Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
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IRONWOOD, Mich. - Norma June Oman, 87, a long-time Ironwood resident, passed away peacefully on Sept. 27, 2024, with her husband by her side, at a Twin Cities assisted living center. Norma began her life in Saxon, Wisconsin, as the youngest of five children born to John and Bessie Nordberg. After graduating from Saxon High School, Norma married Eric Oman on July 30, 1955, and they built their life together in one of the prettiest spots on Lake Superior, Little Girl's Point. Norma was a gifted ar...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - Area riders had an opportunity last weekend to see what it's like to ride a horse while also shooting. On Sept. 7, members of Mounted Justice - a Wisconsin-based group - held a mounted shooting competition on the Iron County Fairgrounds in Saxon, Wisconsin, with a shooting clinic held the day before. The Sept. 6 clinic aimed to teach local equestrians the basics of the sport of mounted shooting, including how to handle their equipment safely...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRON BELT, Wis. — When a loved one passes away, it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the loss. But it’s possible, sometimes, to find genuine comfort in deciding upon a meaningful commemoration. Donna Wiita of Hurley did just that — eventually — when she lost her husband, Edward C. John Wiita, just before Christmas in 2022. They had been married for 63 years when he died on Dec. 17, nearly two years ago at the age of 88. Over the many decades, they had shared good times and bad, including the loss...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] SAXON, Wis. - The Gogebic County Fair Horse Show was held at the Iron County Fairgrounds this year due to ongoing construction efforts at the Gogebic County Fairgrounds. Due to the fair's change in location, the horse show was unable to be held in conjunction with other fair activities, which took place from Aug. 8-11 at the Pat O'Donnell Civic Center in Ironwood. Instead, horse showmanship occurred this past Saturday and Sunday. "When they moved the fair...
HURLEY, Wis. — Shirley A. Machesky passed away on Sept. 21, 2023, in Chesterfield, Missouri. On May 21, 2024, her son, Michael “Mike” Lawrence Machesky of Champaign, Illinois, joined her in passing. In their memory, family is hosting a funeral service at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hurley on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 11 a.m. Interment and a reception will follow. Mike’s family is also hosting a celebration of his life on Friday, Aug. 16, at 2 p.m. at Saxon Harbor....
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] IRON COUNTY — The primary election in Iron County is scheduled for Tuesday, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in all voting locales. According to Christan Brandt, interim county clerk, separate ballots are issued for each site, but “everything is the same” in terms of election choices on all ballots. Iron County includes only three sites with more than one ward. They include the town of Mercer and the city of Hurley, with four wards each, and the city of Montreal, with two wards. The remai...
FOND DU LAC, Wis. - Diana Marie Zarzyski, "Deedee" to all who knew and loved her, was born in Ironwood, Michigan to James and Patricia (Cvengros) Nichols on March 21, 1959 and passed away peacefully on July 31, 2024, at Home of Hope in Fond du Lac with her family by her side. Deedee was an amazing woman, mother, partner and friend who lived her life always helping others both as a nurse and friend. Deedee earned her LPN degree from Gogebic Community College in 1980 and her RN degree from St. Luk...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — Members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday evening a plan for the county to open a separate bank account for funds received from various national opioid settlements. They also approved a resolution authorizing the county to enter into a settlement agreement with Kroger Company. The resolution includes an agreement to the stated terms and an addendum relating to a memo of understanding regarding the proceeds. Cally Bucknell, who leads the county’s Human Services Dep...
SAXON, Wis. — Lois R. Guso, age 95, of Saxon, went to heaven on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. Lois was born Jan. 26, 1929, in Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Daniel L. and Madeline (Walsh) Mostyn. Lois became an executive secretary at a young age and worked for many influential executives. She worked for David Harrington of Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois, as well as for an executive for a major airline company in Chicago and Rabbi Morris Hershman in Joliet, to name a few. She loved spending summers at the family cabin in Wisconsin. She a...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] HURLEY - Members of the Penokee Range 4-H Livestock Club held their Haymakers and Hotdogs fundraiser this past weekend, with members of the club working together to raise money for their future projects, including improvements to the county fairgrounds. The club spent four hours washing cars and selling hot dogs, according to Chelsea DeRosso and Kristie Dalbeck. This was the fourth annual Haymakers and Hotdogs fundraiser, and the entire club participated...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — Although no formal discussion has yet occurred, Iron County may decide to revive the position of county administrator that existed in past years. In a Tuesday morning meeting, Kurt Wolff — who chairs the Finance Committee of the Iron County Board of Supervisors — briefly addressed the subject of the county’s organizational structure. “Almost all counties have gone to some form of county administrator,” he said in reference to the rest of the state. “Although we can’t afford it, we also can...
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Michael "Mike" Lawrence Machesky of Champaign, Illinois, was born on Feb. 25, 1952, in Bessemer, Michigan, and passed on May 21, 2024, in New Haven, Connecticut, at the age of 72. Michael was a curious and gentle soul who had the rare ability to use humor to share his insights with others. He was loved by many and will be dearly missed. Born to Shirley and Lawrence Machesky, he spent much of his childhood across the globe, including places as far away as Indonesia. Despite...
