Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 101 - 125 of 393
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY - Hurley School District Administrator Chris Patritto discussed the ramifications of a drop in student enrollment of 15 students with the school board on Monday. Patritto told the school board the third Friday K-12 count was conducted last week and it registered 589 students. The district adds on the equivalency of four full-time students from the summer school count for a total of 593. He said he expected the decline. Patritto projects a... Full story
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — An amendment to a sewer-water contract approved by the city commission last Monday will net Coleman Engineering around $88,000 in additional engineering fees. Coleman was awarded the engineering contract for the third phase of the 2014 water-sewer project carried out by Snow Country Contracting, of Bessemer. After a presentation from Jeff Sjoquist, of Coleman, the commission voted 4-1 in favor of the amendment to the Coleman contract. Joe Cayer Jr. was opposed. In a letter to the city c... Full story
HURLEY — A Gurney, Wis., resident recently entered a not guilty plea to a charge of homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle. The next Iron County Court appearance for Matthew Sorrels, 28, will be an Oct. 30 pre-trial hearing. Sorrels was involved in a Feb. 27 traffic accident on U.S. 2 in the town of Kimball that claimed the life of Harvey Harold Hill, of Washburn. Hill died at a Wausau hospital on March 14. Charges were filed on March 17. Sorrels is also charged with homicide by use of a vehicle with a prohibited alcohol content and homicide... Full story
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Michigan Natural Resources Commission last week approved the purchase of seven permanent trail easements from private property owners in the Wakefield area. The 30-foot-wide easements total 1.4 miles and are located along the former Chicago & North Western Railroad corridor in Wakefield Township. That's good news for the local economy because Trail 2 from Ironwood to Wakefield is a highly used snowmobile route and it was in danger of... Full story
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] HURLEY — An Oct. 13 meeting is planned on a request from the Eagle Bluff Golf Course board to have the city reduce the golf club’s annual $10,000 lease payment. The city council met Thursday and finance committee chair Joanne Bruneau announced the Oct. 13 session. Mayor Joe Pinardi said the golf club is experiencing financial difficulties. The city owns the golf course property and charges the golf club an annual lease fee. It’s not the first year the golf course representatives have come before the c... Full story
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD - There were two developments on Monday regarding the non-motorized Iron Belle trail from Detroit to Ironwood. The Ironwood stretch, called the Western Gateway trail, was dedicated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony near Depot Park in the afternoon, attended by about 50 people. The city commission later agreed to transfer $10,000 in Bridge the Gap funds to the city of Hurley. That will allow Hurley to extend the trail from the Montreal River Bridge t... Full story
IRONWOOD - New playground equipment at Ironwood's Longyear Park is set on a soft rubber surface that prevents kids' injuries from falls. A ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday afternoon marked completion of the $60,000 project, with half that amount coming from a Michigan Department of Natural Resources grant. About a dozen children were using the new playground on a 77-degree afternoon. The former Ironwood Jaycees matched most of the DNR grant for the handicapped-accessible Super Play company... Full story
By RALPH ANSAMI [email protected] IRONWOOD — Monday will be a busy day for Ironwood City Commissioners and citizens. The city-related activities will begin at 3 p.m. at Longyear Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new playground equipment. At 4 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting event at Depot Park for the Michigan Western Gateway Iron Belle Trail. The city commission will then meet in one of its two monthly sessions at 5:20 p.m. in commission chambers at the Memorial Building. There will be a public hearing at 5:20 p.m. o... Full story
BESSEMER - Heroin use on the Gogebic Range has reached the "epidemic" stage, taking over from meth as the preferred illegal drug of choice, the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners learned Wednesday. Three local law enforcement officers addressed the county board on the deadly problem, which Michigan State Patrol Wakefield Post Commander Lt. Don Horn said will "affect all of us in one way or another." Jerry Mazurek, an MSP trooper, said the heroin comes to the area mostly from Wausau,... Full story
BESSEMER — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners Wednesday renewed its sheriff’s department dispatching contract with Iron County, Mich., for five years on a 6-1 vote. County board chair Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer, cast the only no vote. Bonovetz supported switching Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department dispatching services to Negaunee Regional Dispatch, even though that would have cost the county nearly $100,000 more over the five-year period. Bonovetz said he felt the county would receive more experience from Negaunee and wondered how Iron... Full story
IRONWOOD — The 3.45 inches of rain that fell for the 24-hour period through 7 a.m. on Labor Day set a Sept. 7 record for Ironwood. The weather station at the Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Plant records weather readings by the National Weather Service office in Marquette. It was the most rain received on that day over the past 110 years. Rainfall totals appeared to vary widely for the 24-hour period across the Gogebic Range, and the fact that the ground was so dry helped absorb all of that sudden moisture. The rain started on Sunday and c... Full story
Wednesday brought some needed rainfall to the Gogebic Range, but with sun forecast today through Saturday, dry conditions could return for the holiday weekend. Booming thunderclaps accompanied Wednesday’s rain and a severe storm warning was out for Iron County, Mich. With temperatures in the 80s returning, dry grass may become a hazard. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources urges caution when lighting and extinguishing fires on Labor Day weekend. Dan Laux, MDNR fire prevention specialist, said Michigan is seeing late summer conditions w... Full story
