News

A Rockland woman facing drug charges has confessed. Rhonda Heikkinen pleaded guilty in Ontonagon County Circuit Court to a single count of delivery of methadone. She was originally charged with two counts of delivery of methadone and hydrocodone in May. The second count was dropped, as part of a plea …

U-S Representative Dan Benishek’s Subcommittee on Veterans’ Health held a hearing yesterday on delayed payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs to private providers serving veterans across the country. Benishek says the delayed payments have caused providers to be wary of accepting veterans as patients, thereby limiting the number of …

The Catholic Diocese of Marquette has again found to be in compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The Charter was adopted by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 2002 to address the problem of child and youth sexual abuse by clergy. Bishop John Doerfler encourages …

The sexual assault trial of a former Calumet hockey player has resumed in Windsor. Ben Johnson is accused of molesting a woman in the restroom of a Windsor bar in January of 2013. The Windsor Star reports that Johnson’s alleged victim took the stand earlier this week. Yesterday, the alleged …

State Representative Scott Dianda has won a preliminary round in his battle to force the Michigan Department of Transportation to spend more of its money on roads. Dianda’s amendment to House Bill 4613 would cap administrative costs for MDOT at seven percent of its total budget. The cap currently stands …

State Representative Scott Dianda has introduced legislation calling on the Michigan Public Service Commission to create an Upper Peninsula-wide energy plan. Dianda says the region dodged a bullet with the compromise reached to keep the Presque Isle power plant in business until 2020, and that the reprieve should be used …

SEMCO natural gas customers will see their bills go up soon. The Michigan Public Service Commission has approved a settlement agreement that authorizes the company to continue its natural gas main replacement program. The agreement requires SEMCO to to spend 10-million dollars per year on gas main replacement through the …

The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ decision to classify the Russian boar as an invasive species. Russian boar are not native to Michigan. Most of those now in the state have been brought in by specialty hog farmers, or game ranches. Some have …

The Saint Vincent dePaul organization in Baraga County celebrated a major expansion Wednesday with the dedication of its new food pantry. The pantry is located in the former Snyder Drug Store on Broad Street. The building had been empty for six years, after the pharmacy was purchased by Pamida. Saint …

The endowment of the Portage Health Foundation has received another boost. An additional 3.1-million dollars from the sale of Portage Health Hospital to LifePoint Hospitals has been deposited. That pushes the assets of the Foundation to nearly 60-million dollars. The Portage Health Foundation became a stand-alone entity when Portage Health …