Top Stories - The Timberjay

A mother reacts to the severe injury of her daughter in a mock car crash staged this week in Soudan.

TOWER-SOUDAN- “If we can stop one kid from making bad decisions during prom and graduation season,” said Breitung Police Chief Dan Reing, “then all this effort is worth … more

Jodi Summit | 5/3/23

Park ranger Steve Pederson appears to choke local business owner Justin Ebel during a 2022 encounter.

Body cam footage from park tasing released

REGIONAL- Nearly nine months since first filing its request, the Timberjay has received body camera videos of the arrest and tasing of Ash River business owner Justin Ebel from the National Park … more

David Colburn | 5/3/23

Leaving your keys in the car is an open invitation to a car thief.

Commerce: Don’t make life easy for car thieves

REGIONAL- Vehicle theft is a serious problem in Minnesota, and the North County is not immune, as the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office crime map shows thefts occurring the past two years in … more

David Colburn | 4/26/23

Grab bag of legislation could make or break the district’s finances

VIRGINA- The St. Louis County School District has seen a downturn in the amount of state aid it receives as a result of student losses during the COVID pandemic, and it isn’t clear if funding … more

David Colburn | 4/26/23

House passes marijuana legalization

REGIONAL- Minnesota moved another step closer to legalizing recreational marijuana for adults on Tuesday when the House approved its version of the cannabis-authorizing legislation on a vote of … more

David Colburn | 4/26/23

Lucy Pecchia, at a younger age, smiled as she reached for her brother Dane during recess at school.

Snowy car crash leaves mother and daughter dead

VERMILION LAKE TWP- Thirty-five-year-old April Lynn Pecchia, of Eveleth, and her 11-year-old daughter Lucy Lynn LaRue Pecchia, of Tower, both died in a tragic car crash here last Thursday, April 20. … more

Jodi Summit | 4/26/23

The FBI executed a search warrant at this home along Hwy. 23, east of Orr last Wednesday, April 12. So far no charges or allegations have been made against the homeowner.

FBI raids house east of Orr

ORR- Forty-two-year-old Josh Armbrust works in the cloud, the vast network of computer servers that provides internet-accessed storage, databases, software, analytics and intelligence to companies … more

David Colburn | 4/19/23

Dark money group assails Hauschild

REGIONAL— An expensive pressure campaign launched by a new and shadowy organization is publishing ads and occupying billboards across the state in hopes of derailing an effort by DFLers in the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/19/23

Aubriana Olson and Serah Ross are impressed with Sophie the Llama.

Close encounters of the llama kind

TOWER- Tower-Soudan second-grade teacher Charissa Dahl had been teaching her students about llamas, when she saw that Cook’s Country Connection, a petting zoo in Cook, had a … more

Jodi Summit | 4/19/23

The packed house at last year’s drag show at the Grand Ely Lodge enjoyed a highly- entertaining event.

Protest expected during Saturday drag show in Ely

ELY- A source requesting anonymity told the Timberjay that a group opposed to drag shows will protest the “Disney Drag Brunch” at the Grand Ely Lodge on Saturday, April 22. Ely Police … more

Catie Clark | 4/19/23 | 1 comment

Council OKs move toward ambulance joint powers

TOWER— The city council here voted unanimously to pursue a possible joint powers agreement with neighboring townships to operate the city’s ambulance service. The action came following … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/12/23

Gov. Tim Walz, a former school teacher, clearly relished the time he spent with Ely students during an April 6 visit to Ely and Tower.

Education the focus in Ely

REGIONAL— Gov. Tim Walz used the occasion of his birthday last Thursday for a quick tour of the Vermilion Range, with stops in both Ely and Tower. The governor flew into the Ely airport with … more

Catie Clark | 4/12/23

Gov. Tim Walz talks to Todd Petersen, of Lake Vermilion, one of the workers at Lamppa Manufacturing, along with Garrett Lamppa, who has recently taken the reins at the family business.

Walz tours wood stove plant in Tower

TOWER— Garrett Lamppa had little warning that Gov. Tim Walz would be making a stop at the family business at which he’s recently taken the reins from his father Daryl. “It all … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/12/23

Committee report calls for joint powers, taxing district

REGIONAL- An ad hoc committee established by the Tower Ambulance Commission is recommending the formation of a joint powers board and a taxing district to provide long-term oversight and financial … more

Jodi Summit | 4/12/23

Black Bay campground back on county agenda

LAKE VERMILION— The prospective developer of a rustic campground near the mouth of Lake Vermilion’s Black Bay plans to appear before the St. Louis County Planning Commission next … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/5/23

Ely finally passes new cannibinoid ordinance

ELY— After four months of moratoriums and failed first readings, the Ely City Council passed ordinance 367 on Tuesday, to license and regulate edible cannabinoid product dealers within city … more

Catie Clark | 4/5/23

Meadows won’t face additional charges, at least for now

ELY— A 20-year-old Ely man won’t face additional charges after he intentionally ran down three deer with his pickup truck last month, but he may face a stiffer penalty than it initially … more

Marshall Helmberger | 4/5/23

River Carter, Lailana Stellmach, and Sri Stellmach finished their projects.

Cupcake smiles

Tower-Soudan Community Education sponsored a cupcake decorating class, just in time for the Easter holiday. Students piped, sprinkled, and used candy to decorate pre-made cupcaked, and Timberjay … more

Jodi Summit | 4/5/23

PolyMet’s proposal to use bentonite clay as a cap for its tailings basin is under scrutiny in a St. Paul administrative law courtroom this week. The outcome is likely to be pivotal to the company’s hopes of opening Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine.

PolyMet waste plan vetted in courtroom

REGIONAL— The fate of the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine could literally come down to clay. That’s the issue at the heart of a contested case hearing that got underway in St. Paul, … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/29/23

Ambulance study offers little hope for regionalization

GREENWOOD TWP- An updated, and substantially modified, version of the McGrath Consulting Group study commissioned by Greenwood Township was released to the town board last week. While the revised … more

Jodi Summit | 3/29/23

Old friends embrace next to a photo of the late Carol Alstrom, a much loved and respected former teacher at Tower-Soudan.

Celebrating a life well spent

TOWER- Carol Alstrom was a force of nature. She was a large person and had a voice to match. She was strong and a competitive athlete. She was a teacher, a coach, and a leader. She knew how to get … more

Jodi Summit | 3/29/23

Ely man charged for running down deer

ELY— A 20-year-old college student here is facing an $1,800 fine after he used his pickup to run down three deer along Ely’s Central Av., leaving them partially paralyzed and struggling … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/29/23 | 1 comment

Park rangers Steve Pederson and Ryan Houghton on Lake Kabetogama shortly before boarding a boat being operated by Justin Ebel.

Park Service continues stonewalling on Ebel case

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK- The Timberjay’s eight-month long quest to uncover details behind an apparent assault by two park rangers on a local businessman on Lake Kabetogama continues to be … more

David Colburn | 3/22/23

First read for city’s cannabinoid ordinance

ELY- The Ely City Council approved the first reading of an edible cannabinoid ordinance at its March 21 meeting. The proposed ordinance contained a surprise: it included a provision for the … more

Catie Clark | 3/22/23

Ian Lah, in his portrayal of Seymour Krelborn, reacts as he discovers that the carnivorous plant, Audrey II, is devouring a human victim.

Beware the man-eating plant

ELY— After two months of production and rehearsal, the curtain goes up Thursday on the Northern Lakes Arts Association’s stage production of Little Shop of Horrors. The musical, staged at … more

Catie Clark | 3/22/23