News

Legislation has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives to effectively expand the state’s civil rights law to the LGBT community. Sponsors say the measure protects Michigan residents in cases involving employment, housing and public accommodations if they’re discriminated against because of the “sexual orientation” or “gender identity or …

The state of Michigan’s online presence for economic development and site selection services has won praise as one of the best in the nation. Sigala Inc., a California-based development and consulting firm, recently released a report looking at how well each state’s economic development agency did in promoting the state …

A proposal to do a feasibility study to determine if the Houghton County Airport needs a new terminal will not proceed… at least, not for now. The County Board declined to approve funding for the request at last night’s meeting. Discussions about a major revamp or replacement of the terminal …

The simmering feud between current Houghton County Board of Commissioners chair Scott Ala and former chair Al Koskela bubbled to the surface at last night’s meeting. Koskela submitted a proposal designed to limit the mileage stipend paid to commissioners who attend meetings to the distance from their official residence to the meeting …

The leaky roof on the Houghton County Arena will get a patch this fall, and could undergo significant repairs as early as next summer. Last evening, county commissioners gave Lake State Roofing the go-ahead to do some immediate emergency work. Longer term, commissioners agreed that the 40-year-old arena needs a …

For the first time in a decade, Houghton County is facing a fiscal year with a little… just a little… breathing room. County commissioners passed a 9.1-million dollar budget last night. That’s based on a projected 4.4-percent increase in revenues. The only dissenting vote came from Board Chairman Scott Ala… …

The founder of the Parade of Nations and Multicultural Festival was honored last night at the opening of an exhibit about the event’s history at the Carnegie Museum. Betty Chavis was presented with a quilt that included panels made from many of the t-shirts that have been featured each year… …

The remains of a ship that sank 115 years ago while on its way to the Keweenaw have been discovered. Researchers from the Great Lakes Shipwreck Society located the remains of the Nelson in 200-feet of water off the coast near Grand Marais. The Nelson was a three-masted schooner, but …

It’s budget time for Houghton County, and commissioners will open their monthly meeting today with a public hearing on the proposed spending plan. County Controller Eric Forsberg says the nine-million dollar budget will start out in the black… unlike last year’s budget, which began in the red. Forsberg credits the …

The Houghton County prisoner who walked away from a work release job site last week will face a felony escape charge. 27-year-old Kevin Michael Anderson was arraigned Friday… a day after he disappeared from a crew working on the grounds at the Houghton County Memorial Airport. Anderson was captured several …