By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRONWOOD - Ironwood city commissioners approved on Monday a bridge maintenance agreement between the cities of Ironwood and Hurley. Paul Anderson, who serves as city manager and engineer, said that the agreement is for the Norrie Street Bridge that the city shares with Hurley. According to him, the contract will require a 50/50% maintenance and utilities cost share between the two cities. At whatever point the bridge requires replacement, the...

By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Gogebic Community College Board of Trustees on Monday approved its administrative restructuring plan for the upcoming year and addressed the potential future of its Building Trades program, which has seen declining numbers in recent years. The interim academic restructuring plan comes at the leaving of David Darrow, Vice President of Academic Services, and involves the reassignment of many duties across the administration. "We have quite...

ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - Patricia Ann Smith, age 63, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, at her home in Ormond Beach, Florida, with her family at her side. Pat was born on June 23, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the daughter of Donald D. Smith of Eben Junction, Michigan, and Jeanette L Smith (Hatt) of Flint, Michigan. Pat attended Luther L Wright High School in Ironwood, Michigan, from which she graduated. She married Wayne A. Braun, and they had three beautiful children, Angela...

By DAMIIAN LANG [email protected] WAKEFIELD - Professional racers made waves last weekend as the International Watercross Association brought summer snowmobiling to Sunday Lake for the first time. Taking off like drag racers, participants roared the engines of their modified snowmobiles from land to water, circling colored buoys and sometimes stalling and sinking before returning to shore. Along with locals, the audience also included other racers, racing team members, and their family...

By DAMIIAN LANG [email protected] WAKEFIELD - The Wakefield City Council approved on Monday evening a resolution that acknowledged Patricia Sperhake of Wakefield as the city's treasurer. Council members had appointed Sperhake as deputy treasurer on July 10, 2023. As City Manager Robert Brown Jr. said in a related agenda report, "The council intended to promote Mrs. Sperhake as treasurer after several months of in-house training and attending the Michigan Treasurer's Association training...

By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] GOGEBIC RANGE - If you're looking for a bit of adventure, it's hard to go wrong by hitting local ATV trails. Think muddy ruts and fallen trees, along with regular curves, hills and pools of water. Then there is the added interest of meeting another trail traveler, head-on, from the opposite direction. In short, wear your seatbelt. On Monday, Jerry Nezworski - president and trail boss for the Gogebic Range Trail Authority - took representatives of...

WAKEFIELD, Mich. - William A."Bill" Luoma, age 77, passed away peacefully on Sunday, June 23, 2024, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Bill was a lifelong resident of Wakefield. He was born on Dec. 30, 1946, at Grand View Hospital in Bessemer Township, a son of William V. and Anne (Ribich) Luoma. He attended Wakefield High School and graduated with the class of 1965. After graduating from high school, Bill attended Northern Michigan University, earning a bachelor's degree in...

OMA, Wis. - Douglas Paul Sobolewski passed away peacefully in his sleep on the morning of June 18, 2024. Doug was born on May 21, 1967, in Wakefield, Michigan. The son of Sharon Sobolewski, Doug grew up with his three brothers, Bruce, Donald and Jerry; and his sister, Tanya. Doug's family would relocate to Ironwood, where he graduated from Luther L. Wright High School. In 1991, Doug would meet the love of his life, Heidi (Exle) Sobolewski, and the two would marry in 1994. Together, they would...

IRONWOOD, Mich. – Jeffrey Bryan Betlewski, 73, of Ironwood, formerly of Bessemer, passed away on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at Aspirus St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota. Jeffrey was born on March 6, 1951, in Wakefield, a son of Edward and Betty (VanHolla) Betlewski. He attended A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer and graduated in 1969. He continued his education at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti and earned a bachelor of science degree in 1974. Upon graduation at EMU, Jeffrey...

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Terry A. (Kapets) VanDamme passed away Saturday, June 15, 2024, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, with her daughter, Sara, at her side. She had a short but fierce battle with cancer. Terry was born April 29, 1954, and grew up in Ironwood, Michigan, the daughter of the late Genevieve and Charles Kapets. She graduated from Luther L. Wright High School in 1972, and then attended Northern Michigan University, working towards a degree in business. She enjoyed being employed...

IRONWOOD, Mich. - James "Obe" Ernest Oberst, 86, of Ironwood, passed away peacefully on Friday, June 14, 2024, with his family by his side. James was born on Dec. 18, 1937. He resided at Skyview Nursing Home for the last seven months, where he met many wonderful people who loved him. Prior to that, he resided in his family home for the last 30 years in Ironwood. He was also a resident of Florence, Oregon, for eight years. James was a hard worker. He had many fulfilling jobs as a young man. For...

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. - Daniel E. Lane, 82, of Sterling Heights, died peacefully on Nov. 23, 2023, after a short illness. He was born on Jan. 22, 1941, in Ironwood. Daniel was preceded in death by his parents, Saima and Arvo Juutilainen; stepmother, Mary Juutilainen; as well as brothers, Gerald and William Juutilainen and Joseph Brozzo; and sisters, Darlene (Reno) Suliin and Linda (Bill) Marzack; and Roland Zanella. Daniel is survived by his wife of 47 years, Patricia D. Lane of Ironwood; his...

HAYWARD, Wis. - Darryl D. Pricco, age 82, of Hayward, passed away on Sunday, June 9, 2024, at Aspen Acres Assisted Living in Hayward. Darryl Dante Pricco was born April 5, 1942, in Campbellsport, the son of Dante and Geraldine (Baumhardt) Pricco. He was raised in Bessemer, Michigan, and in his youth was a gifted athlete who played football, basketball, baseball and track. He graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in 1960 and then attended Gogebic Community College and then Michigan State...

IRONWOOD - Robert "Bob" Champion, 63, passed away on June 11, 2024, after an extended illness. He was loved by all who knew him and leaves behind a legacy of kindness and generosity. Robert was born in Ironwood to the late Bill and Jean (Strand) Champion. After attending Luther L. Wright High School, Gogebic Community College, and Fox Valley Technical College, Robert went on to pursue his many passions in Wisconsin. Through the years, he held a variety of skilled positions. Robert later settled...