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Baraga State Park getting new playground
by Melissa Newland
New playground equipment will soon be installed at the Baraga State Park through a community playground build program. The Baraga State Park announced at the end of
February that the project was able to be accomplished through a partnership with the Michigan Army National Guard for the community playground build program and will take
place June 2nd through the 7th at Baraga State Park. Baraga State Park authorities noted that the National Guard will lend their expertise to construct and install the brand-new
playground system in the campground. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
LAS Junior High band attends first Festival
by Melissa Newland
The L’Anse Junior High band recently participated for their first time at Band and Orchestra Festival which was held at Houghton High School last week. According to the Michigan Schools Band & Orchestra Association’s (MSBOA) website, www.msboa.org, “At Band and
Orchestra Festival, students have the opportunity for ensembles from member schools to perform a program of three pieces for adjudication, one of which must be from MSBOA’s required list. District-level festivals are held at the end of February through the beginning of March, with this one being held Feb. 29, 2024. Each group is evaluated by three performance judges and one sight-reading judge. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
County provides election info
by John Raffel
It’s an election year and Baraga County clerk Wendy Goodreau reminds individuals of various deadlines for filing for various offices. Filing deadline for partisan county and township candidates is April 23 at 4 p.m. for the August ballot. Filing deadline for
precinct delegates is May 7, at 4 p.m. for the August ballot. Filing deadline for candidates without political party affiliation seeking partisan office is July 18, at 4 p.m. for the November ballot. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Mild winter affects long-established businesses
by Porter Davis
As most Yoopers could tell you, winter is never consistent in northern Michigan, but rarely is it so tame as it has been this year. Most people would consider a mild winter to be a blessing, and perhaps in most places that is true, but here where we’re so accustomed to cold winters, most businesses plan their best times around the darker months. When faced with a winter that hardly leaves snow on the ground, decades old establishments are struggling to find ways to operate. Beyond ice fishing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing, there exists the restaurants that feed us, the hotels that provide a warm bed, and the shops with fishing supplies. The bay is devoid of the dozens of ice shacks that typically dot it in the heart of February. Snowmobile trails are practically nonexistent and thus tourism is taking a huge hit. With March right around the corner, we may yet get a big storm or two, but the likelihood that our winter is already over is all too apparent. Beyond commercial industries that everyone is familiar with, the warm weather brings an even greater threat to the state economy. Logging has been a part of life in the UP since the land was first settled. Logging with modern machinery and vehicles typically requires the logging companies to adhere to strict rules and regulations to preserve the land for further use and relogging over time. When the ground freezes, heavy equipment doesn’t damage the ground and loggers are able to do some of their most profitable work in the winter. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Road commission engineer honored
by John Raffel
The County Road Association (CRA) of Michigan Engineering Committee presented its
2023 Engineering Awards at the annual County Engineers Workshop held on Feb. 6 in Manistee and Doug Mills, engineer-manager with the Baraga County Road Commission, was presented with the Rural Engineer of the Year Award. Tim Brown, Saginaw County Road Commission, was named Project Manager of the Year. “CRA’s Engineer of the Year Awards honors those who have dedicated their careers to the pursuit of engineering excellence,”
CRA CEO Denise Donohue said in a statement. “Doug and Tim have positively impacted their county road and bridge system. They are hardworking and integral members of their road commissions.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Sacred Heart celebrates Catholic Schools week
by Christy Miron Sacred Heart School Principal
National Catholic Schools Week was celebrated by staff and students at Sacred Heart
School (SHS) in L’Anse who participated as part of the nationwide celebration of Catholic education. The event took place Jan. 28 through Feb. 3, with fun activities for students and faculty alike, including a school-wide service project and giving appreciation for the work teachers do every day. “Catholic Schools Week is a favorite for all each year,” said SHS Principal Christy Miron. “Students had the opportunity to put aside their uniforms for the
week and dress according to each day’s theme.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Otter Lake Fishing Derby has great results
by Porter Davis
The Otter Lake Fishing Derby has been going on in Tapiola for many years now, bringing people from all over the western Upper Peninsula to go out on the ice. The fishing derby is a day of ice fishing on Otter Lake, where fisherman and kids compete to catch the biggest fish. Beginning at sunrise, fisherman haul in fish all day long using poles and tip-ups. Some people sat around the drilled holes with friends or family, while others drilled multiple holes and waited to see the flags from their tip-ups swing up across the lake. Regardless of method, most fished in groups and enjoyed the warmer weather. The derby took place on
Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024. This year, the only fish measured for the contest were Northern Pike. Fisherman had until the morning of the derby to sign up and were allowed to fish until 4 p.m. Afterwards, a weigh in took place at 5 p.m. Most people came in a little early and
fish measurements were submitted throughout the day. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Elmblad presented with Quilt of Valor
by Porter Davis
A Quilt of Valor was recently presented to local man and Korean War veteran Clyde Elmblad. The quilt that Elmblad was given was hand-made and specially embroidered with
his name. These quilts aim to provide comfort and peace to those touched by war. Presented with his quilt at the L’Anse Legion on Jan. 16, 2024, Elmblad enjoyed an evening of appreciation for his service and time with friends and family. The legion was filled with chatter and laughter while everyone ate dinner with Clyde, showing their appreciation by simply being present. The hosting of the presentation was done by the L’Anse Legion alongside the Alston and L’Anse VFWs. Kristina Waara, L’Anse VFW Commander, presented Elmblad with the quilt itself, alongside Jim Sullivan of the Alston VFW, who helped to get the evening set up. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Area teacher saves dog trapped on the ice
by Porter Davis
“I considered it just an act of human kindness”. That was the very first thing that Baraga Area Schools’ Teacher Mariah Dunham said when she was asked to share her daring rescue of a dog trapped on the ice. Risking life and limb (literally) to save another, Dunham attributed her actions to just being in the right place at the right time, but her story proves otherwise. Wednesday, Jan. 3, was just any other day for Dunham, a walk by the pow wow grounds with her dog, enjoying the decent weather before last weekend’s snowstorm. A friend had suggested Dunham go on the road towards the beach, and she met some people walking their own dogs along the path. The dogs all greeted each other, and the walkers went on their way. Dunham kept on walking and was nearly to her vehicle when she heard
screaming from behind and felt a compulsion to run back. Before she did, she secured her dog in a vehicle and spotted a tow strap. Dunham felt an intuition that she couldn’t entirely explain, saying it was, “Just some divine intervention. We never go down that path and we just happened to be there, and something told me to grab that tow strap and put my dog away.” To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.
Little Eagles promotes partnering with families
by Melissa Newland
With the year almost halfway over, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community College’s (KBOCC) Little Eagles, Migiziinsag, staff, students and their families continue to prepare for next year when the students attend kindergarten. “It’s crazy that our year is almost at the halfway
mark,” noted teacher Melissa Paulson. She stated the Little Eagles program continues
to partner with each family to help their child prepare for kindergarten, with social/emotional skills being a crucial element of a child’s growth. To read more, subscribe to the L’Anse Sentinel online, or buy a print copy at our local retailers.