Local News

UPDATE: Zephaniah Luke Phillips was located in Copper Harbor Thursday evening. The Baraga County Sheriff’s Department is looking for a missing man. Officials say 21-year-old Zephaniah Luke Phillips was last seen on Monday night around 10:15, heading south on the Skanee Road toward L’Anse, after leaving The Finns. Phillips also …

The next Michigan Tech virtual COVID-19 Community Town Hall takes place this evening. This week’s topic is “The Importance of Staying Physically Active during the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Guests will include sports medicine physician Dr. Keri Denay, UP Health System Portage Health and Fitness Manager Angela Luskin, and MTU alum Steve …

Pheasant hunters won’t get much help from the state this fall. Because of COVID-19 budget cuts, no Department of Natural Resources Pheasant Hunting Initiative pheasant releases will take place during the upcoming hunting season. Budget reductions over the past several months have also limited the DNR’s ability to collect information …

There’s federal money coming to help local growers deliver food to low income residents in our region. A $746,480 grant to Michigan State University will be used to strengthen local food economies in the Upper Peninsula, and in Battle Creek. Jamie Rahrig with the MSU Center for Regional Food System …

Houghton County school districts may be able to resume face-to-face instruction Monday. Although several districts have already announced that classes will resume, Western Upper Peninsula Health Department Health Officer Kate Beer told us late yesterday afternoon that the final decision won’t be made until results from Saturday’s community COVID-19 testing …

The Houghton County Road Commission is getting federal money to help with three purchases. The first grant will help buy a new column vehicle lift, to replace one that wore out because of extensive use repairing county vehicles after the 2018 Father’s Day Flood. The second grant will help purchase …

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Opioids Task Force will host a virtual town hall today to learn more about how the opioid epidemic has impacted the Upper Peninsula. The town hall will run from 4:00 to 5:30. Officials will share the latest strategy to …

Outdoor field trips for school students will continue this year through the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach.  Tech Today reports that a $20,000 grant from Mary Nelson and the Wege Foundation of Grand Rapids will help pay for the outdoor adventures for kindergarten through eighth grade students. …

The Copper Country continues to be one of the state’s hottest COVID-19 centers. The most recent report issued by the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department shows 91 new confirmed positives in the five-county region. 72 of those are in Houghton County, which also reported 41 new probable positives. Baraga County …

The urgent need for blood continues across the Upper Peninsula. The U.P. Regional Blood Bank will hold a blood drive this afternoon between 2:00 and 6:00 at the L’Anse Township Hall in L’Anse. Donating blood is safe, as long as you are healthy. Most blood types remain in short supply, …