Snow possible High: 15 | Low: -2 | Details, page 2 Passion for excellence. Compassion for people. aspirusgrandview.org GV-013a DAILY GLOBE yourdailyglobe.com Thursday, December 5, 2013 75 cents Gogebic Range M O U N T Z I O N School escapes heavy consolidation snowstorm efforts continue The three-day snowstorm n W-M, Bessemer that pounded much of Minnesota residents gather hadn’t arrived on the Gogebic signatures for Range in full force as of Wednes- day afternoon. petition Although Hurley and Iron- wood school officials called off By KATIE PERTTUNEN classes at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, [email protected] the snow stopped in Ironwood BESSEMER — Petitioners around the same time and it was have until Jan. 23 to collect 112 lightly raining after that in 30- signatures from Wakefield- degree temperatures. Marenisco School District resi- The National Weather Service dents, and 140 signatures from in Duluth said as of 2 p.m. Bessemer School District resi- Wednesday, 39 inches of snow dents, Gerry Pelissero, Gogebic had fallen in Two Harbors, County Clerk said. Minn. That was the total since Proposed language for the Monday. ballot circulating on petitions Duluth had received around reads “Shall the territory of the 18 inches. following school districts; Besse- Meanwhile, Gile, Wis., had mer and Wakefield-Marenisco, received only 6.5 inches. form one school district?” Pelis- Superior recorded 12 inches sero said. and Ashland 9 inches. Pelissero said he drafted the A winter weather advisory for language due to a request from the Ironwood area remained in Michael Korpela, an attorney. effect until midnight Wednesday Korpela indicated to Besse- for freezing rain, with ice possi- mer Superintendent Dave bly accumulating up to .2 of an Radovich in a letter dated Nov. inch. 19 that he was not involved in There was a 30 percent of efforts to consolidate the two light snow today in Ironwood, schools, which Radovich referred with the unseasonably warm to at Bessemer’s last school temperatures to turn much cold- board meeting. er. Cortney Ofstad/Daily Globe Korpela did not return phone —Ralph Ansami A GROOMER rides the fresh snow on Mount Zion Wednesday on the campus of Gogebic Community College in Ironwood. calls from the Daily Globe. Radovich and Catherine Shamion, Wakefield-Marenisco Superintendent, have been UPPER PENINSULA ECONOMY meeting to discuss the possible consolidation, and are working with Superintendent Bruce Mayle of the Gogebic-Ontonagon Intermediate School District, Ontonagon sees increased unemployment numbers in October who is assisting Radovich and By JAN TUCKER Ontonagon County had the second September and 6,725 in October. Total nee. Shamion sort through options, [email protected] highest unemployment rate in the Upper employment fell by 25 and jobless num- Houghton County’s jobless rate rose Shamion said. Unemployment increased in Onton- Peninsula, trailing only Baraga County, bers remained static at 625. A year ago from 8 percent to 8.4 percent. Wakefield-Marenisco put a agon County in October, but dipped which had 16 percent. the rate was 8.1 percent. The Keweenaw rate went from 8.1 per- survey out for their community slightly in Gogebic County. A year ago, the Ontonagon County Mackinac County had the lowest Octo- cent to 8.6 percent. A year ago it was 9.2 about possible consolidation in For Ontonagon County, unemploy- rate was 10.5 percent. ber unemployment rate in the U.P. at 5.9 percent. August and September, and ment rose by 25. The labor force fell by 25 Employment numbers remained static percent. The 16 percent rate in Baraga County received nearly 200 responses, people to 2,525, while total employment in Gogebic County in October at 9.3 per- According to the Michigan Bureau of was up from September’s 14.6 percent which were “overwhelmingly in fell from 2,225 to 2,175. The unemploy- cent, just a tick down from the September Labor Market Information, unemploy- ment rate rose from 12.1 percent in rate of 9.4 percent. The labor force in ment rates increased in all but two of the September to 13.3 percent in October. Gogebic County also fell. It was 6,775 in 15 U.P. counties, Gogebic and Menomi- JOBS — page 5 SCHOOL — page 5 CHRISTMAS FOR KIDS PARTY Iron case reopened, man Santa Claus to sentenced for sexual assault By RALPH ANSAMI in jail. visit township [email protected] On Monday, he entered a guilty HURLEY — A sexual assault case plea to the charge and was sentenced Saturday was reopened Monday in Iron Coun- to the jail time by Judge Patrick ty Court and a 30-year-old Hurley Madden. resident was sentenced to 90 days in The charge, issued by Iron County By CORTNEY OFSTAD jail on a fourth-degree sexual assault District Attorney Marty Lipske, [email