KBIC holds reorganization meeting

0
OATH OF OFFICE–The Oath of Office of elected Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s Tribal Council members was done and included (lr) Incumbent Sam Loonsfoot, Tony Loonsfoot, Jeremy Hebert, as well as Incumbents Sue Ellen Elmblad, and Liz Julio. President Doreen Blaker was on hand to swear both council members and the Chief Judge into their positions.

by Jamie Dove
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) held a Special Tribal Council Meeting at the Big Bucks Bingo Hall in Baraga this past weekend to approve the General Election results, swear in council members/Chief Judge, and hold its annual reorganization. The meeting took place on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025,and during the session, Election Board Chair
Yvette Simmons gave the results from the Dec. 4 election to the council which were then approved and certified, solidifying the outcome of the democratic process within the
KBIC. President Doreen G. Blaker paid tribute to outgoing Tribal Council members Susan J. LaFernier and Hope E. Laramore, recognizing their years of dedicated service to the
community. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

The year ends much like it began

0
Lumberjack Days Parade, First place winner, Homestead Graphics with its Back to the 80’s float.

by Melissa Newland
The second half of the year 2024 in Baraga County, July through December, was a busy one
and the L’Anse Sentinel again shared a lot of news and beautiful pictures from around the area. This recap will share some of the top articles and some of the top photos from that
time. July The weather was beautiful and warm at the end of June/beginning of July and
the Alberta Fest took center stage at the Ford Forestry Center the very end of June and was
reported on in the first edition of the July paper. There were crafts and music, food, games and raffles and the very popular auto show featuring Model Ts and various types of older car models. A 30-year memorial took place at the Aura Hall the beginning of July for Roger
Roth, a smokejumper who lost his life in the devasting, quick sweeping mountain inferno in  the South Canyon on Storm King Mountain in Colorado July 6, 1994. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Huge bucks displayed at UP Whitetails event

0
HUGE BUCKS–Matt Usitalo, left, with his 178” buck from the early 90s, and Phil Acciacca holding the famous “Louis Roy” buck that scored 182” in the late 80s.

by John Raffel
The UP Whitetails of Baraga County had quite a Christmas Party at the otter Sportsmen’s Club on Saturday. “It was a night full of great food, great company and big bucks from this
year and the past at the OSC,” chapter president Jake Ostermeyer put on his Facebook page. Huge shoutout and thank you to our Commemorative bucks of Michigan CBM scorers
Josh Stein and Greg Dupuis. They scored for over five hours straight. “We had some incredible U.P legends in the building including the Usitalo, Roy, Johnson and Heikkinen bucks which all grossed between 180-200 inches. In addition we had 16 new bucks make CBM and got to see 3 bucks between 148-158 inches all shot here in our area in the
past 3 years. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Skaters give a sparkling performance

0
MERRY AND BRIGHT–The L’Anse-Baraga Figure Skating Club performed ‘Merry and Bright Ice-Skating Spectacular’ this past weekend at Meadowbrook Arena in L’Anse. Skaters ranged from Basic 4 to Freestyle and ages ranged from 8-17 years old.

by Jamie Dove
Merry and Bright Ice-Skating Spectacular was a successful performance by the L’Anse-Baraga Figure Skating Club (LBFSC) that took place on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. at the Meadowbrook Arena. It included basic 4 – freestyle skaters that ranged from ages 8-17  years old. Skaters begin the season in early November working on the skills needed to
progress to the next basic level and perform in two shows in L’Anse per year, the Merry and Bright Ice-Skating Spectacular show and the spring skating show. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Koski sworn in as VOB President/Mayor Dompier retires after 26 years

0
ENJOY AND RELAX–After 26 years of service as the Village Mayor/Council President for the Village of Baraga, among other board seatings, Wendell Dompier has decided to take life easy and enjoy himself, doing a bit of traveling and planning a trip out west next year.

