News - The Timberjay

Greenwood rep on the hot seat at ambulance meeting

TOWER- Greenwood Township Board Chair John Bassing spent time on the hot seat during a Tower Ambulance Commission meeting that started late and ended early as a result of ambulance calls requiring … more

Jodi Summit | 7/26/23

Gary Smith cuts one of 600 Kiwanis Club pies.

Pie and much more at Blueberry/Art festival

ELY— The annual celebration of the North Country’s most popular wild berry gets underway Friday morning at Whiteside Park and runs through Sunday. This year’s Blueberry Art/Festival … more

7/26/23

Watch for road construction

REGIONAL— The annual pilgrimage from across the region to Ely’s Blueberry/Art Festival, set for July 28-30, could take a bit longer than in some recent years for folks planning to travel … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/26/23

P&Z OKs amendments to new chicken ordinance

TOWER— The city’s planning and zoning commission adopted a handful of revisions to the proposed new chicken ordinance during a regular meeting held Tuesday. The new language would … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/26/23

Chimpy Tuominen poses with grandchildren Saija, Silas, and Sadie Snyder, along with co-workers during his final day on July 12.

A 47-year career at Zup’s Grocery in Tower

TOWER- Ever since he was a junior in high school, James “Chimpy” Tuominen has been working at Tower’s only grocery store. Nearly half a century later, he’s ready to retire. … more

Jodi Summit | 7/26/23

Enforcement effort to focus on impaired driving

REGIONAL- On Tuesday, just one week before recreational marijuana becomes legal in Minnesota, state law enforcement officials gathered in St. Paul to send a strong message to would-be users that … more

David Colburn | 7/26/23

Cyclists in The Wolf bikepacking race camping out on Friday, July 21, at Semer’s Beach

Wolf bikepacking race overnights in Ely

ELY- Ely’s Semer’s Park became the overnight camping spot for The Wolf bikepacking event sponsored by Heck of the North Productions. Over 60 cyclists participated in the three-day event, … more

Jen Shuster-Dahlin | 7/26/23

Hauschild campaign fined for finance violation

REGIONAL— The campaign committee for Sen. Grant Hauschild has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $3,853.62 for overspending on Hauschild’s 2022 campaign. After a review, staff members of … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/26/23

Obituaries: July 28, 2023

William M. Wyman William M. “Morrie” Wyman, 83, of Orr, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 22, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth. A celebration of life will be held from … more

7/26/23

Vermilion Dam Lodge owner Ed Tausk received a Friends of EMS Award on July 11 for developing and procuring a Landing Zone for Emergency Services to use when an Air Medical Helicopter is requested for the transport of ill or injured patients in the Vermilion Dam Lodge area. On hand to present the award were, from right to left, Dylan Ferguson, Executive Director and Charles Soucheray, Specialist, Minnesota Emergency Medical Service Regulatory Board, Ed Tausk, award recipient, Tyler Wiegman, Partner Engagement Manager LLIII, Adam Shadiow, Executive Director, Arrowhead EMS Association-Duluth, and Roland Shoen, Director, Cook Ambulance.

Tausk receives EMS award for helicopter landing zone

LAKE VERMILION- A Lake Vermilion lodge owner was recognized recently for his efforts to make emergency medical helicopter flights more accessible by creating a dedicated landing zone on his property. … more

7/20/23

A sign posted this week advises motorists of pending road construction on Hwy. 169.

Hwy. 169 resurfacing project to start Monday

REGIONAL— Travelers along Hwy. 169 south of Tower will want to plan for extra time starting Monday, as work is set to begin on a mill and overlay project to repair the crumbling road surface … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/19/23

Ely area residents hold signs suggesting other local businesses the mayor could have honored.

Mayoral proclamation once again divides Ely over mining

ELY- A proclamation honoring Twin Metals packed the city council chambers here on Tuesday, as area residents turned out to voice both support and opposition to the statement, issued by Mayor Heidi … more

Catie Clark | 7/19/23 | 2 comments

A plethora of heavy equipment is deployed near the site of this week’s derailment along the CN track near Gheen.

