Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 6411 - 6435 of 9848
By TOM STANKARD [email protected] BESSEMER — Following the recommendation of an advisory committee, the Bessemer Area School Board of Trustees voted Monday to reject consolidation with the Ironwood Area School District. Standing in front of a large crowd, Todd Johnson, the committee’s co-chair, said Bessemer’s school district doesn’t need to consolidate “at this time.” On Jan. 28, Ironwood Superintendent Tim Kolesar sent a letter to Bessemer proposing representatives from both distri...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] MERCER, Wis. - The Easter Bunny visited the Mercer School a little early this year as the Mercer Lions Club held its annual Easter egg hunt Saturday at the school. While the participating children likely had a good time collecting candy and goodies, the Lions also enjoyed themselves. "This is a fun one for us, this is just giving back to the community," said Lions member Glenn Doxsee. "You can see how the kids love this." The group has been holding...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] IRONWOOD - Local churches celebrated Easter Sunday yesterday. Many churches in the area held Mass along with an Easter breakfast. The St. Paul Lutheran Church had a large turnout for their annual Easter brunch. The church has been holding the event for over 18 years. Many members of the church brought in a dish to be served at the brunch. Carolyn Johnson, Sherron Olexa, and Kathy Vaara prepared the dishes and tables for serving while Mass was...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] HURLEY — Among the items on the agenda for the Iron County Board of Supervisor’s meeting Tuesday are three revisions to the general rules for supervisors listed in the county directory. Among the changes recommended by the finance committee at its meeting earlier this month is the removal of the limit on the number of per diems a supervisor can claim each day. The existing rule allows supervisors to receive a $40 per diem for each committee and board meeting they attend in the county, and a $45...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — It appears the possible consolidation of the Ironwood and Bessemer school districts won’t be moving forward, at least for the time being. The committee Bessemer formed to examine the future of the district is expected to recommend against consolidation with Ironwood at the district’s next board meeting. “This Monday at our board meeting, the committee for the future of Bessemer schools — which is made up of parents in our area and business members ... as well as a few board members ...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — Used drug collection containers across the Gogebic Range have worked so well that they have created a problem in storing all the pills and medications being turned in for disposal. The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday agreed to send letters to legislators pointing out the extent of the problem here and seeking some assistance. Commissioners instructed county clerk Gerry Pelissero to draw up a letter to be sent to legislators. Gogebic County Sheriff Pete Matonich told the b...
MARQUETTE — Raymond Valentino Bowser, 31, of Chicago, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles announced in a statement Friday. Bowser also received 12 years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell sentenced Bowser for distribution of heroin within 1,000 feet of a playground, a charge Bowser pleaded guilty to last December. Bowser was the subject of an Gogebic-Iron Area Narcotics Team investigation that included a Feb. 20, 2015, undercover heroin purchase from Bowser, according to M...
By TOM STANKARD [email protected] IRONWOOD - To make math and science fun, students of the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District have assembled 3-D printers for computer programming and robotics class during the spring semester. James Halverson, the class professor, said Thursday a 3-D printer is a manufacturing technology that has made "rapid" prototyping and small-scale manufacturing easier and more accessible. He said the printer makes three-dimensional solid objects from...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Jail in Bessemer is overcrowded “and there’s more coming,” sheriff Peter Matonich told the county board Wednesday. Matonich said the jail was housing 30 inmates and six more were jailed in Iron County, Wis., under an agreement between the two counties. “We’re doing everything we can to try to quell it,” Matonich said of the overcrowding situation. The sheriff said he was addressing the county board because his budget is taking a hit with the extra inmates. He explained...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] BESSEMER — With Thursday’s hearing in Gogebic County Circuit Court ending without a plea agreement, the case of Jason Charles Roberts is scheduled for an April trial. Roberts, 34, of Ironwood, faces three animal cruelty-related charges stemming from a video that allegedly shows Roberts urging several hunting dogs to attack a wounded coyote. He faces a felony charge of torturing an animal and misdemeanors for cruelty to an animal and failure to kill a wounded animal. The first charge carries max...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — There are new developments in the investigation into the March 12 fire that destroyed the Bear Trap Inn in Saxon, resulting in the death of a Kimball, Wis., woman. Lisa (Henning) Waldros, 52, a bartender at her sister’s tavern-restaurant business, was found dead in the rubble after the fire. Her body was found in the bathroom area of the structure, according to family members. An autopsy was performed in Madison. Iron County Judge Patrick Madden, who returned Wednesday from a trip to Ari...
