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Articles written by alissa pietila


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  • Trees of love, celebration honor friends, relatives

    Alissa Pietila|Dec 3, 2014

    IRONWOOD - The 24th annual Tree of Love dedication ceremony took place at Aspirus Grand View hospital on Tuesday night. Around 50 people gathered to witness the lighting of both the Tree of Love and Celebration Tree to honor and celebrate loved ones, hosted by the Aspirus Grand View Auxiliary. Virginia Keczko, Tree of Love chair, said the number of those in attendance was "shy compared to what we normally have here," citing cold temperatures as a major factor. Singers Maggie Hokans, Anna Hill...

  • Auditor urges Bessemer to seek joint ventures

    Alissa Pietila|Dec 2, 2014

    By ALISSA PIETILA [email protected] BESSEMER - The Bessemer City Council met Monday night to hear the recent audit report, as well as look at old business surrounding a water leak detector, excavator and Eagle Waste. Christina Smigowski, of Rukkila, Negro and Associates in Houghton, presented an auditor's report which said they did not find anything wrong with the city's financial reports. Smigowski encouraged the city to keep pursing joint ventures, as "the state of Michigan has encou...

  • Area merchants join Small Business Saturday

    Alissa Pietila|Dec 1, 2014

    Local businesses took part in Small Business Saturday, a tradition spreading across the country, annually following Black Friday's focus on large retail shopping. Brambleberry in Ewen, which sells crafting items, fabrics and offers professional quilting, had a couple other vendors to add to their small business spirit. Deana Voigt, of Bruce Crossing, who was selling Tastefully Simple, said they had many customers come in throughout the day. Nancy Byrne, of Ewen, was making and selling handmade Christmas stockings. Brambleberry was one local...

  • Craft fair draws vendors, shoppers to White Pine

    Alissa Pietila|Dec 1, 2014

    By ALISSA PIETILA [email protected] WHITE PINE — Crafters and shoppers filled many areas of the Konteka Black Bear Resort on Saturday for a craft fair. Vendors Annette Trail and Theresa Miller said that turnout was pretty good, and displayed a quilt made by the North Country Quilters as well as other raffle items. The quilt is being raffled off with a drawing to be held during Hometown Christmas next weekend in Ontonagon. A table, manned by Roleane Daniels and Carol Brown, displayed homemade baby items, dish cloths and mittens. The m...

  • Indianhead Mountain opens with record snow

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 29, 2014

    WAKEFIELD — Indianhead Mountain opened to skiing on Friday, after record snowfall has fallen this year. “We’ve been fortunate to get all this natural snow and cold weather so we can also make snow,” said general manager of Indianhead, Barry Bolich. “Indianhead will be able to offer some of the best early season skiing in years,” he said. The hill opened at 9 a.m. and by mid-afternoon, the hill and lodge were bustling with skiers and snowboarders. Rick Martin, of Menasha, Wis., said the skiing...

  • Shoppers find Black Friday deals at local businesses

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 29, 2014

    Shoppers across the country were out looking for the best deals during Black Friday sales, with some shoppers starting as early as Thursday. According to the National Retail Federation, more than 140 million customers are expected to take advantage of in-store and online discounts and deals through the holiday weekend. It was no different for businesses in Bessemer and Ironwood. Steiger’s Home Center in Bessemer celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, offering sales starting Wednesday. The sales ar...

  • Food pantries grateful for donations

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 28, 2014

    Though food and other donations often increase throughout the holiday season, many people still go to bed hungry. According to the Food Bank Council of Michigan, "One in seven people in the United States does not know where their next meal is coming from." The Food Bank Council said that they are serving more working poor families than ever before, and half of the people receiving assistance are children and senior citizens. In a study conducted by Feeding America in 2012, Gogebic County...

  • MSP asks for safety on highways

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 26, 2014

    The Michigan State Police are preparing for an extra safe Thanksgiving holiday this year. From Nov. 26 though 30, the MSP is conducting their largest Operation C.A.R.E. (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) ever. "Operation C.A.R.E. is a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing traffic crashes and fatalities on highways across the country," according to the MSP, and began in 1977. As one of the nation's longest running traffic safety programs, Operation C.A.R.E. is involved in all 50 states, some...

  • Students design food drive creations

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 26, 2014

    BESSEMER - Students at A.D. Johnston High School gathered for a contest to end a can drive held at the school recently. The school's Key Club organized the event this year, the "fourth year for Key Club," said president Valerie Rowe. It has taken place longer than four years though, said both Rowe and vice president Molly Wieringa. The students are organized according to their homeroom except for the seventh and eighth grades, said principal Dan VanderVelden. Students were asked to build a...

