as auto insurance, energy costs,...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - Although no action was taken, members of the Bessemer planning commission discussed at their Tuesday evening meeting a new trend in using shipping containers for storage. City manager Charly Loper said one Bessemer resident whom she did not identify already has ordered containers for that purpose and asked commission members if they had any concerns. "I think so," said chairman Dave Osier. "That's going to be a heck of an eyesore if we have them...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER - Gogebic County voters Tuesday supported a one-mill levy for ambulance services that will raise $523,548 the first year. Voters backed levying the one mill over a three-year period by a 4,010 to 2,473 margin. A total of 6,483 votes were cast on the ambulance issue out of 6,689 total countywide, according to initial figures from the county clerk's office. That represents about a 48 percent countywide turnout. A breakdown of the votes by...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — Bessemer attorney Anna Talaska will be Gogebic County’s new probate judge after she won Tuesday’s mid-term election. Talaska received 3,948 votes, while Gogebic County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tracie Wittla received 2,080 votes. The two faced off in the non-partisan race Tuesday after advancing as the top two vote-getters in the August primary. With her victory, Talaska will replace Judge Joel Massie as Gogebic County’s probate court judge. Massie is retiring after having served...
