Top Stories - The Timberjay

District 3A House candidates answer questions

Editor’s Note: The Timberjay submitted questions to the two District 3A House candidates ahead of this year’s general election. Below are their responses DFLer Rob Ecklund • … more

10/19/22

Haley Glatch appears pleased with her pumpkin’s scary grin.

Jack-O-Lanterns galore

TOWER- Valerie Turnbull is a nurse by day, but somehow this mother of three has been finding time to organize community events for area families. Her latest success was a free community pumpkin … more

Jodi Summit | 10/19/22

Greenwood firefighters picketed Tuesday in protest of the recent dismissal of top department officers.

Fire department concerns top town board agenda

GREENWOOD TWP— The town board’s 3-2 decision last month to dismiss three of the township’s top fire department officers drew a small crowd of firefighters to the town hall on … more

Jodi Summit | 10/12/22

Pay raise claims called false, unfair

REGIONAL— Political attack ads that claim area DFL legislators voted to boost their pay by $15,000 in 2019 are patently false. That’s according to Joe Boyle, an International Falls … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22 | 1 comment

Jeffrey Hanson, of Clearwater BioLogics, spoke earlier this month to the Ely Climate Group about major changes on the horizon for the steel industry.

Could “greening” of the steel sector bring a new boom to the Range?

REGIONAL— The greening of the steel industry will bring big changes to Minnesota’s Iron Range, and those changes could be beneficial or devastating to the region’s economy, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Jack Ranua and Bentley Crego were focused on math earlier this week.

Enrollment is booming

TOWER— What a difference 12 months can make. Last year at this time the Vermilion Country School was facing a budget challenge as two years of the COVID pandemic had left recruitment of … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Two arrested in Embarrass greenhouse burglary

EMBARRASS- An Aurora woman and a homeless man are facing multiple criminal charges in connection with a break-in at an Embarrass greenhouse last week.St. Louis County Sheriff’s deputies and … more

David Colburn | 10/5/22

The City of Ely has approved $62,500 for its share of underwriting an Ely Ambulance Service operating loss.

Council OKs ambulance bailout

ELY— The city of Ely will contribute $62,500 to the Ely Ambulance Service before the end of the year to help cover a flood of red ink that’s threatening to sink the service. The city … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/5/22

Students from Tower-Soudan and Northeast Range were all smiles as they learned to canoe last Friday on Lake Vermilion.

Canoemobile brings outdoor classroom to town

VERMILION RESERVATION- The lawn behind the Vermilion Social Center was buzzing last Friday. Not with bees, but with busy elementary students from Tower-Soudan and Northeast Range.The sun was shining, … more

Jodi Summit | 10/5/22

RV park developer Dave Rose gestures while talking about the final steps to complete his new 32-unit RV park in Tower.

Persistence finally paid off

TOWER— “Once you get so deep, there’s no turning back.” If RV park developer Dave Rose needed a reason to persevere in his seven-year-long battle to build his Tower RV Resort, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/5/22 | 1 comment

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

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

Township to enact short-term rental moratorium

EAGLES NEST TWP- Short-term vacation rentals are coming under new scrutiny and are likely to face at least a temporary moratorium based on town board action here on Tuesday. The town board will vote … more

Jodi Summit | 9/21/22

Is the pandemic really over?

“The pandemic is over,” or so said President Biden last Sunday on 60 Minutes, but that doesn’t mean the COVID-19 virus has disappeared in St. Louis County or elsewhere in the … more

David Colburn | 9/21/22 | 1 comment

Left: Last year’s canoe portage marathon winner was looking good as he came across the finish line in Whiteside Park amidst a large crowd of cheering fans. It all kicks off again on Saturday with the seventh running of the Ely Marathon.

A little sweat, a lot of fun

ELY – This weekend nearly 600 athletes will arrive in Ely to run… and run. Roughly 400 of them will take part in the 13.1 mile-long Boundary Waters Bank half-marathon, while close to 200 … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/21/22

‘Tis the season, for candidate debates

Editor's Note: An original version of this story stated that the Eighth District congressional debate in Brainerd was set to be held on Sept. 24. It is actually scheduled for Oct. 24. The Timberjay regrets the error. REGIONAL— With the Nov. 8 general election just over six weeks from now, and early voting already underway, the candidate forum season is upon us and voters in the North Country will have … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

Friends enjoy time together at the Harvest Moon Festival in Ely.

Arts, eats, & a touch of fall

The Timberjay's Jodi Summit dropped in on Ely's Harvest Moon Festival last weekend and came home with these photos and ... well, Jodi's been mum about that 'and' part.. Enjoy the pictures, and if you see … more

Jodi Summit | 9/14/22

A map recently produced by the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters highlights the many challenges faced by the current mine plan produced by Twin Metals.

Does Twin Metals really have a viable plan?

REGIONAL— In legal filings and in public statements, representatives of Twin Metals have argued in recent months that they have a viable and environmentally-safe mine plan of operations, or … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/14/22 | 1 comment

Mayor: State of city is good and getting better

TOWER— Mayor Dave Setterberg offered an upbeat assessment of the city’s status as part of a “state of the city” report he made to the city council here on Monday. Setterberg … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/14/22

Greenwood fire department officers (l-r) Mike Indihar, David Fazio, and Rick Worringer were dismissed as officers by board action Tuesday night.

Board dismisses top fire department officers

GREENWOOD TWP— In a surprise decision at the end of their regular monthly meeting on Tuesday, the Greenwood Town Board voted 3-2 to dismiss Fire Chief David Fazio and Assistant Chief Mike … more

Jodi Summit | 9/14/22

Ely chamber event director Ellen Cashman hands the baton (or in this case measuring sticks) to Jess Stott who will take Cashman’s place as Ely Chamber of Commerce Event Director following this year’s event.

Marking the park and passing the baton

ELY—It was a bittersweet morning early on Tuesday as Ely Chamber of Commerce Event Director Ellen Cashman was the first to arrive to “mark the park” for this weekend’s Harvest … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/7/22

Council hikes 2023 levy by 7.06 percent

ELY— Taxpayers here may need to dig a little deeper next year after the city council, minus the absent Paul Kess, unanimously approved a preliminary 2023 levy of $2.117 million, a 7.06 percent … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/7/22