Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 3954 - 3978 of 9883
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield city council voted Monday in favor of a resolution supporting the continued operation of Marenisco's Ojibway Correctional Facility as "a housing unit for Upper Peninsula prison inmates." The unanimous vote for Resolution No. 245 took place with no discussion after mayor John Granato read aloud its eight parts to an audience-filled room. Michigan's Department of Corrections announced in August its plans to close OCF as of Dec. 1, b...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Ontonagon County Road Commission Engineer Mike Maloney said there are no projects in Ontonagon County held up because of the work stoppage experienced throughout Michigan. Officials of the Michigan County Road Association said more than 150 state and local projects have been halted by the impasse. The Jackson Creek bridge project in Gogebic County is one of those. CRA and its 83 agency members are not a party to the negotiations, although many agencies have projects that could enter winter u...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Tourism Council has agreed to increase its potential contribution to a trail project to better the odds of obtaining total funding of $400,000. The Ironwood City Commission on Monday learned the ITC is willing to provide $66,000 for the local match, increasing its original total by $10,000. Ironwood Community Development Director Tom Bergman said that will mean 10 more points on project application scoring toward a $320,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund g...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Erwin Township Hall was the site of a "Crazy for Cranberries" bake sale and pie social Saturday, and it certainly lived up to its name. Two long tables were filled with cranberry delights in any conceivable form. Purists could choose from pie, bars, cookies, cakes and jelly, all featuring cranberries as the featured ingredient. Adventurists seeking a little fusion also could find cranberry walnut bread, cranberry banana muffins, cranberry...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - Despite a fall chill in the air, Saturday's Iron Belle Trail Bridges and Bluffs half marathon and 2-mile run/walk drew enthusiastic participants to the starting point on Bessemer's Mary Street. Race director Phil Strong had to stay home due to illness, but Jonathon Rulseh said, "all the volunteers" joined forces to replace him. "We all pulled it together," he said gamely of the second annual event, which was a fundraiser for the Friends of the...
ODANAH, Wis. — The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians will receive a $710,599 Justice Systems and Alcohol and Substance Abuse grant. Scott C. Blader, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, joined the U.S. Department of Justice Thursday in announcing more than $113 million in grants to improve public safety, serve victims of crime, combat violence against women, and support youth programs in American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians will r...
IRONWOOD - Sometimes weather forecasters hit the nail right on the head. The National Weather Service predicted 1.7 inches of rain for Ironwood for Thursday and Friday morning and 1.73 inches fell for the 24-hour period to 7 a.m. Friday at the wastewater treatment plant on the Montreal River, off Cloverland Drive. That set a 117-year record for Ironwood for Sept. 21. The monthly rainfall total stands at 3.23 inches, compared to the long-average of 2.7 inches through Sept. 21. The highest total...
HURLEY - The Hurley School Board's decision Monday to evaluate the school district's Midget mascot has created a social media firestorm. The initial reaction seems to be mostly opposed to changing the name. The school board voted to form a committee and "engage in a transparent process to evaluate the mascot," a statement released Thursday by district administrator Chris Patritto noted. Although school board president Joe Simonich, of Kimball, said the district had been threatened in the past...
Editor’s Note: The following story is the second of a three-part series. Part 1, published on Friday, provided an overview of the status of an unnamed, multi-use trail connecting Wakefield to Marenisco. WAKEFIELD — The Western Upper Peninusla Trail Association operated for only five years, between 2012 and 2017, but its members are proud of what they accomplished during that time. According to Ross and Kim Kolesar, of Wakefield, who served, respectively, as WUPTA’s president and secretary, “informal” work already had been occurring for about...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - An Ironwood man was convicted of three felonies in Gogebic County Circuit Court Thursday - including the two most serious charges he faced - while being found not guilty of a fourth. The jury deliberated for a little over one hour before finding Michael David Zupan, 34, guilty of two counts of receiving and concealing stolen firearms and one count of possessing a firearm while committing a felony. He was found not guilty of tampering...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Editor's note: The following story is the first of a three-part series. WAKEFIELD - Many people may drive by the Wakefield Fire Hall on the city's main street without paying attention to the unpaved trail emerging from the brush on the other side of the road. The surrounding site is undeveloped and unadorned, so busy drivers may not realize that the unnamed, eastbound trail can take them on a 16-mile journey to Marenisco. As of this past summer, however,...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] MARENISCO — As the effort to keep the Ojibway prison in Marenisco from closing as scheduled on Dec. 1 continues, the potential effects are being felt in many ways, including among man’s best friends. Inmates at the prison for months have been providing foster care for the Chequamegon Humane Association in Ashland, training dogs in their care. That arrangement comes to an end when the prison closes. Training dogs at the prison actually dates to 2014, or earlier, when dogs from the HOPE animal she...
