Local News

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 …

Letters written by two Michigan Tech professors against University Senate Resolution 41-21 were decried by its proponents as racist and sexist, but recent missteps by the “anti-racism” movement suggest a majority of Americans agree with them. The resolution had its origins in an anti-semitic incident in Hancock at the Temple …

The miner statue is still being repaired, but a familiar silhouette is now greeting commuters coming into downtown Houghton from the east off College Avenue. The black-and-white stand-in at Franklin Square will be in place until repairs are completed on the permanent metal fixture by the spring or early summer. …

Thursday night’s marathon Calumet council session was a topsy-turvy affair that almost resulted in having no budget in place for today. Following a public session, several trustees were upset that the budget had not been part of prior work sessions. That meant the draft was completed almost exclusively by Village …