Top Stories - The Timberjay

Carey accepts Ely school 6-12 principal position

ELY – The grandson of two Ely residents accepted an offer last Thursday to become the next 6-12 principal at Ely Memorial High School.Jeffrey M. Carey, of Eveleth, and two other candidates, … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/22/22

Bois Forte Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Jaylen Strong spoke during anniversary festivities last Saturday.

Cultural Center marks 20th anniversary

VERMILION RES-ERVATION- It was not so much a crowd as it was a simple gathering of people who came to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Bois Forte Heritage Center and Cultural Museum on Saturday. … more

David Colburn | 6/22/22

If all goes as planned, the former Ely Community Center will become a hotel within three years.

Coming soon: Hotel planned at Community Center in Ely

ELY – The historic Community Center building here is destined to become a 28-room boutique hotel following a vote by the city council this week to accept a purchase agreement and business plan … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/22/22

a hoop house was torn to shreds at the Watering Can Greenhouse in Cook

Storm packs a punch

REGIONAL- Thunderstorms packing damaging winds of around 60 mph barreled through the North Country on Monday night, leaving snapped off trees, property damage and thousands of homes and businesses … more

David Colburn | 6/22/22

Eagles Nest residents turned out to oppose a proposed ATV that would run through the heart of the township's residential area.

Residents say no to ATV trail

EAGLES NEST— Residents here had a clear message for the town board on Tuesday: A high traffic ATV corridor through their township will permanently impact a way of life focused on peace, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/22/22 | 1 comment

This drawing of the northeast corner of the Ely school campus, at the corner of Harvey Street and Seventh Avenue, shows a proposed parking and traffic plan for the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Get ready for traffic, parking changes this fall at Ely school

ELY – School board members here were set this week to discuss and possibly finalize a formal plan that would drastically change the school bus and vehicle traffic flow and increase parking … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/15/22

Dennis and Theresa Oberloh, of Redwood Falls, sit in their 1958 MG convertible at the InterMarque Car Club’s annual rendevous last weekend at Fortune Bay Resort Casino.

Foreign invasion

VERMILION RESERVATION - “It is kind of like a disease,” said Dennis Oberloh, who traveled up to the Tower area from Redwood Falls for the InterMarque Car Club’s annual rendezvous. … more

Jodi Summit | 6/15/22

Orr and Cook look to bolster ambulance services

REGIONAL - Rural ambulances are an essential service operating under increasingly difficult staff shortages and financial conditions, but officials in both Orr and Cook are taking step to increase … more

David Colburn | 6/15/22

Geshick wins race for Bois Forte secretary/treasurer

NETT LAKE - Members of the Bois Forte Band went to the ballot box on Tuesday for tribal council elections, re-electing one incumbent and placing two new faces on the council.Unofficial results posted … more

David Colburn | 6/15/22

Waters at Kabetogama Lake were still on the rise when this picture was taken at the end of May, but are now slowly but surely headed downward.

Rainy River Basin flooding slowly retreating

REGIONAL - A major turning point in the record flooding across the Rainy River Basin occurred this past weekend when Rainy Lake officially crested, signaling the start of a painstakingly slow retreat … more

David Colburn | 6/15/22

Vermilion Country School graduates include, from left, Owen Stellmach, Mahlia Shuster, Dakota Hanninen and Gage Monsrud.

Graduation 2022

Ely High School, North Woods School, and Vermilion Country School held commencement activities for their respective Classes of 2022 this past week. more

6/8/22

Water main and sewer pipes were lined up in the front yard of the Ely school campus this week.

ISD 696 must wait for school project cost overrun answers

ELY— School officials here will have to wait a bit longer for a solution to their approximately $4 million cost overrun on their ongoing school construction project. They had hoped that … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/8/22

Timber Days Grand Marshal Steve Kalaja poses with his children, Parker and Evan on either side, Lila and Chloe in the middle, and Vince kneeling below.

