Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5091 - 5115 of 9883
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — Pat Gallinagh had some grim statistics for the Ironwood City Commission on Monday. The suicide rate in Ontonagon County is the highest in the state and Gogebic County ranks seventh among the 83 counties, he noted. The Ironwood resident, a former area educator and high school football coach, believes the lack of psychiatric counseling on the Gogebic Range plays a big factor in the high suicide rate here, in addition to alcohol and drug abuse and the availability of firearms. “The sca...
GURNEY, Wis. - With the construction of a new boardwalk and viewing platform, visitors are once again able to easily take in the Lower Potato River Falls. The previous platform and cliff supporting it were washed away during the rain and flooding that hit northern Iron County during the same July 11, 2016 storm that destroyed Saxon Harbor. While reconstruction of the harbor remains in the planning stages, the Iron County Forestry Department's staff began work on the new observation platform in...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Ontonagon has a new mine inspector. Doug Roberts, Bruce Crossing, was named to fill the vacancy created by the death of Bob Niemela. Niemela was elected in November, but died in May. The appointment was made by the county executive committee of clerk Stacey Preiss, prosecutor Michael Findley and probate judge Janis Burgess. Roberts worked for many years at the White Pine Copper Mine. Commissioner Gray Webber reported on a meeting held to investigate the possibility of a county-wide building i...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - Bob and Ellen Downing, chairman and chairman's helper for the Mercer Lions Club, reported a great crowd showed up for the duck race on Aug. 5 in Mercer. The Downings said everyone had a really good time and people are already looking forward to next year's race. The Mercer Duck Race, a fundraiser for Lions International, has grown every year since its inception in 2011. The funds raised have also grown from 2011 to present, starting...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — Around 80 percent of the funding for five demolition projects approved Monday night by the Ironwood City Commission will come from a grant. The commission approved Snow Country Contracting for all of the eyesore removal projects, as follows: 142 Rowe St., $15,049; 340 E. Pine St., $26,083; 249 E. Ash St., $20,883; 433 Shale Road, $21,819; 431 Shale Road, $32,146. Snow Country knocked off $6,300 from the 431 Shale Rd. demolition because it received both Shale Road bids and the work will be i...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Those playing on the Sunset Park Baseball Field will have an easier time fielding grounders next season as the Ironwood Township Board of Trustees approved repairing the infield Monday. The township was planning to spend roughly $3,400 to completely renovate the field; according to Ironwood Township Supervisor Steve Boyd, who said the township budgeted $3,600 for the project. However, it may cost less than expected to complete the work. “We got a very good offer on the cla...
\By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] SPRINGSTEAD - The Sherman Town Hall's parking lot was full Saturday as the Sherman-Springstead Fire Department held its annual Corn Roast fundraiser. Department Chief Ron King was pleased with the turnout for the event, saying the weather was great. "(It's a) beautiful day," King said. "You can't beat it." This is the 38th year the department has held the Corn Roast, which is one of its largest fundraisers. King said the money raised from the...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] LAKE GOGEBIC - Saturday afternoon, on a bright and sunny day, supporters of the three-headed hydra that is the Gogebic Miners football team gathered together at Gogebic Lodge to eat grilled steaks with all the fixings and drink adult sodas. All three schools were represented in the donors and supporters class; but even more important, the athletic directors of two out of the three schools were captured shucking corn together and playing nice. The...
WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. — The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be expanding its construction on U.S. 51 in Iron County this week. Beginning Wednesday, work will begin on the highway between Weber Road and County C. American Asphalt is the prime contractor for the $1.6 million project; which will resurface the highway, replace culverts and install centerline rumble strips. The company is also the prime contractor for a project of a similar scope between Moose Lake Road and South End Road that was scheduled to start Aug. 7. That s...
LITTLE GIRL'S POINT - Dredging once again took place this week at Little Girl's Point as workers attempt to keep Oman's Creek open and unblocked by sediment. The Department of Natural Resources has contracted with Gogebic County to perform the dredging operations, according to Jeff Gaertner, DNR park manager for the Porcupine Mountains State Park and Lake Gogebic area. The actual work is done by Angelo Luppino Construction. The funds to pay for the dredging are a regular part of the DNR's...