protected] count. dates to Aug. 31, 2010. IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP — Santa Nathan Dees had been sentenced Dees is eligible for jail work Claus is taking a break from preparing on Feb. 20 in what is called a release privileges and must complete for Christmas, making a visit to Iron- deferred entry judgement. He was the sex offender program, continuing wood Township on Saturday. required to complete a sex offender Area kids can visit Santa during the treatment program, or spend 90 days third annual Christmas for Kids party ASSAULT page 5 at the Ironwood Township gymnasium. — The event begins at 11 a.m. The Ironwood Township Fire Depart- ment will sell hot dogs, cookies and brownies, and free beverages will be Tree of Love honors lost loved ones available. By KATIE PERTTUNEN Tuesday evening, AGVH’s Auxiliary Santa will visit at noon, and accord- [email protected] President Carol D’Alberto said, “at ing to Jyl Olson-DeRosso, township IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP— least we didn’t blow away like last treasurer, he will be available for as Fifty-nine people gathered to remem- year.” After the tree was lit, the gath- long as needed. ber 646 lost loved ones at Aspirus ering moved inside to a conference “He will be there until 1 p.m., Grandview Hospital’s 23rd Tree of room to complete the event. approximately, but will stay as long as Love dedication ceremony Tuesday “It’s a very important program for needed for kids to see him,” Olson- evening. our community,” D’Alberto said, “to DeRosso said. New to the event is a celebration honor people that have passed as Each child who attends the event will tree, to celebrate births, birthdays, well as to celebrate.” receive an age-appropriate gift and Daily Globe File Photo and other joyous occasions, Virginia D’Alberto said that holidays are a candy cane. ELIJAH AND Caleb Sprague, of Ironwood, sit with Santa and Mrs. Claus during the Heczko, event chair, said. time of “memory evoking events” “Santa will be set up near our white Christmas for Kids party in 2012. This year’s event is Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. at Luther L. Wright’s ACCENT show where people reflect on the past. She Christmas tree, so parents can take the Ironwood Township gymnasium. choir sang carols, starting out with said it’s a time to reset one’s inner photos of their children if they want,” “Silent Night.” Olson-DeRosso said. “And this event is are welcome to attend.” DeRosso or Rachel Peck at the township Although the weather was less not just for township residents; all kids For more information, call Olson- offices at 906-932-5800. than ideal for spending time outside TREE — page 5 C O N T A C T U S WEATHER INSIDE INDEX TODAY HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS Business . .8 Daily Globe Inc. Wednesday Precipitation Vol. 94, Ed. 285 118 E. McLeod Ave. High 31 To 7 a.m. 2013-14 PREVIEW Classifieds . .14-16 Snow possible 2013-14 season preview of Bessemer Hurley Ironwood Low 28 Wednesday: .05 in. Wakefield-Marenisco Ontonagon Comics . .11 PO Box 548 area boys, girls basketball Ewen-Trout Creek —Details, page 2 Mercer Watersmeet Ironwood, MI 49938 Year ago today Snow: 0.8 in. teams Community . .3 High 52 Snow on ground: 8 in. Obituaries . .6 yourdailyglobe.com Low 28 Season —Inside Records snowfall total: 42.6 in. Opinion . .4 906-932-2211 High 59 (1998) Sports . .9-10 Low -16 (1972) 2 l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2013 NATION / STATE THE DAILY GLOBE • YOURDAILYGLOBE.COM FIVE-DAY FORECAST FOR IRONWOOD US toasts stronger ties TODAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY with former Soviet state CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — dent Viktor Yanukovych shelved the Cricova winery for his near- Snow Possible Snow Possible Partly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Mostly Cloudy Between diplomatic headaches an anticipated agreement to ly four-hour tour of Chisinau, 15º -2º 7º -6º 5º -6º 11º 6º 13º -8º in Afghanistan and the Mideast, forge stronger ties with the the Moldovan capital. “And to John Kerry spent happy hour European Union. As many as the people of the Ukraine, we Winds: 15 mph W Winds: 10-15 mph W Winds: 5-10 mph W Winds: 5-15 mph SW Winds: 5-10 mph SW Wednesday praising a wine-pro- 300,000 people have joined say the same thing: You deserve ducing but poor Eastern Euro- demonstrations this week in the opportunity to choose tour OUTLOOK Ontonagon pean nation for resisting Rus- Kiev, the largest outpouring of own future.” sia’s grasp. public anger since the 2004 Earlier, at the NATO meeting 23/10 Today we will see mostly cloudy skies with a 30% chance of snow, high temperature of Kerry, the U.S. secretary of Orange Revolution.