Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] HURLEY — The start of Hurley’s U.S. 51 utility reconstruction project is now less than three weeks away as remaining snow quickly melts. “We should start the job on the 29th,” said Scott Santini, Hurley’s Public Works Director, at a Tuesday evening meeting of the Hurley City Council. He added that the city is already preparing for the work. “We’re figuring out some of the sewer issues,” said Santini. “We’re cameraing those, getting things set up so we don’t have any setbacks when they start later this...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Members of the Bessemer City Council voted on Monday evening to table the posting of the city manager opening until their next meeting on April 22. Council members agreed on most aspects of the post but decided that they need more time to research how to phrase the rate of pay. Interim City Manager Mandy Lake provided a refined version of the posting, which includes photos of the Bessemer area, along with updated statistics. “What I did do is revamp the characteristics we’re looking for in a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — Members of the Wakefield Chamber of Commerce may need to start paying nominal rent for their location at the Wakefield Visitors’ and Information Center. That was the conclusion of a Monday evening discussion by the Wakefield City Council. From about mid-May to October each year, the chamber uses the visitors’ center, which is next to Sunday Lake and the public deck that features the Chippewa Indian statue known as Nee-gaw-nee-gaw-bow. “The property is the city’s,” said City Manager Robert Brow...
LANSING - As part of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' Deer Management Initiative process, several members of the group have collaborated with a social scientist from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University to craft a questionnaire for the public, aimed at assessing people's opinions and perceptions about deer. The initiative, established earlier this year, is working to address current and future deer-related challenges facing the DNR and the Michigan...
While Mercer voters approved a school bond proposal, several incumbents in various local races across Iron County lost in Tuesday's election. The Mercer School District asked voters to approve a bond proposal to raise $800,000 a year beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, through the 2028-2029 school year for maintaining operations, programs and facilities. The measure passed 455 to 286, or 61% to 39%. A similar proposal failed last year 393-365 (52%-48%). Also in Mercer, Tanner Hiller...
IRONWOOD — With the site of this year’s Gogebic County Fair confirmed at the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center in Ironwood, members of the county fair board discussed admission and scheduling at their Monday evening meeting. “It’s all tentative,” said Fair Board member Linda Nelson. Although Fair Board members agreed that this year’s location makes an admission fee impractical, Nelson said, “I’d like to make sure that we have donation cans.” She also said that a bundle ticket for carnival rides could be sold as $15 in advance or $20 upon arrival. N...
BESSEMER — A question of whether or not to allot funds to the Gogebic County Council of Veterans Affairs has created a difference of opinions among governmental entities in Gogebic County. The issue was discussed at the March 27 meeting of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners and has been scheduled for the next meeting’s agenda, as well. The commissioners’ discussion arose after learning that the city of Ironwood had informed the CVA that it will not pay its current requested allotment of $8,517. The 2024 budget for the CVA is $67,7...
HURLEY - The 2023 annual report of the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department includes both good and bad news. On one hand, the report summarized, "2023 proved to be a challenging financial year for the ICFD. Declining stumpage prices, lack of consistent pulpwood markets, and continued high inflation caused lower revenues and a higher cost of doing business." On the other hand, the report added, "The department still had another busy year with many recreational users visiting our county parks...
MARENISCO TOWNSHIP - Members of the Marenisco Township Board of Trustees voted to approve their new fiscal year budget on March 29. Estimated revenues for the new budget, which started Monday, are $1,275,400, and estimated expenses are $1,109,950, for a difference of $165,450. The largest expense noted is $460,000 for the Marenisco Township Hall. According to Township Supervisor Bruce Mahler, the "town hall" category includes expenses for the hall and grounds, the library and historical museum,...
BESSEMER - Last week's Gogebic County Board of Commissioners began on a high note with a donation of $10,000 to the county's Search and Rescue Team from the Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians. Commissioner George Peterson III presented the check on behalf of the tribe. "They are wonderful people," said Peterson of the tribe, led by James Williams Jr. Peterson praised the tribe's ongoing generosity to a number of local causes. The commissioner's sweatshirt also included a...
