Local News

Computers are a part of life, from home to business, and coding knowledge is quickly becoming a necessity. Hancock Public Schools is making plans to incorporate computer science into its curriculum. A new grant from the Michigan Department of Education will be utilized to help make this vision a reality. …

Commissioner Tikkonen was reappointed as Vice Chair for the county. He would go on to run the meeting, in the absence of Commissioner Koskela. First item to be approved was paying the county’s bills, totaling $1,094,926. On January 26th the county will join Franklin Township for a discussion on a …

Robert Kyllonen is stepping down after over 30 years on the Laurium Police force. His official end date is January 29th, but unused vacation time effectively pushes that to now. Replacing Kyllonen is Sergeant Kurt Erkkila. He says that the promotion doesn’t change his job responsibilities greatly. It’s fairly similar. …

The Fire Station Cannabis Company released a statement Tuesday regarding the controversial sign promoting the business on Sharon Avenue. After legal counsel for the City of Houghton and municipal officials signaled that they believe numerous ordinances were being violated by the billboard, the company has temporarily pulled it down. What’s …

Calumet Council held a special meeting in the ballroom of Village Hall Tuesday night to address allegations of mishandled citizen petitions. Last year the group passed Ordinances 157 and 158 to allow the appointment of the treasurer and clerk by the council. The main argument for the measures was to …

Houghton – Portage Township Schools Superintendent Anders Hill says families anxious about the potential spread of the omicron variant will soon have a new way to monitor its effect locally. We’re excited. I know parents have voiced concerns about struggling to find rapid tests. The Michigan Department of Health and …

Ariens is already looking to expand local testing of their snow removal equipment beyond this winter. The familiar orange paint bedecking what the manufacturer calls its Mammoth model has been seen on the streets of Hancock for the past month. Testing Program Senior Manager Doug Kortbein says the Copper Country …

The Baraga County rebranding project took a step forward last night. The county board of commissioners voted to spend $35,000 to rebuild the county’s website. The current site has been criticized as being difficult for consumers to navigate, and even more challenging for county staffers to edit and post new …

Sewer rates in the Village of L’Anse will be going up, but just by a little bit. At last night’s council meeting, manager Bob LaFave said bids for the next phase of the village’s sewage system rebuild came in higher than expected. LaFave said inflation and supply chain issues are …

The Portage Health Foundation is once again soliciting requests for proposal pertaining to potential recreation projects in Houghton, Baraga, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties. In total, up to $100,000 is available with a maximum of $20,000 going to any individual project. PHF shares some of the grants that have been given …