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$97 million in small business support coming to Minnesota

REGIONAL- With White House officials reporting that more people than ever before are starting new businesses, the U.S. Treasury on Tuesday announced the release of up to $1 billion for small business … more

David Colburn | 10/13/22

The Grizzlies’ Hannah Kinsey goes up high for a kill, while Ely’s Lilli Rechichi (l) and Kate Coughlin defend at the net.

Ely dominant at Mesabi tourney

AURORA- The Ely Timberwolves Express came steaming into Mesabi East High School last Saturday daring anyone to stop them. It turned out no one could as the Wolves kept their perfect season rolling … more

David Colburn | 10/12/22

Ely routs MI-B to improve to 22-0

MT. IRON—The indomitable Timberwolves volleyball team made short work of the Rangers here on Tuesday, winning in a straight set rout, 25-9, 25-4, and 25-12, to keep their perfect season intact … more

10/12/22

Grizzlies notch first win

ISLE- It took a long road trip to face off against a foe more their equal, but the North Woods Grizzlies finally broke into the win column last week with a 28-6 win over Mille Lacs.Riding a monster … more

David Colburn | 10/12/22

Nighthawks top Hilltoppers in three

BABBITT— The Nighthawks notched a straight set victory over Duluth-Marshall here on Monday, 27-25, 25-18, and 25-19. Maizy Sundblad led the way for Northeast Range, with ten kills, 13 set … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Ely senior runningback Jason Kerntz seeks to avoid a North Central defender during last Friday’s homecoming match-up.

Yet another heartbreaker for T-Wolves

ELY— An errant snap on a fourth-down field goal attempt from the one-yard line ended the Timberwolves’ hopes for their first win of the season in their homecoming contest here last … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Greenwood firefighters picketed Tuesday in protest of the recent dismissal of top department officers.

Fire department concerns top town board agenda

GREENWOOD TWP— The town board’s 3-2 decision last month to dismiss three of the township’s top fire department officers drew a small crowd of firefighters to the town hall on … more

Jodi Summit | 10/12/22

Pay raise claims called false, unfair

REGIONAL— Political attack ads that claim area DFL legislators voted to boost their pay by $15,000 in 2019 are patently false. That’s according to Joe Boyle, an International Falls … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22 | 1 comment

Jeffrey Hanson, of Clearwater BioLogics, spoke earlier this month to the Ely Climate Group about major changes on the horizon for the steel industry.

Could “greening” of the steel sector bring a new boom to the Range?

REGIONAL— The greening of the steel industry will bring big changes to Minnesota’s Iron Range, and those changes could be beneficial or devastating to the region’s economy, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Jack Ranua and Bentley Crego were focused on math earlier this week.

Enrollment is booming

TOWER— What a difference 12 months can make. Last year at this time the Vermilion Country School was facing a budget challenge as two years of the COVID pandemic had left recruitment of … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

The now mostly bare woods in morning fog on Monday, near Tower.

The season of gray

There are just a few points in time every year when the change on the landscape is both rapid and dramatic. The first snow that marks the start of winter. The first blush of green leaves in the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Wolf pup survival was remarkably high this past year at Voyageurs National Park, helping to boost the park’s wolf numbers by 16 percent.

VNP wolves rebounding as more pups survive

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK— Last year’s drought conditions didn’t seem to hamper the wolf population here, which grew 16 percent according to a report issued last week by the Voyageurs … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Dry spell drops area water levels

REGIONAL— Don’t look now, but the North Country is experiencing a dry spell that’s sent river and lake levels tumbling the past couple weeks. The region, which experienced … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

Project Coordinator Mike Jackson displays a map of the Little Fork River Watershed to illustrate aspects of a sediment and soil sampling project.

Blending low-tech legwork, high-tech labwork

COOK- The gathering at Cook’s Country Connection on Thursday, Oct. 6 to talk about sedimentation in the Little Fork River might best be described as an environmental version of “preaching … more

David Colburn | 10/12/22

Future of Tower Fire department in question

TOWER— The future of the Tower Fire Department will be the subject of a new ad hoc committee established by the city council here on Monday. The department is down to fewer than half a dozen … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/12/22

The long slow fall into obsolescence

It’s been one of the hallmarks of the most dire dystopian science fiction that human productivity in its many forms will gradually be replaced by sentient machines, robots and computers that … more

David Colburn | 10/12/22

Bois Forte awarded $20 million broadband grant

BOIS FORTE- Over 3,000 homes and businesses in Bois Forte Band communities will be getting high-speed broadband after the Band was awarded a $20 million grant for the project on Tuesday.The award … more

10/12/22

Iron Range future

Almost 70 years ago the state of Minnesota started investing in development of new technology that created decades of prosperity on the Iron Range. Today, a similar opportunity exists that could … more

10/12/22

Ely School Board takes closer look at the bills

ELY- The number of home school enrollments is down slightly this year in the ISD 696 district, and board members discussed possibilities for bringing those students back into the system’s … more

Rachel Brophy | 10/12/22

New program coordinator at EFS Alexia Springer traces a pattern while Alison Bell gets down to cutting.

Lending a warm hand to kids in Ukraine

ELY- What do you do if you have too much of a good thing? That spark of a question was what initially ignited a fire of hard work for children far across the ocean who’ve been left with nothing … more

Rachel Brophy | 10/12/22

CDC drops daily reporting as COVID strategies shift

REGIONAL- In one of the clearest signs yet of the changing COVID-19 pandemic landscape, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control announced last week that it was ending its daily reporting of new COVID … more

David Colburn | 10/12/22

Obituaries: October 14, 2022

Maxine J. SandbergMaxine Joan Sandberg, 70, of Cook, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2022. A visitation will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15 from noon to 2 … more

10/12/22

Eagles Nest working to resolve long-standing issues

EAGLES NEST TWP- ATVs and the park land issue were front and center on the agenda at the Sept. 20 Eagles Nest Town Board meeting. The ATV traffic issue, which had roared to the top of the … more

Jodi Summit | 10/7/22

Temporary power outage planned for repair work on Tuesday

REGIONAL- Lake Country Power members near Cook and Tower will be without power starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 11, for approximately one hour.The outage will affect Lake Country Power members … more

10/6/22

Walz promotes new climate change plan

REGIONAL- Gov. Tim Walz has unveiled a comprehensive framework for Minnesota to address climate change now and in the years to come, targeting transportation, clean energy, land management, health, … more

David Colburn | 10/6/22