‘Friends’ lawsuit seeks injunction

Tammy
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OLD AND NEW–The annual Cue Cruise brought 49 entrants to Baraga on Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, to show off vehicles old and new. The vehicles were parked for display from 1-3 p.m. in front of the Cue Master. Cruisers joined together for the annual drive from L’Anse to Baraga, with stops at the Baraga Drive In and the L’Anse Frostie Freeze for free root beer and ice cream.

 

by Barry Drue
Friends of the Huron Mountains, a Michigan nonprofit corporation, has filed for “declarative and injunctive relief ” against L’Anse Township. The complaint in Baraga County Circuit Court was filed through Friends (FHM) attorney, Jana Mathieu, Marquette, with Baraga County Clerk Wendy Goodreau on Aug. 15, 2018. Goodreau issued a summons to L’Anse Township on Aug. 16, 2018. The township has 21- 28 days after receiving the summons to file a written response with the court. FHM was formed to protect the Huron Mountains region from the proposed development of an industrial-scale Large Wind Energy Conversion System. The Summit Lake Wind Project is proposed by wind energy developer RES on Commercial Forest land owned by Weyerhaueser in L’Anse Township. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Months of training for election; Praise dedication of clerks, precinct workers

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CANVASSING THE VOTE–Baraga County’s Board of County Canvassers met twice last week to certify results from the Primary Election on Aug. 7, 2018. Friday the board reviewed Matt Morgan write-in ballots from two precincts. The result was that one Morgan vote in each of the precincts was not counted. L-r, Canvassers Margo Jentoft and Lillian Perrow, Baraga Township Clerk Michelle Fish, canvassers Harold Ripple and John Drennan and Covington Township Clerk Amy Leaf.

by Barry Drue
A wave of state-mandated election computer and software changes created a months-long challenge for election personnel prior to last Tuesday’s primary election. When all was done Baraga County results came through perfectly. “Our township clerks and precinct workers did a great job,” Baraga County Clerk Wendy Goodreau said last Thursday. “There are so many moving parts with all the new equipment. The last few months we have been in training. Township clerks are Lisa Maranich in Arvon, Michelle Fish in Baraga, Amy Leaf, Covington, Brian Jentoft, L’Anse, and Linda Legacy in Spurr. “Everyone’s work came in perfect. The clerks and the precinct inspectors are amazing. They take their job very seriously,” Goodreau said. “They had a lot to learn.” The State of Michigan Bureau of Elections funded the new hardware and software for the precincts following national concern about election security in the 2016 Presidential election. The voting equipment must be stand-alone and cannot be connected to the internet or any network. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Bigger crowds at fair

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MIDWAY RETURNS–Kids loved the rides at the Baraga County Fair, from the younger set to the big kids. Henry and Penelope Harris are having a ball in their tank ride Saturday. The gate was up all weekend at the fair.

by Barry Drue
The Baraga County Fair survived a couple bouts of showers, a generator breakdown on the midway, and everybody went home happy! Good crowds roamed the fairgrounds in Pelkie Friday, Saturday and Sunday and a long list of scheduled events kept folks entertained. “Overall it was very successful,” third year fair manager Mindy Lantz said. “We had a decent crowd Friday for Senior Day, the queen presentation. . .everything on the schedule happened. Saturday there was rain in the morning. We had lots of teams for the Country Mudder and they were going to get wet anyway, and the small animal show was inside. “We had the jump horse show and there were lots of trucks for the mud bog. Rain Saturday night put a damper on the carnival,” Lantz said. “Sunday went well. We had a big turn-out for everything. Tri-State brought the midway and other than one generator going down affecting some rides, the kids loved it. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

BAS seeks millage for repairs, upgrades

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WIND DAMAGE-A structure on the Baraga school roof was damaged by wind some time ago and remains unrepaired. The district is seeking three mills for nine years to tackle present and future repairs and upgrades.

by Barry Drue
Now that Baraga’s school loan for the 1980 construction is paid off, the district is attempting to situate itself to fund existing and anticipated future maintenance, repairs, building improvements, security and technology upgrades. Baraga Area Schools will have a “Sinking Fund” millage request before district voters on the Aug. 7, 2018, Primary Election ballot. The proposal is for three mills for nine years. Sinking Fund millages have been passed in other area districts, including L’Anse. These millages cannot be used to pay salaries, athletic expenses or district operational expenses. “A sinking fund millage is levied, not borrowed, which means the revenues are generated annually from a tax and do not include the district taking on additional debt or interest expense,” Baraga Superintendent Rich Sarau explained. Three mills would generate about $202,000 in the first year. BAS calculated that a taxpayer with a property with a market value of $40,000 ($20,000 taxable value) would pay $60 per year for the additional three mills. On the higher end a taxpayer with a property with a market value of $240,000 ($120,000 taxable value) would pay an additional $360 per year for three mills. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Baraga International Club enjoys Costa Rica ; Ten days on trip with students from Florida, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky

