Larry Miles, 68, of rural Farwell, died Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008, at the Glacial Ridge Hospital, Glenwood.

Funeral services for Larry Miles were conducted at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, at Zion Lutheran Church, Hoffman, with the Rev. Donald Wagner officiating.

Burial was at Zion Lutheran Cemetery, Hoffman.

Friends called at Erickson-Smith Funeral Home, Hoffman, from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 26; a prayer service was conducted at 7:30. Visitation resumed at the church Saturday one hour prior to the service.

Frank and Doreen Swendsen’s tree isn’t the usual fresh-cut Christmas tree, but instead a frozen tree that seems appropriate in the Icebox of the Nation.

The amount of ice on Rainy Lake allowed the Swendsens and their family of ice artists to create an eight-foot tree of out ice blocks this year instead of the usual placing of a pine tree at the end of their dock.

EVELETH, Minn. (AP) — Four schools on the Iron Range hope to convert their heating systems to biomass by the end of next year.

Former Gov. Rudy Perpich pushed for the burning of wood and peat to heat schools about a quarter-century ago.

Rep. Tom Rukavina, a Virginia Democrat, says Perpich had a vision on the issue of biomass that wasn’t recognized by others.

But now it’s taking shape. Merritt Elementary School in Mountain Iron plans to convert its natural gas heating system to wood pellets.

Fresh off a 7 1/2 hour bus ride, International Falls disposed of Minnehaha Academy 4-1 on Monday in the opening round of the Kiwanis/Wells Fargo Hockey Festival in Rochester, Minn.

The Broncos departed the Falls at around 5:30 a.m. Monday — during the tail end of a snow storm — and arrived in Rochester around 1 p.m., according to head coach John Prettyman.

The two teams squared off at 2:30 p.m.

“It didn’t seem to bother us a whole lot,” Prettyman said.

The Falls Broncos defeated New Richmond (Wis.) 5-1 Monday in the Kiwanis/Wells Fargo Hockey Festival in Rochester, and proved to their coach they can rebound from a tough loss.

“I think our girls really showed up to play,” Broncos coach Bruce Elson said, noting his team was coming off a 14-0 loss to Warroad before Christmas.

PARK RAPIDS — East Grand Forks rallied from a 10-point, second-half deficit Monday to defeat the Falls Broncos 62-55 in the first round of the Park Rapids Holiday Tournament.

“We were extremely happy with our intensity and level of play tonight,” said Bronco coach Josh Koenig. “Unfortunately, in the second half we didn’t respond when they made an early run and it helped them to close the deficit in the second half.”

Mistakes continue to haunt International Falls, and it was more of the same Monday in the Proctor Holiday Tournament.

The Broncos (2-6) trailed host Proctor by only 11 at 28-17 at the break, but a big second half by the Rails led to a 60-34 victory.

“We just had a hard time taking care of the basketball, and shot very poorly,” Falls coach Shawn Gilbert said.

Danika Stelton led the Broncos with 13 points, Ariel Arch had nine points and eight rebounds and Hannah Heibel tallied six points. Britni Hendrickson (eight rebounds) and Kara Kennedy (seven) also rebounded well.

Students in the business professionals of America class at Littlefork-Big Falls High School applied their business skills and talents to a classic business — a lemonade stand.

Watching the first season of “The Apprentice,” students learned how teams worked together, used methods of communication and conflict resolution, overcame differences in personality types and handled time management, according to teacher Tina Meyers.

The Northland Foundation’s Business Finance Program, directly and in partnership with other lenders, approved financing totaling $514,500 to five businesses in the region between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, it announced last week.

The program offers flexible financing to new or existing businesses in the seven-county Arrowhead Region, with the goal of helping to retain or create new, high-quality jobs and sustain economic vitality in northeastern Minnesota.

Locally, Fish-Hard Investment Company, Inc. of International Falls received financing.

To the editor,
Enough procrastination!
For years my thoughts and my lips have formed “thank you’s” to all of you who beautify your homes, businesses, the town, plan the parade, or work with children and adults to produce concerts, programs, etc. for the wonderful Christmas season in International Falls and surrounding area. Now, long past due, it’s time to sit down, take fingertips to keyboard and publicly say, “THANK YOU!”