MARENISCO - Michigan Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh recently approved the sale of six acres at the Presque Isle River Dam flooding area to Marenisco Township. The dam is south of Marenisco, off the west side of M-64. "With the dam repairs, this impoundment enjoyed by anglers and hunters is expected to return to a popular waterfowl and warmwater fishing destination for Marenisco Township," said Terry Minzey, DNR Upper Peninsula regional wildlife supervisor. "This is a good... Full story
IRONWOOD - Eagle Waste's new recycling service for Ironwood customers begins next month. Jim Whittinghill, of the Eagle River, Wis., company, on Wednesday morning said people who now receive curbside service will also receive 96-gallon containers with yellow lids for recyclables such as papers, plastic, cardboard, glass and other items explained in information sheets supplied to customers. "They'll be able to co-mingle the recyclable items," he said. The items should be placed loose in the... Full story
IRONWOOD — A representative of the local Western U.P. Snow Shakers assured the Ironwood City Commission Monday that if an all-terrain vehicle trail is opened in the Miners Memorial Heritage Park, it will not be a “scramble area.” Rob Youngberg, speaking for the group that was previously called the Gogebic Range Trail Authority, said a 15 mph speed limit would be strictly followed by the riders. A proposed motorized east-west trail through the 1.5-mile park has created controversy because about half of the people surveyed about uses there said... Full story
SAXON, Wis. - It was about 100 degrees hotter than typical snowmobiling weather, but that didn't stop drag racing Saturday at the Iron County Fairgrounds in Saxon. Around $1,600 was raised for breast cancer prevention in the women's pink races, which included a nasty spill by one of the racers well after the finish line. She was uninjured, however. With temperatures reaching the mid-90s, the racers and their teams struggled to keep motors that are supposed to be air-cooled running for even the... Full story
IRONWOOD — The 10 structures approved for demolition Monday by the Ironwood City Commission will be torn down within 60 days. Commissioners approved nearly $150,000 in demolition projects, to be covered by a $675,000 state grant received by the city. Snow Country Contracting will handle nine of the projects and Associated Constructors will complete one. Ironwood Community Development Director Michael Brown said if the contractors don’t get the projects done within the designated 60 days, they will face fines. The projects will begin with asb... Full story
IRONWOOD - A site plan and conditional use permit for Xcel Energy's move into Ironwood's industrial park were approved Thursday by the planning commission. Russ Kiviniemi, a professional engineer with Cedar Corporation, of Menomonie, Wis., outlined project plans for Xcel, with a half-dozen citizens attending the public hearing. Kiviniemi said some wetland permits from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality must still be obtained, but the company doesn't anticipate any major snags.... Full story
IRON RIVER, Wis. — A logging truck driven by a Hurley man was involved in a 1:36 p.m. Thursday accident that is under investigation by the Iron River Police Department. Police said a 2003 Toyota Tundra was westbound on U.S. 2, near Iron River, driven by Sue Beard, of Wyoming, Ohio. Beard’s vehicle crossed the center line and struck the rear driver’s side wheels of a loaded pulp truck that was eastbound on the highway, operated by David R. Bouillion, of Hurley. Beard’s vehicle went under the rear tires of the pulp truck, spun around and ended u... Full story
A soggy summer across the Gogebic Range has turned into days of sunshine. After several days of oppressive heat, lower temperatures, into the high 70s, are predicted through Sunday, with no rain. That spells ideal weather for this weekend’s Iron County Fair at Saxon, Wis. The high for the 24-hour period to 7 a.m. Wednesday in Ironwood topped out at 84 degrees. The 110-year high for July 29 is 95 in 2006, according to the National Weather Service office in Marquette. Farmers have welcomed the dry-out over the past two weeks in the height of h... Full story
SAXON, Wis. - Saxon farmer Kenny Clement said Iron County Fair-goers will be treated to some new tractor-related events during this weekend's three-day celebration. Clement said an early 1900s vintage hay baler that is horse-drawn was found at the old DeRosso farm near the former Cary Mine in Hurley. He said Kayla Saubert and her horse will operate the old baler, which is also called a hay presser. "We've tried it out and actually baled a couple of bales with it," he said. He said Saubert has... Full story
IRONWOOD — The Ironwood City Commission took no action Monday on a request to fund construction of a viewing deck on Mt. Zion. The city’s parks and recreation committee had supported city funding for the deck, according to Community Development Director Michael Brown. The total cost for materials would be about $5,000, with the city providing half and the remaining $2,500 being raised through a fund drive. Brown said the Gogebic Community College building and trades department showed an interest in participating in the project. Commissioners di... Full story
IRONWOOD — Many of the 118 people who donated to Ironwood's new Art Park attended the Friday afternoon ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Aurora Street. Jen Tucker, a community assistance specialist with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, presented Ironwood Community Development Director Michael Brown with a plaque on the occasion. The city received a $10,000 grant through MEDC to develop the Art Park after more than $15,000 was pledged locally toward the effort. Brown said there's still some money left over for project improvements. T... Full story
HURLEY — The Hurley City Council agreed to add one-chair beauty salons to its conditional use ordinance on Tuesday. Mayor Joe Pinardi said a woman on Maple Street plans on opening a one-chair salon in her house, but the ordinance didn’t cover it. Adding beauty salons to the list will allow her to receive a permit to operate the business. In other action Tuesday, the council approved Jake Hodgdon as a part-time police officer, to be used as needed by Police Chief Dan Erspamer. The new officer had been riding along with other officers to acquaint... Full story
IRONWOOD — The National Weather Service office in Marquette has logged some soggy statistics about June in Ironwood. The 5.4 inches of rain for the month was 150 percent above normal, according to Kevin Crupi, of the Marquette NWS office. It was also a cool month, with the average temperature of 60.2 coming in at 1.1 degrees under the long-term average. The high temperature reached above 80 only three days during the entire month. It was 81 on June 27 and June 28. The normal for June is eight days above 80 in Ironwood. Crupi said the jet s... Full story
