3/05/2026

ASHLAND - After closing last May due to a financial shortfall, Northland College petitioned the Ashland County Circuit Court on February 14th of this year, to distribute its remaining $3 million to donors and area nonprofits. This follows a 2024 audit revealing the college improperly diverted $22 million in donor funds for operations and debt from 2015 to 2024. Chairman Ted Bristol says the distribution honors donor intent. The college plans to allocate $2.1 million to the Burke Center for Ecosystem Research and $945,000 to the Sigurd F. Olson Education Institute, with approximately $250,000 already distributed to named beneficiaries like the UW-Whitewater Foundation, and the rest slated for various foundations, nonprofits, and colleges.

3/05/2026

N. WISCONSIN – Elk Movement in Wisconsin Being Tracked. Wisconsin DNR wildlife staff are trapping individual elk (cows and calves) from the Clam Lake herd in Ashland, Bayfield, Sawyer and Rusk counties for a three-year study on calf survival and recently captured and tagged seven cows (six confirmed pregnant) and six calves. Pregnant cows receive a new collar and a paired Vaginal Implant Transmitter (VIT). The VIT expels during spring calving, providing a GPS signal with the adult collar to locate and collar the calf. Data from this study, funded by elk hunting licenses and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation grants, is crucial for DNR elk herd management.

3/05/2026

MICHIGAN - Michigan is sending nearly $94 million in marijuana tax revenue back to local communities, but the payout is smaller than last year. The money comes from the 10% excise tax approved in 2018 and reflects revenue from the 2025 fiscal year. The state splits the funds across 313 cities, townships, counties, and four tribes with some of that money coming to Gogebic County. Each gets about $54,000 per licensed store or microbusiness. The School Aid Fund and Transportation Fund also get over $109 million each. State Treasury officials say the smaller payout is due to slowing marijuana sales and falling prices due to increased competition and excess supply.