News - The Timberjay

IRRR okays $2 million for Ely’s school construction

REGIONAL- The Ely school district received $2 million worth of good news coming out of the Dec. 21 Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation board’s quarterly meeting. The funding will help the … more

David Colburn | 12/28/22

The former Zup's in Ely will be the new home for KJ's True Value Hardware.

J&L Hardware will have new name, new location in the new year

ELY- Inside the former Zup’s building, boxes of hardware inventory are stacked, waiting for their contents to be unpacked onto shelving. The quiet inside is interrupted every few minutes by the … more

Catie Clark | 12/28/22

Mark Phillips in a summer shot taken at his home on Lake Vermilion.

He made his mark at Iron Range Resources

REGIONAL— After eight years at the helm of the most influential state agency on the Iron Range, Mark Phillips is heading into retirement— but not without having made his mark on the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/28/22

Members of the Iron Mosquitoes robotics team were able to attend the AISES national conference in Palm Springs in October.

Robotics is opening doors for the Iron Mosquitoes

BABBITT— Winning a major sponsorship has opened doors for the Iron Mosquitoes, the robotics team from Northeast Range School. They’ve been on a roll ever since last May, when the team … more

Rachel Brophy | 12/28/22

Breitung Board hears from Eagles Nest trail group

SOUDAN- Members of the Eagles Nest Trail Advocacy Group came to talk to Breitung Town Board board on Dec. 20 about proposed ATV trails that would run between Ely and Breitung, passing through Eagles … more

Stephanie Ukkola | 12/28/22 | 1 comment

Students in the Eco Club raised awareness about storm water pollution.

ECR awarded community conservationist award

REGIONAL- The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and Minnesota Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) awarded Ely Community Resource (ECR) the 2022 Community … more

12/28/22

The promise of jobs drew thousands of immigrants to the region

During the early twentieth century, the population of the Iron Range was among the most ethnically diverse in Minnesota. Tens of thousands of immigrants arrived from Finland, Austria-Hungary, Italy, … more

David Lavigne | 12/28/22

Obituaries: December 30, 2022

Charlotte A. GallagherCharlotte “Dottie” Ann Gallagher, 80, of Cook, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022. A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, at … more

12/28/22

Joe Lopac, of Mt. Iron, takes a close look at a still owned and operated by his grandfather during Prohibition.

The Range was “Never Dry”

CHISHOLM- If you think history is boring, pay a visit to the new temporary exhibit at the Minnesota Discovery Center (MDC) which examines a particularly colorful period of Iron Range history. … more

Jodi Summit | 12/28/22

Ida Rukavina named next IRRR commissioner

REGIONAL— Ida Rukavina, a Pike Township native, will be the next commissioner of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation. Gov. Tim Walz made that announcement on Dec. 21, as current … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/22/22 | 2 comments

Houseboat operator facing charges in VNP incident

REGIONAL- Nearly six months after an Ash River houseboat operator was allegedly tased during a June 25 encounter with Voyageurs National Park enforcement officers, five charges stemming from the … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22 | 1 comment

K-2 students at T-S Elementary sang songs of thanks for the season.

Sounds of the season

Holidays are merrier with music, and North Country communities have been merry indeed with the songs of the season performed by young and old alike. Timberjay photographers captured a few images of … more

Timberjay staff | 12/21/22

A Lake Country Power line crew works to reconnect a broken line, one of hundreds of individual outages from last week’s snowstorm. This week’s storm is expected to bring widespread outages as well, just days after power was finally restored across the area.

Latest storm forecast has line crews on high alert

REGIONAL— Here we go again?That was the question as the Timberjay went to press this week with the latest winter storm forecast to hit the region beginning late Wednesday and lingering into the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22 | 2 comments

Flat state aids push county levy higher

REGIONAL— St. Louis County spending will have increased 14.6 percent over the past five years, based on the 2023 budget approved earlier this month by the county board. At the same time, the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/21/22

Outgoing Mayor Roger Skraba receives the key to the city as Mayor-elect Heidi Omerza looks on.

Ely Ambulance Service may receive $1.3 million in federal funding

ELY- The highlight of the Dec. 20 Ely City Council meeting wasn’t even on the agenda. Rather, Ely’s mayor and clerk-treasurer shared some intelligence on federal funding that may be … more

Catie Clark | 12/21/22

Cook native is repeat finalist for Grammy educator award

COOK- It was a special moment for Cook native Trevor Nicholas last year when he was named as one of only ten national finalists for the 2022 Music Educator Award presented by The Recording Academy, … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22

Ice candles bring community together in Embarrass

EMBARRASS- It took a little while to explain the tradition of ice candles to my 87-year-old mother-in-law, who recently moved to the area. But as soon as we pulled up the narrow lane to the Embarrass … more

Jodi Summit | 12/21/22

Dafne Caruso (left) and Sara Skelton (right) at the Northern Lakes Arts Association reception at the State Theater in Ely.

Dafne Caruso art show at State Theater

ELY- Dafne Caruso is a local Ely artist whose career shows that it’s never too late to start pursuing the arts. The Northern Lakes Arts Association in collaboration with Ely’s State … more

Catie Clark | 12/21/22

Triple disease threat fills hospitals

REGIONAL- As Minnesota was experiencing a post-Thanksgiving rise in coronavirus cases, state Health Commissioner Jan Malcom and state Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield appeared together last week for the … more

David Colburn | 12/21/22 | 2 comments

Obituaries: December 23, 2022

Ronald R. Hujanen Ronald R. Hujanen, 80, of Cook, passed away on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022. A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 30 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Tower. … more

12/21/22

A map of one the three areas to be served by the new broadband funding awarded recently to Paul Bunyan Communications. Residences in the area should soon see internet access speeds of up to 10 gigabytes per second.

Paul Bunyan awarded grant for expanded broadband

REGIONAL- Only one North Country broadband proposal was funded by the Minnesota Dept. of Employment and Economic Development in the latest round of Border-to-Border grant awards released last … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22

Council OKs three-percent levy hike for next year

TOWER— For the first time in three years, the city council here has voted to increase the city’s tax levy, by three percent over the 2022 levy of $394,761. That will push the city’s … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/15/22

North Woods, NER to swap principals

REGIONAL- A new year will bring new leadership to two area schools, as North Woods Principal John Vukmanich and Northeast Range Principal Kelly Engman will swap roles beginning Jan. 1.North Woods … more

David Colburn | 12/15/22

A MnDOT snowplow was out working Hwy. 169 in heavy snow on Wednesday.

Winter wallop

REGIONAL— The area’s first major winter storm of the season struck with a vengeance on Wednesday with heavy, dense snow and considerable wind as a Colorado low moved across the Plains and … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/15/22

Fire department again on the agenda in Greenwood

GREENWOOD TWP- The state of the Greenwood Fire Department was again the focus of the township’s regular monthly meeting.Long-time fire department members Mike Indihar and Tom Mortaloni spoke … more

Jodi Summit | 12/15/22