Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5200 - 5224 of 9883
IRONWOOD - Threatening skies cleared in time for Ironwood's initial First Friday downtown promotional effort. After Friday afternoon events at Deport Park, people headed downtown for the evening hours to shop and listen to a one-man concert in the Art Park. The performer, David Paul Martin (Niemi), writes his own music, including an ode to Bald Mountain and a song about driftwood on the Lake Superior beach. He's the son of Paul and Linda Niemi, who are area natives and have a home near the Saxon...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - George Washington visited Mercer Thursday to talk about his life. Re-enactor David Best, who is from Indianapolis but has property on Pike Lake in Mercer, portrayed the nation's first president to a crowd in the Mercer Community Center. Speaking in the first person, Best talked about Washington's life - from the beginning of his military career in the lead-up to the French and Indian War and his marriage to Martha, through the...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON - The changing of the guard was held Wednesday at the Ontonagon-White Pine Rotary meeting. President Jim Jessup presented the gavel to new president Janet Wolfe. Wolfe, a Rotary member in Houghton for about 10 years, moved to the Ontonagon Rotary upon retirement from the U.P. Power Company. Wolfe said she has a few goals for the Ontonagon Rotary in the next year. "I would like us to work for a 10 percent increase in membership," Wolfe said. The...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — There are now multiple lawsuits in the Ironwood Township embezzlement case after Jim McKenzie, representing former Ironwood Township treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso, filed a counterclaim Thursday to the lawsuit Ironwood Township filed against Olson-DeRosso. The township’s suit, filed June 15, is seeking “in excess of $1.2 million in damages” it says were the result of Olson-DeRosso’s alleged embezzlement while treasurer. The counterclaim doesn’t specify a damage amount, rather asking the...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] GURNEY, Wis. - Iron County Forestry Department workers have been working to build a boardwalk and viewing deck so visitors can once again fully enjoy seeing the Potato River Falls after the previous viewing deck was washed away in the July 11 storm. While much of Iron County's focus in the aftermath of the storm was on the destruction of Saxon Harbor and the various road washouts throughout the northern part of the county, much of the cliff supporti...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - Those who bought tickets in the various Fourth of July 50/50 drawings across the Gogebic Range should check their numbers, because while the biggest jackpot in Bessemer has been claimed, the winners of several other local drawings have yet to come forward. Tom Miskovich, who was born and raised in Bessemer but now lives in Wausau, Wis., was the lucky person in possession of ticket No. 06330 that took the $34,861 prize in Bessemer....
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — A work group designed to evaluate how legal services are rendered to indigent criminal defendants is being set up by Gogebic-Ontonagon Counties Circuit Court Judge Michael Pope. The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has approved indigent defense standards. Michigan counties are required to submit plans to the Michigan Indigent Defense Commission by Nov. 20. In a letter to the Gogebic County Board, Pope said the work group will consist of the following people: ...
BESSEMER - A low flying plane made three passes at tree-top level, right down Sophie Street, initiating the start of Bessemer's Fourth of July parade Tuesday evening. It was all a prelude to the Bessemer Blast parade and the Thunder on the Mountain fireworks show later at Massie Field. A large crowd had gathered on a sunny evening, as the Memory Lane Car Cruise broke the ice, showcasing their late model automobiles along the parade route. Detective Sergeant Jeremy Hauswirth, from Michigan State...
WAKEFIELD - It was clear skies and warm weather Tuesday in downtown Wakefield as crowds gathered for the city's Fourth of July parade. The afternoon began with a short parade of classic cars, followed by the annual children's parade. Once the group of kids and parents walked, biked, scootered and pushed strollers down the parade route, the official parade kicked off. Led by a trio of police vehicles; the parade featured floats, the area's three marching bands, various Wakefield graduating...
WATERSMEET — An investigation into an apparent drowning Sunday evening on East Bear Lake in the Sylvania Wilderness Area of Watersmeet Township continues. The search resumed Monday morning and the body of 24-year-old Sang-Mook Yoon, of Grand Rapids, was recovered from the water shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday. Law enforcement was made known of the incident around 7:30 p.m. Sunday. A group of campers was swimming near a canoe landing on the lake. All of the people got out of the water, except for Yoon. Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department dep...
