News - The Timberjay

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

Flat state aids push county levy higher

REGIONAL— St. Louis County spending will have increased 14.6 percent over the past five years, based on the 2023 budget approved earlier this month by the county board. At the same time, the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22

Fur flies over proposed Ely pet ordinance

ELY- Ely Police Chief Chad Houde and City Attorney Kelly Klun presented a revised pet ordinance to the Ely City Council on Tuesday, but didn’t anticipate the concerned reactions of three … more

Catie Clark | 8/16/23

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

Prospective North Country broadband supplier under fire

REGIONAL- In a move that could have major implications for the expansion of broadband internet services in the North Country, prospective developer LTD Broadband has come under fire again from two … more

David Colburn | 5/12/22

Northshore shutdown extended to next April

REGIONAL- The uncertainty surrounding the future of Northshore Mining taconite mining and processing operations in Babbitt and Silver Bay was magnified last week when parent company Cleveland Cliffs … more

David Colburn | 7/27/22

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

IRRRB grants funds to three area projects

REGIONAL- Last week’s meeting of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board yielded windfalls for infrastructure projects in local communities. The city of Orr landed $243,411 toward the … more

8/16/23

Tower woman killed in crash on Hwy. 169

WUORI – A 61-year-old Tower woman, who was the passenger in a vehicle driven by an intoxicated driver, was killed here last Saturday evening when the 2013 Chevy Impala she was riding in … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/25/23

Ely School Board re-elects Ray Marsnik as board chair

ELY- Ray Marsnik is known for running meetings that are tight, transparent, and fair. It was no surprise, therefore, when his colleagues on the Ely school board elected him board chair once again, a … more

Catie Clark | 1/10/24

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

Fourth of July Vermilion Run in Tower [Photo gallery]

The 27th running of the Vermilion Fourth of July Celebration 10K run, 3-mile walk, and 1-mile kids run seems to be getting bigger and better each year – thanks to what everyone agreed this year was … more

7/30/09

VCC students walk out for women’s rights

ELY- More than two dozen Vermilion Community College students and faculty participated in a walk-out on Friday to protest the anticipated U.S. Supreme Court ruling that could overturn the Roe v. Wade … more

Keith Vandervort | 5/11/22

Temporary power outage planned for repair work on Tuesday

REGIONAL- Lake Country Power members near Cook and Tower will be without power starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 11, for approximately one hour.The outage will affect Lake Country Power members … more

10/6/22

K-2 students at T-S Elementary sang songs of thanks for the season.

Sounds of the season

Holidays are merrier with music, and North Country communities have been merry indeed with the songs of the season performed by young and old alike. Timberjay photographers captured a few images of … more

Timberjay staff | 12/21/22

Cousins Zaija Schroeder and Lily Russell work side-by-side.

Pumpkin season

TOWER- With over 200 pumpkins spread in piles inside the Herb Lamppa Civic Center here, there was no shortage of work to do for the families who attended this year’s pumpkin carving party on … more

Jodi Summit | 10/25/23

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

Eagles Nest working to resolve long-standing issues

EAGLES NEST TWP- ATVs and the park land issue were front and center on the agenda at the Sept. 20 Eagles Nest Town Board meeting. The ATV traffic issue, which had roared to the top of the … more

Jodi Summit | 10/7/22

Obituaries: March 10, 2023

Michelle Anne “Shelly” LubinskiMichelle Anne “Shelly” Lubinski, 49, died peacefully at home in Soudan, on Feb. 20, 2023, following an illness. Memorial services will be … more

3/8/23

As Lora Klancher looks on, Lyra Alfredson practices her chalk drawing skills at the easel.

Musky and a good deed lead to Cook childcare

COOK- Thanks to the serendipitous entanglement of Missouri nice with Minnesota nice, Cook has a new option for quality childcare. Albany, Mo., native Lora Klancher, the wife of Wakemup Fishing Guide … more

David Colburn | 10/25/23

Orr council approves eight percent tax levy increase

ORR- Deferred to Monday from December’s Orr City Council meeting, council members settled on a compromise for the 2024 property tax levy, coming in with an eight percent increase. City clerk … more

David Colburn | 1/10/24

Marshall Helmberger | 3/27/24

Soft water has returned to all of Lake Vermilion.

May 11 is the official ice-out on Vermilion

LAKE VERMILION— There will be open water for Saturday’s fishing opener on Lake Vermilion, as the lake officially cleared of ice on May 11, about 12 days later than the average date of … more

5/13/22

Former Ontario cop gets 10 years for Bois Forte child sex abuse case

REGIONAL- A former Ontario Provincial Police officer was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week in federal district court in Minnesota for sexually abusing two young girls while he was a guest at … more

David Colburn | 7/27/22

Communication and completion top board agenda

ELY— “We’re done.” That was the welcome news that Ely schools facilities director Tim Leeson delivered to the school board here on Monday when asked about the status of the … more

Catie Clark | 10/25/23