Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission heard Monday that the $11 million Phase 1 of the city’s water pump station project has begun with site work by Snow Country Contracting in Ironwood Township. Concrete foundations will be beginning in the next two weeks, said City Manager Paul Anderson. The commission approved approximately $54,000 in expenditures to Snow County Contracting for repairing the access road to the site, in preparation for heavier construction equipment that will be used. The com...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer Parks and Recreation Commission voted last week to approve $5,200 for Fahrner Excavating of Ironwood to clear West Kallender Creek, which leads into the fishing pond in Bluff Valley Park. The action is part of an ongoing initiative to prepare the park pond for fishing by local youth, as promoted by Commissioner Russ Maki in previous meetings. Maki said that he will contact Ken Fahrner to schedule the work for late April or early May of next year. “We do need a DNR permit if we...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — Demolition of the grandstands and poultry barn may begin next week, said Gogebic County Commissioner James Byrns on Tuesday. Byrns spoke to The Globe after a Tuesday evening meeting of the county’s Fair Board, which he chairs. County commissioners hired Bolle Contracting of downstate Clare earlier this year to complete the demolition. During Tuesday’s Fair Board meeting, members expressed frustration with slow progress on the fairgrounds, in part due to delays in the demolition, but also becau...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] ONTONAGON - The 67th annual Labor Day celebration took place this past weekend with three days of activities starting on Friday with a community picnic and ending on Sunday with a parade, a concert by Marty's Goldenaires and a communityfest that stretched into the evening. Temperatures in the 90s helped to heat up the fun. "When you have a town of 1,300 to 1,400, and 3,000 people show up, that's saying something," said Bill Burrows, a member of the...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY— People flocked to Silver Street in downtown Hurley on Saturday to celebrate Festival Italiano, a gathering of food, music and games to honor the area’s Italian heritage. The celebration kicked off late in the morning as vendors got cooking, preparing for the lunch rush crowd. There were food booths up and down the street, also offering refreshments. Games and kids activities were held at a park downtown, including face painting and a bounce house. A line of vendor booths also were popular wit...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — A failure to create a connecting route between Ramsay and Wakefield has resulted in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources closing that part of Trail 2 for the 2023-24 snowmobile season. The decision was sent late Tuesday to Wakefield City Manager Robert Brown Jr. and Wakefield Township Supervisor Mandy Lake. It followed a Tuesday email from Brown to Ron Yesney, U.P. trails coordinator for MDNR, in which Brown said Wakefield officials do not want to repeat last year’s temporary reroute a...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — According to the U.S. Department of Labor, members of Congress declared in 1894 that the first Monday in September should be a legal holiday. Many Americans try to set aside the entire long weekend as a time to relax, visit with family and friends, and perhaps enjoy a backyard barbecue, a brisk hike, or a trip to the beach — often one last outing for the waning summer. That was certainly the case in Wakefield, where residents and visitors were relishing unseasonably warm temperatures. Lou...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council is now facing the vacancy of its two highest positions in the city, thanks to the recent resignation of Jennifer Adams. Upon returning from vacation on Monday, Adams decided to leave her roles as city manager and as interim clerk-treasurer after council members refused last week to honor her demands. Specifically, in an Aug. 16 notice, Adams informed the council that she wished to leave her role as city manager while retaining the role of clerk/treasurer — but onl...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] ONTONAGON - Where can you go to hear anything from rock to soul to new-age fusion while mingling in a laid-back land of mellow smiles and easy goodwill? More than 1,600 people demonstrated the answer by flocking to the 17th annual Porcupine Mountains Music Festival, held last Friday and Saturday in Ontonagon. This is the venue to go for long skirts and short overalls, along with braids, beards and backpacks, and a sprinkle of psychedelic color. On...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] HURLEY — Members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday evening to support county employees in relation to either flexibility in hours or targeted increases in pay. Representatives of six county offices first formally expressed success, within a letter dated Aug. 21, in relation to a summer schedule of four and one-half day weeks and thereby requested “respectfully” to continue with the new hours that had been granted on a trial basis until Sept. 4. The new schedule allows employees of t...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area School District board met on Monday evening to finalize items pertaining to the 2023-2024 school year. One of the topics the board discussed was the hiring of a number of staff members for the 2023-2024 school year. The list is as following: —Cody Kurta: hired as a long-term substitute special education teacher and the middle school football coach. —Denver Sharrow: hired as a K-12 business education teacher. —Anthony Stehlik: hired as the driver’s education instructor....