  • GCC Board Meeting discusses pool, more

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 26, 2014

    IRONWOOD - The Gogebic Community College board met on Tuesday to discuss the options for the Lindquist Center pool, as well as focus groups and a meeting of the Upper Peninsula college and university presidents. Pool discussion Community members and some individuals representing Snowflake Aquatics and the Barracuda Swim Team specially requested to speak during public comment on agenda items, and a group of about 20 people came to voice their concerns regarding the condition of GCC's pool. Member...

  • Bessemer Area School Board discusses safety grant

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 25, 2014

    BESSEMER - The Bessemer Area School District Board of Education held it's November meeting on Monday night, which included a presentation about the first grade class, as well as discussion on the superintendent's evaluation and contract and a competitive safety grant program. Teacher presentation Emily Stafford and Jonelle France started the meeting with a presentation about Bessemer's first-graders. The presentation included activities the students have done in the past month or so, including...

  • Community gathers to discuss future of GCC pool

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 21, 2014

    IRONWOOD - The Barracuda Swim Team held a community meeting in Gogebic Community College's Lindquist Center conference room Thursday to discuss ideas surrounding concerns about the pool. Amy Lagalo, representative for the Barracuda Swim Team, led the meeting and said the swim team has 68 swimmers who practice about six hours a week. On the weekends, they travel to swim meets that often last all day. The coaches of the team are volunteers who donate their time and skills to teach the Barracuda sw...

  • 'Playful' puppeteers 'dazzle' Ironwood Theatre audience

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 17, 2014

    By ALISSA PIETILA [email protected] IRONWOOD - The "Dazzling and Playful" Puppeteers final showing of "Marionettes and Live Actors" drew a good size crowd at Theatre North at 2 p.m. on Sunday. The two shows on Saturday brought in 81 people and Sunday's show had 45 in attendance. The puppeteers, Angelina Jarvela, Jennifer Murray and Julie Mead, each played many parts. The show included recreations of the plays "The Princess and the Pea" and "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." The puppeteers...

  • Hurley school honors Veterans

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 15, 2014

    HURLEY - Veterans, students and community members gathered to celebrate a belated Veterans Day on Friday morning at the Hurley K-12 School. After the Hurley VFW Post 1580 presented the colors, led by post commander Ron Zaleski, the Hurley high school band played the National Anthem. Sixth grade students Morgan Nasi, Caleb Londre, Jackie Bradley and Brooke Saari led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance. Afterwards, principal Jeff Gulan welcomed all in attendance and reminded everyone to...

  • Puppet show to take place Saturday, Sunday

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 14, 2014

    IRONWOOD - The Dazzling and Playful Puppeteers, under the direction of Gemma Lamb, will perform "Marionettes and Live Actors" this weekend at Theatre North. The shows will feature both puppets and live actors recreating classic tales, such as The Princess and the Pea and Three Billy Goats Gruff, as well as some children's songs. According to Lamb, they have been practicing on occasion since September, but are down to only three players, each working hard to prepare. "I think they've done a...

  • Parent liaisons aim to connect parents with support

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 10, 2014

    The Gogebic-Ontonagon Great Start Collaborative recently hired two new parent liaisons to serve communities in both counties. Laurie Celeski, of Ironwood, will serve families in Gogebic County and Donna Powelson, of White Pine, will cover Ontonagon County. Parent liaisons work with community agencies, schools and families “to build public support for early childhood planning, provide a customer perspective as a sounding board for the Great Start Collaborative and lend support to the Great Start Collaborative,” Celeski said. “We serve as a voi...

  • US 2 reopens in Ironwood; project to resume in 2015

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 6, 2014

    IRONWOOD –– U.S. 2 is open again. Phase 1 of the $7.5 million U.S. 2 project that began in May is nearly completed, at least for this year. "We're happy to see this major project nearing a successful completion," Mike Premo, manager of the Michigan Department of Transportation's Crystal Falls transportation service center, said. "We realize it caused a significant impact on traffic in Ironwood this summer and fall. We appreciate everyone's patience as we wrap things up for the season." MDOT exp...

  • Bessemer citizens decry Eagle Waste rewards program

    Alissa Pietila|Nov 4, 2014

    BESSEMER–– Hot topics at Monday's Bessemer City council meeting included the Eagle Waste rewards program and the possible purchase of an excavator for the city. About 20 residents were in attendance and many made public comments on the contract the city has with Eagle Waste & Recycling of Ashland, Wis. Several residents said privatizing the city's waste removal through Eagle Waste was not the right choice, citing higher prices as one reason. A possible rewards system through Eagle Waste has als...

  • DOVE receives new grant from NFL

    Alissa Pietila|Oct 30, 2014

    IRONWOOD –– Dove Inc. has received a new grant, funded by the National Football League, to support domestic and sexual violence victims through community agencies with traditionally underserved populations. The NFL provided the National Sexual Violence Resource Center with funds to support hotline services for victims of sexual violence nationally, and the NSVRC distributed a portion of this funding to each state or territory coalition. The Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, one of Dov...