Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 4507 - 4531 of 9883
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — The city of Hurley will work to come up with a plan for addressing water system cross connection violations. Mayor Joe Pinardi said the city has until September to assure the Department of Natural Resources the violations have been addressed and corrected. A connection between any part of the public water supply system and a source of contamination or pollution is called a cross connection. The aim is to eliminate cross connections to keep drinking water safe by keeping out contaminants and p...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The city of Ironwood has been underfunding its retirement pension plan and has been cited by the Michigan Department of Treasury to take corrective actions. A new law requires local units of government to report underfunded retirement benefits and Ironwood has been cited for underfunding its pension plan. For the first round of reporting, more than 110 out of 490 local units of government were identified as having underfunded pension plans or retirement health care plans, or both, a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - A potential splash pad and obstacle course at Eddy Lake Park were the subject of a lively discussion at Monday's meeting of the Wakefield planning commission. Using a photo slideshow to spread enthusiasm, city manager Richard Brackney told the commission that there are "simple" plans available online that could make it possible to set up the proposed features with minimal labor, expense or expertise. In reference to the splash pad, he said,...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - Bessemer resident Shatha Beauchamp formed the Children of the Lord Foundation to conduct mission work in the U.S. and Africa. The charity is currently supporting construction of a health clinic in Ghana that will provide health care for up to 25,000 people in the Ashanti Region. Donna Frello, Bessemer resident and commander of VFW Post 3673 in Bessemer, described how the effort to build the health clinic is really in her heart Sunday...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — The fifth suspect in the murder of a Lac du Flambeau, Wis., man late last year near Mercer had a $1 million cash bond set Monday morning in Iron County Court. Curtis A. Wolfe, 26, of Lac du Flambeau, and four other men are charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of Wayne M. Valliere Jr., of Lac du Flambeau. Wolfe’s attorney, Fred Bourg, appearing by speaker phone, argued Monday that Wolfe is indigent and $1 million bond would be excessive. “One million d...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Ironwood Township hopes to have a spring cleanup this year, with the township board of trustees discussing the best dates Monday. The last time the township held a cleanup was May 2016, according to Supervisor Steve Boyd. Boyd said he looked at three Saturdays for the cleanup - May 5, May 12 and May 19. "On the 12th, there is the Brian Nasi run and the Red Bull event at Copper Peak," Boyd said. "The other two days are relatively open, the...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Architect John Larson, of Gwinn, told Wakefield City Council members Monday he hopes to have the municipal building's proposed fireproof storage room complete by June 30. Council members voted unanimously to allow him to call for bids on construction of the room. The move will reduce the size of City Manager Richard Brackney's office. Brackney also presented examples of windows suggested for the project. He said the new fiberglass windows will...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] DULUTH — Last year the Gogebic Range Robotics Team, Team 6613, came in like a lion and left like a full pride after qualifying for the championships in St. Louis and out performing many schools and their robots. With an entrance into the robotics scene like that, it is challenging to follow that excellence in only their second year. Friday and Saturday Team 6613 competed at the Decc in Duluth, facing off against 57 other teams in the Northern Lights R...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The audience at the Historic Ironwood Theatre was treated to a fairly unique show Saturday as the Bay Area Chamber Ensemble performed a piece titled “War and Peace.” The evening began with the group performing Ralph Vaughn Williams’ “The Piano Quintet in C Minor.” Following intermission; the trio of Joel Glickman on clarinet, Joni Chapman on piano and Sheila Mitchell on violin performed Igor Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du Soldat” — or “The...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Trinity Lutheran’s preschool and childcare program is looking to give local kids a place to play and held a “Pasta with a Purpose” spaghetti lunch Sunday to help accomplish that goal. Featuring the standard fare of spaghetti, salad, bread and dessert; Nicole Anderson — the director of the preschool program — said the lunch was raising money toward the purchase of playground equipment for the program. “We put the fence up last year, so now we’re just trying to fill it in this...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - A sense of normalcy is beginning to return to downtown Ironwood, as Aurora Street re-opened Friday and news came that two of the businesses closed since the Feb. 21 fire would be re-opening soon. Aurora Street had been closed since the early morning fire that left three dead. The fire destroyed the multi-story structure at 102 E. Aurora that housed Chelsi's Corner boutique on the street level and two floors of apartments above it, as...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission will approve its annual goals Monday and the continuing blight fight is number one. At a recent work session, commissioners ranked 2018 goals and tackling commercial building blight scored 10 points to top the list. Commissioners agreed demolition of some blighted business buildings should be a priority. The blight fight has also included eyesore houses that have been torn down by the scores over the past few years. Second place produced a three-way tie, with the...
