Local News

What is green burial? It’s a natural, environmentally-friendly alternative to embalming, steel caskets and burial vaults.  And it is available in the Keweenaw. The Keweenaw Green Burial Alliance (KGBA)—a non-profit educational and advocacy organization—will give a community update on the status of green burial in our area, providing information and answering questions at …

Final approvals were recently granted by government regulatory agencies for a dredging project set to begin this summer at the Grand Traverse Bay Harbor in Houghton County. The work is part of the ongoing effort to save Buffalo Reef, an important Lake Superior natural fish-spawning reef from being covered by shifting …

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) recently issued $500,000 in grants to 25 local health departments to help combat Michigan’s hepatitis A outbreak. Local health departments were issued $20,000 each to increase vaccination outreach to high-risk populations and include: Allegan County Health Department Kalamazoo County …

As jail overcrowding has been an issue of concern in Houghton County for many years, local residents will have two more opportunities to voice their thoughts and concerns on the current proposed solution. Residents voiced their opinions this week at the Laird Township Hall in Alston and two more public …

A two-vehicle accident in Houghton sent an elderly woman to the hospital Monday. The accident happened shortly before 11:30am at the intersection of Sharon Avenue and M-26. The Houghton Police Department says a Toyota driven by an 85-year-old Hancock woman was traveling south on M-26 and failed to yield while …

The Portage Lake District Library will host a travelogue about the Hawaiian islands on Tuesday, March 27, from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Join Ayla Miller, 6th grade student at the Chassell Township Schools, as she presents a slideshow about her family’s adventures on the big island of Hawaii, Oahu, and …

LAURIUM, Mich. – One in three American adults is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, a serious disease that can lead to complications like kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, blindness, and amputations. But type 2 diabetes doesn’t have to be permanent—it can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyle modifications. The first …

LAURIUM, Mich. – Jessica Bessner, director of pharmacy for Aspirus Keweenaw and Ontonagon hospitals, has been named president-elect of the Michigan Pharmacists Association (MPA) Executive Board. Bessner is only the second pharmacy professional from the Upper Peninsula to be elected to serve as president of the MPA’s executive board. In her …

Although global recognition of World Water Day was last week, the Great Lakes Research Center is celebrating it’s involvement today and tomorrow and featured a lecture last night from Greg Kleinheinz, professor of environmental engineering technology of the University of Wisconsin- Oshkosh. Originally created by the United Nations in 1993, …

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Natural Resources Commission will host a series of public engagement meetings on chronic wasting disease – a fatal central nervous system disease found in deer, elk and moose. The meetings will provide an opportunity for the commission and department to hear …