Timber Days tabs Kajala for parade grand marshal

COOK- For those eagerly awaiting the big parade on Sunday that caps off the three-day Timber Days festival here, a word of advice. If the parade moves at the speed of its grand marshal, Steve Kajala, … more

David Colburn | 6/8/22

From left, The Conservation Fund CEO Larry Selzer, Indian Land Tenure Foundation President Cris Stainbrook, and Bois Forte Chairperson Cathy Chavers listen to the Bois Forte Singers perform during Tuesday's land restoration ceremony at Nett Lake.

Historic transaction returns tribal lands

NETT LAKE- The size of the Bois Forte Band reservation sectors at Nett Lake and Deer Creek grew by an astounding 28,000 acres on Tuesday through the largest tribal buyback of ancestral lands ever … more

David Colburn | 6/8/22

IRRR grants OK’d for area communities

REGIONAL— The Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board (IRRR), on Tuesday, awarded just over $7.1 million in grants and other funding affecting communities across the Taconite Tax Relief … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/8/22

WELY has a new three-month lease on life after Bois Forte officials chose to delay the station's planned closing until Sept. 1 to facilitate a possible sale of the station should a viable buyer become available.

WELY will remain on the air until September

ELY- The fate of radio station WELY took another twist this past week as Bois Forte tribal officials set aside an earlier decision to close the station for good on Wednesday, extending its life for … more

David Colburn | 6/1/22

Oliver Weidemann, 5, of Ely, helps place 1,120 American flags at the Ely Cemetery for Memorial Day.

The North Country marks Memorial Day

Many North Country communities paused on Monday to honor the sacrifices of area military personnel who died in the line of service with Memorial Day observances. more

Timberjay staff | 6/1/22

An artist's rendering of the proposed townhome project in Tower.

THS intends to proceed with townhome project

TOWER— Barring something unexpected, it appears ground could be broken on the long-delayed townhome project at the Tower harbor as early as next month. That’s the word in a letter of … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/1/22

Primary for Ely mayor set for Aug. 10

ELY – City of Ely residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 10 to vote in a primary election for the mayoral seat. A two-week filing period for the city of Ely mayor and three city … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/1/22

Gain a different perspective of the impact of rising flood waters in the Rainy River Basin through shots taken by Timberjay photographers last week from a float plane by checking the gallery at the end of this article.

Flood waters near peak

REGIONAL- The last thing the flood-weary people of Kabetogama and Crane Lake wanted to see this past week was more rain, but Sunday and Monday thunderstorms over the Rainy River Basin may have been … more

David Colburn | 6/1/22

Former Ely Chamber of Commerce leader Linda Fryer's impact on the community will be recognized with a street to be named after her.

Street to be renamed in honor of Linda Fryer

ELY – At the request of the Ely Tourism Bureau, the city council here will honor a longtime Chamber of Commerce executive director by renaming a portion of Seventh Avenue, adjacent to Whiteside … more

Keith Vandervort | 5/25/22

School board, teachers ink new contract

VIRGINIA - ISD 2142 teachers will work the final days of the school year with a new contract after school board members, without comment, voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve an agreement … more

David Colburn | 5/25/22

The rising waters of Crane Lake threaten a cabin last week. Continued rise is now expected to last into early June.

Historic flooding

REGIONAL- Lakefront property owners at Crane Lake and Kabetogama continue battling the still-rising flood waters of the Rainy River Basin, flooding that immediately threatens to eclipse the highest … more

David Colburn | 5/25/22

Heated House hearing weighs BWCAW protection

REGIONAL— A U.S. House committee held an at-times contentious hearing on Tuesday over proposed legislation that would expand the mining protection area surrounding the Boundary Waters by … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/25/22 | 1 comment

Flood waters that have already exceeded 2014 levels, like these at Crane Lake, are expected to continue rising at least through next Wednesday, in some places approaching all-time record highs.

Walz sending National Guard to assist with flood relief

REGIONAL- Minnesota National Guard members will be joining the battle against continually rising lake levels in the region this weekend after Gov. Tim Walz authorized their deployment on Thursday. … more

David Colburn | 5/20/22