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REGIONAL- Don’t look now, but community transmission of COVID-19 has reached a high level once again in St. Louis County, and the rate of spread is forecasted to remain high through much of the … more

David Colburn | 7/6/22 | 3 comments

Eagles Nest town supervisors voted to oppose any ATV trail development in the township at a special meeting held last week.

Township votes to oppose ATV trail

EAGLES NEST TWP— A simmering clash between township residents and advocates of increased ATV traffic came to a head at a special town board meeting here last week, as town supervisors voted 3-2 … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/6/22 | 3 comments

Members of the Northeast Range marching band honored Troy Swanson during the Tower parade. Swanson, who died June 30, was the longtime school board representative for the Tower-Soudan area.

A red, white, and blue celebration

Timberjay photographers were out and about to capture images from Independence Day celebrations on Sunday and Monday. more

Timberjay photographers | 7/6/22

Ely follows the yellow brick road to the Land of Oz

ELY – The Yellow Brick Road led to Ely last weekend as the Prairie Fire Children’s Theater, with the help of the Northern Lakes Arts Association and Lake Country Power, presented … more

Keith Vandervort | 7/6/22

Scattered red pine, rock formations, and views of Lake Vermilion are among the highlights of the new Pine Ridges Trail, which is now marked on the hill on the city’s north side.

Newest Tower trail now marked

TOWER—The spectacular pine-covered ridges on the north side of Tower have long been known to many local residents even though navigating the area has long been challenging. That’s a … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/6/22

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

A pair of wolf pups wrestle outside their den located near Voyageurs National Park. The pups were filmed as part of the new natural history series, “America the Beautiful,” now available on Disney+.

Voyageurs wolf pups to debut in new Disney series

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK— A media-savvy research project here is about to garner even more coverage of their ongoing wolf research thanks to an upcoming appearance on the Disney+ channel.Disney, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/6/22

Four travel lessons worth every penny

In the latest edition of National Geographic, the story of Jessica Nabongo, the first black woman to visit all of the world’s 195 countries and 10 territories triggered memories of the handful … more

Kathleen McQuillan | 7/6/22

A customer shows the products she bought from Nothing But Hemp in St. Paul. Some of the products contain THC, which became legal under 5 milligrams per serving in Minnesota on Friday.

THC edibles and beverages now legal in state

REGIONAL- You can’t smoke it, but you don’t need to in order to get a marijuana-like buzz from edibles and beverages laced with hemp-derived Delta-9 THC, which became legal to sell in … more

David Colburn | 7/6/22

The right to quietude

Do Minnesotans have a right to quietude?It’s a question that is at the heart of the current conflict between residents of Eagles Nest Township and the Prospector’s Trail ATV Club, which … more

7/6/22 | 4 comments

A car that plowed into the Island Lake Inn last week left a lot of debris and damage, but the Duluth-area restaurant and bar reopened in time for the holiday weekend.

Tower man plows car into Island Lake eatery

REGIONAL- A popular Island Lake restaurant and bar celebrated Independence Day and a bit more on Monday, reopening for the holiday weekend after a vehicle driven by a Tower man crashed into the … more

David Colburn | 7/6/22

Council commits to ambulance service improvements

ELY – City council members here unanimously agreed to commit taxpayer dollars and work with other area governments and the Ely Area Ambulance Joint Powers Board to purchase a vacant building in … more

Keith Vandervort | 7/6/22

Tower Ambulance Commission to look at ways to move forward

TOWER- The Tower Area Ambulance Commission intends to move forward, albeit slowly, and look at a different business models to oversee the area’s ambulance service.Rural ambulance services … more

Jodi Summit | 7/6/22

Another group of ‘heroes’ to get state bonus

REGIONAL- Applications for “Hero Pay” for frontline COVID pandemic workers continue to exceed expectations with still a month to go before applications close. But another group of … more

David Colburn | 7/6/22

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

Federal EA released on mineral withdrawal

REGIONAL—The U.S. Forest Service is now seeking public comment on an environmental analysis of its proposed 20-year withdrawal of approximately 225,000 acres within the Superior National Forest … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/2/22 | 2 comments

Jennifer Schultz looks to replace Stauber in Washington

ELY – “Our freedoms are under attack and those attacks have only grown over time.”Those words, surprisingly, are not from a MAGA Republican, but from Jennifer Schultz, a DFL … more

Keith Vandervort | 7/2/22 | 1 comment

The former Kondo’s building may become the new home of the Ely Ambulance Service.

A new home for the Ely ambulance?

ELY – City council members here last week agreed to support the Ely Ambulance Service in their efforts to find a new home through the purchase and renovation of an existing building in the … more

Keith Vandervort | 7/1/22

Ely runs the Trezona on the Fourth

ELY – The annual Ely 4 on the 4th run/walk will be held on Monday at Trezona Trail, beginning at 8 a.m.On-site registration will be available from 6:40-7:40 a.m. on race day. Early online … more

7/1/22

Cast concrete storm sewer pipes sit outside the new front entrance this week at the Ely school renovation project.

Ely school project up against hard rock as completion deadline looms

ELY – The scheduled completion of the $21.5 million school building and renovation project at ISD 696 is just weeks away and workers are literally up against hard rock as they struggle to meet … more

Keith Vandervort | 6/29/22

“2000 Mules” is a minefield of gaping holes

One of the first things to keep in mind when considering the credibility of the Dinesh D’Souza film, 2000 Mules, which made its way to Ely this past weekend, is that it makes no attempt to get … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/29/22 | 3 comments

Rose Zoellick tries to keep out the noise of Tower's Fourth of July parade.

Celebrate the Fourth up North!

Ely ’Rocks the Park’ELY - Ely’s Fourth of July celebration looks to be a weekend affair this year with the addition of a new music event to go along with all the traditional … more

Timberjay staff | 6/29/22

Passing of Swanson draws tributes from school board

VIRGINIA- While the ISD 2142 school board had a full agenda for Tuesday’s meeting, they took some time at the beginning and end of the session to remember one of their own, board member Troy … more

David Colburn | 6/29/22

Protestors gathered outside of Ely’s Historic State Theater Saturday morning as the city’s mayor, Roger Skraba, candidate for the Minnesota House 3A seat, made his way inside to view the controversial political film, “2000 Mules.”

A clash of viewpoints

ELY— Two very different views of the 2020 election clashed at times on the sidewalks of downtown Ely this past Saturday morning, as about 150 area residents turned out for showings of the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/29/22 | 4 comments

The little brown bat and the animals that follow in this picture set is susceptible to being negatively impacted by noise and light created by humans.

Obliterating the sound of silence

One of the things that science is beginning to slowly teach us humans is the way in which we are impacting the lives of other species and the very environment in ways most of us would never imagine. … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/29/22