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In other business, the Houghton Volunteer Fire Department has a new firefighter. The department was given the go-ahead by the Houghton City Council to bring aboard 21-year old Dan Salo, Jr. Salo is currently a Michigan Tech student and has already begun helping out the department. City Council member and …

Houghton residents may be able to get rid of any old tires next year at no cost. The Houghton City Council approved City Manager Eric Waara’s request to submit a grant application to the Department of Environmental Quality at their regular meeting Wednesday. The grant would reimburse the city for …

The investigation into an alleged assault that reportedly happened at a home on Ryan Street in Hancock is moving forward. Hancock Police Chief Wayne Butler said a group of individuals, possibly 11 to 14 of them, are said to have been involved in an altercation at the house on Thursday, …

The holiday season is still more than a month away, but the state already has chosen its 2015 Christmas tree. The 66-foot spruce comes from Wakefield in the western Upper Peninsula and is being donated by Florence Daniels in memory of her husband, the late Jim Daniels. Daniels taught and …

An advocacy group and others are calling on the US Senate Finance Committee to close offshore tax loopholes, saying Michigan is losing over $3 billion per year in state tax revenue because of them. Linda Teeter of the Michigan Citizen Education Fund cites a recent PIRG report which shows the …

Legislation to make it easier for firefighters coming from out-of-state to be certified in Michigan passed the state Senate. Bill sponsor, state Senator Dale Zorn, says the bill would provide firefighter certification reciprocity with states that have the same certification standards as Michigan. He says the measure would help local …

State lawmakers continue to disagree on tax cuts included in a proposed plan to repair the state’s roads. Legislative leaders and the governor had been working on a plan to raise $1.2 billion to fix the roads. The latest plan included about $400 million in general fund dollars and $800 …

Lawmakers in the Michigan House have passed a Good Samaritan measure billed as a way to protect people under the age of 21 who are trying to get help for a prescription drug overdose. State Representative Al Pscholka is sponsoring the bill and says someone wouldn’t be charged with possessing …

The Republican leader in the Michigan Senate expects changes to bills that would allow nonviolent inmates to get out of prison earlier. The presumptive parole legislation would allow nonviolent offenders to get out of prison after serving their minimum sentence. The legislation has already cleared the state House. But Senate …

Food insecurity is when you’re not sure if you and your family will have enough to eat. It affects nearly 17 percent of those living in Houghton County and more than 18 percent in Baraga County. Finlandia University’s Campus Ministry is teaming up the Western U.P. Food Bank and Feeding …