Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 5229 - 5253 of 9785
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - A June 5-6 jury trial was averted in Iron County Court Tuesday when a 46-year-old former Hurley woman entered no contest pleas to delivering a controlled substance near a school and bail jumping. Tracy Lynn Gehrke was sentenced to a year and a half in prison on the two counts and 18 months of extended supervision by Iron County Judge Patrick Madden. The prison time will run concurrently with a sentence she received and is serving in Gogebic...
WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP - The joint Wakefield and Wakefield Township clean-up effort at the Western Upper Peninsula Recycling Center in the township's industrial park last Friday and Saturday, yielded better than expected results. John Cox, township supervisor, said they expected 3,000 tires would get dropped off, but they received 4,000 and roughly 85 tons of waste was removed, too. Cox said both municipalities were thrilled community members "came out to properly dispose of their tires and to...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — A Gile, Wis., woman is facing six felony counts in connection with the alleged embezzlement from her job. Heather Lee Maki, 33, is charged with one count of embezzlement between $50,000 and $100,000 and five counts of forgery. Maki is accused of embezzling money while working as a bookkeeper at C & M Oil in Bessemer, according to Gogebic County Prosecutor Nick Jacobs. Jacobs said Maki worked at the company for five years, and her duties included putting together the company’s pay...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Ironwood Area Schools is facing the threat of a potential deficit, although not necessarily one of its own making. Superintendent Tim Kolesar told the district’s board of education Monday the district has yet to receive any of the expected $389,805 in tax funds from Ironwood Township. “There’s a lot of uncertainties when it comes to our finances right now, based on this,” Kolesar said. “We’re dealing right now with calling our state representatives … we’re contacting the De...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The Taste of the Northwoods had a large turn-out despite cloudy weather on Sunday. Mercer's finest food establishments showcased their best menu items for the event at the Community Center. Nine local establishments were involved in the fourth annual event. Each table offered a variety of foods. At the end of the event, the table with the "tastiest" entry was given the People's Choice Award. This year, that honor went to the Heart...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] BESSEMER - The Bessemer School District Board of Education voted to accept four new hires for the upcoming school year. The board voted to hire Nicholas Heikkila for K-12 Physical Education, Eli Zelinski for Spanish and English, Micaela Redders for English, and Robin Bock as a half-time counselor. According to Superintendent Dave Radovich, there is only one position left to fill and the offer is on the table. The potential applicant is waiting for a...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] CAREY, Wis. - There are more panfish in the Gile Flowage after the Friends of the Gile Flowage completed the second and final year of its bluegill stocking Saturday. Approximately 5,600 to 6,000 bluegill minnows were released into the flowage, Friends of the Gile Flowage President Cathy Techtmann said. "Bluegills are really important to the flowage. They eat spiny water fleas and we have an infestation here," Techtmann said. While combatting the...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - On a dreary Saturday morning, a 4-H spring and horse exposition drew a good crowd to the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. The fair exhibition building was filled with crafts display tables and pony rides were offered for the kids. Therapy with horses, equine massage, trick training and a vaulting demonstration were some of the events that were offered. The expo was free and vendors could sign up tables for only $10. The concession stand and bake...
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission will consider ratifying a two-year contract with union employees today. Ratification of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 1538 collective bargaining agreement for 2017-19 will be considered in a closed session, followed by action in an open session, if the deal is finalized. Commissioners will also consider approving salary adjustments for non-union employees in the city. A side letter of agreement with Police Officers Association of Michigan regarding scheduling a u...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - A small group of residents turned out at the Mercer Community Center Friday for a listening session with State Rep. Beth Meyers, D-Bayfield, on Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget. Meyers said she has held 17 previous listening sessions around her state Assembly district, with Mercer being the last event planned. She said more than 100 subjects had been brought up by residents in the various meetings, with some common themes being...
