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Ida Rukavina named next IRRR commissioner

REGIONAL— Ida Rukavina, a Pike Township native, will be the next commissioner of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation. Gov. Tim Walz made that announcement on Dec. 21, as current … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/22/22 | 2 comments

Houseboat operator facing charges in VNP incident

REGIONAL- Nearly six months after an Ash River houseboat operator was allegedly tased during a June 25 encounter with Voyageurs National Park enforcement officers, five charges stemming from the … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22 | 1 comment

K-2 students at T-S Elementary sang songs of thanks for the season.

Sounds of the season

Holidays are merrier with music, and North Country communities have been merry indeed with the songs of the season performed by young and old alike. Timberjay photographers captured a few images of … more

Timberjay staff | 12/21/22

A Lake Country Power line crew works to reconnect a broken line, one of hundreds of individual outages from last week’s snowstorm. This week’s storm is expected to bring widespread outages as well, just days after power was finally restored across the area.

Latest storm forecast has line crews on high alert

REGIONAL— Here we go again?That was the question as the Timberjay went to press this week with the latest winter storm forecast to hit the region beginning late Wednesday and lingering into the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22 | 2 comments

Flat state aids push county levy higher

REGIONAL— St. Louis County spending will have increased 14.6 percent over the past five years, based on the 2023 budget approved earlier this month by the county board. At the same time, the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22

North Woods sophomore Louie Panichi tries to block out a Wrenshall player during Monday’s home matchup.

Grizzlies win one, lose one

FIELD TWP- After a hard fought but losing effort against Northland last Friday, the North Woods boys basketball team got back on the winning track in a big way Monday with a merciless home beatdown … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22

Wolves crush NER, Mesabi East

AURORA— A slow start didn’t keep the Timberwolves from ultimately running roughshod over Mesabi East here on Monday night to improve to 4-1 on the season. Ely helped their cause with a … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22

Ely skiers post solid times in opener

COLERAINE— Timberwolves skiers lodged a solid performance here in their opening meet of the young season. Skiing at Mt. Itasca against an eight-team field, the Ely girls squad took second to … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22

Grizzlies romp at Wrenshall

WRENSHALL- The North Woods girls’ basketball team made the most of a long road trip to Wrenshall on Monday, thumping the home Wrens by a score of 73-28.This game gave Head Coach Liz Cheney her … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22

Ely edges Bluestreaks

ELY- The Timberwolves girls basketball team squeaked out a tough win in a high-intensity game on home hardwood Monday, edging the Bluestreaks 61-57.“It was a fun playoff-type game,” … more

Catie Clark | 12/21/22

DNR: New wolf plan strengthens conservation

REGIONAL— The Department of Natural Resources has released an update to its wolf management plan that continues the state’s commitment to wolf conservation. The new plan, which … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22 | 4 comments

Outgoing Mayor Roger Skraba receives the key to the city as Mayor-elect Heidi Omerza looks on.

Ely Ambulance Service may receive $1.3 million in federal funding

ELY- The highlight of the Dec. 20 Ely City Council meeting wasn’t even on the agenda. Rather, Ely’s mayor and clerk-treasurer shared some intelligence on federal funding that may be … more

Catie Clark | 12/21/22

Holiday humor, aggravation, and all that glitter

I was curled up on my sofa a couple weeks ago, listening to some instrumental Christmas music and appreciating my tree lights and my cats, thinking ahead to having a relaxing Christmas holiday to be … more

Scarlet Stone | 12/21/22

Cook native is repeat finalist for Grammy educator award

COOK- It was a special moment for Cook native Trevor Nicholas last year when he was named as one of only ten national finalists for the 2022 Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy, … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22

Ice candles bring community together in Embarrass

EMBARRASS- It took a little while to explain the tradition of ice candles to my 87-year-old mother-in-law, who recently moved to the area. But as soon as we pulled up the narrow lane to the Embarrass … more

Jodi Summit | 12/21/22

Peace on earth

Peace on Earth, goodwill towards everyone.That’s long been the unofficial greeting of the Christmas season, and it’s worth considering at this time each year how well we actually live up … more

12/21/22

Dafne Caruso (left) and Sara Skelton (right) at the Northern Lakes Arts Association reception at the State Theater in Ely.

Dafne Caruso art show at State Theater

ELY- Dafne Caruso is a local Ely artist whose career shows that it’s never too late to start pursuing the arts. The Northern Lakes Arts Association in collaboration with Ely’s State … more

Catie Clark | 12/21/22

Triple disease threat fills hospitals

REGIONAL- As Minnesota was experiencing a post-Thanksgiving rise in coronavirus cases, state Health Commissioner Jan Malcom and state Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield appeared together last week for the … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22 | 2 comments

Obituaries: December 23, 2022

Ronald R. Hujanen Ronald R. Hujanen, 80, of Cook, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tower. … more

12/21/22

A map of one the three areas to be served by the new broadband funding awarded recently to Paul Bunyan Communications. Residences in the area should soon see internet access speeds of up to 10 gigabytes per second.

Paul Bunyan awarded grant for expanded broadband

REGIONAL- Only one North Country broadband proposal was funded by the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development in the latest round of Border-to-Border grant awards released last … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22

Council OKs three-percent levy hike for next year

TOWER— For the first time in three years, the city council here has voted to increase the city’s tax levy, by three percent over the 2022 levy of $394,761. That will push the city’s … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/15/22

North Woods, NER to swap principals

REGIONAL- A new year will bring new leadership to two area schools, as North Woods Principal John Vukmanich and Northeast Range Principal Kelly Engman will swap roles beginning Jan. 1.North Woods … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22

A MnDOT snowplow was out working Hwy. 169 in heavy snow on Wednesday.

Winter wallop

REGIONAL— The area’s first major winter storm of the season struck with a vengeance on Wednesday with heavy, dense snow and considerable wind as a Colorado low moved across the Plains and … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/15/22

Ely senior Erron Anderson tries to get a shot off under intense pressure by a trio of Broncos’ defenders.

Mixed week for Wolves

TWO HARBORS—A tough Agates’ defense in the paint and ice-cold outside shooting put the Timberwolves behind the eight ball here on Saturday as they suffered their first loss of the young … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/15/22

North Woods tops Spartans, improve to 3-1

NASHWAUK- The North Woods boys basketball team moved to 3-1 on the season early this week, bouncing back from a 70-60 loss at Moose Lake on Monday with a convincing 99-70 win over Nashwauk-Keewatin … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22