Tammy
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CAFFEINE TRIP–The Baraga International Club students and chaperones stop to tour the historic Doka Coffee plantation in the Arenal Region while in Costa Rica. They learned the coffee making process from growing beans, which are then handpicked, to roasting a cup of coffee. The plantation is equipped with 120-year-old equipment that is still in working order.

by Melissa Newland
The Baraga International Travel Club recently returned from an adventure in San Jose, Costa Rica. The group took three flights to its destination and three flights back to the UP, enjoying 10 days experiencing the local cuisine and country of Costa Rica. This is the third trip abroad for Baraga Area School (BAS) Counselor (6-12) and Club Advisor Michele Serafin with BAS students and parents. Every two years students 13 years and up wanting to travel with the group can sign up and raise funds for whichever destination is planned with Education First (EF). Parents who traveled with the group this year were Jackie Heikkinen, Suzanne Kahkonen, Garrick Lamb and James Tembreull. Students taking on the challenge of raising funds and seeing the sights of Costa Rica were Samantha Heikkinen, Keegin Kahkonen, Haily Lamb, Nikira Maki, Courtney Tembreull, Holly Rogers, Madelyn Turpeinen, Tristan Stockton and Jaden Serafin.  To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

New mill brings CNC machining to LAS

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NEW DIGS–LAS Industrial Education teacher Tony Arens, right, shows off the new Haas Mini-Mill purchased through CTE millage to LAS students, l-r, Jaiden Kaurala, Austin Sikkila, Tommy Rasanen and Cody Owens.

by Melissa Newland
A new Haas Mini Mill arrived at the Industrial Education building at L’Anse Area School (LAS) this week. This equipment was purchased by the Copper Country Intermediate School District  (CCISD) with funding from the CTE millage. According to the Internet, Haas Mini Mills are the industry standard for compact machining centers. They provide an economical solution for small parts machining in a compact package that is loaded with full-size features. The Mini Mill is said to be perfect for schools, start-up shops, or as a first step into CNC machining. It is a valuable addition for shops needing a “second-op” machine, or an additional spindle where space is limited. The Mill operates on single- or three-phase power, is an economical solution for small parts, has a compact footprint, full-size machine features and is made in the U.S.A. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

 

Step up with flood relief ; ‘Copper Country Strong’ proves correct

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GENEROUS COMMUNITY–L’Anse Fire Department and the Baraga FD (photo below) jumped in to collect food, cleaning supplies, water and monetary donations for Copper Country flood victims. L’Anse set up its rescue trailer at Pat’s Foods where two full trailer loads was donated on Wednesday and Thursday, July 20-21, 2018. Accepting donations on Thursday were Mike Bianco, left, and Fabian Kristo.

by Barry Drue
“Copper Country Strong” has become the anthem of the region following the devastating flash flooding that severely impacted Houghton County and surrounding areas in the early morning hours of Sunday, June 17, 2018. Ashtin Pouttu’s logo of the Portage Lift Bridge and the UP is appearing on more and more Facebook profiles. Volunteers, financial donations, food, water and cleanup supplies have turned up in huge quantity to help the recovery. The Keweenaw Community Foundation is handling monetary donations for distribution, as is the Portage Health Foundation (PHF), which is also a non-profit community foundation. PHF has set up a 2018 Houghton County Flood Relief Fund. Portage Health Foundation commented last week: “We are approaching the $100K or cash donations made and pledges received. As they say here in the Yoop. . .HOLY WHAH!” The generosity is coming from across the region, including Baraga County, which suffered flood damage, too, but not to the extent it impacted areas to the north. Six to eight inches of rain fell in a short time in parts of Houghton County. In Baraga County rainfall amounts varied but estimates were closer to three to four inches. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

 

Weekend rains leave impact

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L’ANSE WASHOUT–Heavy rain last weekend led to the washout of Lambert Road, and downstream from that, the railroad grade, above, along U.S. 41 Sunday morning. Although there is scattered washout and culvert damage around the area, Baraga County escaped the many millions of dollars of damage when entire streets were destroyed in Houghton, Hancock, Lake Linden, etc.

