Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5634 - 5658 of 9785
IRONWOOD - The Patrick O'Donnell Civic Center was filled with activity Tuesday afternoon as open skating drew a good-sized crowd. "It's been crazy busy. It's great," said civic center director Brian Roehm, as he helped man the skate rental and concession stand. "It's great to see the place being used." The civic center has open skating every day over the holidays, drawing skaters young and old from near and far. "People come from the ski hills, people come from all over the world," said Roehm....
HURLEY - The Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce will host the annual Vintage Snowmobile parade Friday evening. Sleds will line up at the Depot in downtown Ironwood around 5:30 p.m. The parade starts at 6 and will follow the snowmobile trail into Hurley, ending at the Iron Horse trailhead at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Silver Street. Fireworks are planned at the trailhead following the parade. The parade is part of the greater Vintage Snowmobile races set for Saturday at the Gogebic County Fairgr...
By JUSTIN LIBERTOSKI [email protected] IRONWOOD - The eighth annual Sisu Ski Fest that will begin on Friday, Jan. 6, will feature several changes in the events this year. The main difference in the event are the changes in the distances for the races. The Sisu Ski Race has been shortened to 31 kilometers instead of its previous 42k. Also, the Heikki Lunta race has been shortened to a 15k race, instead of 21k. According to race director Jackie Powers, "We think that these distances fit in...
By JUSTIN LIBERTOSKI [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The fourth annual YooperBeiner Snowshoe Race and Walk will take place Saturday, Jan. 14, at Wolverine Nordic Ski Trails. Plans call for a 10k race, a 5k race and a kids' race. The kids' race will begin at 9:30 a.m., with the other races starting at 11 a.m., at Wolverine Nordic Ski Trails. The event will also feature door prizes, many provided by area businesses. According to Susan Spaete, almost everyone who came out last year...
Icy conditions prevailed over the weekend on area roadways and sidewalks. Highs in the 30s and lows in the 20s since Friday aided a bit of melting and refreezing that seemed to Zamboni many surfaces. High winds and a third of an inch of precipitation overnight Monday made for a slick Tuesday, as well. Local deputies responded to a few single-car accidents, but no injuries were reported. Iron County responded to two vehicles in the ditch, another in a snow bank and one stuck in a driveway. Gogebic County heard reports of a pair of car-deer...
IRONWOOD - As Ironwood gears up for an influx of snowmobile racers for the next few weeks, Tom Auvinen and crew are busy making ice and preparing the track. Without the ice-makers and hay bale layers, there would be no racing in Ironwood, but for Auvinen and crew, they are fine with the racers receiving all the attention. Next Saturday, Dec. 31, between 9a.m. and 4 p.m., vintage racers will ascend to race on the historic half-mile oval at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. On Jan. 7-8, the...
Ontonagon County took a big hit in unemployment numbers in November, while Gogebic County remained practically the same as in October. The Ontonagon County rate jumped from 6.9 percent in October to 8 percent in November. While the civilian labor force remained the same both months at 2,225, total unemployment jumped from 150 in October to 175 in November. Total employment also dropped by the same 25, from 2,075 to 2,050. A year ago, the Ontonagon County rate was 7.1 percent. The layoffs at White Pine Electric were not measured in that report...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - The A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer held a Christmas Gong Show Thursday afternoon. Blaine Pellinen and Lilly Wieringa were the primary student organizers of the event and recruited and signed 10 different acts for the show. Teachers Mark Movrich, Kim Saari and Tracy Rowe were judges. As the gymnasium filled, it became apparent the school was awash in Christmas spirit, with students wearing different holiday-themed sweaters and shirts....
