by Missy Lehto
and Nancy Besonen

The L’Anse Sentinel continues to look back at the year in review. For the last segment, we give you July through Dec. 2016. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) placed new signs on US-41 in Baraga, near the Pines Convenience Center and just south of the Baraga Lakeside Inn, showing vehicle speed and asks drivers to slow down if their vehicle is exceeding 45 miles per hour. The devices link via satellite to a company which collects and reports traffic data, including the number of vehicles per hour and their speed. Area residents enjoyed a sunny July 4th with parades and fireworks. First place in the Baraga parade for the homemade float was Bob Treadeau, Jr. and local families who built “The Black Pearl.” Murals painted by local artisans brighten the downtown L’Anse area. L’Anse area officials are hoping to expand this initial work with additional projects. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Nancy Besonen
Nature delivered a winter wake-up call last week with  the first major snowstorm of the season. Schools were cancelled Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15 as near-blizzard conditions enveloped Baraga County. High winds, heavy snow and temperatures that drove the mercury south of single digits teamed up to strike the bitter blow. According to the National Weather Service in Marquette, it’s pretty much business as usual. Meteorologist Todd Kluber provided details on the system, an early Christmas present from Canada that swept in last Tuesday night. Kluber admitted the system packed a punch but was nowhere near a record-breaker, considering the season. “It wasn’t a record, but it was kind of a shocker for a lot of people,” Kluber said. “This year, fall went so long, and the snow pack isn’t so deep. It’s not our ordinary weather. “We had a very strong air mass that’s been persistently coming in out of Canada the past few days, with west or northwest winds,” Kluber said Friday afternoon. “With Lake Superior still wide open and water temperatures relatively warm, a significant amount of snow developed. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Melissa Lehto
The death of a loved one is never easy. Knowing that death may have been prevented makes it harder still. Sandra Lytikainen of L’Anse knows this firsthand. She and her husband, Mike, recently experienced the loss of their son, Ben, after an apparent accidental overdose of drugs. Ben was 25 years old. He died on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016. Lytikainen, however, took her grief and turned it into something positive. She created a group called “Sandra’s 100 women of Baraga County.” “I actually formed it on the evening that Ben died. I was so overwhelmed with grief and disbelief over Ben’s death. I wanted to get 100 women behind me to see what we could do to prevent this from happening to someone else,” said Lytikainen. Sandra’s 100 women of Baraga County focuses on getting help for those who want help and are not sure where to go. “The group is not just for women. The group is for anyone in the community wanting to make a change,” Lytikainen said. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Barry Drue
Baraga students and staff honored military veterans with their traditional program on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2016. Veterans were served a breakfast at the school prior to being escorted into the gym by students for the program. The Baraga Student Council posted the colors and the Baraga Choir, under the direction of music/band director Tyrell Peterson, presented the National Anthem. The Pledge of Alliance was led by second graders Karli Clisch and Sophie DesRochers. K-12 Principal Tim Marczak and Student Council President Jake Putala provided a welcome and introductory remarks. The Baraga band presented “A Celebration of Taps”. Keynote speaker was Marine Corps veteran Don Mleko. Mleko used humor to tell of his service from 1961 to 1964. He and a friend intended to join the Navy and went to a recruiter “but we took the Navy test and flunked it!” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.

by Barry Drue
A nearly-five year legal battle over his right to raise his “Hogan Hogs” continues for Baraga pig farmer Roger Turunen. The four-day Baraga County Circuit Court session pitting Turunen against the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has concluded. Both sides await 12th Circuit Judge Charles Goodman’s decision—and both sides say they will appeal if they lose. Few would have imagined this case consuming vast legal resources for both parties this long. And it’s likely going to continue through the appellate process. The State sent three Assistant Attorneys General to L’Anse for the court week, and two of them have been on the case for years. Turunen noted his attorneys “get paid for every day” through his own funds and many donations, both large and small, that come in to help fund his David vs. Goliath battle against the DNR. “There are a lot of people who don’t like the DNR,” Turunen dryly notes. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.