The Keweenaw Report with Rick Allen, live every weekday morning on 97.7 the Wolf at 7am 8am & 9am, with updates at Noon, 3 pm, 4 pm & 5 pm.
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Hukki Holds Town Meetings – February 4
Republican State Representative Matt Hukki held three town meetings in the Western U.P. this weekend – Friday evening in Ontonagon, Saturday morning in L’Anse, and Saturday afternoon in Ironwood. For the full audio of the L’Anse meeting, click here.
LBFOTE Holding Dinner & Dance—February 3
Seniors in the Copper Country will always have a family at Little Brothers Friends Of The Elderly.
For the past 30 years, Little Brothers in Hancock has been there for elderly people in our area.
To celebrate and to help raise much needed money, Little Brothers is holding a dinner and dance at the Range Lounge in South Range on Saturday.
Dave Rulison and his band, Cheap Therapy, will be there to provide the music.
Michael Aten from Little Brothers invites everyone to attend.
A chili dinner will be served at 7pm with the music and dancing starting at 8.
Little Brothers has much to celebrate…after serving the Houghton-Hancock area for three decades, they are branching out to help elderly folks in other parts of the Keweenaw.
Tickets are available for $10 at the Little Brother’s Hancock office or at the door.
No Regrets Conference In Houghton—February 3
Copper Country men will be gathering this weekend to seek spiritual transformation.
The No Regrets Men’s Conference will be presented at Grace United Methodist Church in Houghton on Saturday.
Keynote speaker Tony Evans will give two presentations at the event which begins at 9am and runs until 5pm.
No Regrets spawned from the Promise Keepers movement about 15 years ago and has become incredibly popular at Elmbrook Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where tickets for the event sell out in minutes.
The event will be webcasted which allows men to take part in the conference right here at home.
Allan Sunn and David Poplawski have been promoting the event in our area.
Tickets for the event are twenty dollars and are available at the door.
U.P. Woman Held For Ohio Bank Robbery—February 3
An Upper Peninsula woman is in police custody in Ohio, accused of two bank robberies in the Toledo area.
21 year old Ashley Dawn Elvetici, of Negaunee, was arraigned in a Toledo court Thursday morning.
According to the FBI, photos from the Key Bank show Elvetici just after nine o’clock Wednesday morning.
She reportedly passed a note demanding money from a teller and was given an undisclosed amount of money.
Police say she got away in a hunter green Ford Taurus. The vehicle was recovered and Crime Stopper tips led police to Elvetici at a nearby motel.
Elvetici was arrested Wednesday night at around 10 pm on 2 counts second degree felony robbery.
She is also charged with the robbery of another bank in Toledo on January 26.
Bank surveillance from that incident shows a woman who appears to be Elvetici.
Elvetici’s bond was set at $150,000 cash. Federal charges are likely as the investigation continues. A preliminary hearing has been set for February 9th in Toledo.
Few Shoe Repairs Shops Left In U.P.—February 2
Doug Johnson has been repairing shoes for 47 years.
Johnson’s Shoe Repair, located in downtown Houghton, originally opened in Calumet.
Nationwide, there were over 100 thousand shoe repair shops before World War II. Now there are only an estimated seven thousand left.
The way shoes are made today, repairing them is nearly impossible.
Doug has since branched out to sharpening scissors and repairing golf equipment.
Escapee Pleads Not Guilty To Escaping—February 2
A Marquette County man who escaped custody is back in jail.
27-year-old Troy Allen Luoma of Gwinn turned himself in and was arrested Tuesday evening in Marquette.
Luoma originally fled from Deputies on January 26th following a court appearance where he was remanded to jail.
He was charged with Attempted Interference with Electronic Communications, Resisting and Obstructing a Police Officer, and Escape from Lawful Custody.
Luoma pled not guilty to the charges.
A preliminary exam was set for February 13th.
Hospital Birthing Center Closed To Children—February 1
Children will not be allowed to visit the Portage Health Family Birthing Center in Hancock for the time being.
A high occurrence of a dangerous respiratory virus in children has caused the temporary closure due to the risk to infants.
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a contagious viral disease that can lead to serious health problems, especially for newborns.
Portage Health’s Doctor Colleen Vallad-Hix says symptoms in children include runny nose and a croupy or wheezy cough. But with newborns, the danger is much more serious
Healthy adults are still allowed to enter the birthing center during regular visiting hours but until Portage Health officials feel the number of cases is significantly lowered, children will not be allowed to enter.
CopperDog 150 Chef Announced—February 1
Portage Health’s Director of Food Services Mark Pittillo will be the CopperDog 150’s official race chef.
