Local News

Copper Country Mental Health Services remains busy, but two months into the latest round of lockdowns it isn’t noticing a spike in demand. It is unclear if an elevated, but steady, rate is the first gradual step toward overall improvement. CCMHS is part of a regional network covering the entire …

Hancock and Dollar Bay-Tamarack City districts both held school board meetings on Monday night, with construction being a primary focus. Hancock Superintendent Steve Patchin says work will be done at the entrances of the elementary and high school in his district. There is some deterioration in front of Barkell, while …

At Tuesday evening’s Calumet Village Council meeting, the group tackled two major orders of business. Pete Hahn and Chris Green were selected to join the Planning Commission, although neither has formally accepted as of yet. Green has long played a role in revitalization efforts in the village. He has served …

The Western UP Health Department released its latest COVID-19 update covering the period from Thursday, January 14th through Monday, January 18th. In the five county area, 101 new cases were confirmed. Houghton County had the most with 61. Baraga reported only one additional case and Keweenaw had seven. Houghton and …

Attempting to fill two vacancies on city boards will be the most pressing items of tonight’s Hancock City Council meeting. Jordan Johnson is stepping down from the Downtown Development Authority, effective immediately. Jeff Kelly is leaving both the planning commission and the recreation commission next month.  Also up for discussion …

Dr. Keith Wright from UP Health Portage will be checking the community’s cardiovascular pulse again this February. The free screenings have become an annual tradition in conjunction with American Heart Month. Health and Fitness Manager Angela Luskin says the exams are more comprehensive than a traditional physical. Those people can …

Remote learning will be the only option available to Washington Middle School students in Calumet beginning at 2 PM Wednesday through the end of the month. Mitigation efforts have not been successful so far in stemming a rising number of confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, according to an email sent …

A new zero visitor policy has been implemented at UP Health System – Portage for inpatient units. The release did not give a reason for the change and it is unclear if it is COVID-19 related. At last check, the hospital census showed six patients with the virus, zero in …

COVID-19 restrictions kept Finlandia students from engaging in volunteer work for the Martin Luther King holiday, as has become the custom. However, the university is making up for it by hosting social justice educator Jen Fry Tuesday night. A former Division II athlete, Fry does most of her speaking at …

Less congestion on the highways and byways of the State of Michigan led to a significant increase in fatal car accidents even as overall traffic plummeted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those trends were partially mirrored locally. Sergeant Russell Larson from the Calumet post was able to crunch some numbers …