Local News

UP Health System-Portage is one of 27 hospitals in Michigan and 769 across the nation that will be penalized by the government because of a high rate of avoidable patient complications. Such complications can include infections contracted in the hospital, blood clots and bedsores. Kaiser Health News reports that investigators …

The investigation continues into a fatal fire in Iron River. The blaze broke out Monday afternoon around 3:30 at a home on River Avenue. At least one person is reported to have died. No names or other information have been released by authorities.

Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley visited Kingsford yesterday. He toured Lakeshore Systems, Inc., which provides high-definition surveillance and 24-hour monitoring for both private and defense clients. Calley said the growth of the defense industry in Michigan is being held back because of a lack of qualified employees. He cited engineering, welding …

Life is back to normal in L’Anse, after natural gas service to the village and the surrounding area was cut off by a car crash early Friday morning. SEMCO rushed repair crews to the area from as far away as Port Huron and Holland. They turned off the gas meters …

Northern Michigan University has confirmed that the United States Justice Department is investigating a civil rights complaint filed against the school. At issue is a university policy that prohibited students from discussing some mental health issues, including thoughts of suicide, with other students. That policy has since been changed. An …

When it comes to the number of drunk driving arrests in Michigan, the Copper Country tends to rank about in the middle. The website MLive reviewed arrest data for 2015 for every county in the state. They created an apples-to-apples comparison by averaging that number per 10,000 drivers. The lowest …

A stretch of US-2 in Norway now bears the name of a fallen local hero. Among the bills Governor Rick Snyder signed as the lame duck legislative session came to a close last week was a measure designating the road as “Kenneth J. Moraska Memorial Highway.” Moraska was a Norway …

L’Anse Outage Update 12/23/2016 6:30pm The work to repair the SEMCO gate station in L’Anse has been completed.  SEMCO crews continue to focus their attention on turning off individual meters.  We would like to thank our customers in L’Anse for their understanding and patience during this challenging event. For updates …

More information is now known concerning an accident this morning that has knocked out gas service to much of the L’Anse area. The Baraga County Sheriff’s Office say a northbound vehicle ran off of US-41, west of L’Anse Avenue, around 3:45 Friday morning. The vehicle struck a SEMCO gas line, …

The Baraga County Memorial Hospital is operational after the main gas line fire that occurred at 4:00am Friday morning. The facility is running on back-up fuel oil and can sustain itself indefinitely. The hospital does have heat, although it is minimal in non-critical areas. The Emergency Department and Inpatient Unit …