Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 989 - 1013 of 9733
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Gogebic Community College will soon have a fourth Zoom room. The board approved funding a biology Zoom room during its regular meeting on Tuesday night. "The addition of a Zoom room keeps a tested, common platform that is already in place on campus," said Steve Spets, director of Information Technology. According to college president George McNulty, the new Zoom room will not only update that area of the college, but it will "create a...
IRONWOOD — Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the Ottawa National Forest will resume permit requirements for personal-use firewood gathering, according to release from the U.S. Forest Service. Permits are available at district offices and cost $5 per ccf (100 cubic feet), with a minimum of 4 ccf — thus, the minimum fee for a permit is $20. The Ottawa Nation Forest has allowed for free personal-use firewood gathering since early 2020 to support households that rely on firewood for home heating and to limit the need for office visits during the COVID-19 pub...
WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield-Marenisco school board reviewed a bid from Nasi Construction for the district’s window replacement project during its regular meeting on Monday. The bid for $1,164,719 was the only bid the district received and was over budget. The bid included $295,000 to replace the windows in the gymnasium. In order to reduce costs, the board decided not to replace the windows in the gym at this time, dropping the cost to $869,719. Superintendent Jason Gustafson said he will work with Nasi Construction to find cost saving mea...
IRONWOOD - The Friends of the Miners Memorial Heritage Park will host their 10th annual Candlelight Snowshoe on Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. The event starts and ends at the Aurora Club at 101 Penokee Road, a change in location from previous years that will provide a comfortable place to gather before and after, according to spokesperson Mike Ivey. Participants of all ages are invited to hike, snowshoe or cross country ski along a one-mile section of candlelit trail in the Miners Park. There will be...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — Santa, Mrs. Claus, and several of their elves made an appearance at the Bessemer VFW Post 3673 on Saturday afternoon to hand out gifts to children for the VFW’s second annual Santa drive-thru event. “It went well,” said Donna Frello, post commander. “We distributed 150 gift bags.” Parents drove through the VFW parking lot and were given a gift bag for each child in the car. The gift bags contained a craft kit, cookies, candy, a Christmas plush toy and other holiday goodies. This was the sec...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Residents of the Westgate Nursing Home participated in a variety of crafts with the assistance of students in the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District's CNA program on Thursday. Students helped residents to make clothes pin reindeer, popsicle stick Christmas trees, and paint a picture of a snowman, Santa Claus, or Christmas Tree. "The resident's ability to participate determined the craft they would do with each resident," said Aman...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HANCOCK — An update from the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department on Thursday said that there have been more than 200 new COVID-19 cases in Baraga, Gogebic, Houghton, Keweenaw and Ontonagon counties since Dec. 8. There were 68 new COVID-19 cases in Gogebic County, 13 new cases in Ontonagon, 26 new cases in Baraga, 106 new cases in Houghton and three new cases in Keweenaw, for a total of 216 new cases in seven days. There were also three deaths in Gogebic, three deaths in Houghton, one death i...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community College has had vacancies in key administrative roles for nearly a year. The college hired the Association of Community College Trustees to assist with its search to fill the vacancies of vice president of student services and athletics, and vice president of businesses services in October. The positions were formerly held by Erik Guenard, who resigned as vice president of business services in October; Jeanne Graham, who retired as vice president of student services in D...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Comprehensive Planning/Land and Zoning Committee met on Tuesday to discuss bringing accessory buildings into compliance with county ordinances. Assistant Administrator Gerry Nasi said some residents have applied for permits for accessory buildings such as garages and converted them into living spaces after constructing them. He said that these buildings are not being taxed properly because their owners are still paying for accessory buildings rather than residential d...
