Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5485 - 5509 of 9883
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon Fire Department volunteers will now be treated as village employees under action taken by the Ontonagon Village Council Monday. The method by which firemen were paid has been an issue for several months and was highlighted in a television interview of Sue Lockhart. Lockhart told the council Monday that her interview was “not against the fire department,” but was intended to call attention to the village which she said was “not complying with federal and state laws.” “You spend a lot o...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Regional Hospice held its Annual Polar Plunge on Saturday afternoon in Wakefield. This is the 11th year of the event. Sunday Lake was still covered in snow and an estimated 16 inches of ice, but that didn't deter participants from coming out and jumping into the opening in the ice. Over 40 people dressed in all sorts of costumes took the plunge to support the cause. "I like to come out and support a good cause" said jumper Samantha...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON - Jim Bobula, Ontonagon Area School superintendant, called the first job fair held at the school Friday a "good success and a great start," in showing young people and the community that there are jobs available if you have the right skills. Junior and senior young people from the schools of the Gogebic Ontonagon Intermediate School District and the public attended the fair with 28 business venders explaining what they have to offer in the way of...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] SPRINGSTEAD — Two Iron County lakes have been selected for an experiment researchers hope will lead to stopping the decline of walleye populations across the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist Zach Lawson said he was notified March 20 McDermott Lake and Sandy Beach Lake in the town of Sherman were selected for a five-year experiment conducted by the DNR, University of Wisconsin’s Center for Limnology and the Cooperative Fisheries Research Unit at UW-...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] GILE, Wis. - As the weather warms up, members of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources are preparing for another season of work intended to improve panfish populations in the Gile Flowage. Included in those efforts is the cutting down around 100 trees, according to Fisheries Biologist Zach Lawson, to improve habitat. Lawson said about 20 percent were felled in November, "While we still had open water. We were able to squeeze it in between...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — Gogebic County Board of Commissioners members on Wednesday authorized signing of a summer airport project resolution that won’t be affected by federal budget cuts. The county board authorized its chairman, George Peterson, of Watersmeet, to sign an agreement between the Hunt and Mead firm and the county for the terminal apron rehabilitation project at the Gogebic-Iron County Airport in Ironwood Township. A resolution was presented to the board by airport manager Mike Harma. Com...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - Ironwood's second graders spent part of the last two weeks working on a project about penguins, but rather than learn from their teachers, the students were taught by some of the district's high schoolers. The students were from the district's business information technology class, according to second grade teacher Michelle Trier. Trier said the project was developed after she and Tess Paakola, who teaches the technology class,...
BESSEMER - Students from A.D. Johnston High School competed in the Region 1 Science Olympiad tournament at Northern Michigan University in Marquette Saturday, bringing home two seconds. The competition is about science, technology, engineering and math. "After an exhausting day of competition, the students assembled with high hopes and expectations for the final results and standings," said coach Dave Rowe. "The Bessemer teams have transitioned from teams that participate to a perennial power...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The sky is the limit when people come together for each other. The "Sing For Hope" charity seeks to place decorated pianos in public schools to supplement the decreasing funds available to schools for extracurricular activities like the arts. Bridget Grotberg, an art teacher at the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School for the past seven years, heard about the program and applied in November. Grotberg submitted a plan her application, portfolio...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — The Ironwood Township Planning Commission set the date for a public hearing regarding the renewal for gravel pit permits at its March 16 meeting. The annual hearing, a standard part of the renewal process for the special use permits for sand and gravel pits, is scheduled for April 20 at 6 p.m. at the township hall. Last year, the commission approved 12 applicants for one-year permits. The commission also re-elected its officers, with Jason Hofstede chairman, Darrin Kimbler v...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - Firefighting efforts at 401 N. Hemlock St. in Ironwood continued into Wednesday afternoon after a spectacular blaze that produced thick smoke was reported at 8:42 a.m. The two-story house was a total loss. It took the Ironwood Public Safety Department only three minutes to respond to the fire of undetermined origin, according to an initial IPSD report. No one was at home at the time, but there were two dogs in the burning structure....