BESSEMER — In an attempt to streamline the organization and documentation of seasonal storage at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds, one of the committees of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners is requesting clarification of how the system has been managed to date. Members of the Personnel and Negotiations Committee voted last week to send to Thomas Hampston, a member of the county Fair Board, a letter with a list of questions regarding the storage process. The letter signed by Committee Chairman Daniel Siirila began as follows: “A rec...
IRONWOOD - Gerard Lauzon drives a school bus for the Ironwood Area Schools, and he used to run a photography business. As of last fall, he also participated in a Rite of Candidacy Mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Marquette. That event celebrated his commitment in studying to become a deacon. "I'm actually now finishing up my second year of the education and formation process," said Lauzon. "I still have three more years. It's a 5-year process." Along with his mentors, he...
IRONWOOD — The 46th Parallel Planters are preparing for the spring planting, according to Marlene Zaleski, president of the club. Zaleski said the club recently held a presentation on how to get an early start to the growing season with starting seedlings indoors, and maintaining gardening equipment. The 46th Parallel Planters has around 25 regular members, said Zaleski, and people are encouraged to come “join the fun.” The club oversees the care of the Norrie Park garden in Ironwood, which Zaleski said will be putting out signups for garde...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — The location for the 2024 Gogebic County Fair has been declared officially as the Pat O’Donnell Civic Center in Ironwood. Fair Board members had been optimistic about the change in venue, and the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners also had voted to approve the switch from the county fairgrounds. But Jay Kivisto, manager of the Civic Center, assured on Tuesday that his board of directors also now has made it official. Regarding Fair Board members, he said, “Our Civic Center board met last...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] Tuesday is Election Day in Wisconsin. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Not only is it the Presidential primary across the state, but there are also local county, city, town and school board seats up for election. There is also a bond proposal in the Mercer School District. While the presidential primary season is all but over because President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, are the only two candidates left standing before their parties’ conventions t...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - Members of the Bessemer City Council voted on Monday evening to appoint Clerk/Treasurer Mandy Lake to the role of interim city manager. In separate votes, they also increased her salary to the equivalent of $5,000 per year and authorized her to prepare a job posting for city manager. "Ms. Lake has pretty much stepped up to the task," said Councilman Adam Zak regarding Lake, who already was acting in the city manager's role from the start of the...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission agreed Monday evening to purchase the land the Pat O’Donnell Civer Center stands on for $1 from Gogebic Community College. The purchased also included a 30-foot strip of parking along the north side of the Civic Center. City Manager Paul Anderson said in a memo to the commission that the city needs ownership of the property in order to meet requirements of a Michigan Department of Natural Resources Land and Conservation grant it hopes to gain to help pay for...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] MERCER — The Mercer Area Schools have proposed a referendum on the April 2 ballot to help maintain operations, programs and facilities, including hiring needed personnel for the school, according to district administrator Renae McMurray. The referendum would raise $800,000 a year, for five years, beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. “An operational referendum would cover our general operational expenses, our staffing expenses. Specifically what we are looking at is facility improvements, and the cos...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College played host to nearly 100 local middle and high school students for the inaugural Pi Day Competition on March 20. Thirty-one teams of three students from grades 7-12, representing four school districts within the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District competed in a series of mathematical problems if not related to, certainly in honor of, pi - the ratio of the circumference of a circle to it's diameter -... Full story
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Plans by the Bessemer Area Historical Society to construct a new Bessemer Heritage Center on East Sellar Street have reached an impasse due to a discovery that part of the targeted property is not owned by the city, as originally thought. The Heritage Center is now at the main street address of 403 S. Sophie St., but the plan was to construct a new building on the south side of the 100 block East Sellar Street after the City Council and Downtown Development Authority both voted to sell a piece...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Great Michigan Read has begun, and area libraries and educators are gearing up for this year’s book “Firekeeper’s Daughter,” by Angeline Boulley. The Ironwood Carnegie Library, the Wakefield Public Library and the Gogebic Community College are working together to bring activities to both adults and youth alike to celebrate a love of reading. The first event is set for today at 6 p.m. in Room B-21 at GCC. The event will feature a screening of the documentary “Lawyers: Defenders of Sacred J...