ONTONAGON — The difficulty in finding substitute teachers on often short notice is a problem faced by many school districts. In an attempt to solve this problem in Ontonagon, the Ontonagon Area School Board this week decided to add to the staff a long-term substitute teacher. Superintendent Jim Bobula was authorized to hire a long-term sub who would assist with ninth grade and be available for other needs as they arise. Bobula said he or she would cover any class. Tuesday’s board meeting opened with the swearing in of a new member, Joshua Yak...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] BESSEMER - Ross Solberg was appointed to be the next Gogebic County sheriff on Wednesday by Prosecutor Nick Jacobs and District Court Judge Anna Talaska, effective Jan. 1. The date of the swearing-in ceremony has not yet been determined. "(I) want nothing but the best for the sheriff's office and the citizens of the county," Solberg said. "I will work hard at maintaining a strong working criminal justice system. I will keep the sheriff's office up to...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Planning Commission approved a conditional use permit for a resident to run a flower shop in her home at 3507 E. Pierce St. during its regular meeting on Tuesday. Ashley Radowski spoke with the board about her plans for the businesses and answered questions. She said her plans for the business have changed and she no longer plans to operate a general flower shop with a store front. Instead, she will focus on floral arrangements for weddings and private events. City manager R...
BESSEMER — Washington Elementary students will have an opportunity to get their COVID-19 vaccines on Friday. The school is hosting a vaccine clinic for its students to get their first dose from 9 a.m. to noon. The clinic is offered in conjunction with the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District and the Western U.P. Health Department, which will be on site to administer the vaccine to the students. Principal Mark Switzer said it is not required for anyone, but if they want to get vaccinated, they can with parental permission. “I’m not s...
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission approved a special water rate for the Ironwood Snowmobile Olympus, a water and sewer infrastructure project and bids for a new portable generator at a lift station at its regular meeting on Monday. The city commission approved a request from the Friends of the Gogebic County Fair for a special water rate for their 2021-2022 Snowmobile Olympus being held at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds on Dec. 31 and Jan. 7-9. The town offers a 50% water rate to events that bring people to the community to help s...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] MERCER, Wis. — The MECCA Trails system will be ready for its second annual Winterfest on Feb. 5, according to a release from organizers. This year’s events will be held in person on Feb. 5 with virtual options between Dec. 18 and Feb. 18. Cross-country skiers will have three races to choose from, including the Flowage 15K Freestyle, the Clair d’ Loon 5K and the Turtle River Pursuit. The Flowage 15K Freestyle showcases most of the MECCA Trails system and is rated moderate to advanced with numer...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Gogebic Community College will soon offer a mechatronics program. Two courses will be available starting in spring 2022, one in basic operations and one in robot system operations, according to the college’s workforce development director Glen Ackerman-Behr. According to Ackerman-Behr, mechatronics is where mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and information technology intersect and is seen in companies that use automation in production and distribution. He said that the amo...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] HANCOCK — According to the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department, the western U.P. surpassed 10,000 total COVID-19 cases and reached 200 total deaths this week. From Dec. 1 to Wednesday, there were 47 new COVID-19 cases in Gogebic County, 11 new cases in Ontonagon, 19 new cases in Baraga County, 168 new cases in Houghton and 21 new cases in Keweenaw. There was one death in each of the five counties besides Keweenaw. The health department posted its first COVID-19 update on April 7, 2020, and h...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER - The Christmas Belles have struck again, delivering Christmas gifts for more than 100 children under the care of the state of Michigan to case workers at the state's Department of Health and Human Services Gogebic County office in Bessemer early Friday Morning. Thirty-five women and their husbands drove in from Watersmeet to represent the Belles. The group of 143 women from eastern Gogebic County and the Land O'Lakes area form annually to purc...
By ZACHARY MARANO [email protected] BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners heard a presentation from a policy consulting firm on the spending of American Rescue Plan Act funds at their regular meeting in the Gogebic County Courthouse on Wednesday. Tim Dempsey, vice president of Public Sector Consultants, a public policy consulting firm in Lansing, attended the regular meeting virtually and answered board members’ questions on the federal stimulus bill. He said that two unique aspects of ARPA that stand out: there is mon...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD - Parents and guardians of children in low-income families were able to pick out Christmas gifts for their kids at the Gogebic County fairgrounds on Wednesday afternoon. The gifts were provided through the Santa's Headquarters annual event, which is a cooperative effort of several local non-profit groups including the Michigan State University Extension office, St. Vincent DePaul, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] BESSEMER — The Bessemer city council is considering an ordinance to regulate use of temporary, portable generators as a result of a recent house fire. “As you all may or may not be aware, we had a house burn down because of a temporary generator used for about two years and so the council has been exploring whether or not we need to have some sort of ordinance,” city manager Charly Loper said to the council during Monday’s regular meeting. According to city attorney Ray O’Dea, the city does not need...