by Barry Drue
Baraga County Road Commission crews continued to assess flood damage Monday morning following periods of heavy rain over the weekend, and particularly early Sunday morning, June 17, 2018. “We have lots of small stuff,” Road Engineer Doug Mills said. “The largest we know of was Lambert Road which washed out Sunday morning, and then it took out the railroad (along U.S. 41 near Erickson Lumber). As far as rainfall amounts, “Different areas got hit differently,” Mills said, noting that three to four inches was probably an average amount in parts of Baraga County. “it was nothing like the six to eight inches in Houghton and Hancock. They got an epic flood like the one we got in 1968. It’s not millions of dollars in damage, it’s tens of millions there.” Mills said There were washouts on Tervo Road near Kelsey Creek in Keweenaw Bay, a partial washout on Prickett Dam Road, a two-mile segment of Menge Creek Road adjacent to a logging job has been close, and Shrine Road has washouts. “The Sturgeon River is up. The usual roads and low spots are flooded. We’ll have to wait for the water to go down to assess that,” Mills added. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

L’Anse waterfront packed for Trout Fest

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LITTLE MISS SUPERIOR CONTEST–l-r, Lola Chichosz, Lillian Maddux (Little Miss Superior), Mackenzie Dusincki, Ellise Dove (first runner up), and Aaliyah Dantes (Miss Congeniality).

by Melissa Newland
The weather was more accommodating than most years as approximately 46 vendors rented booth space at the 13th annual Baraga County Lake Trout Festival. The event started in the early morning hours with fisherman up and out early for the Keweenaw Classic Fishing Tournament Saturday, June 9, 2018. A Fun Run/Walk also took place, with runners/walkers departing from the Baraga County Memorial Hospital (BCMH) Fitness Center in the morning. The L’Anse Waterfront Park was packed with kids and adults of all ages in the afternoon,enjoying food, looking at crafts for sale, and playing at the kid’s carnival with a bounce house and obstacle course. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources also set up its kid’s fishing pond, which is always a hit with the  young ones at the event. There was also a pie eating contest, a junk art contest and the ducky river contest for those wanting to join in events at the festival. Five young girls participated in the Little Miss Superior Talent contest this year, including Lola Cichosz, Lillian Maddux, Mackenzie Dusincki, Ellise Dove and Aaliyah Dantes. Each contestant performed on stage during the event, showing off their talents. There was also a question/answer period for the youngsters, after which judging of the contest began. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

Power plant engines arrive; ‘Palabora’ generates waterfront excitement

Tammy
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FOREIGN FREIGHT–Jim Baker was on hand Thursday, May 31, (and so was half the town!) to capture this photo of the cargo ship Palabora nestled to shore by the tug Helen, right. The heavy-lift cargo ship brought ten 325-ton power plant engines to L’Anse from Trieste, Italy, in a month-long journey. Seven engines will go to a new electrical generating plant in Negaunee, and three to a new plant in Pelkie. The Palabora left L’Anse Monday evening and was locking through at Sault Ste. Marie at 8 a.m. Tuesday, destined for port in Windsor, Ontario.

by Barry Drue
The first of ten 325-ton electric generator engines off-loaded from the cargo ship Palabora in L’Anse has been trucked to the site of a new Upper Michigan Energy Resource Corp. (UMERC) power plant in Negaunee. Under State Police escort the huge generator engine was trucked by Perkins STC transport on Sunday night, June 3, 2018. “They left L’Anse at about 10 p.m. and got to  Negaunee early this morning,” said Dan Weingarten, Michigan Department of Transportation Office of Communications, Ishpeming. “We’re permitting them for Sunday through Thursday. There won’t be any hauls on Fridays or Saturdays.” For the hauls to Negaunee Vic’s is using three trucks and a 192-tire dual-trailer assembly with what amounts to a structural cradle in between. The engine rides in the cradle section. The generators are 46 feet long, 20 feet high and more than 17 feet wide. The tall load will necessitate raising of overhead cables and wires in some places. Ten of the Wartsila natural gas-fired Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) were shipped from the manufacturing plant in Trieste, Italy, to L’Anse aboard the heavy-lift cargo ship Palabora. The journey took the month of May as the ship arrived at the CertainTeed dock on Thursday afternoon, May 31. A huge crowd of onlookers gathered at the waterfront near the marina to watch two tugs guide the Palabora to the seawall. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

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