by Melissa Newland
After 26 years of service as the Village Mayor/Council President for the Village of Baraga, among other board seatings, Wendell Dompier “has decided to take life easy and enjoy himself.” At the last Village of Baraga meeting held Nov. 12, 2024, Roy Kemppainen, former Village Manager, LeAnn LeClaire, current Village Manager, and council members thanked Wendell Dompier for his years of service to the Village of Baraga. LeClaire spoke at the meeting, commenting on not only the years of service to the Village of Baraga by Dompier, but also his years of service on other boards. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Youngster bags 8-point buck

0
Kade Giddings, 11, pictured with his 8-point buck from opening morning.

by John Raffel
Local youngster Kade Giddings was a happy hunter on opening morning. His dad, Dan, said his son shot it opening morning around 9:30 and it was an 8-point buck. He just turned 11 and this was the first buck he could hunt. He was hunting on private property. He had been
hunting 2 1/2 hours. They had seen two does prior to the buck. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Veterans honored at schools

0
HONORING VETS–L’Anse Area Schools students and staff honored veterans on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, Veterans Day. Two guests in attendance were SSG Luis Canedo and SSG Charles Morris that came from the Army Recruitment Office in Houghton. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

 

Migiziinsag learn fire safety

0
FIRE SAFETY–Staff and students at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College’s (KBOCC) Little Eagles (Migiziinsag) Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) were excited to welcome the L’Anse Fire Department (LFD) crew members and their equipment when they stopped in for an educational visit in October. Following a presentation, students had the opportunity to view the fire truck up close, where crew members described the various tools and hoses used to fight fires, explaining how each piece of equipment works.

by Melissa Newland
You’re never too young to learn about fire safety and staff and students at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College’s (KBOCC) Little Eagles (Migiziinsag) Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) were excited to welcome the L’Anse Fire Department (LFD) crew
members and their equipment when they stopped in for an educational visit in October.
“The L’Anse Fire Department brought along their fire truck and a variety of equipment to teach students about fire safety and the important work firefighters do in our community,” said KBOCC Little Eagles GSRP Director/Teacher Kim Swanson. Swanson noted the day
started with an engaging presentation where firefighters discussed the essential principles of fire safety and emphasized the importance of having a fire escape plan at home. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Battle continues at Summit Lake

0
FOREST FIRE–The United States Forest Service reported over the weekend the Summit Lake fire is burning in a remote and rugged forested area of the McCormick Wilderness consisting of both hardwood and conifer ecosystems. (Fire courtesy of the United States Forest Service.)

by John Raffel
Shanelle Saunders, Acting Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Forest Service, provided Summit Lake fire update on Friday. “A mapping flight over the fire yesterday afternoon enabled a more accurate size assessment which is estimated to encompass 304 acres within the McCormick Wilderness,” the update stated. “Fire growth occurred days before the rains that were received on October 23. A flight to estimate the area had not been available until the afternoon of October 24. Even with yesterday’s dry weather there was no indication of additional fire growth. Rain was received overnight. At this time, there are no
threatened structures.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

SPARC trailer open house held at Meadowbrook

0
SPARC CREW– Michigan Technological University (MTU) Atmospheric Meteorology students under the direction of Dr. Judith Perlinger, a professor of environmental engineering at MTU, were on hand giving tours of the SPARC trailer and accompanying equipment on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Meadowbrook Arena in L’Anse. MTU crew and those visiting the demonstration early Saturday morning included (l-r) Jaxson Blondeau, Allison Mercure, MTU crew members Shawn Brueshaber, Dan Koshar, James Simmons, Tommy Pavell, Hayden Henderson, Dr. Judith Perlinger, Sandeep Chaudhry, and Geeta Nain, as well as community member Elicka Schjoth.

by Melissa Newland
To help study and characterize the atmospheric structure of the Keweenaw, scientists and students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Michigan Technological University (MTU) teamed up to bring specialized equipment in the form of a SPARC trailer to the Meadowbrook Arena in L’Anse and held an open house. The open house was held Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and community members attended to see what it was all about. The SPARC trailer coincides with a four-year EPA research project which
began July 2023. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.