News - The Timberjay

Breitung awards bid for joint infrastructure project

SOUDAN- Jola and Sopp was awarded the bid for the Tower-Breitung Waste Water Board’s (TBWWB) force main and manhole improvement project. The project includes work in both Tower and Breitung … more

Jodi Summit | 6/22/22

Obituaries: June 24, 2022

Elizabeth M. Schultz Elizabeth “Liz” Margaret Schultz, 36, of Grand Rapids, passed away on Friday, June 10, 2022, after a courageous battle with adrenal cortical carcinoma, a very rare … more

6/22/22

Savannah Johnson got some cuddle time in with the baby goats.

Embarrass heats up for Sauna Day

EMBARRASS- The sun, and the bugs, did come out at Embarrass’s annual Sauna Day celebration, but the families that attended didn’t seem to mind. And in true community fashion, there was a … more

Jodi Summit | 6/17/22

Minnesota Public Radio host Michael Barone took some time to visit the antique reed organ at the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center last weekend. Barone is the host of the nationally-syndicated organ music program “Pipedreams.”

National expert visits St. Mary’s antique organ

TOWER- St. Mary’s Church, now part of the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center, is old, dating back to the 1880s. And it is likely that the pump-powered reed organ at the church is even older.The … more

Jodi Summit | 6/17/22

Rachel Betterley poses after winning the Mrs. Minnesota America pageant in Eagan last weekend.

From Miss to Mrs., Betterley adds a new pageant crown

COOK- There are a lot of words one could use to describe North Woods art teacher Rachel Betterley – vivacious, caring, passionate, empathetic, and committed, to cite just a few. Yet, if asked … more

David Colburn | 6/16/22

ISD 2142 sees financial issues looming for next year

VIRGINIA- ISD 2142 school board members reviewed the adjusted budget for the current school year at Tuesday nights meeting, but there was little doubt that next year’s budget was weighing … more

David Colburn | 6/16/22

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

New child and adult vaccine options face uptake challenges

REGIONAL- June is turning into a watershed month for COVID vaccine producers as two already approved producers are on the verge of approval for use on the youngest Americans and another seeks … more

David Colburn | 6/15/22

City looking to fill open council seat

TOWER— Any adult resident here interested in public service can apply through July 1 for a possible appointment to the city council. The council agreed at their regular monthly meeting on … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/15/22

Greenwood appoints JoAnn Bassing as interim clerk

GREENWOOD TWP- With a written resignation from elected clerk Debby Spicer in hand, the Greenwood Town Board, on Tuesday, appointed JoAnn Bassing as the interim clerk on a 3-1 vote. Supervisor Mike … more

Jodi Summit | 6/15/22

Charges filed in two Ely-area incidents

ELY – A Grand Rapids resident and an Ely man face felony charges in connection with two separate incidents here last week including kidnapping and pulling a gun in a local tavern.Austin James … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/15/22

Grant Hauschild spoke with a group of Tower area residents on Sunday at Nordic Home North.

Grant Hauschild campaigns in the area

REGIONAL— As he travels around the vast Senate district he hopes to represent following November’s election, Grant Hauschild said he’s hearing common themes, particularly in … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/15/22

Obituaries: June 17, 2022

Roy H. SoderbergRoy H. Soderberg, 95-1/2, died on Friday, June 10, 2022, after a brief stay at Vermilion Senior Living in Tower. Roy’s family would like to thank the staff at Vermilion Senior … more

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

Greenwood Clerk Debby Spicer resigns, in writing this time

GREENWOOD TWP- In a terse six-word sentence, Greenwood Clerk Debby Spicer resigned, in writing, from her position, effective May 31.She left a simple signed note which stated “I quit,” in … more

Jodi Summit | 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

Flood waters begin to drop at Crane and Kab

REGIONAL- The flood-stricken communities of Crane Lake and Kabetogama had a new reason for hope last weekend when the inflow of water creating historic rises in lake levels finally fell below the … more

David Colburn | 6/8/22

High water and Canadian COVID restrictions have left Sand Point Lodge struggling to survive.

Lodge owners battle floods and Canada to stay afloat

SAND POINT LAKE- It was love at first sight when Doug Hall ventured from his Georgia home to discover the beauty of the region encompassing Crane Lake and Sand Point Lake, and like many, it … more

David Colburn | 6/8/22