Local News

Tuesday’s Copper Country Intermediate School District Board of Education meeting marked the final evaluation for George Stockero. The superintendent is leaving on a high note, having received a “Highly Effective” rating. The board said it was particularly impressed by Stockero’s communication abilities since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. There …

Tom Merz was appointed chairman of the newly formed subcommittee created to address the future of the big parking deck in downtown Houghton. He was officially nominated by member Mike Needham. There was no voting conducted as per rules established at a prior Planning Commission meeting. Dan Liebau was named …

The Michigan Department of Transportation restarted a project Tuesday on M-26 to replace bridges over the east and west branches of the Firesteel River. Some earth work was done last fall before construction was halted for the winter. It poses some interesting challenges for planners due to the lack of …

COVID-19 is picking up across the state, but not locally. Metro Detroit and north to Port Huron and into the “thumb” of the Lower Peninsula is spiking. The Copper Country remains in check. Houghton, Baraga, and Keweenaw Counties combined for 14 cases over the weekend. That compares to 41 new …

Brush fires broke out last weekend in parts of the Lower Peninsula. The risk has been classified as high as far north as Menominee and Escanaba. With sunny, warm conditions expected across the Copper Country all week, it won’t be long before the snow is gone and it becomes our …

Houghton High School Principal Cole Klein gave a report to the district’s Board of Education on Monday night, congratulating the band programs for grades seven through 12. He said it was a challenge just to practice, having to be spaced throughout the auditorium rather than sharing a stage together. Wind …

On Friday, March 12th, troopers from the Michigan State Police Calumet Post and deputies from the Houghton County Sheriff’s Office arrested one man and one woman for selling methamphetamine throughout the area. Both are thought to have distributed the narcotic in Houghton, Baraga, and Keweenaw Counties. 30-year-old Joe Julio of …

When the Franklin Square Inn makes its debut as a Hampton Inn property, new guests will encounter significant changes. Jennifer Julien says that parent company Hilton designs the hotel chain with upscale sensibilities in mind. The lobby ceiling is required to be a certain height, but the current building is …

The Mackinac Bridge Authority Board and Finance Committee met Friday, approving the installation of a high frequency radar to help monitor water surface currents. The MBA’s Kim Nowack thanked Guy Meadows of Michigan Tech’s Great Lakes Research Center for the proposal. She says that it will be particularly useful if …

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday that COVID-19 vaccines will be rolled out for all adults in the coming weeks. Beginning on March 22nd, those with preexisting conditions and other factors that put them at high risk from the virus become eligible statewide. Risks include anything …