3/26/2025

SAULT STE. MARIE – The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, alongside other tribal governments, is withdrawing from the federal Environmental Impact Statement process for Enbridge’s Line 5 tunnel project, according to a press release yesterday.  The decision comes after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicated that it intends to expedite the project’s approval under President Trump’s Executive Order declaring a national energy emergency.  The Tribe says it has actively participated as a cooperating agency in the EIS process, providing feedback and emphasizing what the tribe believes the project’s threats to the Straits of Mackinac are.  In 2018, Enbridge announced its plan for the future of the oil and natural gas pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac.  Enbridge says the tunnel will travel through rock below the lakebed. The Canadian company says this plan will reduce the chance of pipeline damage. The pipeline was originally built in 1953. 

3/25/2025

LAC DU FLAMBEAU - The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians Tribal Police Department has announced that a 37-year-old woman has reportedly gone missing. Melissa Beson was last seen in the late afternoon of Monday the 17th, walking on Indian Village Road near Wayman Lane in Lac du Flambeau, heading toward Highway 47 wearing red sweatpants, a black sleeveless shirt, and a gray sweatshirt. Beson is Native American, 5’7, medium in build, has brown hair and brown eyes, and has tattoos on her arms, legs, and neck. Anyone with information on her whereabouts or disappearance, please contact the Lac du Flambeau Tribal Police.

3/25/2025

ASHLAND - Several people face drug charges connected to arrests back on March 18 in Ashland. The charges follow the execution of a search warrant stemming from a drug investigation.  Police armed with a search warrant found 15 grams of fentanyl and a substantial amount of cash along with other drug related items at an apartment in the 600 block of St. Claire Street, according to a news release from the Ashland Police Department.  Six people were arrested and booked into jail, three with new charges and three with warrants or probation holds.  Those arrested include 37-year-old Derick Fernandez, of Ashland, 27-year-old Destiny Houle, of Ashland, 36-year-old Vanessa Houle of Ashland, 40-year-old Richard Nava White of Minocqua, 33-year-old Taylor Lund of Ashland, 22-year-old Aubrey Jack of Lac Du Flambeau, 25-year-old Danny Lucero of Ashland, 41-year-old Joseph Childs of Ashland, and 38-year-old Lacey Eliason of Ashland.  The Ashland police say the investigation had been ongoing for several months.  Sixteen officers participated in the arrests from the Ashland Police Department, the Bayfield County and Ashland County Sheriff’s departments and the Washburn Police Department.