Snow possible High: 25 | Low: 13 | Details, page 2 DAILY GLOBE yourdailyglobe.com Wednesday, December 30, 2015 75 cents Jacobs appointed GOGEBIC COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT Gogebic County Prosecutor By TOM STANKARD waukee, majoring in political sci- [email protected] ence. BESSEMER — Gogebic Coun- Then he went on to law school ty Circuit Court Judge Roy at Thomas Cooley Law School in Gotham appointed Nicholas Lansing, now Western Michigan Jacobs as prosecuting attorney Cooley Law Tuesday, replacing Richard School. Adams. While in Adams retired earlier this school at month. Thomas Coo- Jacobs will serve the remain- ley, he was an der of the term, or another year. intern for for- Jacobs said Adams did a “very mer State Sen. good job” in office and stood his Joseph Mack ground when it was necessary. and served on “He maintained the respect of the auxiliary the law enforcement community, Nicholas police force. which can sometimes be a chal- Jacobs In 1979, lenge,” he said. Jacobs gradu- Jacobs is a native to the area. ated from law After graduating from Luther L. school and moved back to Iron- Wright High School, he went to wood to work for his father’s Richard Jenkins/Daily Globe Gogebic Community College. He business, now the law firm MARTIN BRECKE, and his attorney Jesse Monville, appear before Gogebic County Circuit Court Judge Roy Gotham Tuesday. Brecke is sched- said the professors at GCC were Jacobs, McDonald and Silc. uled to be sentenced Jan. 11. a “really big influence” on him. “My father was one of the “Especially my political science founding partners of the firm at professors and my history ones,” the time,” he said. he said. “Those guys really While working at his father’s Brecke sentencing adjourned until Jan. 11 instilled a lot in me. I can’t say firm, Jacobs practiced general enough about GCC and what law, doing “a little bit of every- BESSEMER — The sentenc- was dismissed as part of the with a recommendation of 12 regarding the proper sentence. they did for my career.” ing of Martin Henry Brecke, 33, plea deal. months. “It’s going to be an emotional, From there, Jacobs attended of Ironwood, has been resched- While the involuntary Tracie Wittla, with the Goge- difficult thing regardless of Marquette University in Mil- uled for Jan. 11 after Gogebic manslaughter charge carries a bic County Prosecutor’s Office, when sentencing happens,” JACOBS — page 5 County Circuit Court Judge Roy maximum sentence of 15 years made a motion to delay the Monville said. Gotham approved a motion to in prison and/or a $7,500 forfei- hearing, arguing the victim’s He also argued Brecke’s adjourn Tuesday’s sentencing ture, Gotham said Tuesday the family needed more time to pro- mother had traveled from Chica- hearing. plea agreement signed Nov. 10 cess the sentencing recommen- go to attend the hearing and it Brecke pleaded guilty to a stipulated a minimum sentence dation. would be difficult for her to Hurley water tests favorable charge of involuntary of 24 months and the guidelines Brecke’s attorney, Jesse make another trip. By RALPH ANSAMI able state and federal levels. The manslaughter on Nov. 10. An provided by the Michigan Monville, objected to the motion. [email protected] readings had spiked in August. additional felony count of deliv- Department of Corrections list Monville argued the family was ery of heroin, resulting in death, 12 to 24 months as a sentence, unlikely to reach a consensus HURLEY — The levels of con- In a Tuesday letter, Laguna BRECKE — page 5 taminants in the city of Hurley’s said steps to identify problems in drinking water have dropped to the water distribution system acceptable levels for the Wiscon- included flushing the storage sin Department of Natural tank of “stale” water, addressing Resources. excess storage and reviewing US 2 rebuild, city streets kept Snowmobile Letters have been sent out to operational procedures. city residents from water depart- The contaminants had been ment lead operator Gary Lagu- measured in August at a level trails open in na, who said tests on Dec. 8 that could be cancer-causing, if pavers busy in 2015 showed the levels of Tri- consumed over many years. An halomethanes and Haloacetic initial letter to city residents By RALPH ANSAMI River, the company that rebuilt acids “... have fallen back into said there was no “immediate” [email protected] the highway. Iron County and will remain within safe and health risk from the water, how- IRONWOOD — City of Iron- The Year In Review Mike Premo, of MDOT’s HURLEY — A limited num- acceptable limits.” ever, and boiling wasn’t neces- wood officials hope smoother Crystal Falls office, thanked ber of Iron County’s snowmobile The city water department sary. streets and a reconstructed the Gogebic County Road