Top Stories - The Timberjay

Axel, one of the ambassador wolves at the International Wolf Center, had to be euthanized this week.

Wolf Center’s Axel euthanized with kidney failure

ELY- Axel, an ambassador wolf at the International Wolf Center, was euthanized on Sunday due to advanced kidney failure. Axel was a nearly eight-year-old arctic wolf with a bright white coat and an … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

ISD 696 fills half of its budget gap

ELY- The Ely School Board pruned $225,089 from its proposed 2024-25 budget and added $37,200 in new revenue sources at a special meeting on Monday. The financial belt tightening is part of a two-year … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

Greenwood firefighter Brian Trancheff knocks 140-year-old glass from a window in the engine house at the Soudan Mine to ventilate smoke from a small fire in the building.

Fire causes minor damage

SOUDAN MINE— Local firefighters responded here on Tuesday to a fire in the engine house at the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park that sent one park employee to the hospital with … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/24/24

Orr man faces new charges over domestic assault

REGIONAL- An Orr man charged in an assault in Ely last year, was arrested Friday in Duluth on a new felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation. Tate Jordan Cly, 20, whose address is listed in … more

David Colburn | 4/24/24

Measure would bring big investments to the Range

REGIONAL- Property tax relief and millions of dollars in new spending could be on the way to the Iron Range and the North Country if bills pushed by two area lawmakers find their way into overall tax … more

David Colburn | 4/17/24

Shareholders OK purchase by Nippon

REGIONAL— U.S. Steel shareholders voted overwhelmingly this week to approve the sale of the historic domestic steel manufacturer to Nippon Steel, of Japan— but where it goes from there … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/17/24

The Gillson residence located at 45 E. Boundary St. in Ely.

Council takes next step on blighted Gillson property

ELY— Jason Gillson now has 30 days to address his blighted property at 45 E. Boundary St. following a Tuesday city council hearing during which Gillson said he’s willing to cooperate with … more

Catie Clark | 4/17/24

Paul McDonald’s referee team at his last basketball game, the Section 7A semi-final game between Carlton/Wrenshall and Mt. Iron-Buhl. Left-to-right: Frank Ivancich, Paul McDonald, Dave Clement

McDonald hangs up the whistle

ELY— When Paul McDonald walked off the basketball court for the last time at the Section 7A semifinal last month, he capped a 35-year career of officiating high school sports in Minnesota. … more

Catie Clark | 4/17/24

The concept plan approved by the TEDA board last week, which includes a 44-unit hotel and related commercial buildings.

TEDA OKs harbor concept plan

TOWER— The Tower Economic Development Authority gave its approval last week to a concept plan for the city’s harbor that calls for a 44-unit hotel along with other associated commercial … more

Jodi Summit | 4/10/24

Ely’s HRA commits cold cash for new housing

ELY- Talk is cheap. Ely’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) went from talk to commitment on Tuesday when it moved $350,000 from its levy account to the city’s housing trust fund. … more

Catie Clark | 4/10/24

District facing SOD by next fiscal year

REGIONAL- The harsh reality of declining enrollment on ISD 2142’s financial status was made clear Tuesday when Finance Director Kim Johnson revealed her projection that the district will fall … more

David Colburn | 4/10/24

Ayva Anderson and classmates stand in the drizzle with their eclipse glasses

You can’t eclipse a teachable moment

TOWER- Eclipse day in northern Minnesota featured a heavy overcast and showers, but the wet weather didn’t dampen the astronomy lessons at Tower-Soudan Elementary. Students did trek out to the … more

Jodi Summit | 4/10/24

New board backs funding for Tower Ambulance

GREENWOOD TWP- The change in leadership on the Greenwood Town Board has brought a reversal on one of the most contentious issues in the township in recent years. After three years of refusal to … more

Jodi Summit | 4/10/24

Ambulance study delay adds fuel to suspicions

REGIONAL- Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital (EBCH) CEO Patti Banks accepted some of the responsibility this week for the delay in the completion of the long-promised regional ambulance study … more

Catie Clark | 4/3/24

Motorists can expect some delays this summer from highway projects planned to major corridors, like Hwy. 169, shown above.

Road construction ahead

REGIONAL— Spring is coming and that means road construction can’t be far behind. This week, the Minnesota Department of Transportation announced its line-up of nearly 200 road … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/3/24

Legislative efforts to control chronic wasting disease in wild deer populations by heavily regulating white tail deer farmers has the state of Minnesota facing a federal lawsuit.

Federal suit filed over deer farm regulations

REGIONAL- Has Minnesota gone too far in imposing regulations on cervid farms intended to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease? A lawsuit filed with the Minnesota federal district court in … more

David Colburn | 4/3/24

Gordy Adams Jr. a victim of house fire

NETT LAKE- A house fire here on Sunday, March 24 claimed the life of the home’s resident, 66-year-old Gordon Adams Jr., marking a significant loss for the Nett Lake community. Adams was … more

David Colburn | 4/3/24

You’ll want to use special eclipse glasses to see Monday’s partial eclipse in Minnesota.

Partial solar eclipse to be visible in area April 8

REGIONAL- The North Country will experience a partial solar eclipse this coming Monday, as the sun will be partially blocked by the moon as it passes between the sun and Earth. The partial solar … more

Catie Clark | 4/3/24

ISD 696 facing major budget shortfall

ELY- ISD 696 Superintendent Anne Oelke revealed here this week that the Ely Public Schools is facing a nearly half million-dollar deficit in its 2024-25 budget. The school district’s 2024-25 … more

Catie Clark | 3/27/24

Data reflects vibrance of Ely economy

ELY- Ely was a giant of business development in 2023 according to data recently provided by the Northland Small Business Development Center (SBDC). After the Ely Economic Development Authority heard … more

Catie Clark | 3/27/24

City maintenance supervisor Ben Velcheff plows N. Third St. in Tower on Monday.

Packin’ a punch

REGIONAL— A major double-barreled snowstorm dumped as much as a foot of snow on the North Country this week, and considerably more along the North Shore of Lake Superior, providing the region … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/27/24

Walz touts progress, calls for more action on guns

REGIONAL- Gov. Tim Walz delivered his annual State of the State message on Tuesday evening with a new school in Owatonna serving as backdrop to highlight his administration’s accomplishments … more

David Colburn | 3/27/24

Trygg Road offers a scenic drive through pine woods. But sharp rocks along the road are leaving drivers flat.

Is there a fix for the flats?

EAGLES NEST TWP— What to do about Trygg Road? That’s the quandary facing St. Louis County public works officials as last year’s rash of flat tires on this several mile-long stretch … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/20/24

Jacob White smiles during the most recent Ely Film Festival, which attracted huge crowds.

New leadership at Ely theater

ELY- It’s been nearly four years since Ely’s Historic State Theater reopened its doors for the first time. And it set another milestone this past week when the board of directors that … more

Catie Clark | 3/20/24