Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 915 - 939 of 9971
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Despite expressing regret at the current sting of inflation, members of the Bessemer City Council voted on Monday evening to deny a request from a contractor providing lawn services at Hillcrest Cemetery. Joe Saari of Saari’s Lawn Service had requested an additional payment of $300 per cutting beyond the agreement in his current contract. “A contract is a contract,” said Mayor Adam Zak. “I agree,” said Councilman Charlie Tirpik. “We don’t want to set a precedent with all the contractors we...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — Monday’s meeting of the Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board ended with a jolt when Michael Harma, airport manager, suddenly announced his resignation at the end of the session. “Today is my last meeting,” said Harma after the board completed discussing all other matters. “Aug. 10 is my last day.” He added, calmly, “At this point, I think it’s a hindrance that I’m here. I’ve had enough, and that’s all I have.” Board members did not respond to the announcement except for James Lorenson requesti...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD - With a new athletic director in place, Gogebic Community College is continuing to get coaches in place for its existing programs while planning to add to its offering of sports. Jennifer Sabourin has been the college's vice president of student services and athletics for a couple of months. Since then, Gogebic has hired a women's basketball coach, Cole Schreiner, and it is looking for a new coach for the softball program and another for the...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Little Mermen - a Disney cover band - put on a high energy musical performance at the Historic Ironwood Theatre Saturday evening, delighting concert goers of all ages. Junior groupies filled the audience, including little boys in capes and little girls in princess dresses. Glitter and glow shoes were sprinkled among the lot. "We've come to rock your Disney world," called out Alexis Babini, founder and leader of the nationally touring band....
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — Water and shade are two ways to find relief from warm temperatures, and both options are available in abundance at the Presque Isle Unit of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. Both local and out-of-town folks were taking advantage of the choices on Sunday at the Wakefield Township location. The Presque Isle Unit of the park is about 20 minutes north of M-28 in Wakefield, via North County Road 519. Loaded with towering, old-growth trees, the park’s trail system offers a ple...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] IRONWOOD — After a public hearing at their regular meeting on Thursday, the Ironwood Planning Commission recommended the adoption of a new zoning ordinance and zoning map to the city commission. Director of Community Development Tom Bergman said that the biggest change was the incorporation of new concepts on how to implement retail marijuana establishments, including the number of licenses that the city will reward to applicants. Bergman also said that the new ordinance has major changes in how t...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - While temperatures lingered in the 80s on Thursday, some folks took refuge with cold drinks and air conditioning while others hit the sun face-to-face, albeit with a little help at Ironwood's new downtown square. A splash pad within the square is a popular place with local children, who relish running through the multiple jets of water that burst from a cement pad. Parents can watch from picnic tables on the adjacent lawn or - better yet - join...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HANCOCK — The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department released updated COVID-19 case counts for the five counties in their coverage area on Thursday. There was not a spike in new cases since last update, although it may be too early to see the effects of any disease transmission over the Fourth of July weekend. According to the update, there were 41 new COVID-19 cases in Gogebic County, 33 new cases in Houghton, six new cases each in Baraga and Ontonagon and four new cases in Keweenaw in the s...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] Elizabeth Sweeney of Hayward, Wisconsin, claimed the $42,371 prize from the Bessemer Fourth of July 50-50 raffle on Thursday. The winning ticket number was 32400 and was announced at the end of the parade on Monday. Tickets had been sold through the weeklong Bessemer Blast celebration. Organizers plan to use their part of the proceeds to fund the various events of next year’s celebration including the music, prizes and fireworks display. Two other Fourth of July 50-50 raffles held in the area have a...
BESSEMER - Members of the Bessemer Planning Commission cleared the way for a new housing complex by voting on Tuesday evening to change zoning on city land that is directly south of the Iron Belle Trail, which in turn runs directly south of Bessemer City Hall. The vote means that the zoning designation for the site - which runs between Clayberg and Moore streets - will change from Country Estates to Mixed Density Residential. In abbreviated terms, Country Estates is known as CE, and Mixed Densit...
IRONWOOD — Festival Ironwood is returning next week from July 13-17 with five days of family-friendly events under a big top tent in the Historic Depot Park. The festival will feature food, live music, a classic car show and more. Festival events start at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13. Festival coordinator Will Corcoran said that the first night is organized by the Ironwood and Hurley Rotary Club and includes live music by the Lake Effect under the big top, as well as beer and brats through 10 p.m. The local Fat Tire and Superior Riders bike c...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Despite the threat of thunderstorms, along with widespread, ongoing major road construction, Monday evening’s Fourth of July parade in Bessemer was well received by enthusiastic viewers. The excitement started even before the actual parade with warm-up entertainment in the way of Marty’s Goldenaires marching up Sophie Street single-file, after which members of Klassic Kruisers drove down in a stream of classic cars. Local law enforcement and Color Guard then led the parade, prompting viewers to...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Light showers on Monday afternoon weren't enough to stop the Fourth of July celebrations in Wakefield, with the parade starting at Cormier's Corner and proceeding on Brotherton and Sunday Lake streets. City and area residents lined the streets of downtown Wakefield to watch the parade from camping chairs and bleachers, while children prepared to gather any candy thrown from the parade floats. Before the general parade started, a group of...