WHITE PINE — Highland Copper Company and Kinterra Capital Corp. officials visited the site of a planned White Pine North mining project on Aug. 17. The visit was “a significant step forward” in developing the copper mining project, according a release from Highland, adding officials are working to obtain the required state permits. Site preparation is expected to begin in 2025. Construction of the mine is planned to begin in 2026, with an anticipated start of production in 2029, said the release. “The visit was an opportunity for Kinterr...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] ROCKLAND - Sunday's 40th annual Old Victoria craft fair was a big hit in Rockland, as sunny weather drew a large, ongoing crowd to the historical site nearly 12 miles southeast of Ontonagon. Numerous canopies featured a wide variety of arts and crafts by artisans who traveled from near and far to be part of the day-long event. "It's a good little fair they've got here," said Jeff Peot, who has a cabin in Bergland and a home in Watertown, Wisconsin. Peot wa...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — A sidewalk generally is viewed as a useful means of walking, or rolling, from one point to another without infringing on a stranger’s lawn. However, a Tuesday evening discussion by members of the Wakefield Planning Commission proved that it’s not always a matter of simple practicality. City Manager Robert Brown Jr. said homeowners of one Wakefield lot on have asked permission to remove the sidewalks from their property and replace them with grass. Brown said current city code dictates that...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Carnegie Library received a mysterious donation recently in the form of a handmade quilt depicting heavy construction equipment on one side and the covers of some of the maker’s favorite books on the other. Library Director Lynne Wiercinski said she had tears in her eyes when she found it, and plans to hang it in the library’s early childhood resource room. “I have no idea who sent it in,” she said. She explained that along with the quilt, the donor also left the wooden dowel it...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board is looking to revisit its job posting for a new airport manager in an upcoming special meeting, the board decided at it regular meeting Monday. Board member Jim Lorensen recommended the board take a look at the current posting, and compare the pay they’re offer to other managerial and public official positions in both Gogebic and Iron counties, as well as to other airports. “Everyone got a copy of the department heads’ salaries. … and everyone needs to take...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - Despite ominous weather reports directly before the Gogebic County Fair, Mother Nature smiled upon what turned out to be a busy four days that were loaded with activity at the Ironwood site. "We had a great weekend," said James Byrns, chairman of the county Fair Board, at a Monday meeting. According to Fair Coordinator Marlene Saari, the daily and seasonal tickets sales totaled 5,091. That's a significant rise from last year's combined sales of...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — The rodeo came to town Sunday, and the crowd enjoyed the show at the Gogebic County Fair in Ironwood. Temporary bleachers surrounding the pen were filled to the brim. Backed up pick-up trucks and a small number of chairs accommodated more folks while many people opted just to stand. Announcer Caleb Claybrook, from Minnesota, warned viewers to stay 3 feet away from the fence line in case one of the animals happened to knock down any portion of it. He described the activity as “the most dan...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Members of the Bessemer City Council voted Monday to accept internal applications for the position of clerk/treasurer until Friday. Councilman Linda Nelson and Mayor Adam Zak also agreed that it makes sense to give existing office employees a chance to engage in more tasks so that they can see whether the job is a good fit for them. Jennifer Adams, who served as clerk/treasurer before she became city manager at the start of this year, recently has been continuing her role as city manager w...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic Community College board of trustees held a special meeting on Monday evening to discuss several personnel issues, including progress on their presidential search. The board has reviewed 12 applications, and members rated each of them based on how they felt individuals would best fit the position. The board elected to schedule interviews with 10 of the applicants. This first-round of interviews will be held via Zoom, said chairman Susan Beals, even if the applicants are local, so a...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - The Iron County Fair drew crowds to Saxon last weekend, with people gathering to enjoy fair goodies, live music, demonstrations and shows at the fairgrounds as temperatures reached the 80s. The celebration ran from Thursday through Sunday with a variety of events. Saturday's live music performance by Snake Oil performance was a big draw and part of the busiest day of the fair, with rides open into the evening, a crowd flocked to the field in...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, WIS. — The Penokee Range 4H Livestock Club annual livestock auction was a somewhat solemn affair this year, as members of the community remembered Carolyn Alonen, a lifelong supporter of the Penokee Range 4H, and long time friend of the fair. Alonen died in 2022, and fair officials honored her memory by naming the livestock show arena in her name. Organizers kicked off the annual livestock auction by auctioning off a quarter of beef to begin a scholarship in her memory. The quarter went through n...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — People parked in every available spot in Mercer on Wednesday, Aug. 2, to make their way to downtown to celebrate Loon Day. Vendors from all over the county set up and sold their goods, with area businesses hosting musicians and other events during the busy day that started early. The craft fair was open until late afternoon and music continued into the evening. Organized by the Mercer Chamber of Commerce, Loon Day has become a staple, and with crowds of people numbering in the thousands f...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The small town of Wakefield experienced a big flurry of activity this past weekend as it hosted the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament. A portion of M-28 closed between mid-day Friday and Sunday evening in order to accommodate a long row of half-courts that served 145 teams, 580 total players and an enthusiastic crowd to cheer them on. "You can hardly get through up and down the street," said Mike Fuller, who has been with Gus Macker for...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Heritage Festival kicked off this past weekend with several activities, including the annual Heritage Days parade in downtown Hurley Saturday afternoon. Children cheered as floats drove past, throwing candy out of windows and from the back of truck beds. This year’s parade had a “Never ending winter” theme, with floats and costumes reflecting the snowy season. A pair of horseback riders wore Elsa and Jack Frost costumes for the event. Several Iron County fire departments had the...
