Local News

At Tuesday night’s meeting of the Houghton Planning Commission, the body created two subcommittees to address the issues before it. Each committee will have four commissioners in addition to an undetermined amount of regular folks. One committee will focus on the parking deck and the other on the downtown development …

The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department says it is seeing gaps for the first time in vaccine appointments reserved solely for those 65 and older. That suggests supply has finally caught up to demand and the organization can get more aggressive in expanding who gets the shots. There are plans …

Attorney David Kallman says that he expects an agreement between Café Rosetta and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to be reached as early as Tuesday afternoon. That would pave the way for the restaurant to potentially reopen this Thursday pending an on-site examination performed by the agency. …

Bridgefest organizers announced the cancelation of this year’s event just before noon on Tuesday. The festival was initially scheduled for Father’s Day weekend, June 17-20th. Keweenaw Chamber of Commerce President Mary Myers says the decision was incredibly difficult to make and is promising that some events may still go on …

Zander Worm of Calumet paced area technical students enrolled in the Automotive Technology program participating in the SkillsUSA Competition last month. Normally, six districts converge on Bay College in Escanaba to vie across many disciplines that make up technical education in the Upper Peninsula. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s …

An anonymous staff sergeant in the Michigan National Guard set off a firestorm yesterday by blowing the whistle on nonedible food being served to troops deployed in Washington, D.C. Speaking to WXYZ-TV in Detroit, he said that Sunday’s meals included raw meat, metal shavings, and other issues, causing soldiers to …

The Houghton Planning Commission is kicking off its new twice-monthly schedule tonight, convening to begin revisions to the Master Plan. The body is looking specifically at two chapters focusing on downtown development and zoning. Member Jennifer Julien says there is no firm timetable for how long the revision process will …

For the second straight year, Michigan Tech’s spring graduation ceremony will not be happening at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena. There are plans in motion to offer an alternative event outdoors on the main campus Friday, April 30th in the afternoon. Faculty are being asked to save the date …

Monday’s COVID-19 update from the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department shows vaccination rates creeping up throughout the Copper Country. Houghton County lags at 13 percent, but Keweenaw and Baraga Counties are both over 17 percent. A third vaccine from Johnson and Johnson has been approved and is shipping across the …

Park service staff have begun processing reservations for summer visits to Isle Royale aboard the Ranger III. The vessel will operate at roughly 50 percent capacity between May 25th and September 11th. Additionally, private companies will run a combination of three ferries and a seaplane service. The National Park Service …