By STEVE NEWMAN [email protected] IRONWOOD - Life-long Ironwood resident Laurie Schenk had never seen a moose. She was in her car leaving her home and there it was at about 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. "It came walking in the middle of the road, almost right in front of my vehicle," she said. She watched as it crossed from yard into yard in the neighborhood in Jessieville. "I kind of followed it up the hill and watched as it went into the ravine at the top of the hill on Birch Street, and...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - The trial of an Ironwood man accused of receiving stolen firearms began in Gogebic County Circuit Court Wednesday. Michael David Zupan, 32, is charged with two counts of receiving and concealing stolen firearms, felony firearm and tampering with evidence. The most serious of the four felonies - the receiving and concealing charges - each carry a potential maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — A “Find Your North Marketing Plan” that details strategies for the city and the Ironwood Economic Development Corporation has been released. The forward to the document states: “With unfiltered access to outdoor recreation, a growing infrastructure of trails and destinations and the seclusion of Upper Peninsula wilderness, Ironwood is one of the premier adventure destinations in the Midwest. “Ironwood is a small city with a rich history and amenities to appeal to any adventurer. Feel the art...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - A Bessemer man convicted of child abuse last month will serve at least six years in prison. Gogebic County Circuit Judge Michael Pope sentenced Matthew James LaPlant, 37, on three felonies Tuesday. "The normal victim impact paperwork does not adequately address the depth of suffering, mental or physical, (the victim) has endured and will have to recover from for many months and years," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Tracie Wittla said,...
MARENISCO (AP) — A township in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is suing to stop the closing of a prison. Marenisco Township in Gogebic County says the state didn’t do an economic-impact study as required by law. However, a judge on Monday rejected a request for a restraining order which was filed by Marenisco Township. The Michigan Corrections Department in August announced plans to close the Ojibway prison in the months ahead. The prison has 203 employees, including some who live in Wisconsin. Local officials say closing the prison would great...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — Monday’s temperatures in the 70s gave way to the lower 50s on Tuesday as fall arrived early across the Gogebic Range. Summer doesn’t officially end until Saturday, but the cool weather proved otherwise. On a warm Monday, several dogs and their owners romped through Ironwood’s Norrie Park, while a pair of competitors tried out the new disc golf course there. A half-dozen boat trailers parked at the County C boat landing on the Gile Flowage, near Hurley, were a sign fishermen were out after w...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools is examining its branding efforts in order to get all the district’s teams and clubs on the same page, the board of education learned Monday. The first step of this process will begin next week as the district will hold a public meeting to discuss school color options. Ironwood Superintendent Travis Powell and Athletic Director Gordy Erickson said the district’s various teams have gotten uniforms in different shades and colors over the years. “There’s so many d...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — Is it time to eliminate the Midget mascot? That’s what a committee in the Hurley School District will decide by the end of the year. “It’s time for a discussion,” school board president Joe Simonich, of Kimball, said Monday. He said the district had been threatened in the past with lawsuits regarding the Midget moniker. It’s planned the committee will come up with a recommendation for the school board by December. “We want this to be a transparent process,” Simonich said. Board members s...
By JEAN NORDINE [email protected] BESSEMER - At Monday's regular meeting of the Bessemer City Council, the council stated they want more input from the Michigan Department of Trasportation before making a decision as to if U.S. 2 should remain four lanes or go on a road diet and become three lanes. The council feels they need an actual survey to see exactly where the lanes would go, before they can make a decision. They also question whether compromises can be made. They are...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Organizers of a Sunday spaghetti feed at the Wakefield VFW hope the event will add to legal coffers aimed at disputing a recent state decision to close Ojibway Correctional Facility in Marenisco. Food was served steadily as the room quickly filled with local people willing to contribute the $10 fee for what they believe is still a fighting chance of reversing the state directive. "We've got just under $4,000 right now sitting in a bank...
