Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 90
BESSEMER, Mich. - David W. Paynter, 80, of Bessemer, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023. Dave was born on Feb. 14, 1943, in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, to Vivian (Kelto) and Walter Paynter. He moved to Bessemer as an infant. Dave attended school in Bessemer and graduated from A.D. Johnston High School in 1962. He worked at Indianhead Ski Resort before the hill was first opened. He learned to operate heavy equipment during the hill construction. Dave... Full story
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD — A failure to create a connecting route between Ramsay and Wakefield has resulted in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources closing that part of Trail 2 for the 2023-24 snowmobile season. The decision was sent late Tuesday to Wakefield City Manager Robert Brown Jr. and Wakefield Township Supervisor Mandy Lake. It followed a Tuesday email from Brown to Ron Yesney, U.P. trails coordinator for MDNR, in which Brown said Wakefield officials do not want to repeat last year’s temporary reroute a...
By MEGAN HUGHES [email protected] IRONWOOD - Mt. Zion Ski Area manager and director of Gogebic Community College's Ski Area Management program, Jim VanderSpoel, is preparing for retirement later this year, and with the ski season coming to a close at Mt. Zion, he spoke The Globe about his long career in ski area management and what he has seen change over the years. VanderSpoel said he felt it was time to bring in some new blood into the program, and that while he is retiring, he still...
ARBOR VITAE, Wis. - Michael F. Kimball, 69, of Arbor Vitae, passed away peacefully on Jan. 16, 2023, with his wife of 25 years by his side. Mike was born in Ironwood, Michigan, on July 24, 1953, to Robert and Adele (Ringwall) Kimball. He attended school in Ironwood, graduating from Luther L. Wright High School in 1972. Mike made his living in the construction trade as a contractor for 50 years. Thirty of those years, he owned and operated his own construction company, Kimball Builders, where he... Full story
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] BESSEMER TOWNSHIP - Skiers and snowboarders flocked to Black River Basin last weekend as Snowriver Mountain Resort opened the site on Thanksgiving Day - the first to open in the region for the season. Sunshine and temperatures in the mid-40s made for spring-like skiing, with a steady flow of activity at the Bessemer Township site while The Globe visited on Friday. Josh Johnson of Bessemer was helping his son, Jack, 4, as he continued to improve his...
By JASON JUNO [email protected] IRONWOOD - Kyle Pallin laughs when he thinks about it. Ten years ago, when he was just starting his professional career, the sport of snocross with all its twists and turns and high-flying jumps, was literally life. "When I was 21, I thought racing was my entire life and I'd just race forever," Pallin said. He went on to win two professional races, get to the podium with a top-three finish 34 times and become a fan favorite on the pro circuit across the...
RAMSAY, Mich. - Evelyn June Kahila, 96, a lifelong resident of Ramsay, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 20, 2022, at her home. Evelyn was born on Dec. 25, 1925, in Bessemer Township, a daughter of Richard and Grace (Barron) Grenfell. She attended the Ramsay School. On July 21, 1945, Evelyn was united in marriage to Kauno "Toby" Kahila. Being the oldest daughter, Evelyn and her husband opened their home and raised nine of her siblings after the untimely death of her parents three days... Full story
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...
WAKEFIELD, Mich. - Raymond Joseph Baker, 71 of Wakefield passed away peacefully on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at Gogebic Medical Care Facility in Wakefield. Raymond was born June 23, 1950, to Ina and Delore Baker and was the youngest of 11 siblings. Raymond was proud to be a reliable American dairy farmer. He was a member of the Michigan Milk Producers Association and the National Farmers Organization. He loved to share his knowledge of agriculture and helped many 4-H youth with their gardening... Full story
WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — Members of the Wakefield Township Board of Trustees voted on Tuesday evening to refuse an offer to take over the Indianhead Mountain water system. “My thoughts are that we don’t have a water operator,” said Supervisor Mandy Lake. Moreover, she added, “Billing — we’re not set up for that.” In short, she stated, “We are not in a position to take it over right now.” Treasurer Denise Laessig and Trustee Michael Heikkila voiced support for Lake’s views before the unanimous vote was taken. While summarizing an Aug. 12 meeting of...
ERROR...
HURLEY, Wis., – Frank P. O'Berto, 88, of Iron Belt, passed away on April 10, 2021, at the Villa Maria Health and Rehabilitation Facility in Hurley. Frank was born on Dec. 4, 1932, in Ironwood, Michigan, the son of Frank O'Berto and Mae (Barrett) Stella. He grew up in Cary and attended St. Mary's Catholic Grade School and J.E. Murphy High School in Hurley, graduating in 1951. He then attended the University of Wisconsin-Superior earning a master's degree in Education Administration. During the K... Full story
By RICHARD JENKINS [email protected] Another year of skiing has largely come to an end as some of the local ski hills that were still open wrapped up operations this past weekend. Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort’s website showed the ski hill as closed for the season Monday after having 32 trails and six lifts open Saturday, according to Powderhorn’s ski condition report. “Overall, (the season) went well; despite the lack of natural snow and the pandemic,” said Bruce Noren, of Powderhorn. “I have to say we’re pleased with the season as...
