Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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BESSEMER, Mich. - Joseph Robert Wroblewski gained his angel wings on Saturday evening, Sept. 14, 2024, surrounded by his family. Those of us that were blessed to have Joe in our lives knew he would always bring a smile to your face. He was devoted to his family. He was born on June 8, 1936, at Newport Hospital in the Jessieville neighborhood of Ironwood, to Andrew and Margaret (Hamil) Wroblewski. Both preceded him in death. He graduated from Bessemer High School. Joe was a member of the Army Air...
HURLEY, Wis. - Janet Rosalind Gheller, 84, Oma resident, peacefully passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024, in Hurley after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Janet was born on Sept. 7, 1939, in Oma, to Leo M. Saari and Gertrude (nee Ketola) Saari. Janet was the first of four children. She graduated from J.E. Murphy High School in Hurley with the class of 1957. Janet was a talented and aspiring violinist in her youth. As a member of the Gogebic Range Symphonette, she once even performed in...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] In what has been called a no-snow or low-snow winter, area ski hills are ending a short season early. In Wisconsin, Whitecap Mountains Resort in Upson closed on March 1. In Gogebic County, Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort and Mt. Zion Ski Hill closed on Sunday. The latter is on the campus of Gogebic Community College. In Ontonagon County, the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area and Adventure Mountain - due to their reliance only on natural snow - have each been ope...
WAKEFIELD, Mich. - Sally Louise Tourville, 90, passed away on Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, at the Gogebic Medical Care Facility in Wakefield. A lifelong resident of Gogebic County, Sally was a much loved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and aunt. Sally was born on Oct. 29, 1933, in Wakefield, to Arvo and Marion Torkko. She met and married Ronald Tourville, and they spent 51 wonderful years together before his passing on Dec. 14, 2007. Sally and Ron owned the Dandee Bakery in downtown...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Several hundred people gathered last weekend for the 34th annual Midwest Telefest at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Ironwood Township. The three-day event normally takes place at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area in Ontonagon, but it was moved this year due to inadequate snow at that site, which relies only on Mother Nature. Race Director Peter Werts of Madison, Wisconsin, said he expects the event to return to Ontonagon next year....
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - The Cat Clowder, a gathering of sno-cats and similar vehicles built to move through and on deep snow, celebrated it's 10th year gathering at Powderhorn this past weekend. More than 30 vehicles made the trip up to Big Powderhorn Resort for the celebration of all things sno-cat. Big Powderhorn general manager Bruce Noren said the clowder is a highly anticipated event each year, as it draws people from across the country. "We had some come...
BESSEMER, Mich. - Betty A. Johnson, 88, of Bessemer, passed away peacefully Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at her home. Betty was born on April 7, 1935, in Ironwood Township, a daughter of Uno A. and Jennie (Piispanen) Rundell. She grew up in North Ironwood, attended Roosevelt School and graduated from Luther L. Wright High School in 1953. Betty was employed by Superior Bottle Gas Company, Big Powderhorn Mountain Ski Resort, Northwest Independent Agency, as a secretary at the Sharon Lutheran Church...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Typically, at this time of year, local ski hills are basking in the aftermath of bustling holiday seasons that draw thousands of tourists from near and far. Not so this year, with some resorts still closed and others open only with limited hills available. "We are not officially open yet," said David Dziuban, owner and manager of Whitecap Mountains Resort in Upson, Wisconsin, on New Year's Day. "We started making snow on Oct 30 and utilized every opportuni...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Winter has not yet fully kicked in, but that did not stop local ski hills from celebrating New Year's Eve in style. Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort and Black River Basin - both in Bessemer Township - featured live music and fireworks that drew large, family-friendly crowds that warmed themselves next to bonfires. Excited kids, some decorated in beads and LED lights, ran, twirled and cartwheeled on the grounds. The annual torchlight parade at Black River Basin had the crowd howling from the moment that...
IRONWOOD, Mich. - Laura J. Niemi-Steinmetz quietly entered her eternal life on Dec. 6, 2023, with her family by her side. Laura married Kaarlo Niemi on April 7, 1951, until his passing on Feb. 14, 2008. On Feb. 14, 2021, she married John Steinmetz. Sadly, he passed away on Dec. 7, 2021. After earning her high school diploma in 1969 and then obtaining her associate degree in bookkeeping, she helped Kaarlo in his mason contracting business, was also a medical escort through Gogebic Community...