Pittillo will be serving up great healthy meals during the big sled dog race in Calumet.
Organizers of the CopperDog 150 Sled Dog Race are holding a volunteer drive this Saturday at the River Valley Bank on US-41 in Calumet.
There you can meet some of the mushers and their dogs, enjoy free refreshments, and, most importantly, learn how you can help make the third annual CopperDog 150 successful.
The event begins at 10am and runs till 2.
Local Man Wins Super Bowl Tickets—February 1
It’s a good to be a friend of Houghton County resident Daniel Salo.
That’s because Dan just won a trip with a guest to next week’s Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
The prize, provided by Charter, includes air fare and hotel as well as two tickets to the big game.
As far as getting an invite to go to the game with Dan…he’s says he’ll be taking his wife.
Dan was one of over 27,000 entries eligible for the contest.
Meeting On The Houghton-Hancock Transit System—February 1
If you could improve the Houghton-Hancock transit system, what would you change?
A meeting to find out just what people in the community would do is being held tonight at the Portage Lake District Library.
On hand will be City Managers Scott MacInnis from Houghton and Glenn Anderson from Hancock.
Members from the Michigan Tech Transportation Enterprise will also be there. MTU Student Dani Revord is one of them and she encourages people to come and give their input.
Money for the project comes from a $50,000 grant from Ford to improve the transit service as a College Community Challenge.
The 2-year project is still in the research phase and Revord says they want to make sure they do this the best way possible.
Tonight’s meeting begins at 6:30pm.
Guilty Plea In Restaurant Theft—January 31
A Houghton County man who was accused of stealing a $100 bill from a table in a local restaurant will not have to go to jail.
45-year-old Keith Justice of Hancock was arrested in early January on charges of Felony Larceny in a Building and a misdemeanor charge of Larceny Less Than 200-dollars.
The incident happened at the Waterfront Restaurant and Bar in Hancock.
Justice pled guilty on Monday in 97th District Court to the lesser charge in exchange for the dismissal of the felony.
The suspect told the judge he mistakenly took the money believing he had left it accidentally as a tip.
He was sentenced to six to 24 months probation and must serve three days community service.
MTU Grad To Head Up MDOT Office—January 31
A Michigan Tech grad is going to head up a newly created office at the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Williamston resident Timothy Hoeffner was tagged as the director of the Office of Rail.
Hoeffner graduated MTU with a Bachelor’s Degree in civil engineering and has 30 years of experience with MDOT.
He also serves as Governor Rick Snyder’s representative on the Midwest Intercity Passenger Rail commission as vice-chair.
The Office of Rail will oversee rail-related activities throughout the state.
Two Marquette Men Arrested On Drug Charges—January 31
Two Marquette County men are in custody on drug charges.
An investigation by the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team led to a lengthy surveillance of two known meth manufacturers.
The two suspects, both 49-year-old men from Marquette, were reportedly observed buying components to make methamphetamine at several different stores.
The suspects’ vehicle was stopped by police and the men were arrested by UPSET detectives.
The men were charged with Possession of Methamphetamine components and Conspiracy to Manufacture Methamphetamine.
Both charges are felonies.
The suspects were lodged in the Marquette County Jail until their arraignment.
Heikinpaiva’s A Splash—January 30
Finns and Non-Finns alike joined together this past weekend to celebrate Heikinpaiva.
The winter festival to honor Finnish tradition featured a parade with costumed characters, an expansive marketplace, music, games, and a refreshing dip in the icy waters of the Portage Canal.
Despite blowing snow, revelers came out by the hundreds to participate in the Finnish atmosphere.
Outside the Copper Island Beach Club in Hancock…roughly 150 wanna-be polar bears jumped through a hole cut into the frozen waterway.
A video featuring the whole parade, a montage of the festival, and every Polar Bear Diver will be available later today on our Keweenaw Report Facebook Page.
Houghton Businessman Arrested—January 30
A Houghton businessman is facing felony drug charges.
Michael Jestila was arrested Friday on two felony counts of delivery and manufacture of a controlled substance….punishable by up to seven years in prison and-or a $10,000 fine.
Jestila is the owner of Backroom Multi-Entertainment in Houghton and Backroom Obsessions in Marquette.
The warrant was issued by the Marquette County Prosecutor’s Office and a Circuit Court judge has ordered the Marquette store closed pending further proceedings…calling Backroom Obsessions a public and common law nuisance.
The charges stem from an investigation that led to search warrants for the stores last month. Numerous materials seized from the Marquette location were reported to contain controlled substances.
