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With tongues hanging out, sled dogs make their way toward the finish line during last year’s running of the WolfTrack Classic.

ELY- It is impossible to think of this city at the end of the road without noting its history of sled dog racing— and the WolfTrack Classic has become the latest iteration of that longstanding … more

Catie Clark | 2/22/23

Large segments of this former railroad bridge are falling into the East Two River. A total collapse could inundate Tower-Soudan’s drinking water wells and pump station.

Crumbling bridge risks T-S water supply

BREITUNG TWP— The recent rapid deterioration of a bridge along a former rail grade here is raising concerns about a possible threat to the drinking water source for both Tower and Soudan. The … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/10/23

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

North Woods’ Burckhardt places second at Duluth East meet

DULUTH- North Woods’ junior Alex Burckhardt continued his assault on the cross-country leaderboards in the region on Saturday with a second-place finish in the Duluth East invitational. Running … more

David Colburn | 10/5/23

Kindergarteners perform during the school’s winter concert last week.

Signs of the Season

Signs of holiday spirits can be found in the most festive and solemn of places in the North Country. Timberjay photographers recently captured these images of the season. more

Timberjay staff | 12/20/23

With nearly bare ground, spring flood risk is historically low

REGIONAL- It’s likely that no one in the North Country was caught off guard by last week’s spring flood forecast issued by the National Weather Service office in Duluth, which concluded … more

David Colburn | 3/7/24

A red sun sets through smoky skies last Sunday evening as dense wildfire smoke from Canada moved into the region.

Forecast: more smoky skies this summer

REGIONAL— This past Sunday’s incursion of heavy wildfire smoke into the North Country from north of the border was a portent of what to expect this summer and into the fall. North Country … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

Summer 2019 Go Lake Country Guide

5/22/19

A very large male bear rests after a meal at the Vince Shute sanctuary. The organization that operates the sanctuary is asking for donations to help fund the bear-feeding. Visitor fees normally help pay for a large portion of the cost, but staff shortages have forced the sanctuary to sharply limit its hours of operation

Shute sanctuary may close to public in August due to staff shortage

ORR- Limited public weekend viewing of the black bears at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary will continue through July, but August sessions may disappear completely if volunteers aren’t found … more

David Colburn | 7/6/22

Ely senior runningback Jason Kerntz makes his way around a downed Bigfork defender. Kerntz rushed for 157 yards and Ely’s only touchdown.

Wolves still looking for answers

ELY— It was another case of missed opportunity for the Timberwolves as they dropped their second game of the season Friday, falling 14-6 to Bigfork. Ely’s defense did its part, holding … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

Board renews Engebritsen through 2026

FIELD TWP- The ISD 2142 school board expressed its confidence in the leadership of Superintendent Reggie Engebritson at its Nov. 22 meeting at North Woods School by unanimously approving a new … more

David Colburn | 12/1/22

Area ambulances recognized

REGIONAL— While some area ambulance services may be small, they’re getting the job done and then some, according to a recent certification from the state’s Emergency Medical … more

Marshall Helmberger | 2/22/23

Tower harbor

For all of two decades, hopes for development at the Tower harbor have met with frustration as the dreams of city officials—to convert the city’s link to Lake Vermilion into an economic … more

7/26/23

COVID studies exploring human-animal transmission

REGIONAL- The origins of the COVID-19 virus remain unclear, although the most promising theory points to a transfer of the virus from a species of bat in China to humans sometime in 2019. Researchers … more

David Colburn | 10/4/23

New COVID strain fueling major rise in cases

REGIONAL- The entire northeast Arrowhead region of Minnesota has been upgraded from low to medium COVID activity status by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control this week, based on increased numbers … more

David Colburn | 12/20/23

ATVs drivers involved in two area incidents

REGIONAL- Two ATV incidents, including one with serious injuries, kept emergency responders on the run last week. On Friday evening, March 1, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office responded to … more

3/6/24

A boreal chorus frog sings away from its soggy home.

The spring chorus

Here in the North Country, the springtime woods can be a noisy affair, and few sounds are as symbolic of that seasonal cacophony as the calling of frogs. For years, I’ve tried (though … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

August 24, 2018 e-edition

8/22/18

May 24, 2019 e-edition

5/22/19

Obituaries: July 8, 2022

Marguerite Eyre Marguerite Eyre, 95, of Cook, passed away on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, at the Cook Care Center. A private interment will be held at a later date. Memorials can be directed to the Cook … more

7/6/22

The Grizzlies’ Noah Westman forces a Deer River ball handler to fumble during action last Friday at North Woods.

Grizzlies fall to Warriors

FIELD TWP- The North Woods Grizzlies are still looking for their first win of the season after a soggy 26-6 loss to Deer River on their home turf last Friday.The Warriors drew first blood on their … more

David Colburn | 9/21/22

Wind turbines, like these at Taconite Ridge, are likely to play a major role in the ongoing energy transition.

New state law advances date for carbon-free power

REGIONAL- DFL legislators and Gov. Tim Walz put the state’s electric utilities on a fast track to carbon-free power generation last week when Walz signed a bill advancing the date for the total … more

David Colburn | 2/22/23

Three firefighters officially retiring

GREENWOOD TWP- Three now-former fire department members, Rick Worringer, Jet Galonski, and David Fazio, announced their intention to retire from the service during public comment this week. All three … more

Jodi Summit | 5/10/23

What the Florida Black history standards miss

There was little chance that approval of new standards for Black history education in Florida would slip by without igniting some sort of protest, given the state’s recent track record when it … more

David Colburn | 7/26/23

A Quetico lake visited by Frank Davis and Kristin Foster.

QUETICO BOUND

Having paddled across Nym Lake, the trip into the Quetico formally begins with the portage into Batchewaung. No more than fifty yards or so on the portage, the cares and strains of daily life begin … more

Frank Davis | 10/4/23