By KIM ZECKOVICH Director of Admissions, Marketing and Community Relations, Gogebic Community College IRONWOOD - Gary Gouin, of White Pine, and Mary Beth Barlock of Bergland, were recently honored with the 2017 awards of excellence at Gogebic Community College. Gouin, a welding instructor, received the Award for Excellence and Innovation in Teaching, while Barlock, administrative assistant to the Dean of Business, received the Award for Excellence in Staff Services. The teaching award...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — A Bessemer resident was arrested Thursday in connection with a hit-and-run accident earlier that day. Casey Andrew Gates, 27, is charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, failure to stop at scene of a personal injury accident and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license. The charges stem from a 911 call the Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department received at 2:17 a.m. Thursday that was “unclear if it was an assault or motor vehicle accid...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Wakefield-Marenisco fourth grade students started with 32 eggs, donated by Karen Kangas from her hens. The class used an incubator donated by Bob Genisot, Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District agriculture instructor. According to backyardchickens.com, they only had to wait 21 days for the chicks to cluck forth. From those 32 eggs, 15 healthy chicks sprouted, and a 16th chick was adopted by the class when Kangas brought it in as an...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP - Today begins the first joint Wakefield Township-city of Wakefield clean-up. It includes tires and other refuse. The clean-up day is available to township and city residents only and no commercial businesses, according to John Cox, township supervisor. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality provided a grant to the township and city for tire removal. Cox said he expects 3,000 tires to get dropped off and eight Dumpster loa...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — While Thursday’s appearance in Gogebic County District Court made it easier for former Ironwood Township Treasurer Jyl Olson-DeRosso to get out of jail, she now faces a 10th felony charge related to her alleged embezzlement of township funds while in office. Olson-DeRosso, 47, is being held in the Gogebic County Jail on what was a $100,000 cash bond. Her attorney, Jim McKenzie, successfully argued Thursday to have that changed to a $100,000, or 10 percent bond — meaning only $10,0...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — An attorney representing Donald F. Rick filed a motion in Iron County Circuit Court Wednesday to withdraw Rick’s guilty plea in the case of Lisa Waldros’ murder in the March 12, 2016 fire that destroyed the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon. Rick, 45, pleaded guilty to first degree murder December 8, while five additional counts against him were expected to be dismissed but read into the record at his April 13 sentencing. The sentencing was later moved to June 1. Assistant State Public Defen...
By IAN MINIELLY [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Upper Peninsula Kids’ Herman (Winks) Gundlach “Read to Ride” program started Monday. The program is designed to reward reading with the opportunity to win a bicycle for kids aged 6-14 by July 30. They must be residents of Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw or Ontonagon counties. Kids need to fill out a “Read to Ride” entry form; available in school offices, public libraries, the Copper Country Intermediate School District, Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD, or on the internet at upkids.com....
The National Weather Service continued a flash flood watch through this morning for northern Wisconsin, where some locations had already received from 3 to 7 inches of rain over a 48-hour period. The flood watch pertains to Iron County, Wis., and the Ironwood area. The weather service office in Duluth expanded the watch area on Wednesday to include Bayfield County. It warned an additional 1 to 3 inches of rain was possible. Locations in the White River and Namekagon River watershed basins had received the most rainfall as of Wednesday and they...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - An Ironwood Township man is in custody, following an approximately three-hour standoff Tuesday that resulted in a portion of Vanderhagen Road being temporarily closed to traffic. The Gogebic County Sheriff's Department responded to the property north of Airport Road for a dispute between neighbors at approximately 2 p.m. The call turned into an "altercation" between the resident, 47, and deputies, Gogebic County Sheriff Pete...
BLACK RIVER HARBOR - The Ni-Miikanaake Chapter of the North Country Trail turned out to build trail boardwalk along the Black River last May 10. The group installed 16- and 12-foot lengths of lumber to extend a bridge over a steep, muddy segment of the trail. It added another 40 feet to the 16 feet installed last fall. The work was done on the ravine-side, just above Great Conglomerate Falls in the Black River Harbor area. Cal Kangas, Morgan Grasso, Ric Olson, Dave Kauppi, Char Morgan-Herron,...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Gogebic Range went from high fire danger to flash flood warnings in less than 24 hours. The National Weather Service warned thunderstorms could cause flooding conditions through Thursday morning. Flood watch warnings were issued for Gogebic and Ontonagon counties. Several periods of showers and thunderstorms, some producing heavy rain, were expected. The heaviest rainfall was expected to occur late this afternoon and tonight, with up to 3 inches possible. Law enforcement officials were a...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — The former Ironwood Township treasurer was charged with nine felonies Monday, alleging she embezzled money while serving in office. Jyl Olson-DeRosso, 47, is charged with five counts of forgery, one count of embezzlement by a public official, refusing to turn over records to the successor treasurer, removal and destruction of public records and using public money for her own use. The charges stem from the period from 2011 to 2016, when Olson-DeRosso lost the November election to c...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Once again this year Gogebic Range sixth graders had the opportunity to travel to Little Girl's Point to spend several days at Camp Superior, a tradition that has been taking place since the mid '80s. Ironwood teacher Jason Hofstede - who was one of the primary organizers of this year's camp - said Bessemer and Wakefield-Marenisco students attended the camp Wednesday through Friday, while Ironwood students attended Friday...
