Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - Donald Rick admitted Thursday to murdering Lisa Waldros in the fire that destroyed the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon. Rick, 44, who was living in Saxon at the time of the March 12 fire, entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder in Iron County Court. Five additional counts will be dismissed, but read into the record at sentencing on April 13. "I understand my conduct caused caused her death," Rick said when Iron County Judge Patrick Madden asked him...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - "When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn't go and doesn't suit me," were words of inspiration from the poem, "Warning," that motivated Sue Ellen Cooper to drop $7.50 for a red hat in 1997. The hat was empowering and signaled something so much more than growing old, so she gave one to her friend, as she turned 50ish. Within five years, the Red Hat Society grew to more than 40,000 chapters worldwide. The Upper...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] RAMSAY — The project to replace a significant amount of the water and sewer pipes in the city of Bessemer recently hit a roadblock, as the Gogebic Range Water Authority was informed the United States Department of Agriculture-Rural Development had an issue with the way the bid for the project was awarded. Charles Lawson, a project manager with the engineering firm C2AE and works with the authority, told the authority board at its Thursday meeting that Andrew Granskog — a USDA state engineer in Lan...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD - Paulette Niemi, Career Technology Educator for the Gogebic Ontanogan Intermediate School District held the fourth annual Women in Welding class at Luther L. Wright K-12 school. Girls from Wakefield-Marenisco, Bessemer, and Ironwood volunteered for the course to gain an exposure to welding not normally considered as a career field open to women. Niemi organized the Women in Welding class to expose young women to a high paying career field...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — The township Board of Trustees met Tuesday for nearly two hours. Elise Matz, an aide for U.S. Senator Gary Peters, met with John Cox before the meeting regarding economic development in the township. Cox said this was the first time he can recall a national political figure expressing interest in the area and they discussed Indianhead Mountain and the Big Snow Resort and the planned casino. The township has a new website, wakefieldtownship.com, managed by Tom Ruppe. The w...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Broadband advocates in Iron County are encouraging residents to fill out a survey from the Wisconsin State Broadband Office designed to determine where areas of need are in the state. “If the people that fill out the survey show a need (for better service), which I believe that’s what it’s going to show, then we’re thinking the Public Service Commission is going to look at Iron County as one of the counties that indicates there is a (desire) ... possibly affecting future funding for future grants,...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors discussed possible options for the design of Saxon Harbor, but took no formal action Tuesday on the direction the rebuilding effort would take. The consensus among the board members was they needed to review the information Iron County Forestry and Parks Administrator Eric Peterson presented before any action was taken, especially as there isn’t a need for a decision before the next board meeting later this month. “Let’s do it once and do it right,...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Michigan State Police Trooper Jerry Mazurek visited the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 school to discuss lesson 3 from the Teaching, Educating, and Mentoring School Liaison Program on Tuesday. The focus of the lesson is personal safety and recognizing danger. "Young teenagers are prone to being victims of crime because young people are reluctant to speak up," said Mazurek. The teenagers are beginning to spread their wings and get more freedom fr...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - On a snowy, Christmas-like Tuesday, the tables in the Memorial Building auditorium were quickly filled with gifts for the 11th annual Santa's Headquarters project. Families will collect the presents today. This year, 402 children from 180 families will receive gifts through the volunteer effort. Last year, around 327 children from 143 families had their Christmas celebrations made brighter through the effort, according to Erin Ross, of the Go...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY - Saxon Harbor and it's place in Iron County's future was the topic of discussion at the Hurley Senior Center Monday night as the Iron County Citizens Forum not only discusses the results of the recent survey regarding rebuilding the harbor, but also the county-wide Asset Based Community Development Plan. The Saxon Harbor survey, which was funded by part of a $24,450 Wisconsin Coastal Management Grant the county received following the...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] IRONWOOD - Zion Lutheran Church was filled with Finnish-American history and culture as the National Finnish-American Festival Chorus held its annual Christmas concert Sunday afternoon. Under the direction of Gale Hellier, the chorus sang several Finnish Christmas songs, as well as some well-known sing-along carols in English. They were accompanied on flute by Susan Kontny and on piano by Sandra Rowoldt. With each piece, the singers explained the...
