Gogebic medical examiner retiring

BESSEMER — As the new year is ushered in, Gogebic County is looking for a new medical examiner.

At a committee meeting early this month, the county board of commissioners learned that Charlie Iknayan, the medical examiner, had suffered a stroke earlier in the year and will be retiring. He is not renewing his medical license effective Feb. 1, 2019.

According to minutes of the December committee meeting, the county is shipping its autopsies to Dickinson County at a cost of more than what Iknayan was charging the county.

The cost of an autopsy is around $1,500 and it costs an additional $770 to transport a body.

The committee was told from 10 to 15 autopsies are conducted annually in Gogebic County.

The board didn’t take any formal action, but discussion will continue at the committee level until a solution is found.

In another personnel matter at a Dec. 12 committee meeting, sheriff Peter Matonich was authorized to fill a vacancy in his department because of a retirement. The sheriff indicated he had several applicants for the position and said he wanted to fill it with a woman.

—Ralph Ansami