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - Charly Loper was seen Wednesday checking and re-checking survey results Bessemer residents sent in to city hall. The city sent out 980 surveys to residents and received 296 responses. A 30 percent response rate far exceeded what city manager Loper was expecting. She was hoping for a 10 percent return rate. What Loper discovered was the electronic reader was not sufficient to capture the responses. In many questions there was an option to...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday agreed sheriff’s department deputy Brandon Tauer will become a full-time data processing manager-courthouse security officer effective May 1. To replace Tauer, sheriff Peter Matonich was authorized by the board to fill Tauer’s deputy position. Tauer is being trained for the computer technology job currently held by Brad Noren, who is retiring later this year. Rather than keep Tauer as a deputy and pay him overtime in training with Noren...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The body of a person who had been dead for perhaps years was found Monday afternoon in a house that’s being considered for demolition in Ironwood. The Ironwood Public Safety Department issued a Tuesday news release saying the human remains were discovered around 4 p.m. Monday in a home that was being inspected for demolition this summer. The IPSD was notified by city building inspector Dennis Hewitt when the body was found. It appears as if the person might have owned the house, according to...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Sixty-seven competitors from Gogebic and Ontonagon counties descended on Larry's Lucky Strikes Tuesday to bowl and raise money for Special Olympics. Barb Siira, director of Special Olympics Michigan locally since 1972, said they had to cancel the event last Friday due to weather so they held it on Tuesday instead. The Special Olympics, according to Siira, does not receive tax dollars. They rely on a bevy of volunteers and fundraising to sup...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The candidates in Mercer's two contested race in April's election had the opportunity to make their cases to voters Tuesday night at the Mercer Candidate Forum. The April 4 ballot will feature John Sendra facing off against incumbent Jim Kichak for town chairman; while incumbent Jeff Stenberg, Tom Thompson and James Schmidt are facing off for two town supervisor seats. Sponsored by the Mercer Public Library and the Iron County Citizen...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — Barring any unforeseen derailments, Ironwood students will be taking the field as members of the Gogebic Miners this fall after the Ironwood Area Schools Board of Education voted Monday to join the co-op team. “There has been a big decline in the number of student athletes willing to participate in the sport of football,” Superintendent Tim Kolesar said. Given the low turnout in recent years, Kolesar said a number of districts in the area — including Ironwood — have eliminated their jun...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - The Bessemer City Council meeting was over shadowed by the simmering sentiment of its citizens again. City resident Donna Brown submitted a letter to the city council that was read into the record regarding her unhappiness with Bessemer since marijuana came to town. Brown expressed her feelings that medical marijuana was snuck into the town by a prior council and city manager and that she is ashamed of what the city has become. During publi...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - An Illinois resident waived extradition to that state in Iron County Court Monday afternoon to face charges of being a sexually violent person (escape). David William Hermosillo Jr., 50, of Bloomington, was arrested early Sunday in Mercer by the Iron County Sheriff's Department on a fugitive criminal complaint. Area law enforcement agencies had received a report that Hermosillo might be somewhere on the Gogebic Range. Det. Lt. Paul Samardich...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] IRONWOOD - As the season draws to a close at the Wolverine Nordic Ski Trail, plans are already being made for next year's trails. The trail hosted a slew of successful events throughout the winter months this year and is in the planning stages of next year's events and development. "We had a great year, and we're looking forward to next year." said trail member Deborah Leonard. Most recently, the Ladies' Lunch was held at the trail. Any ladies int...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] BESSEMER - Despite the snow and cold weather, Big Powderhorn Mountain held a tropical themed Hawaii Weekend on Saturday. The annual event was comprised of an on hill scavenger hunt with clues scattered throughout the slopes, a raffle, and prizes from the Powderhorn Gifts & Brews gift-shop. "Lots of people really enjoy the scavenger hunt." said General Manager and Co-Owner Bruce Noren. Skiers were given leis upon entering the lodge, which was...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] Ontonagon County was one of only three counties in the Upper Peninsula which did not see an increase in unemployment in January, according to the Michigan Bureau of Management and Budget. In Ontonagon County the unemployment rate decreased from December’s 9.6 percent to 9.3 percent. One year ago that rate was 8.2 percent. Keweenaw and Luce Counties were the other two that experienced unemployment declines. Gogebic County saw a slight increase in unemployment from 5.4 in December to 6.1 in January. One year ago...
IRONWOOD - Last Saturday, Gary Engstrom of Ironwood finished the Calumet Great Bear Chase cross country ski race naked and prone, registering a fourth place finish in his age bracket. That's pretty good for someone who is 70 years old and had been clinically dead for 10 minutes. Most people would get arrested for finishing a race naked, but Engstrom, who was carried across the line like a true king in the prone position, was given a free pass. Engstrom's clothes had been cut off by emergency...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - Gene Goss' fifth grade class at the Washington School in Bessemer hosted Megan Martell from the Michigan State University Gogebic County Extension office. Martell, including Thursday's session, is halfway through a nutrition curriculum designed to educate the children on healthy eating habits and food sources. On Thursday, Martell focused on nutrition and food labels. When asked why food in the grocery store has labels, the kids answered in...