IRONWOOD — Superior Snowshoe Walks have been scheduled for the sixth winter season, beginning in January. All of the walks begin in the dark at 6:30 p.m. Headlights or flashlights are recommended. People who are new to snowshoeing can try snowshoes for free, according to Sam and Anne Davey at the Hobby Wheel, 932-3332. The schedule includes: —Jan. 4: Mark Fitting Annual Memorial Walk, starting at Michigan Information Center, sponsored by Maplewood Restaurant. —Jan. 11: Bessemer walk behind city hall, sponsored by Bessemer VFW. —Jan. 18: Gog...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] BESSEMER - Despite the snow, local runners showed-up for the 4th Annual Frozen Rundra Saturday morning in Bessemer. Given this year's theme of "Ugly Sweaters," many runners came wearing sweaters, tutus and other festive apparel. Participants had the option to choose a two- or six-mile run, or a three-mile walk, through the city streets. Amanda Corullo, of Montreal, has participated in the run for all four years. "I love this run, it's a fun one,...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Area shoppers had another chance to buy local, while completing their Christmas shopping Saturday as the Wakefield Historical Society held its annual Old Fashioned Christmas Faire at the Wakefield Veterans of Foreign Wars hall. This year's event featured approximately 45 tables, filled by around 26 vendors, according to society board member Harold Schroeder. "We have a wide variety of crafts and bakery goods," he said. While he has only...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — Faced with the prospects of interviewing six candidates for a Gogebic County Road Commission board vacancy, the county board devised a plan Wednesday for the sessions. Board members agreed to meet at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14, to begin interviewing the candidates. The board is scheduled for a regular 5 p.m. meeting on that date, but it will probably be delayed because of the interviews, or the interviews will be sandwiched around the 5 p.m. meeting. County board members said it’s pos...
IRONWOOD - A couple inches of snow on Thursday night added sparkle to Friday's Jack Festival Parade in downtown Ironwood. The patriotic theme of the parade brought out vibrant reds, whites and blues for a celebration of the upcoming winter. On a mild evening, with temperatures in the 30s, a total of 37 parade entries passed by the judges at the River Valley Bank and hundreds of spectators along Aurora Street. The Cub Scouts' float was selected as the top entry, followed by the Klassic Kruisers...
BESSEMER — Monday’s Bessemer City Council meeting at 5 p.m. in council chambers will discuss a new master plan for the city. North of 45 LLC and Coleman Engineering provided Charly Loper, the city manager, with an outline and scope of work regarding the master plan. Loper said Coleman Engineering knows the community better, but North of 45 has more experience and specifically incorporates a “Winter City” concept into its planning. In response to a request of contractors for the city to provide asbestos and lead paint assessments for the propert...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - Republican Donald Trump lost nine votes and Democrat Hillary Clinton gained two in Thursday's recount of Presidential votes in Iron County. The county board of canvass certified a vote total of 2,081 for Trump and 1,275 for Clinton, or an 11-vote swing from election night totals. The recount wrapped up at 3:34 p.m. in the county courthouse at Hurley, as the town of Sherman was the last municipality to be counted. Iron County may have been one o...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] Officially, the date has come and gone in Michigan for the snowmobile trails to open for local riders and visitors. Wisconsin's official date is Dec. 15, so there is still time for the snow to accumulate by opening day. In the Lake Gogebic area, a new trail groomer has been received. Only two were purchased by the state and they received one of them. Almost 1,000 man hours were put into brushing the trails for the first time in three years. The Sno...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — A Bessemer man was arraigned on one count of second-degree child abuse in Gogebic County Circuit Court Tuesday. Steven Joseph Gerszewski, 46, pleaded not guilty to the charge in a short arraignment hearing. The charge, which carries a potential maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, stems from an Oct. 22 incident when Gerszewski allegedly head-butted a child and pushed the child’s head toward a wall, according to court documents. Gerzewski is also facing a habitual offender-second off...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER - A Hurley woman who had fled the state prior to her initial sentencing hearing was sentenced in Gogebic County Circuit Court Wednesday. Tracy Lynn Gehrke, 44, was sentenced to a minimum of two years in prison on a count of delivering less than 50 grams of heroin. The charges carries a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. She pleaded guilty to the charge on July 1 as part of a plea agreement that stipulated she would be...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved a resolution bemoaning the high cost of auto insurance in Michigan. Commissioner Bob Orlich, of Wakefield, who introduced the resolution, said it is supported by State Rep. Scott Dianda, who favors zones that would reduce insurance costs in low-traffic areas of the state. Orlich said Michigan residents pay nearly three times more per year in auto insurance than Iowa and Maine residents. Part of the problem is in Michigan, w...