HURLEY — It appears Iron County will have to wait to implement its latest broadband internet project after the county failed to be awarded a state grant in the latest round of funding. Last week, the Wisconsin Public Service Commission awarded $1.5 million in grants to 13 of the 53 applications it received. Iron County had sought around $66,225 in grant funding — which, along with matching funds and in-kind labor from the county, the town of Mercer and GogebicRange.net, had been intended for a $134,451 project in southern Iron County. The proje...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Gogebic Medical Care Facility in Wakefield was a safe place to be Thursday for emergency response. Mike Yon, Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department chief, said they had two Wakefield engines, three Bessemer Township engines and the Ironwood ladder truck on-site for the annual emergency preparedness drill. Yon described the good working relationship between the departments since at least as long as he has been on the fire department in...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - It was another successful year for the Iron County 4-H's annual pie auction Sunday at the Iron County Fair. While the final numbers are still being tallied, the 46 pies auctioned off raised around $7,125 for the county's 4-H program. That figure includes Jason Rowe's $1,000 winning bid for a cinnamon-roll-crust apple pie. "The crust was made out of cinnamon rolls ... and it was filled with apple and crumble. The judges loved it," Iron...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners Wednesday heard a presentation on how Copper Peak might qualify for Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Funds. Bob Jacquart, chairman of the organizing committee for Copper Peak, gave the board an update on plans to return ski flying to the site in Ironwood Township. Jacquart outlined funds that have been approved for the facility, including $125,000 in a Department of Agriculture grant. Jacquart said the drawback to attempting to tap i...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - Hurley City Council members expressed frustration on Tuesday that nearly four years after a fire destroyed the Wishbones restaurant on Silver Street, the bottom part of the structure has not been removed. The Dec. 12, 2013 fire created a spectacular blaze that sent smoke for miles on a cold winter night. On Tuesday, council member Joanne Bruneau questioned the status of removal of the remains of the building during the public comment section...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College is a leader in the rural community college ranks nationwide, according to school President Jim Lorenson. Lorenson was selected to lead the Rural Community College Alliance, comprised of about 650 rural community colleges. Lorenson said a rural community college in the southwest and the southeast and the upper Midwest will all have striking similarities, once you account for the regional demographics. A rural CC is...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] ERWIN TOWNSHIP — Erwin Township’s financial situation appears to be improving, at least according to the audit report the township board of trustees approved Tuesday. Roger Kolehmainen, the township’s auditor, walked the board through his report on the previous fiscal year. He said the township received an “unqualified” audit opinion — the highest possible rating — and complimented the board on fixing many of the past problems. “There has been a lot of improvements made in the accounting syst...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College President Jim Lorenson hosted Tom Stephenson, from Connect Michigan, for a Tuesday discussion on how to bring broadband internet access at higher speeds to the western Upper Peninsula. Members from the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, Gogebic-Iron Broadband Committee and the Western Upper Peninsula Regional Prosperity Initiative also attended, as did local municipalities' representatives and...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — An 18-year-old Hurley resident will spend 20 days in the Iron County Jail before heading off to attend Northern Michigan University in Marquette this fall. Joshua Richard Quello was sentenced on Tuesday afternoon after entering no contest pleas to two counts of sexual assault of minors and two misdemeanors for intimidation of a witness. A deferred entry of judgment was reached in which the two felonies will be dismissed after three years if he follows all conditions of the agreement. Quello w...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Gogebic County Road Commission has scheduled a public meeting to update area residents on the upcoming Little Girl’s Point construction projects to repair much of the remaining damage from the July 11, 2016 storm. The meeting will be at 5 p.m. Friday at the Ironwood Township Hall, according to Gogebic County Road Commission Engineering Manager Darren Pionk. The meeting will include information on both the second year of Lake Road repairs, as well as the work to be done on...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - Charly Loper, city manager, brought forth a recommendation under new business that the council seek the assistance of a professional mediator. The mediation is designed to assist the council in working together and in getting along better. The council supported the appeal by Loper 4-1, with Al Gaiss opposing the measure. The council voted to approve Change Order number 3 regarding the Water and Wastewater system improvements plan to...
