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A back view of the Pike River Dam and Engineer's House.

The ill-fated hydropower experiment of 1912

TOWER- Members of the Tower-Soudan Historical Society gathered at the Herbert R. Lamppa Civic Center on Sept. 27 for the group’s annual meeting. Tucker Nelson, editor of the Hometown Focus, … more

Jodi Summit | 10/5/22

Bois Forte to get $2.9 million for jobs program

NETT LAKE- Bois Forte Band members who have experienced job loss and employment hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic will be getting assistance from a $2.9 million U.S. Department of Labor … more

David Colburn | 10/5/22 | 2 comments

“Hero pay” starts flowing to Minnesota front line workers

REGIONAL- Nearly 15 months after they were first authorized, “hero payments” to over a million of Minnesota’s frontline workers of the COVID pandemic started going out Wednesday. … more

David Colburn | 10/5/22

Obituaries: October 7, 2022

Daniel D. Rutchasky Daniel “Dan” David Rutchasky, 57, of Cook, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. A Celebration of Life will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Mlaker Funeral … more

10/5/22

Minnesota authors Lorna Landvik (left) and Sarah Stonich.

Writers on a roadtrip visit area libraries

ELY- Fall colors are always a good time to head “up north,” but for Minnesota authors Lorna Landvik and Sarah Stonich it was also a perfect time to talk about books and writing with eager … more

Jodi Summit | 10/3/22

Ely tops Virginia tourney

DULUTH—The unbeaten Timberwolves made short work of Duluth-Marshall here on Tuesday, allowing a number of the team’s younger players to get in on the action. Ely took it in three, 25-12, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/29/22

District failed to get the word out on board vacancy

TOWER— The late June death of Troy Swanson left both a vacancy and a controversy over his replacement on the St. Louis County School Board. Swanson, who had served as the representative from … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Maus tapped as interim fire chief

GREENWOOD TWP- At a special meeting that lasted just over 10 minutes, the Greenwood Town Board appointed fire department member Jeff Maus as interim chief. The vote was 3-0, and Supervisors Mike … more

Jodi Summit | 9/28/22

County board awards $1.5 million to assist school project

ELY— Just days ago, the school board here had few good answers for covering $550,000 in cost overruns on the district’s facilities project.Yet salvation arrived on Tuesday morning as the … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/28/22

A large pack of half marathon runners made their way along Pioneer Road on Saturday.

No hitches on race day

ELY- While turnout for the Ely Marathon and the Boundary Waters Bank Half Marathon was a bit lighter than normal, 548 runners plunked down the registration fees to compete in friendly weather … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

Ely senior Madeline Kallberg focuses as she goes up for a kill attempt during last Thursday’s contest with North Woods.

Wolves nip Grizzlies 3-1

FIELD TWP- The Ely volleyball team left the gym at North Woods School last Thursday with their undefeated record intact, but not before the Grizzles put an end to another Timberwolves’ season … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

Ely comeback falls short, 58-50

GRAND MARAIS— Something finally clicked for the Timberwolves in the second half of last Friday’s contest here against Cook County. After managing just 20 points in their previous ten … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Grizzlies get a workout with packed schedule

FIELD TWP- It’s a good thing the North Woods Grizzlies volleyball team enjoys playing together, because they may have spent more waking hours with their teammates than their families in a … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

Tedrick leads NR-E swimmers at Duluth meet

DULUTH— Senior swimmer Lily Tedrick continued a string of strong performances this week as she finished in the top two in three events against a large field at the Soderlind Invitational at … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Is peak upon us?

Peak color seems a bit behind normal this year. The late spring, combined with plentiful rainfall and mild temperatures in September appears to have delayed the color change at least by a week or so. … more

9/28/22

Grizzlies crushed

BARNUM- The North Woods Grizzlies faced a daunting task when they traveled south to square off against the Barnum Bombers last Friday. Barnum’s offense had put 95 points on the board in its … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

September among the fastest-warming months of the year

REGIONAL— Septembers aren’t what they used to be in northern Minnesota. Forty years ago, the fall air often started creeping its way into the North Country in late August, when the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Hunt turkey in the North Country? You betcha!

REGIONAL— As recently as ten years ago, the notion of hunting wild turkeys in northern St. Louis County would have seemed ludicrous— right up there with hunting for sasquatch. What a … more

9/28/22

Now is a good time to plant some seeds

From noon until 1 p.m. on most Fridays, you’ll find folks with hand-painted signs standing on a prominent street corner in Cook. Some contain relevant messages on issues. With an important … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 9/28/22

Covid another risk factor for stroke

REGIONAL— Ron Alarcon, of rural Tower, is lucky to be alive— and he knows it. Alarcon was driving to work to the Cook DNR office late last month and had just turned up Cty. Rd. 77 near … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Concerns voiced about facilities project delays

ELY- The Sept. 26 meeting of the Ely school board held here on Monday night began by adding two agenda items addressing additional cost overruns as part of the scheduled 21st Century Facility Project … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/28/22

St. Louis County Schools

Once again, the St. Louis County School District has shown it has little interest in actually engaging the residents it’s supposed to be serving. For years, the district has operated more like … more

9/28/22

School tax levy to drop in 2023

REGIONAL- The St. Louis County School District’s property tax levy for 2023 is projected to go down slightly, but some taxpayers may still see an increase in the taxes they pay.Finance Director … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

Sheriff candidate Lukovsky fined for corporate contributions

REGIONAL— A panel of three administrative law judges has imposed a $1,000 civil penalty for campaign violations against Jason Lukovsky, the current St. Louis County Undersheriff. Lukovsky, who … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Board bans new deer farms to prevent CWD

REGIONAL—The St. Louis County Board has voted to prohibit new deer farms in the county in an effort to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD. The unanimous vote updates the … more

9/28/22 | 1 comment