Com- trails are open, the Iron County will continue to monitor the lev- Hurley purchases its water Cloverland Drive will lead to mission for allowing use of its Forestry Department announced els according to WDNR monitor- from both Ironwood and Montre- more economic development. roads for the summer detour Monday. ing schedules and Hurley is pre- al and water samples from those Through two years of street, and the Wisconsin DOT and The following trails are open: pared for additional monitoring, two communities have tested sewer and water improvements city of Hurley for participating —Trail 17 (grade) from Hur- if necessary, Laguna said. OK. and the resulting sacrifices by Editor’s note: The Daily in the 2014 detour that led to ley to Mercer. On Oct. 15, city water cus- Laguna told Hurley City city and area residents, Iron- Globe2015 is counting down the McLeod Avenue. —Trail 15-15A. tomers were notified routine Council members earlier this wood has stepped up its game. top five stories of 2015. Select- The importance of the pro- —Trail 8-8A. water samples revealed contami- month the city’s test readings In the fall, U.S. 2 business ed as the number two story of ject was stressed by city offi- —Trail 11A. nation levels exceeding accept- had improved. owners who survived the the year was Ironwood’s U.S. cials. “This is one of the biggest —Trail 77-2A. Michigan Department of 2 reconstruction project and public infrastructure projects —Trail 14C. Transportation’s two-year, $15 street paving effort. we’ve had in Ironwood in —Trail 13 from Wisconsin 77 million U.S. 2 reconstruction many, many years,” said City south to Island Lake Road. project were thanked at a cere- the ceremony, including All other trails remained No contest plea entered mony. numerous workers from closed, Forest Administrator About 30 people attended Hebert Construction, Iron in embezzlement case 2015 — page 5 By JAN TUCKER investigation of the accusations TRAILS — page 5 [email protected] against Truscott, the state of ONTONAGON — Amy Michigan announced a final deci- Truscott, 41, of Greenland, Tues- sion to revoke her license to sell ATV winter use in park debated; day pleaded “no contest” to insurance on Nov. 25, 2013. Conservation embezzlement charges. Truscott will be sentenced in Truscott was charged with 11 Ontonagon Circuit Court on commission eyes upcoming races Department sells counts of embezzlement, forgery, March 23. By RALPH ANSAMI they could ride the trails in the Citing upcoming activities native plants sale of counterfeit insurance cer- In an unrelated court action, [email protected] park. like the Snowmobile Olympus tificates, insurance fraudulent Alyssia Lou Pollard, 24, of IRONWOOD — In 2016, the Semo noted the state of and Sisu cross country ski By RICHARD JENKINS acts and conducting a criminal Ontonagon, waived a prelimi- Ironwood City Commission will Michigan ATV trails are also races, Burchell praised the dif- [email protected] enterprise while she was a part- nary hearing on drug charges again consider use of snowmo- currently closed for the winter ferent groups of volunteers HURLEY — The Iron County ner with Roger’s Insurance in and was bound over to circuit biles and all-terrain vehicles in months. who work together to make Land and Water Conservation Ontonagon. court. Miners Memorial Park. Commissioners decided to winter come alive in the city. Department is holding its annu- On Tuesday, Truscott pleaded Pollard is charged with Commissioner Rick Semo revisit the issue during a work- City Manager Scott Erick- al native plants sale, offering no contest to two counts of delivery-manufacture of meth, said Monday he had confronted shop before a regular meeting son said the colder weather area residents an opportunity to forgery, a 14-year felony, and one possession of marijuana and two ATV riders in the park next month. should help in setting the purchase grasses, flowers, trees count of embezzlement by a being a habitual offender sec- during Sunday night’s candle- Mayor Annette Burchell Gogebic County Fairgrounds and shrubs. trustee more than $1,000 and ond. The habitual offender light vigil. He said he told the praised the vigil in the park, ice track for the Ironwood The sale is part of the depart- less than $20,000, a 5 year charge means that if convicted, riders that ATV use in the city saying the candlelight walk Snowmobile Olympus this ment’s habitat restoration felony. she can be sentenced to one and is closed Dec. 1 through March was “magical.” She added, “It’s weekend. efforts, explained Iron County A no contest plea is treated as one-half the term of the prima- under an ordinance adopted by what makes Ironwood a special “The top level racers will Conservationist Heather a guilty plea in court. ry offense. the commission this year.