HURLEY — The Iron County Highway Department said Friday seasonal weight restrictions will be placed on county roadways effective Monday at 8 a.m. The weight limits will be in effect on the entire lengths of County Trunks A, B, C, CC, D, E, FF, G, H and J. The six-ton single axle and 10-ton maximum ban will stay in effect until further notice.... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The process of demolishing the structures at 102-104 Aurora St. continued Thursday, with workers hoping to have the downtown street re-opened some time this morning. Work resumed Wednesday on the structures destroyed in an early morning fire on Feb. 21 that left three dead. The fire destroyed the multi-story structure at 102 E. Aurora that housed Chelsi's Corner boutique on the street level and two floors of apartments above it, as well...
WATERSMEET — A 55-year-old Wisconsin man died Wednesday after falling through the ice on Thousand Island Lake in Watersmeet Township, according to a Lac Vieux Desert Tribal Police press release. Tommy Handrick, 55, of Minocqua, reportedly broke through the ice while driving a Skid-steer loader machine on the frozen lake. Tribal police and other agencies responded to the 911 call. The Land O’ Lakes Fire Department assisted in removing Handrick from the water. Aspirus Medivac transported him to Eagle River, Wis., Memorial Hospital, where he was...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Local restaurants will join forces with the Gogebic Community College Foundation to put on a night of food and drinks to raise scholarship money on April 23. The tasty night provides a social outlet for the community, a chance for local restaurants to show off their specialities in a controlled setting, and a chance to win bragging rights for the next year for the winning dishes and restaurants. Kelly Marczak, foundation director, said...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — Ironwood residents will soon have a chance to get to know their police officers a little better as the Ironwood Public Safety Department is hosting a series of “Coffee with a Cop” meetings throughout the community. The meetings give residents an opportunity to meet with representatives from the public safety department in a more comfortable setting, according to Ironwood Public Safety Department Director Greg Klecker. “It’s community relations in practice. People are not as inclined...
BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners last week approved two contract resolutions for the Gogebic-Iron Counties Airport. Airport board chair Jim Oliver, of Ironwood, said the resolutions pave the way for an annual improvement project at the airport that will include work on the taxiway from the main runway to the hangars. As usual, the federal and state governments will pick up nearly all of the tab for the project, with the county’s matching share only amounting to $1,547, according to Oliver. Gogebic County is partners wit...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - Any summer work plans the Gogebic County Road Commission had in 2016 were thrown out the window that July after the July 11 storm brought rain and flooding to the Little Girl's Point area and left numerous road washouts and some residents stranded. The work to reopen and repair the roads around Little Girl's Point was recently recognized, as road commission engineering manager Darren Pionk was named the County Road Associations of Michiga...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - A Tuesday work session of the Wakefield city council resulted in angry city workers voicing complaints about a pending change in work hours. At its most recent regular meeting on Feb. 26, council members had voted to change the city work day from the current schedule of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. to the later period of 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro was the only member to vote no on the change, which was expected to take effect after the Ma...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — A motion hearing on whether a murder charge against Evan T. Oungst will be heard along with charges against four other defendants will be heard Monday in Iron County Court. Oungst, 27, of Arbor Vitae, is charged in the murder of Wayne M. Valliere Jr., of Lac du Flambeau, and also with hiding a corpse. The motion for Oungst will be heard on the same day Curtis A. Wolfe, 26, of Lac du Flambeau, appears in court for an initial hearing on the same charges. Oungst’s attorney told the court Mon...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — A large delegation of Lac du Flambeau tribal members attended initial court appearances Monday for four of the five men who are accused of murder and hiding a corpse. All five are charged in the death of Wayne Valliere Jr., 25, of Lac du Flambeau, near Mercer on Dec. 22. James B. Lussier, 19, of Arbor Vitae; Richard F.A. Allen, 27, of Lac du Flambeau; Evan T. Oungst, 27, of Arbor Vitae, and Joseph D. Lussier, 26, of Lac du Flambeau, appeared in Iron County Court before Judge Patrick Madden. M...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — If Ironwood decides to approve any type of marijuana facilities in the city, the action won’t likely come soon. City commissioners and planning commissioners sat down Monday in a work session and discussed the possibility of allowing growing, processing, transportation or testing facilities in the city, but took no action. The matter was referred to the planning commission for discussion at its April meeting. Ironwood joins other cities in the state in not taking action. Community dev...
