Dispatches from Douglas County: Cloverland leader retires, Superior shop changes hands, prep sports and more

Fans hold signs as they wait as snow falls. — Students and staff from Superior High School cheer outside in the snow and wind as they wait for the bus carrying the girls hockey team to drive past the school before leaving to head to the state tournament on Wednesday, March 1.

By Jen Zettel-Vandenhouten

March 03, 2023 at 7:30 AM

SUPERIOR — I had a bad link for the dark stores story in last week's newsletter -- my apologies for that. Here's the correct one.

You may have heard the Spartan girls hockey team qualified for the state tournament. They had a snowy send-off Wednesday, March 1, from community members, parents and fellow students.

Here are more of this week's headlines:

Legacy of advocacy

030323.N.St.Larry sit 2.JPG — Larry Luostari talks about his 57 years on the Cloverland Town Board at his home in Cloverland on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Larry Luostari, who has served on the Cloverland Town Board for 57 years, will retire this spring. Reporter Maria Lockwood caught up with Luostari to find out more about his time on the board, including the punch that propelled him into office.

'It's in good hands'

030323.N.ST.Pete.JPG — From left, general manager Pete Popoe stands with former owners Tom and Tim Cosgrove outside Pete's Tower Service and Quick Lube on Tuesday, Feb. 28. New owners Alan and Gina Amatuzio are remodeling the store into a Superior branch of Auto Ace Express Lube and Service Center. It joins the Auto Ace Express Lube location in Duluth's Kenwood neighborhood.

Pete's Tower Quick Lube is on its way to becoming an Auto Ace Express Lube, after longtime owners Tom and Tim Cosgrove (pictured above at center and at right), sold the business to Alan and Gina Amatuzio. The business will be run by general manager Pete Popoe (pictured above at left).

Sectional champs

Hockey player holds plaque up over her head. — Superior captain Autumn Cooper holds up the Spartans section championship plaque after defeating Hayward 7-5 on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 25, to earn a trip to the state tournament in Middleton.

The Spartan girls hockey team qualified for their first state tournament berth in 17 years. Their state semifinal was held last night — visit superiortelegram.com for complete coverage.

Stay on that link above and scroll down to read more about the Northwestern Tiger wrestlers who cleaned up at the state meet. Ian Smith won a state title at 195 pounds, Tanner Kaufman took second place at 170 pounds and Tommy Brown finished third at 113 pounds.

In other prep sports news, Superior girls basketball coach Dave Kontny announced his retirement from coaching.

More stories to check out:

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is scrutinizing finances in the town of Gordon after volunteers on the Gordon Good Neighbor Days Committee raised concerns about financial irregularities.
Douglas County officials authorized an appraisal on a 42-acre parcel in Cloverland they would like to sell to the Wisconsin DNR.
Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out our community calendar for ideas.

Editor's note: Dispatches from Douglas County is a newsletter I publish every Friday morning. Please consider subscribing — it's free — and hits your inbox just once a week. You can sign up here.