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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

Newly- named wolf pups Blackstone and Caz were playful during a recent public showing of the new members of the wolf center’s ambassador pack.

Meet Blackstone and Caz

ELY – The International Wolf Center has two new residents, and now they have names. The two male wolf pups were named “Blackstone” and “Caz” in an online contest, the … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/15/22

A group of Vermilion Country School students discuss their project on plastic pollution with evaluator Patricia Helmberger, of Tower.

Expo gives VCS students a chance to shine

TOWER- As students from Vermilion Country School enjoy the summer, they’ll do so with a mindful eye toward the environment, being watchful for evidence of something they once might have taken … more

David Colburn | 6/15/22

Ely junior Erron Anderson races to first but not in in time for the final out of the game.

Ely’s season ends in section final

AURORA— It’s said all good things must come to an end, and that was the case here last Thursday for an exceptional Ely high school baseball season as the Wolves fell 3-2 to South Ridge in … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/15/22 | 1 comment

Two weeks with little rain has pushed the fire danger to high in the DNR’s Tower area. The area continues to experience wild swings in weather conditions.

On track for record dry June

REGIONAL— Don’t look now, but it appears the weather gods may have flipped the switch on northern Minnesota yet again, as the area is currently on track to see one of its driest Junes on … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/15/22

This small device, known as a Thermacell E55, appears remarkably effective at keeping mosquitoes at bay under certain conditions.

Small device keeps mosquitoes away

Imagine if you could spend a nice evening on the patio or the back deck and not be accosted by clouds of mosquitoes, in June, here, in the North Country. And without resorting to those nasty foggers … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/15/22

April’s black lab, named Nibs, has been mistaken for a lake monster on occasion.

The legendary and not so legendary monsters of Loch Vermilion

Don’t you think it’s time that someone addressed the question of monsters in Loch Vermilion? I mean if not with solid scientific evidence, then certainly with a sense of humor. I am ready … more

April Wamhoff | 6/15/22

Read any good book lately?

A rather startling and I have to say, appalling statistic, came to my attention this last week: in a typical year, 57 percent of Americans do not read a single book. The average American spent … more

Betty Firth | 6/15/22

Legislators we’ll miss

One advantage of working in the news media, is that we regularly get the chance to talk at length with our various elected officials. Over the years, we’ve frequently talked with Sen. Tom Bakk, … more

6/15/22 | 1 comment

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

Jim Zupancich (center), with help from the large Zupancich family, cut the ribbon to signify the grand opening of the new store.

Ely Zup’s Market celebrates a family tradition

ELY - The family of the late John Zupancich formally celebrated the continuation of a century-plus tradition with the grand opening of the new Zup’s Food Market here last Thursday.“This … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/8/22