RAMSAY — As the city of Wakefield prepares for a decision on assuming control of the Indianhead Water system, the board of the current operator, Gogebic Range Water Authority, sought to learn more about the option at its virtual meeting on March 11. G Jean Verbos, water authority administrator, presented details of the Indianhead Water system to the board. This included a description of the customer base by meter size, commodity rate, readiness to serve rate, debt retirement and a profit and loss statement. There will be a more in depth d...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] Given scarce snow all season and a current warming trend, the skiing season is now closed for Whitecap Mountains Resort in Upson, Wis. "This is the last day," said Tom Backerud from the front desk on Sunday. "We've gotten about half the snow we usually get, so it's been a little off," added Backerud, who handles reservations. The total regional snow count as of the end of last week was under 80 inches. Even so, Backerud said that business throughout the...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] BESSEMER TOWNSHIP - The first "Muk Up" ski race event had good weather and plenty of participants and fans on Saturday at Blackjack Mountain. "I hope they do it again next year," said Pat Orr, of Ironwood, who came to watch her adult son race. "The fresh air, the kids and the adults having a good time." The event was named to honor the late Tony Mukavitz, who passed away in May 2020. But the ski race itself was in the planning stages for several...
By P.J. GLISSON [email protected] WAKEFIELD Township — A six-year-old dream of establishing a hotel and casino complex at the top of Indianhead Mountain in Wakefield Township is inching closer to reality as plans are now in the works to construct a viable road to the proposed site. Barry Bolich, manager of the Gogebic County Road Commission in Bessemer, said by phone Thursday that the GCRC will apply for a state grant in hopes of “totally” rebuilding Indianhead Road, which connects U.S. 2 to Big Snow Resort’s Indianhead location. The gran... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP — The annual New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade and Fireworks display on Thursday at Blackjack Mountain ski resort attracted hundreds of vacationing skiers and area residents to welcome 2021 or perhaps just to put 2020 behind them. Pete and Jackie Cannon, of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, said they are annual visitors to the area resorts and come to Indianhead often. “It’s the snow and this is a good time of year to come between Christmas and New Year’s,” Jackie Cannon said. The couple...
By CHARITY SMITH [email protected] IRONWOOD — Mt. Zion opened for the season on Monday after a brief delay due to a lack of snow. “It went pretty good actually. It went as expected,” said Jim Vanderspoel, director of Gogebic Community College’s Ski Area Management program and operations at the hill located on the Ironwood campus. “It was a good opening day, we sold a lot of passes, but as far as numbers it was pretty average.” Vanderspoel said Mt. Zion normally sees between 100 to 115 people on opening day, but this year they only h...
DULUTH, Minn. - Cecil B. Powell, age 96, of Ashland, Wisconsin, passed away Monday, Oct 19, 2020, at Essentia Health-Saint Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Cecil was born March 25, 1924, in Bryant, Wisconsin, on the family farm his father built in the late 1800s. He was the son of Bunyon S. and Nora B. (Nichols) Powell. On Dec. 2, 1944, Cecil was united in marriage to Annabell West in Antigo, Wisconsin. He was employed by the Iron County Highway Department as a heavy equipment operator for more... Full story
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. — Allen Eugene Porter, age 89, died on Monday, Oct. 12, 2020, in New Brighton. A native of the Twin Cities, he was a part-time resident of Bessemer for the past 20 years along with his late wife, Jeannine. He served on the ski patrol at Blackjack Ski Resort until his 70s. He is survived by his sons, Eric (Trudi) Porter and Marshall (Terri) Porter; and grandsons, Alexander Porter and John Bednarczyk. Interment will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.... Full story
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD - The Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee on Monday approved a resolution to support an organization's efforts to extend the western Upper Peninsula's state-funded motorized trail system to include a loop in Ironwood. The 6-0 approval serves as a recommendation to the Ironwood City Commission to designate off-road motorized trail routes for all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles within the city in support of the Gogebic Range Trail...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] IRONWOOD — Area ski resort managers are optimistic that more regional skiers will stay closer to home this season and help boost the struggling pandemic economy in the new year. All the local ski hills and trails plan to be open with adjustments to operations that discourage crowds and lines. Area cross country ski events have gone virtual, were canceled or are still being considered. Big Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Ironwood Township is p... Full story
ERROR...
By TOM LAVENTURE [email protected] WAKEFIELD TOWNSHIP - An area ski resort looking to grow by adding off-season opportunities held its Lake Superior North Country Adventure Fest this past weekend, drawing dozens of motorized vehicle riders from around the Midwest. "It's mainly a social ride for the most part. There are no races," said Matthew Vaughan, CEO of Big Snow Ski Resort, which includes the hills and trails of Indianhead and Blackjack ski resorts in the Wakefield area. "It's...
