3/11/2026

IRONWOOD / UP- Prescribed burns in the Ottawa or Hiawatha or National Forests this year, will get underway starting in the next month or so.  A press release from the Upper Peninsula Fire and Aviation Management Unit says the unit is planning a couple of prescribed fire operations this year, pending all required approvals.  The release says they estimate this work to continue this spring through the fall, as weather conditions allow. Units that do not experience conducive conditions this season will be postponed.  Prescribed fires include 1,143 acres in 14 units on the Ottawa National Forest.  Those areas may be closed to the public for several days for public safety.  The release says residents may experience smoke during the prescribed burns. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights when you encounter smoke on the road.  We have a link on our website and Facebook page showing where prescribed burns are planned to take place. https://usfs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/sidebar/index.html?appid=0b202f990a244b669a85acff82bc66c5&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_medium=email

3/11/2026

BAYFIELD - Bayfield County officials announced that all snowmobile, ATV, and UTV trails are closed for the season as of yesterday.  The trails will reopen to ATV and UTV riders when the weather allows, typically sometime in May.  Northern Iron County Trails around Hurley remain open.  The White Thunder Riders Snowmobile club said this morning that they are back to grooming trails except for trails in marshy areas.  Trails around Ironwood are also open except for a section of trail between Ramsay and Wakefield along the road that the Gogebic Range Trail Authority said was unrideable a few days ago, however that has likely changed with snow that moved into the region last night.  Mercer area trails are closed for a season.  The Mercer Snow-Goers posting a behind the scenes video of their efforts this past season.  You can view the nearly 10-minute video on the WUPM Facebook page.  Another round of snow is in the forecast for Friday into Saturday 

3/11/2026

UPPER MICHIGAN - Michigan Democrats say they're prepared to push back if the federal government attempts to intervene in the state’s election system ahead of the 2026 vote. The comments come after President Donald Trump suggested the federal government should play a stronger role in overseeing elections in states he claims have had problems with voter fraud. Curtis Hertel Junior is the Michigan Democratic Party Chair.

                    0:14  "This is an attack on our democracy. We've had free and fair elections in Michigan, and whether we're in courts or by Senate Republican hearings, they have proven over and over again that there was no widespread fraud."

A Republican-led Michigan Senate investigation in 2021 found no evidence of widespread or systematic voter fraud. Still, Republican State Senate Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate Aric Nesbitt and other lawmakers have asked the U-S Department of Justice to send federal election monitors to Michigan – claiming Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson has a conflict of interest while running for governor.