Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5102 - 5126 of 9883
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...
MERCER, Wis. - A construction project to repave a portion of U.S. 51 in southern Iron County is underway, with workers preparing the site Monday. The project will resurface a section of highway between Moose Lake Road and South End Road, along with replace a culvert and add centerline rumble strips, according to a Wisconsin Department of Transportation news release. The highway will remain open during the $1.4 million project, according to the release, although there will likely be lane...
HURLEY — No charges will be filed in the July crash that took the life of a 90-year-old Mercer man. John Moorhouse, 90, was attempting to cross U.S. 51 on a utility vehicle on July 24 near Old Pioneer Road. He pulled in front of a vehicle driven by Tom Maulson, of Lac du Flambeau, former tribal council chairman and a Vilas County Board member. Moorhouse was crossing the highway from an all-terrain vehicle trail. Maulson, who was northbound on the highway in a 2016 Ford Fusion, tried to avoid the accident and swerved, deputies said, but the t...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - They arrived in Ironwood Friday evening with the dream of a golden future. The Junior Open Camp for kids aged 14-19 at Gogebic Community College has brought future collegiate and hopeful national and Olympic quality skiers from the Midwest to work with coach Karmen Whithan on fitness, technique and a love for skiing. The crop of skiers leaves next Thursday, according to Whithan, as a new group of younger campers shows up. According to...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - The Luoma family of Saxon knew a cow named Sara was ready to give birth this month. They had no idea the blessed event would come at the Iron County Fair this past weekend. Sara gave birth to Missy around 4:50 a.m. on Saturday in the cattle barn. The birth was discovered by the patriarch of the Luoma family, Eugene Luoma, who fittingly serves on the fair board and has been involved with the fair for decades. His son, David, and grandson,...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — Ontonagon Area School District voters will head for the polls Tuesday to vote on millage to update the 50-year-old systems at the school. The district is asking voters to approve a sinking fund of 1.3 mills for 10 years. Superintendent Jim Bobula noted the school was built in 1967 and most of the equipment is that age. The school has identified needed upgrades including repairs in the heating system, gas boiler, security, student technology, handicap accessibility and bathrooms. Officials noted t...
SAXON, Wis. - The poultry and rabbits were active with a cool north breeze drifting through their weekend home at the Iron County Fair in Saxon on Friday. Two geese were cackling in their cage, greeting fair-goers who were checking out the poultry barn that was full of animals. The clouds left and the skies brightened in the early afternoon as cattle judging was taking place in the livestock ring in mid-60s temperatures. A familiar face to fair-goers, Dan Meyer, was judging cattle in the show ri...
MERCER — VFW Post 9536 in Mercer is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony Aug. 12 at 1:30 p.m. The general public is invited and the post has invited town dignitaries and business owners to join them, rain or shine. A covered pavilion is being staged in the event of rain. Bob Davis, commander, said the post meets in the library during the winter because the heating, which was installed in the early 1960s, no longer works well. Every year from winter until around May, Post 9536 is unable to use the building, which hampers its ability to function a...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - Three people spoke in favor of Ironwood adopting an ordinance to allow marijuana facilities in the city and one was opposed at a Thursday listening session conducted by the Ironwood Planning Commission. The planning commission will decide the matter at a future meeting. Ironwood Community Development Director Tom Bergman said if the planning commission doesn't adopt an ordinance, there can be no facility in the city under the new Medical Mari...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — While the Gogebic County Road Commission had already learned it would be receiving financial assistance in repairing the storm damage to Lake Road, it was also informed July 28 that it would be getting a $1 million grant to help repair local roads and culverts around Little Girl’s Point damaged during the July 11, 2016 storm. “We are pretty ecstatic here at the road commission, because we have never received a special grant like this,” road commission engineering manager Darren Pionk s...