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners will sit down with the road commission board next month for a joint session and the location of the proposed new county garage will be one of the issues discussed. On a 4-3 vote, the county board on Wednesday moved to send a letter to the road commission saying the proposed new road commission building site off U.S. 2, on the south side of the highway and west end of Bessemer, would not be suitable for the building. “No one thinks it’s a safe site,...
MARENISCO - Ironwood resident Scott Wilson has been named the Ojibway Correctional Facility's Officer of the Year. Wilson has been working at the prison for 16 years, first as a food service leader and then as a corrections officer. He attended the Michigan Department of Corrections Officer Academy following privatization of the food service department in 2013, returning to Ojibway after graduation. "Officer Wilson has been recognized for his exemplary professionalism and attention to detail....
IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Memorial Building auditorium was filled with the sounds of excited children Tuesday as the building played host to the eighth annual family fun night. The event featured a variety of organizations, including the Ottawa National Forest, HOPE Animal Shelter and Aspirus Grand View Hospital, offering activities and information for area kids. Lynne Wiercinski, assistant director with the Ironwood Carnegie Library, credited the work of the Michigan State University Extension...
BESSEMER — The Mackinac Center for Public Policy recently presented Bessemer’s Washington Elementary School with an award for outstanding achievement. Superintendent Dave Radovich said Washington School received an “A” rating from the MCPP. Radovich said the rating is based on demographics, student population and social economics. Radovich said the award recognizes Washington Elementary to be among the top 224, or top 10 percent, of schools ranked. Radovich credits the district’s staff, students and parents for the rating. Radovich said pare...
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] IRONWOOD — In a bid to save money, the Ironwood Area Public Schools Monday approved offering a financial incentive to teachers who decide to retire this month. According to information presented to the board, the district will offer a total of $15,000 per teacher who decides to retire by March 31. “We set a specific date, basically, (so) that when we have to replace somebody, the schools are still in and we have a chance to make sure we get some good people,” board President Steve Thomas said,...
By JAN TUCKER [email protected] ONTONAGON — The Ontonagon Area Board of Education Monday voted to renew its contract with superintendent Jim Bobula. The terms of the new one year contract will be determined prior to June 30. The board also adopted the Superintendents evaluation which gave Bobula high marks for his guidance of the Ontonagon Area District. With 4 points as outstanding, the majority of items ranged from 3.80 to 4 points. The evaluation, now required by the state, includes student growth data, collected from teacher e...
By ISABELLE KLEINSCHMIDT [email protected] WAKEFIELD-MARENISCO - The Wakefield-Marenisco School Board of Trustees met Monday night and discussed the recent purchase of a school bus. The new bus got off to a "rocky start," said Cathy Shamion, superintendent. Within 24 hours of delivery, she said it broke down twice. Shamion said the problem was a set of wires that had not been properly connected at the factory causing fuse shortages and other problems. The seller, the Nelson Bus company,...
WAKEFIELD - "Go jump in a lake" is a command that was followed by about 50 people who participated in the 10th annual Regional Hospice Polar Plunge on Saturday. On a sunny afternoon with temperatures around 32, hundreds of spectators watched as young and old participants dove into frigid Sunday Lake for a worthy cause, namely to raise money for end of life services. Announcer John Oberto, of Iron Belt, Wis., said 40 people signed up for the event and another 10 showed up on Saturday afternoon....