WAKEFIELD - Despite the threat of thunderstorms, a community picnic in honor of July 4 went off without a hitch on Sunday, drawing a large crowd of people who enjoyed the entirety of Eddy Park. There was plenty of delicious picnic fare, as well as organized activities ranging from kiddy fun to bingo to live music by several bands or musicians. The Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department also offered a display. In the John Siira pavilion, Dave and Bobbi Sue Daignault of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, and...
RAMSAY - It could be said that the crowd at Ramsay's Independence Day celebration was so full of energy that no pyrotechnics show was even needed. However, the actual fireworks - aptly named "Rumble Over the River" - also were awesome. Saturday's festivities, which started at 6 p.m. and lasted the rest of the evening, attracted hundreds of friendly folks - several with cowboy hats adorned with U.S. flags - who gathered along the entire length of Main Street. Behind the Bessemer Township Fire...
WAKEFIELD — Thanks to a Monday evening vote, the city of Wakefield is now positioned for a revision of its master plan. “We will start working on that probably within about a month,” said City Manager Robert Brown, Jr. in a Wednesday phone call. City Council members voted to approve a cooperative funding system in which the Michigan Economic Development Commission will provide $20,000 toward the project while the city will pay about $14,500. Brown said the master plan has had no major revision for a couple of decades. “We will start working on...
Fireworks can be an exciting Fourth of July spectacle, but when handled improperly, these pyrotechnic devices can cause fires, severe injuries and deaths. Local public safety departments recommend handling them with care over the holiday weekend and following all applicable laws. “Each July 4th, thousands of people – most often children and teens – are injured while using consumer fireworks. Despite the dangers of fireworks, few people understand the associated risks: devastating burns, other injuries, fires and even death,” Lt. Matthew...
Flags from many countries wave in the breeze as they hang from the eave of the Historic Ironwood Depot early Friday afternoon. The flags represent the various countries of origin for contributors to the 2022 Emberlight Festival. Friday was the opening of Mary Burns' "Ancetral Women Exhibit: Wisconsin's 12 Tribes" and the "Emberlight Photographers" show, both on display in the depot through the two-month festival of visual and performance art in Ironwood. The Art in the Park exhibit opens today...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER - The 13th annual Tree of Honor ceremony had a rousing start on Wednesday evening as members of Marty's Goldenaires marched up Sophie Street and lined up in the Bessemer Pocket Park. The band played several patriotic tunes, and Myron Re played "Taps" as American flags large and small loomed all around. As World War II veteran Thomas J. DeCarlo danced to the music, Marty's Director Dan Pitrone prompted the crowd to "give him a hoop and holler."...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors heard a presentation by John Will, president of Northwood Technical College, at their regular meeting on Tuesday. Will told the board that students earned $694,409 worth of college credits during the 2020-2021 school year. Four NTC students placed at the Business Professionals of America National Leadership Conference in Dallas and two apprentice students took first and second place in the ABC Carpentry state competition. The presentation also h...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Members of the Wakefield Historical Society Museum flung open its doors Tuesday with a quiet open house to start the summer season. Bernie Ylkanen, a museum docent, hosted the "Forchuly" event with his dog, Nisu, who was happy to meet new friends. Although traffic was light that day, Ylkanen said society members expect heavier flow soon. "The big day here is the Fourth (or July)," he said. "It gets overrun here." Ylkanen said it's likely that...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER — Persons looking for a rockin’ good time will have no trouble finding it as the Fourth of July period has a list of live bands set to perform across the region. Bessemer alone will feature three bands tonight, Friday and Sunday evenings in the downtown area. Ramsay, in Bessemer Township, also will have a Saturday night live band. Flashback, which is the only local band, will perform tonight from 8 p.m.-midnight on Sophie Street in Bessemer. The Dweebs, from the Twin Cities of Minnesota, wil...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] IRONWOOD - City Engineer Scott Erickson provided the city commissioners with an update on their projects at their regular meeting on Monday. Erickson said that the city has approximately 51 projects that are underway or in the works and reviewed some of the highlights. Erickson said that a contractor comes to the city every year and applies a fresh coat of paint to the pavement markings indicating which way traffic should go. He said the contractor ha...
