News - The Timberjay

Axel, one of the ambassador wolves at the International Wolf Center, had to be euthanized this week.

Wolf Center’s Axel euthanized with kidney failure

ELY- Axel, an ambassador wolf at the International Wolf Center, was euthanized on Sunday due to advanced kidney failure. Axel was a nearly eight-year-old arctic wolf with a bright white coat and an … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

ISD 696 fills half of its budget gap

ELY- The Ely School Board pruned $225,089 from its proposed 2024-25 budget and added $37,200 in new revenue sources at a special meeting on Monday. The financial belt tightening is part of a two-year … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

Greenwood firefighter Brian Trancheff knocks 140-year-old glass from a window in the engine house at the Soudan Mine to ventilate smoke from a small fire in the building.

Fire causes minor damage

SOUDAN MINE— Local firefighters responded here on Tuesday to a fire in the engine house at the Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park that sent one park employee to the hospital with … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/24/24

Orr man faces new charges over domestic assault

REGIONAL- An Orr man charged in an assault in Ely last year, was arrested Friday in Duluth on a new felony charge of domestic assault by strangulation. Tate Jordan Cly, 20, whose address is listed in … more

David Colburn | 4/24/24

Federal lawsuit by “sovereign citizen” dismissed

SOUDAN- Breitung Township received some good news this past week on a couple different fronts. First, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Breitung Police Officer Jim Battin that had been … more

Jodi Summit | 4/24/24

Hudson Kingston (standing) and Barbara Jones.

Climate Group discusses Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium

ELY- Should Minnesota repeal its moratorium on building new nuclear power plants? That was the topic taken up by retired physicist and professor Barbara Jones, who offered a deeply-researched slide … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

Board approves raises for teachers, health staff

VIRGINIA- The St. Louis County School Board ratified labor contracts for teachers and health assistants at Tuesday’s regular meeting, agreements that include wage increases as the district … more

David Colburn | 4/24/24

Ely hoping for $4.556 million workforce housing grant

ELY- Ely took the plunge on Tuesday and gave the greenlight to a $4.56 million grant proposal it is seeking from the Minnesota Housing and Finance Agency (MHFA) for its proposed workforce housing … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

Some of the mulching volunteers who couldn’t leaf Ely’s trees alone, standing in front of the Dutchman Tree Service truck on Saturday morning. The volunteers contributed their labor to mulch several hundred trees planted by the Ely Tree Board over the last decade

Too mulch love for Ely’s trees

ELY- Braving the balmy 30-degree Minnesota spring weather, seventeen mulch-eteers from five different organizations came together early Saturday morning to mulch the 300-plus trees that the … more

Catie Clark | 4/24/24

Walz signs $79 million environmental resources bill

(Editor’s note: This story has been updated from the print edition to correct a reporting error. The information about Gov. Tim Walz and controversy over the bill’s development was … more

David Colburn | 4/19/24

Pictured from left: Treasurer Jeff Maus, chair Lois Roskoski, Craig Gilbert, John Bassing, Rick Stoehr, Paul Skubic, and clerk Debby Spicer.

Town board struggles to get through agenda

GREENWOOD TWP- The April 9 town board meeting had an unexpected visitor— a St. Louis County deputy sheriff who attended while in uniform. The deputy said it was part of an outreach effort by … more

Jodi Summit | 4/18/24

Lynn Evenson accepts the Pinetar Bob Cary Community Spirit Award on behalf of the Ely Winter Festival on April 11, 2024.

Chamber of Commerce honors members

ELY – The Ely Chamber of Commerce honored businesses and individuals for their contributions to the Ely community at the annual Celebrate Ely dinner last Thursday. The winners in the various … more

Catie Clark | 4/18/24

Measure would bring big investments to the Range

REGIONAL- Property tax relief and millions of dollars in new spending could be on the way to the Iron Range and the North Country if bills pushed by two area lawmakers find their way into overall tax … more

David Colburn | 4/17/24

Shareholders OK purchase by Nippon

REGIONAL— U.S. Steel shareholders voted overwhelmingly this week to approve the sale of the historic domestic steel manufacturer to Nippon Steel, of Japan— but where it goes from there … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/17/24

The Gillson residence located at 45 E. Boundary St. in Ely.

Council takes next step on blighted Gillson property

ELY— Jason Gillson now has 30 days to address his blighted property at 45 E. Boundary St. following a Tuesday city council hearing during which Gillson said he’s willing to cooperate with … more

Catie Clark | 4/17/24

Paul McDonald’s referee team at his last basketball game, the Section 7A semi-final game between Carlton/Wrenshall and Mt. Iron-Buhl. Left-to-right: Frank Ivancich, Paul McDonald, Dave Clement

McDonald hangs up the whistle

ELY— When Paul McDonald walked off the basketball court for the last time at the Section 7A semifinal last month, he capped a 35-year career of officiating high school sports in Minnesota. … more

Catie Clark | 4/17/24

Too wide, too tall, and too close to the water

VIRGINA- A “dream home” proposed to be built on Plotnik’s Point on Lake Vermilion won’t be as close to the lakeshore as originally planned after the St. Louis County Board of … more

David Colburn | 4/17/24

Council okays use of city site for apartment project

ELY- Continuing Ely’s growing cascade of actions to build new workforce apartments, the city council approved a resolution to commit the old city garage site on W. Pattison, to the project. … more

Catie Clark | 4/17/24

HS volunteers at the History Happy Hour last summer. Pictured are Nancy Larson (left) and Louise Gately

TSHS debuts new website, summer programs

TOWER- The Tower-Soudan Historical Society debuted a new website this year, www.towersoudanhistory.com, which highlights the history of the area, along with many resources for both visitors and … more

Jodi Summit | 4/17/24

Chamber in process of rebuilding, new website now online

TOWER-SOUDAN- After more than a year of work, the next generation of chamber leaders are getting a new Lake Vermilion Chamber website up and running, as well as restarting a chamber presence on … more

Jodi Summit | 4/17/24

Obituaries: April 19, 2024

Charles W. Bystrom Charles “Chuck” William Bystrom, 69, of Tower, respected businessman and adored husband, father, grandfather, and friend was called home to God and reunited with family … more

4/17/24

County debuts online fire evacuation map

REGIONAL- St. Louis County has launched a new online mapping tool designed to expedite safe evacuations in the event of a wildfire, and the system was introduced in a press conference last week that … more

David Colburn | 4/11/24

The drill rig in February at Pulsar Helium’s exploratory borehole site southeast of Babbitt.

Testing of Pulsar helium deposit near Babbitt continues

BABBITT- Those who missed the tours of the helium exploration southeast of Babbitt in February now have a chance to see the drill site on video. The Reuters news syndicate published a short … more

Catie Clark | 4/11/24

The concept plan approved by the TEDA board last week, which includes a 44-unit hotel and related commercial buildings.

TEDA OKs harbor concept plan

TOWER— The Tower Economic Development Authority gave its approval last week to a concept plan for the city’s harbor that calls for a 44-unit hotel along with other associated commercial … more

Jodi Summit | 4/10/24

Ely’s HRA commits cold cash for new housing

ELY- Talk is cheap. Ely’s Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) went from talk to commitment on Tuesday when it moved $350,000 from its levy account to the city’s housing trust fund. … more

Catie Clark | 4/10/24