News

Houghton – Portage Township Schools Superintendent Anders Hill says families anxious about the potential spread of the omicron variant will soon have a new way to monitor its effect locally. We’re excited. I know parents have voiced concerns about struggling to find rapid tests. The Michigan Department of Health and …

Ariens is already looking to expand local testing of their snow removal equipment beyond this winter. The familiar orange paint bedecking what the manufacturer calls its Mammoth model has been seen on the streets of Hancock for the past month. Testing Program Senior Manager Doug Kortbein says the Copper Country …

The Baraga County rebranding project took a step forward last night. The county board of commissioners voted to spend $35,000 to rebuild the county’s website. The current site has been criticized as being difficult for consumers to navigate, and even more challenging for county staffers to edit and post new …

Sewer rates in the Village of L’Anse will be going up, but just by a little bit. At last night’s council meeting, manager Bob LaFave said bids for the next phase of the village’s sewage system rebuild came in higher than expected. LaFave said inflation and supply chain issues are …

The Portage Health Foundation is once again soliciting requests for proposal pertaining to potential recreation projects in Houghton, Baraga, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties. In total, up to $100,000 is available with a maximum of $20,000 going to any individual project. PHF shares some of the grants that have been given …

The UP Regional Blood Center is warning again that it is in critical need of all blood types. The blood bank supplies 13 UP hospitals, getting donations through three permanent sites in Marquette, Escanaba, and Hancock, plus community drives. The next one is scheduled for Monday, January 17th in Chassell …

Problems with emergency communications took center stage at meetings of both the Baraga County Board of Commissioners and the L’Anse Village Council last night. At the L’Anse Council meeting, village fire chief Mike Bianco explained that the system that connects law enforcement and first responders via radio and pagers had …

One of the items on the agenda of tonight’s Hancock Recreation Committee meeting is how to fix damage to a fence at the Driving Park. Near record high temperatures and close to 70 mph winds in mid-December caused a shed used for storing Little League equipment to blow over. It …

The Calumet Theatre will be open for public events again Saturday. Staff is planning a grand reopening with guests allowed in at noon. The lights go down at 1:00 for a screening of It’s A Wonderful Life. Admission into the movie is free and snacks and refreshments will be sold …

Adventure Mine in Greenland Township is one of the oldest in the Copper Country and entire tiers have been off-limits for a century. Owner Matt Portfleet says he has been dewatering each level slowly over time. Level Two was done about a decade ago, and now features tours. Recently, the …