The Timberjay won a total of seven awards this year in the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest.

The Ely Timberjay took first place awards for General Excellence, Typography and Design, and Best Community Interaction Website in the weeklies under 1,500 category. It was the third year in a row that the Timberjay took the first place award for general excellence, the most prestigious of the awards presented at the annual contest. “Quality writing and clean design made this paper a standout,” wrote the judges in making the award. It offered “a good mix of in-depth news and local recognition of those in the community. It was good to see lots of bylined content. Bold editorial pages were impressive. A clear number 1.”

In addition to the newspaper awards, two Timberjay editors received individual awards. Marshall Helmberger won first place for Best Columnist and second place in the Best Investigative Reporting category for his in-depth look at how sharp increases in teacher salaries in the St. Louis County School District several years ago had set the stage for the district’s worsening financial conditions.

Jodi Summit won second place in the Best Human Interest Story category for her story on the retirement party for longtime Soudan canister site worker Len Stefanich.