BESSEMER, Mich. - JoAnne Marie Erickson Sand, 67, of Bessemer, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023, at her home, surrounded by her loving family. JoAnne was born on Feb. 13, 1956, at Divine Infant Hospital in Wakefield, to the late Carl (Kala) Edward Erickson and Gloria Delphine (Liikanen) Erickson. JoAnne graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in Bessemer, after which she served in the U.S. Army, most recently at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. JoAnne then attended Gogebic Community College, where...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] The season's first snowstorm at the start of this week did not bring as many inches as anticipated, but it definitely made winter official. As many as 15 inches were predicted for the western U.P., but the official total for the two-day event measured for National Weather Service at the Gogebic-Iron Wastewater Treatment Facility in Ironwood was 4 inches, as of 7 a.m. Tuesday. That brought the season total to 6.9 inches, compared to 48 inches on the same...
IRONWOOD, Mich. - Irene Suvanto, 82, a resident of Ironwood Township, entered into eternal life on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2023, at Westgate Nursing, Rehabilitation and Assisted Living Community in Ironwood. Irene was born on Aug. 17, 1941, in Ironwood, the oldest of 11 children to Reuben and Martha (Reini) Kinnunen. She attended Roosevelt School and graduated from Luther L. Wright High School in 1959. On Jan. 2, 1960, she was united in marriage to William Suvanto at the Apostolic Lutheran Church wher...
IRONWOOD, Mich. - Doreen Olive Kuker passed away June 22, 2023, one day after her 93 birthday, at Westgate in Ironwood. Doreen was born in Ironwood on June 21, 1930, to Percy W. and Olive (Johns) Treloar. Her parents traveled from overseas Cornwall, England, to Ironwood, Michigan, where they married. Doreen was 100% English. She never drank a cup of tea in her life. Doreen's mom, Olive, taught her how to knit at a young age. Olive also taught her the art of making the perfect homemade Cornish...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Four members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency visited Gogebic County on Monday to assess damages in relation to recent flooding and spring storms. They were joined by two members of the Michigan State Police’s division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Rounding out the group were two staff members of the Gogebic County Road Commission — Manager Barry Bolich and Engineer Phil Strong — along with Heidi DeRosso, the county’s 911/emergency coordinator, and Kelsey Roble, a project...
Spring skiers should note that their days are numbered with more and more snow melting as temperatures continue to rise. The last day for skiing at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort will be Saturday in Ironwood Township, and Sunday is the final day at Jackson Creek Summit in Wakefield Township. Sugar Cup races will occur on that day. In Ontonagon County, the final day for Greenland Ski Hill will be on either Saturday or Sunday, and Monday will be the last day at the Porcupine Mountains Ski Area....
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER TOWNSHIP - After a run of days with sub-zero temperatures, Saturday's mild temperatures filled the ski slopes at Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort. But the base of the hill also had an additional crowd of folks reveling in the 2023 Midwest Cat Clowder, which provided an opportunity to view a parking lot full of vintage Sno-Cats and groomers. A playful sign warned "Caution: Cat Crossing" while some of the engines rumbled, emitting the dense, distinct...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD TOWNSHIP - Big Powderhorn Ski Resort welcomed in the new year on Saturday night with its annual torchlight ski parade and fireworks show. The parade, which has become a favorite event for many visitors, drew a crowd as a line of skiers waved flares as they made their way from the top of the mountain down to the base. As they snuffed out the torches, the mountain lit up with red and green as the fireworks show began. The crowd gathered behind the...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] It's a challenging time of year for ski hills, with one of them opening after another during the Christmas and New Year's Day season. So it wasn't as though there wasn't enough to do without Mother Nature throwing a curve ball in relation to last weekend's blizzard. Then again, maybe it's just a matter of perspective, according to Tuesday interviews with area ski hill managers. "It's all good," said a cheery David Dziuban, owner of Whitecap Mountains...
BESSEMER, Mich. - Ada Fortunata Dalle Ave Facchinello, 94, died in peace and comfort at Sky View Nursing Center in Hurley, Wisconsin, on Sunday, May 1, 2022. Ada was born on June 4, 1927, in Asiago, Italy, a daughter of Catterina Bortoli and Domenic Dalle Ave. The family moved to the United States of America in 1930, settling in Ironwood and Puritan Location. She attended Puritan School and A.D. Johnston High School, graduating with the class of 1945. Ada was a dedicated member of St. Sebastian...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] All area ski resorts are officially up and running. Blackjack Mountain Resort was the first to open for the season on Dec. 3, Indianhead opened the following weekend on Dec. 10, Whitecap opened on Dec. 22 and Big Powderhorn Mountain opened on Dec. 23. All resorts are reporting that they are seeing a number of skiers, despite a lack of natural snow. As of Thursday, the region had received 59.6 inches of snow for the season, but a warm, windy Dec. 15-16...