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — While the Iron County Human Services Board picked a candidate to offer the position of Aging and Disability Resource Center branch manager/aging manager on Wednesday, it made it clear Mark Marczak isn’t going anywhere. The Iron County Board of Supervisors voted last December to merge the Iron County Aging Unit and ADRC. According to information presented at the meeting, Marczak was missing a specific certification needed to oversee the ADRC portion of the job, hence the primary reason for...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] HURLEY - The Hurley K-12 school opened its doors and taste buds to some real Latin flavor Thursday. With tables set up in the small gym representing different countries and different meals, the school's Spanish 2 and 3 classes, as well as Advanced Placement students, came together to put on the annual Festival de Navidad. Around 45 kids were involved and teacher Natalie Patritto helped organized the event to motivate and challenge the kids to get...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — A group of Ironwood students will be on hand to see the beginning of the Trump administration as it travels to the nation’s capital to attend the inauguration ceremony. Twenty-six students in grades nine through 12 will go with social studies teacher Gordon Erickson and two other chaperones to Washington D.C. for a three-day trip. The trip is organized through WorldStrides Discoveries Programs, Erickson said, explaining the company reached out to him about the opportunity to attend the...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The first morning of winter arrived in Ironwood with the hint of a snowstorm that quickly subsided before noon. Wednesday was the first day of winter and that means daylight begins to increase every day. The dusting of snow that fell Wednesday morning was enough to make streets slippery and send out the plow crews with sand and salt. The snow returned around 2 in the afternoon. Santa’s sleigh may be flying a bit low this year as the forecast calls for mild temperatures through Christmas tha...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] ONTONAGON — It’s the season for giving and the village of Ontonagon has received good tidings from the state of Michigan. A $45,000 Recreation Passport grant was announced Tuesday for Lake Superior beach walkway lighting renovations. The money will allow renovations to install new, more durable lamp poles with energy-efficient, dark-sky compliant LED lamp fixtures, the DNR said. New benches, trash receptacles, bike racks and signs will also be installed along the beachfront park. It is one of several g...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors saved the best for last Tuesday night, voting 14 to 1 to restore Saxon Harbor to the state it was in prior to the flooding during the July 11 storm that destroyed the harbor. Brad Matson was the lone no vote. Prior to the vote, Matson said he thought the board needed more information regarding its alternatives before voting to return to the pre-storm design. “I think we need to look at putting that creek where it used to be, and where it wants to be,...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Gogebic Community College Board met on Tuesday, closing out the year. During the meeting the board discussed the changing of rates for the Mount Zion ski hill. The $85.00 ski pass for local schools will not change, which the school felt is a solid deal for students, but the daily rates and rentals are increasing for the first time in two years. With two minimum wage pay increases absorbed recently by the school, they must recoup some...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon County Board Tuesday paid tribute to its longest serving member John Pelkola. Pelkola, who served 23 years on the board, many of those as its chairman, was defeated in the November election by one vote. Commissioner Carl Nykanen, commended his long service to the people of Ontonagon County and other board members applauded Pelkola for his years of working for the people of the county. John said he was please to be a commissioner for 23 years. Prior to his election to the board, he a...
IRONWOOD - The July 11 storm is affecting winter tourism on the Gogebic Range. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has temporarily closed snowmobile Trail 160 because of damage from the storm, including wiping out the Mud Creek bridge. The 25-mile-long trail heads north from Trail 2 in Ironwood, connecting to the Wisconsin trail system at the mouth of the Montreal River, near Saxon Harbor. "Damage to the bridge abutments was extensive and resulted in a permanent closure until the...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield-Marenisco school has two foreign exchange students in the junior class being hosted by local families. Annelie Rodestock, from Leipzig, Germany, and Guillermo Perez, from Ibiza, Spain, arrived in Wakefield in September and will depart after the school year is complete. Rodestock was hoping for sunny and warm California when she submitted her wish list to the placement agency, but she likes Wakefield and is very happy here. Th...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — The Hurley School Board agreed Monday to seek a waiver from the state Department of Public Instruction so it may start school earlier than Sept. 1. District administrator Chris Patritto said there are many reasons Hurley should start classes in August. He said the earlier start would more closely align the district with the Gogebic Community College calendar and provide more days for teacher in-service training during the school year. He said three in-service days per school year are not e...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD - The inaugural David Erickson Memorial 9-Pin Tournament was held at Larry's Lucky Strikes bowling alley Saturday, raising funds to develop youth bowling in the region. "What we're doing is building a new middle school and high school bowling program here in the region that will involve all the high schools in the area," said Joel Bach, one of tournament's organizers. Bach said the proceeds from Saturday's event will go to provide...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The Wolverine Nordic group hosted a free clinic on nordic skiing at the Wolverine Ski Club Saturday morning. Professional ski instructors Hannah Panci and Jackie Powers donated their time to bring the joys of cross country skiing to a group of novices looking to gain skill and grow in their proficiency on skis. Ginger Kivisto said she, "intends to stick with it." Panci expressed the opinion that, "the Ironwood area has the most...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — An Ontonagon man pleaded guilty to two drug charges in Gogebic County Circuit Court Friday for his role in several Depot Park drug deals. Justin Michael Olexa, 22, pleaded guilty to delivery of heroin and cocaine charges as part of a plea agreement that will have 10 other counts — a second delivery of heroin charge, two conspiracy to deliver heroin charges and a conspiracy to deliver cocaine charge, three delivery of a controlled substance on school or library property charges, and thr...