BESSEMER - While the Fourth of July weekend has become filled with cookouts and fireworks, a small crowd gathered in downtown Bessemer Sunday to recite the Declaration of Independence and mark the historical context of the holiday. After talking briefly about the history of the document; Connie Pricco, Dan Cvengros, Richard Steiger and John Frello took turns reciting the declaration's text. The group read several parts in unison, including the famous "We hold these truths to be self-evident,...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] ERWIN TOWNSHIP - The Erwin Township Hall was packed Sunday for the township's annual picnic. Now in its 50th year, the Erwin Area Picnic started following the Erwin School's closure in 1967. Organizers with the Erwin Area Community Club said the idea for the picnic was born when the township's women wanted a way to keep the community together after the school's closure meant the end of traditional methods, like the parent teacher association....
BLACK RIVER HARBOR — Volunteers will gather at Ottawa National Forest July 11 to restore the historic Black River Harbor pavilion. The scope of the project includes restoration of a masonry chimney, removal of non-historic additions and general refurbishment, according to Donald Rae, a communications officer for HistoriCorps. “As with all HistoriCorps projects, the work is carried out under supervision of trained field staff and in accordance with strict professional standards. This is the second time a HistoriCorps crew has worked at the sit...
IRONWOOD - It may have been the weather, but the Ironwood Memorial Building was filled with kids Friday afternoon for the Ironwood Carnegie Library's Sciencepalooza Science Fair. "I think the rain has helped a little," library director Lynne Wiercinski said, estimating 150 kids participated in the experiments. "It's a great indoor activity for a day that's not so beautiful outside, but I also know that whenever you do anything that involves science, we always see an excellent turnout." The...
The Fourth of July is a time for communities across the area to gather and celebrate. Many communities have planned parades, games in the park and fireworks. Not all the celebrations are on Tuesday, July 4, though, as the annual excitement builds with events in the days prior. Ramsay Bessemer Township will be the first to light up the sky with fireworks in the region tonight at dusk. That event is after a street dance that starts at 6 p.m. offering music, food and refreshments near the Town...
BESSEMER - Melissa Rajala, librarian for the Bessemer Public Library, opened the doors and kicked off the annual summer book sale Thursday morning. The sale runs through Monday, with all proceeds earmarked to benefit the summer reading program. Rajala said this year the bulk of the offerings are donated books from estates or personal libraries. If the library already owns a book that is donated, the book will be used to support the summer reading program, so the donated books come in handy and...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — While Daniel Ferguson has been charged with one count in connection with his escape last week from the Gogebic County Jail, additional charges are expected in the case. Ferguson, 26, has been charged with escape while awaiting trial for a felony — a felony charge with a maximum potential sentence of four years in prison — in connection with the escape that led to a multi-day manhunt. In addition to the escape charge, additional breaking and entering charges are expected in the case,...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners agreed to advance $30,000 to pay pre-fair expenses Wednesday. In a letter, Gogebic County Fair Chairman Jim Gribble said at its most recent meeting, the fair board unanimously requested an advance to cover pre-fair vouchers. He said the money will be repaid by fair receipts, as has been done in previous years. County board member Jeff Wasley, of Ironwood, who also sits on the fair board, said the county board also advanced the fair board the same a...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — A year after a devastating storm washed out much of the Little Girl’s Point area and severely damaged other locations, Gogebic County is still about $2 million short of reimbursement costs. As a result, Michigan’s state senators are supporting a change in rules used to determine federal reimbursements for storm damages so it doesn’t happen again. The July 11 storm dumped about a foot of rain in four hours and wiped out large culverts and washed away road surfaces. In a letter to the U.S. Ho...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Ironwood Township Board of Trustees hired Plante Moran Wednesday to perform a forensic audit on the township’s finances in an attempt to get to the bottom of the township’s financial irregularities — including determining the potential scope of former treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso’s alleged embezzlement. The lower Michigan-based Plante Moran was one of five companies the board considered. Each company was assigned a letter during the discussions to allow the board members t...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Historical Society is looking for talent for this weekend’s Hometown Variety Show Sunday at 6 p.m. The variety show is being held in the Wakefield gymnasium and is free to enter, but there is a suggested $3 donation at the door for entrance, with all proceeds going to support the Wakefield Museum. Donna Ferson said the variety show usually lasts an hour or an hour and a half and includes demonstrations by the Bethany Ann Hellen Studios, Wakefield-Marenisco cheerleaders and...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — Foth Infrastructure and Environment, LLC, will continue its work as the engineering firm for the reconstruction of Saxon Harbor, after the Iron County Board of Supervisors approved the contract for Phase 2 of the reconstruction’s design process Tuesday. While the first design phase of the reconstruction project to return Saxon Harbor to an operable state following its destruction during rain and flooding during the July 11, 2016 storm consisted primarily of gathering information, Pha...
