Hancock Tori to hold Christmas Market Dec. 20

HANCOCK -- The Hancock Tori Christmas Market will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 20, at the First United Methodist Church, next to Quincy Green in downtown Hancock.

Handmade crafts and other tempting items will be available for your last-minute holiday shopping!

A fund-raising lunch will be offered by the Methodist Youth Group during the market.

If you have questions contact Sandy Soring at sandysoring@charter.net.

MDOT to hold public meeting on Portage Lift Bridge maintenance project and bridge closures Dec. 18

View of Portage Lift Bridge by night. The public is invited to review plans for upcoming bridge closures at a Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) meeting TOMORROW, Thursday, Dec. 18, in Fisher 138 at Michigan Tech. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

HOUGHTON -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) will share plans for the major maintenance project on the Portage Lake Lift Bridge at a meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. TOMORROW, Thursday, Dec. 18, in Fisher 138 on the Michigan Tech campus.

Residents, community stakeholders and business owners can review the plans for construction and ask questions of MDOT staff members and contractor representatives.

MDOT will perform upgrades and preventive maintenance work on the lift bridge between Houghton and Hancock from mid-December 2014 to mid-April 2016. This $8.3 million project includes lift cable replacement, balance chain maintenance, electrical and mechanical upgrades, security system improvements, spot painting and new barrier gates.

The project will require two long-term nighttime closures of the bridge and numerous short-term closures.

Here is the tentative schedule for closures from January to March 2015:

• One 10-hour closure (with ramp for emergency vehicles): WHEN? Jan. 17, 2015, nighttime (9 p.m. - 7 a.m.) with an alternate date of Jan 24 in case of weather delay. WHY? Disconnect lift cables from lift span.


• Eight 2-hour closures: WHEN? January 2015, nighttime (2 a.m. - 4 a.m.). WHY? Remove balance chains.


• 168 intermittent 15-20-minute closures. WHEN? January - March 2015, nighttime (7 p.m. - 6 a.m.) WHY? Lift cable removal and reinstallation.


• One 11.5 hour closure (with ramp for emergency vehicles). WHEN? March 21, 2015, nighttime (8 p.m. - 7:30 a.m.) with an alternate date of March 28 in case of weather delay. WHY? Connect lift span to new cables.


• Eight 2-hour closures. WHEN? March 2015, nighttime (2 a.m. - 4 a.m.) WHY?  Install balance chains.

Hancock City Council to hold public hearing on two proposed ordinances Dec. 17

HANCOCK -- Hancock City Council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014, on two proposed City ordinances:

1. Proposed ordinance (No. 288) approving amendment to the Development and Tax Increment Financing Plan of the City of Hancock DDA.
2. Proposed ordinance (No. 289) approving regulating open fires and burning within the City limits of the City of Hancock.

At the Nov. 19, 2014, City Council meeting, Council members unanimously approved the first reading of each of these proposed ordinances.* The agenda for the Dec. 17 meeting, which follows the public hearing, includes consideration of the two proposed ordinances.**

Copies of the two proposed ordinances are on file in the Clerk's office, Hancock City Hall.

* Click here for the Nov. 19 meeting minutes.

** Click here to read the agenda for the Dec. 17 meeting.

Rolf Peterson to lead wildlife discussion TONIGHT, Dec. 16, at Carnegie Museum

Rolf Peterson, Michigan Tech expert on Wildlife Ecology, will lead a discussion from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. TONIGHT, Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Carnegie Museum in Houghton. (Poster courtesy Carnegie Museum)

HOUGHTON -- The Carnegie Museum will host Professor Rolf Peterson, Michigan Tech expert on Wildlife Ecology, for a discussion titled "Animal Elements of Keweenaw Peninsula and Isle Royale" from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. TONIGHT, Tuesday, Dec. 16. The museum will open at 6:30 p.m. for refreshments.

The event is part of a monthly series of sessions on the Geoheritage and Natural History of the Keweenaw. The discussions are aimed at the general public, but discuss current research and science.

"In the 19th and 20th centuries many wild animal species in the Keweenaw, along with the forest, were wiped out or reduced by unregulated harvest and widespread fire," Peterson explains. "Protective game regulations and regrowth of the forest allowed some species to recover, a process that continues today. Isle Royale was affected by the same influences, to various degrees."

Peterson will review the status of prominent and obscure species of wild animals, including many that are presently experiencing rapid change.

The Carnegie Museum of the Keweenaw is located at Huron and Montezuma in downtown Houghton. Seminars are held in the recently restored Community Room on the ground level of this historic building. Lectures are free, open to the public, and barrier free (wheelchair accessible).

For further information visit the Carnegie Museum on Facebook or contact the Museum at 906-482-7140.

Community Arts Center seeks art works for 2015 Art from the Kalevala exhibit

These art works, by Kris Raisanen Shourek (left) and Joyce Koskenmaki, were part of the January 2014 Art from the Kalevala exhibit at the Copper Country Community Arts Center. (File photo courtesy Copper Country Community Arts Center)

HANCOCK -- The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology. It is regarded as the national epic poem of Finland and is one of the most significant works of Finnish literature. Its rich imagery provides a hearty topic for visual art.

The Copper Country Community Arts Center will host an exhibition of art inspired by the Kalevala in connection with Hancock’s mid-winter Heikinpäivä celebration in January. Artists may submit up to three original works in any medium along with the rune or lines from the poem from which the artwork was inspired.

There is no fee to participate. The art works should be delivered to the Community Arts Center between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. A closing reception will be held from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015. For more information call (906) 482-2333 or email cynthia@coppercountryarts.com. The Copper Country Community Arts Center is located at 126 Quincy Street in Hancock.