Another CN derailment near Gheen

COOK- Ten cars of a Canadian National train, two containing hazardous materials, derailed approximately six miles north of Cook on Monday, the second such incident in the past year along the remote … more

David Colburn | 7/19/23

Bob and Jen McDonough are the new owners of the Tower Café.

New life for old cafè

TOWER—More than three years after it closed its doors in April 2020 at the start of the COVID pandemic, the Tower Café will soon be back in business. And probably no one is more … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/19/23

Glencore a step closer to full ownership of PolyMet

REGIONAL— The international commodities trader Glencore may soon assume full ownership of PolyMet Mining, for about $73 million in cash. The massive Swiss-based company, which has faced a raft … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/19/23

Fatal Ely accident

ELY- An Ely man died on Monday, July 17, in a single-vehicle collision on the 2100 block of Grant McMahan Blvd./County Rd. 88, in Morse Township. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, assisted … more

Catie Clark | 7/19/23

Greenwood to return Isle of Pines bridge fund to road association

GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board, at their July 11 meeting, voted to close out the Isle of Pines Bridge Fund, and return the $31,166 to the Isle of Pines Road Association, a nonprofit that … more

Jodi Summit | 7/19/23

The areas in pink will benefit from a $5.5 million state broadband grant received by Paul Bunyan Communications.

State grant to bring broadband to parts of rural Cook

REGIONAL- Paul Bunyan Communications has been awarded a $5.5 million Minnesota Border-to-Border Broadband low-density pilot grant to expand its all fiber-optic GigaZone network into areas of Angora, … more

David Colburn | 7/19/23

The Broadway in the Boundary Waters theater troupe rehearsing at the Vermilion Fine Arts Theater.

“Songs for a New World” opens in Ely

ELY- The latest musical offering of the Northern Lakes Arts Association (NLAA), “Songs for a New World,” opened Thursday, July 20. The musical was the first work of the then-young Jason … more

Catie Clark | 7/19/23

Obituaries: July 21, 2023

Lucille B. Svatos Lucille Betty Svatos, 94, of Ely, passed away on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital. Services will be held at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ely … more

7/19/23

Cathy Cerra-Harvieux took questions from Soudan residents last Sunday at the Vermilion Park Inn. She is hoping to convert the facility to adult addiction treatment and sober housing.

Proposed sober house still faces pushback

SOUDAN- Over two dozen Soudan residents attended a question-and-answer session with Cathy Cerra-Harvieux, who is hoping to convert the Vermilion Park Inn to a sober housing and outpatient treatment … more

Jodi Summit | 7/12/23 | 1 comment

Worshippers line up to enter the St. James Presbyterian Chapel for the final sermon. Founded in 1884, the church was a center of spiritual life for many residents of Tower-Soudan for nearly 140 years.

Last Call to Pray

TOWER- The sight of a long line of people streaming into St. James Presbyterian Church on Sunday was something not seen for a very long time. But those entering the church building, built at the … more

Jodi Summit | 7/12/23 | 1 comment

Council talks signs and signs of the times

ELY—Signage and signs of the times occupied considerable discussion at the city council meeting here on Tuesday. Ely residents Frederica Musgrave and Lynn Evenson addressed the council about … more

Catie Clark | 7/12/23

A lawsuit filed against the EPA by Minnnesota and nine other states may clarify the regulatory playing field for wood-burning residential furnaces, something which has implications for Tower-based Lamppa Manufacturing.

Ten states sue EPA over wood furnace testing

REGIONAL— Attorneys generals from ten states, including Minnesota, have filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to adequately manage an … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/12/23

Council appears ready to green light chickens in town

TOWER— There was good news and bad news in the city audit this year, which was released Monday by Walker-Giroux and Hahne. The audit cites continued deficit spending in several accounts, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/12/23 | 1 comment