Local News

Baraga County finished fiscal year 2020 in the black. At last night’s board of commissioners meeting, auditor Susan Sanders said that federal money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act helped the county finish the year with a surplus. The dark cloud on the horizon remains the county’s …

Fifty-five percent of eligible Michiganders have received at least the first dose of their COVID-19 vaccine, reaching the initial benchmark in Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s reopening plan. That comes as the Department of Health and Human Services takes into account those who got their shots in other states. That could be …

The Houghton County Fair has the go-ahead to hold an event this August. Set in its customary end of the month slot, the fair will be able to have its full complement of livestock auctions and the midway is returning as well. Office Manager Carol Saari says two main questions …

Recreation enthusiasts will have an old favorite back to its normal self by the end of summer. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has begun rebuilding the rail trail between Old US-41 in Chassell and the Pilgrim River in Houghton. The work will be extensive, with over a dozen culverts …

The Lake Linden Fire Department is on the lookout for a different kind of volunteer. It is actively soliciting businesses throughout the area to help put on its traditional 4th of July celebration. To defray some of the cost, companies can choose between giving $75 or $100 and that will …

For close contacts of people who have tested positive for COVID-19, some welcome relief. The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department is relaxing its requirements by shortening the mandatory quarantine length. Instead of two weeks, the new guidelines say ten days will be appropriate a majority of the time. Symptoms still …

Houghton High School’s Micaela Geborkoff and Logan Sandell were both selected to be part of NASA’s prestigious STEM Enhancement and Space Science summer internship program. SEES studies the atmosphere of Earth and its closest neighboring planets. Normally, students stay at the University of Texas while working at NASA’s Austin center, …

The Copper Country Intermediate School District has announced the replacement for retiring superintendent George Stockero. Jim Rautiola will slide from the top post at Stanton Township schools to the same role at the CCISD. A vote was taken at a special meeting of the board of education Friday morning. Rautiola …

Houghton’s waterfront revamp will happen. Before Wednesday’s budget workshop, the Houghton City Council met for a special session on the pier. The lowest bid came in over $1.6 million above what had been anticipated, thanks to soaring steel prices. City Manager Eric Waara looked at several options to try and …

Executive Director Kevin Store from Portage Health Foundation is excited for what comes next with his organization. In a wide-ranging Copper Country Today interview set to air this Sunday, he lays out a vision for the future that builds many of the recent projects supported by the nonprofit into a …