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From noon until 1 p.m. on most Fridays, you’ll find folks with hand-painted signs standing on a prominent street corner in Cook. Some contain relevant messages on issues. With an important … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 9/28/22

Covid another risk factor for stroke

REGIONAL— Ron Alarcon, of rural Tower, is lucky to be alive— and he knows it. Alarcon was driving to work to the Cook DNR office late last month and had just turned up Cty. Rd. 77 near … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Concerns voiced about facilities project delays

ELY- The Sept. 26 meeting of the Ely school board held here on Monday night began by adding two agenda items addressing additional cost overruns as part of the scheduled 21st Century Facility Project … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/28/22

St. Louis County Schools

Once again, the St. Louis County School District has shown it has little interest in actually engaging the residents it’s supposed to be serving. For years, the district has operated more like … more

9/28/22

School tax levy to drop in 2023

REGIONAL- The St. Louis County School District’s property tax levy for 2023 is projected to go down slightly, but some taxpayers may still see an increase in the taxes they pay.Finance Director … more

David Colburn | 9/28/22

Sheriff candidate Lukovsky fined for corporate contributions

REGIONAL— A panel of three administrative law judges has imposed a $1,000 civil penalty for campaign violations against Jason Lukovsky, the current St. Louis County Undersheriff. Lukovsky, who … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/28/22

Board bans new deer farms to prevent CWD

REGIONAL—The St. Louis County Board has voted to prohibit new deer farms in the county in an effort to prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease, or CWD. The unanimous vote updates the … more

9/28/22 | 1 comment

Obituaries: September 30, 2022

Ralph F. Christopherson Jr.Ralph F. Christopherson Jr., 82, lifelong resident of Virginia and Lake Vermilion, died on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Edgewood Vista Memory Care in Virginia. A … more

9/28/22

County board approves 4.39 percent preliminary levy hike

REGIONAL- Inflation is putting the pinch on St. Louis County government, and the proposed 2023 maximum tax levy is going up by over four percent in part to compensate, but significant growth in the … more

David Colburn | 9/22/22

Township to enact short-term rental moratorium

EAGLES NEST TWP- Short-term vacation rentals are coming under new scrutiny and are likely to face at least a temporary moratorium based on town board action here on Tuesday. The town board will vote … more

Jodi Summit | 9/21/22

Is the pandemic really over?

“The pandemic is over,” or so said President Biden last Sunday on 60 Minutes, but that doesn’t mean the COVID-19 virus has disappeared in St. Louis County or elsewhere in the … more

David Colburn | 9/21/22 | 1 comment

Left: Last year’s canoe portage marathon winner was looking good as he came across the finish line in Whiteside Park amidst a large crowd of cheering fans. It all kicks off again on Saturday with the seventh running of the Ely Marathon.

A little sweat, a lot of fun

ELY – This weekend nearly 600 athletes will arrive in Ely to run… and run. Roughly 400 of them will take part in the 13.1 mile-long Boundary Waters Bank half-marathon, while close to 200 … more

Rachel Brophy | 9/21/22

‘Tis the season, for candidate debates

Editor's Note: An original version of this story stated that the Eighth District congressional debate in Brainerd was set to be held on Sept. 24. It is actually scheduled for Oct. 24. The Timberjay regrets the error. REGIONAL— With the Nov. 8 general election just over six weeks from now, and early voting already underway, the candidate forum season is upon us and voters in the North Country will have … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

Joan Young (r) and her friend and trail helper Marie Altenau were all smiles as they stopped by the Timberjay office earlier this month. Young, who lives in Michigan, is working on her second full traverse of the North Country Trail.

74-year-old hiker seeks something new each day

REGIONAL- Most people have no idea that the longest trail in the National Trails System, which stretches 4,800 miles from Vermont to North Dakota, runs right through Ely and Tower-Soudan.But Joan … more

Jodi Summit | 9/21/22

Oversight board says game and fish fund not sustainable

REGIONAL— A citizens panel that oversees the Department of Natural Resources’ Game and Fish Fund is once again raising concerns about the fund’s lack of sustainability as revenues … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22 | 1 comment

I can see fall from the island

We are all talking about the change of weather. Come on, you know you are. You know the polite, non-political, non-religious, non-sports team topic we talk about at the grocery store, the post … more

April Wamhoff | 9/21/22

Ely seniors Madeline Kallberg (l) and Rachel Coughlin team up to form a red wall against a Broncos’ kill attempt.

Wolves stay red hot

ELY— The red-hot Timberwolves extended their perfect streak to nine games on Tuesday as they tamed the Broncos in straight sets, 25-14, 25-19, 25-16. Now more than a third of the way through … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

Grizzlies win streak at five

FIELD TWP- The Cherry Tigers were more like mild cats on Tuesday as the North Woods volleyball ran its winning streak to five on Tuesday with a 3-0 win on the Grizzlies’ home court.A … more

David Colburn | 9/21/22

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

NR-E’s Sabrah Hart competes in the butterfly portion of the 200 yd. medley relay.

NR-E swimmers dominate Denfeld

DULUTH DENFELD— Northeast Range-Ely swimmers notched a convincing win Monday as they tallied 17 first place finishes to outpace the Hunters 55-30. Senior Lily Tedrick thoroughly dominated in … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

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

Police chief urges patience during weekend’s marathon

ELY— Police Chief Chad Houde urged Ely residents to be patient this weekend due to a number of detours and road closures in advance of the Ely Marathon, set to be held on Saturday. “There … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/21/22

Adult summer school has just ended

I am back from one of my periodic writing breaks. My last column was in the June 3 edition, and now it is three months later. Time does fly and in many ways I feel like I just completed summer … more

Scarlet Stone | 9/21/22

Township still seeking broadband project grants

GREENWOOD TWP- For the first time since the resignation of the elected clerk and treasurer, the Greenwood Town Board at their Sept. 13 meeting was able to approve their treasurer’s report, … more

Jodi Summit | 9/21/22

High court falls

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is blaming the American public for the court’s loss of legitimacy. At a legal conference in Colorado earlier this month, Roberts made note of … more

9/21/22 | 1 comment