By DAMIIAN LANG [email protected] GOGEBIC RANGE - Something for everyone awaits visitors to the area's many local parks, which are now all open in the tri-county region of Gogebic and Ontonagon counties in Michigan and Iron County in Wisconsin. In addition to playground equipment and an abundance of campgrounds, each park also offers its own unique twist on fun. For instance, Black River Harbor, Little Girl's Point, the Ontonagon Township Park, the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State...
By PAMELA JANSSON [email protected] HURLEY — The Iron County Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday Part A of Phase II of the county’s budget reconciliation plan, as presented by board member Kurt Wolff. As lead coordinator of the process, Wolff reminded board members that the county incurred a $2.6 million deficit by dropping carbon credits and stumpage from the 2024 budget. He said that $1,750,000 of the debt has been resolved during the past three months. Wolff added that remaining progress will be possible with further exp...
IRONWOOD, Mich. - Joyce Elaine Reid, age 85, of Ironwood, passed away on Wednesday, April 3, 2024, surrounded by her loving family. Joyce was born on Dec. 29, 1938, in Ironwood, to Emil and Bertha (Kivi) Siirila. She was a graduate of Ironwood's Luther L. Wright High School and spent most of her working years as owner and operator of Joy-C's Café, a beloved downtown Ironwood restaurant enjoyed by many locals and the occasional tourist brave enough to leave the U.S. 2 highway. Throughout the...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] HURLEY — As a result of an April 2 election, four new members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors took their oath of office on Tuesday afternoon. New leadership also was elected. The new members are Mario Loreti of District 2, Hurley Ward 2; Roxanne Lutgen of District 13, Mercer Ward 3; Doug Swartz of District 7, Kimball; and Paul Mullard of District 1, Hurley, Ward 1. A fifth new member — Rick Boes of District 11, Mercer Ward 1 — also was elected but was absent on a preplanned vacation. He filled the...
While Mercer voters approved a school bond proposal, several incumbents in various local races across Iron County lost in Tuesday's election. The Mercer School District asked voters to approve a bond proposal to raise $800,000 a year beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, through the 2028-2029 school year for maintaining operations, programs and facilities. The measure passed 455 to 286, or 61% to 39%. A similar proposal failed last year 393-365 (52%-48%). Also in Mercer, Tanner Hiller...
HURLEY - The 2023 annual report of the Iron County Forestry and Parks Department includes both good and bad news. On one hand, the report summarized, "2023 proved to be a challenging financial year for the ICFD. Declining stumpage prices, lack of consistent pulpwood markets, and continued high inflation caused lower revenues and a higher cost of doing business." On the other hand, the report added, "The department still had another busy year with many recreational users visiting our county parks...
IRONWOOD, Mich. - Harold M. Pospeck, 77, of Ironwood, passed away peacefully on March 7, 2024, at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth, Minnesota. Harold was the son of Bernard and Catherine and the brother of wonderful siblings and their spouses: Donald (Marvella), Betty Rigoni (Omar), Connie Figuli (Robert), Gerald (Marlene), Henry (Mary), Laura Modjewski (John), Charlotte Wells (Al), James (Patricia) and Darlene Green (Bob). Henry, Laura, Charlotte and Darlene, and their spouses, along with...
By LARRY HOLCOMBE [email protected] Tuesday is Election Day in Wisconsin. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Not only is it the Presidential primary across the state, but there are also local county, city, town and school board seats up for election. There is also a bond proposal in the Mercer School District. While the presidential primary season is all but over because President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and former President Donald Trump, a Republican, are the only two candidates left standing before their parties’ conventions t...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] HURLEY — Members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday evening to approve Phase 1 recommendations for the 2024 budget. They also voted to establish a new capital fund that will be geared toward the ongoing goal of greater fiscal responsibility. Board Member Kurt Wolff, who has been leading the push for budgetary reform, summarized the results of Phase 1 that he had outlined in greater detail in a recent Finance Committee meeting. He said that, even after meeting with many department h...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] HURLEY — Finance Committee members of the Iron County Board of Supervisors voted last week to refer Phase 1 of the county’s budget reconciliation plan to the full board for approval. The action at the March 14 meeting occurred after committee member Kurt Wolff presented the conclusions of Phase 1 to fellow committee members. “We still have about a million and a quarter budget deficit, so we still have a ways to go,” said Wolff regarding the county’s financial status upon completion of Phase 1, during wh...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] IRONWOOD — The Pat O’Donnell Civic Center may be the site of this year’s Gogebic County Fair in Ironwood. County Fair Board members voted on Monday evening to have board member Linda Nelson prepare a related proposal to submit to the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners in time for that board’s March 13 meeting. Board member Thomas Hampston opposed the vote, but all others voted aye. Before the vote, Nelson said she already had spoken with Jay Kivisto, Civic Center manager, and said that he and his ass...
AUBURN, Mich. - Muriel Bernice Rostollan passed away Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024, after a short stay at Auburn Fields Assisted Living and Memory Care, Auburn, Michigan. She had just turned 99 years old and had recently celebrated 78 years of marriage with the love of her life, Walter E. Rostollan, who became 100 years old last July. We know she is now in heaven with her Lord and Savior, waiting for his arrival. Muriel Johnson was born in Oulu, Wisconsin, on Jan. 18, 1925, the daughter of Estrid...