Jestila’s bond was set at $100,000. A hearing was scheduled for February 23rd.
Marquette County Suspect On The Loose—January 30
A Marquette County man is still on the loose after breaking away from custody.
27-year-old Troy Alan Luoma of Gwinn escaped a Sherriff’s deputy on Thursday.
Luoma was out on bond on an unrelated case and at his arraignment was ordered by a 96th District Court judge to be remanded to jail.
The suspect took off before he could be handcuffed. The deputy gave chase but unable to track him down.
Luoma was last seen near the corner of Third Street and Baraga Avenue in Marquette. Witnesses believe they saw the suspect get into a car in the area.
Anyone knowing the whereabouts of Troy Alan Luoma is asked to call 911 or your local police department.
Fisherman Hit By Snowmobile—January 30
Police in Delta County are investigating an incident that resulted in an ice fisherman being hit by a snowmobile Saturday.
The Delta County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to Garden Bay near Ansells Point at about one o’clock Saturday afternoon on a call of an injured ice fisherman.
The victim said it started when a snowmobiler came too close. The fisherman flagged down the snowmobiler and an argument ensued, with the suspect on the snowmobile accelerating toward the man. The victim was struck by the snowmobile, causing severe injuries. The snowmobiler then fled the scene.
A person who had been fishing with the victim was able to flag down a passer-by for assistance.
The victim was taken to Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, and then transported to Marquette General Hospital for further treatment.
Deputies have suspects in the case but are looking for eyewitnesses to the incident.
Huuki To Hold Local Town Hall Meetings—January 27
State Rep. Matt Huuki is planning three Western U.P. Town Hall Meetings.
The sessions will be held:
Friday, Feb. 3, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. EST at the Ontonagon Theater, located in the Ontonagon Township Building at 311 South Steel St.
Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. EST at the Baraga County Courthouse, located at 16 North 3rd Street in L’Anse.
Saturday, Feb 4., from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in the Lindquist Center at Gogebic Community College from 1 to 2:30 p.m. CST. The college is located at E4946 Jackson rd. in Ironwood Township.
Huuki said each event will primarily focus on mining and job creation.
“Mining is a strong tradition in our part of the state, and I want to reach out to the people of the Western U.P. to discuss how we are promoting mining job creation in our area,” Huuki said. “Town hall events are a great opportunity to communicate with residents in person about changes that affect them, and take their feedback on how they would like to see things improve.”
Huuki can be reached toll free at 1-888-663-4031; by fax, 517-373-9303; by email, matthuuki@house.mi.gov; by mail at P.O. Box 30014, Lansing, MI 48933; or through his website, www.repmatthuuki.com.
Lake Linden Man Facing Charges—January 27
A Lake Linden man is in custody facing a charge of felonious assault.
The 38-year-old suspect was arrested following an altercation with his wife on Wednesday that became physical.
The wife told police her husband took out a shotgun and pointed it at her.
She called police and left the residence. After police met up with the woman, they then went to the home and arrested the suspect.
He is currently lodged in the Houghton County Jail until his arraignment later this morning.
Suspect Marquette County Molester Arraigned—January—27
A Marquette County man could spend the rest of his life in prison.
23-year-old Dontrell Davon Brown of Gwinn is charged with five counts of 1st Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct.
Brown’s girlfriend told police she caught him sexually abusing her 11-year-old daughter inside the couple’s home on Tuesday.
Police arrested Brown the following night and brought him before a judge in 96th District Court yesterday.
The judge set bond at $500,000 cash. Brown remains in custody in the Marquette County Jail. His preliminary exam is scheduled for February 9th.
Main Heikinpaiva Events This Weekend—January 27
Two weeks worth of celebrating everything Finnish comes to climax this weekend.
Heikinpaiva 2012 wraps up with two of the best days of the festival beginning tonight.
The Tannssit (Dance) is tonight at the Little Gem Theater in Lake Linden. Doors open at 6pm. Folk dance lessons are available at the dance. Music will be provided by the Thimbleberry Band with Pasi Lautala. Cost is $6 for singles and $10 for couples.
Parade Day is tomorrow beginning in Hancock at 10am. The Parade starts at 11 and will feature many popular characters from Finnish tradition so be sure to grab a check-list for the kids to participate in the Character Hunt.
Check-lists are available at the 97-7 The Wolf studio in Houghton.
The festival concludes with a Finnish Buffet that’s not to be missed.
The Seisovapoyta begins at 6pm on Saturday at the Zion Lutheran Church in Hancock. Tickets are $16 each.
For details and a complete schedule of events, just click on the link posted on our website.