Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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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...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College held its truth in taxation hearing and set its millage for the next year at 2.81290, to be levied against property in the college's district. According to the board, this millage rate remains unchanged and has stayed the same for an extended period of time. The college budget, to include a review of the revenue and expenses to date, was also discussed and set for the next year. With an understanding the budget has...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — A resolution approving final costs of the Aurora Lands assessor’s plat was approved Monday by the city commission. The cost of the plat will be split 50-50 with the property owners, city manager Scott Erickson noted. The total cost to Aurora property owners will be $18,516. The purpose of platting the Aurora Land parcels is so the homeowners can own the land where their residences are located, and not the land association. Erickson said the landowners can choose to pay back their spe...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - For the second straight year, a Feed the Hungry van arrived Monday to bring 21,000 pounds of food to the Lighthouse Faith Center Church on Ironwood's Ayer Street. Pastor Tom Rouse said the free food products will be distributed to the needy on the Gogebic Range on Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. "Whoever comes, comes," he said of the would-be recipients. Rouse said from his conversations with area food shelter operators, like the Union Station...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Area School District board of education met Monday after holding a Truth in Taxation meeting to discuss next years millage and debt retirement rate. The board set the Non-Homestead Operating Millage at 17.9694, which according to Chris Bergquist has not changed in years and set the A.D. Johnston debt retirement millage at 2.45. Jim Partanen, briefing for the finance committee highlighted the 2016-17 Food Service budget came i...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — While Ironwood Township’s Board of Review doesn’t meet frequently, there are now options if a board member can’t make one of the three meetings each year, after the township’s board of trustees approved two board alternates. Darrin Kimbler and Sandy Lahtinen were each approved for a two-year term as alternates for the board; which meets in March, July and December. The board’s March meeting is where township tax payers can appeal the amount they are taxed, while the July and De...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The Women on Target instructional shooting event saw 21 women experience a range of firearm shooting on Saturday at the Superior Range Shooter's Club on Black River Road in the township. Once the shooting commenced, the unmistakable sound of lead pinging steel reverberated across the grounds. The immediate feedback of shooting steel targets and even balloons, makes shooting much more engaging and enjoyable. The day started with an...
By JUSTIN LIBERTOSKI [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The rain held off for the Woods and Blooms Garden Club rededication ceremony at the Century Pines Park in Mercer. Beverly Johnson, a member of the Woods and Blooms Garden Club, described the history of the park Saturday. The park originally started as part of the Mercer Downtown Development Project and a grant was received in April of 2005 to begin work on the park. Beverly's husband, Roger, drew up the plan for the park. The Woods and...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] Fewer people are unemployed in Gogebic County in the past five months, but statistics show there are also fewer employed. According to the Michigan Civilian Labor Force, unemployment in the county in May numbered 350. That is 50 fewer than the 400 unemployed in January. A closer look at the labor force statistics, however, show there are fewer people employed in Gogebic County in those five months. In January total employment reached 6,250 but in May those numbers fell to 5,900, a drop of 350. The civilian...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Daniel Gerald Ferguson, 26, an escapee from the Gogebic County Jail in Bessemer on Monday, was captured Friday afternoon, ending an intensive manhunt. The sheriff's office released information it received a tip Ferguson was hiding in a residence in the city of Bessemer where he was apprehended without incident Friday around 2 p.m. Sightings with Ferguson's ex-girlfriend and other possible sightings were described on the Gogebic Cou...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission will act on awarding bids for demolishing two eyesore structures on Monday. The demolitions are part of the continuing Hardest Hit grant program that has allowed the city to remove dozens of eyesores in the past several years. On Monday, commissioners will consider approving bids to Snow Country Contracting, Inc., for the demolition and removal of structures at 213 Greenbush St. for $9,308 and 330 King St. for $12,990. A third bid for razing a commercial s...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] While Iron County again had the worst unemployment rate in Wisconsin in May, there was substantial improvement in the job numbers. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development reported this week the unemployment rate in Iron County improved from 7.6 percent in April to 5.3 percent in May. A year ago it was 7.1 percent. Ashland County improved from 4.7 percent in April to 3.8 percent in May. Vilas County went from 5.4 percent to 3.4 percent and neighboring Oneida County dropped from 4 percent to...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Another day, more possible sightings, yet the search continues for the inmate who escaped from the Gogebic County Jail Monday night. Daniel Ferguson, 26, escaped the jail sometime after 8:45 p.m. Monday, according to a Gogebic County Sheriff's Department Facebook post at approximately 9:33 p.m. that night. Thursday's search effort included the area around U.S. 2 and Powderhorn Road after there was a reported sighting of a man wea...
