EAGLES NEST TWP — With 23 narrow, dead-end roads and no public warning system, folks in Eagles Nest Township take fire preparedness seriously. The township has fewer than 250 year-round …

NETT LAKE— Bois Forte Tribal Council District 1 member Perry Drift resigned on Tuesday morning, three days after being arrested by Duluth police late Saturday evening on a misdemeanor charge of …

PICKETTS LAKE—The rhythmic sound of trowel on stone echoes through the Minnesota wilderness as Ian McKiel guides his student’s hands. “Remember, just cut it off,” he says …

ELY — The school board here, on Monday, approved a $395,560 contract with SEH engineering to design improvements for the district’s athletic facilities, moving forward with plans to spend …

VIRGINIA — ISD 2142 Transportation Director Kay Cornelius came to Tuesday’s school board working session armed with a busload of details on how the district’s shift to a four-day …

SOUDAN— Terry Wagoner is riding noisily into retirement. As reported in this week’s Timberjay, Wagoner has sold his gas station/convenience store in Tower, but he’s also sold his …

REGIONAL— Tens of thousands of Minnesotans, including more than 13,000 in the Eighth Congressional District, are facing hefty increases in their health insurance premiums beginning in January. …

REGIONAL — A new consumer data privacy law in Minnesota promises to give residents far greater control over their personal information than ever before. The Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act, …

REGIONAL—St. Louis County’s Department of Lands and Minerals is now the owner of an additional 4,600 acres of forestland located north of Lake Vermilion. County officials and the private …

COOK — What started as a routine welfare check near the railroad tracks in Cook on Saturday morning turned into a high-speed pursuit involving a teenage driver. St. Louis County deputies were …

Bette J. Grano Bette Joy Grano, 89, of Shoreview, formerly of Cook, passed away on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16 at the First Baptist Church …

BREITUNG TWP—After years spent seeking grants and more than a year of construction, the first few gallons of water flowed through the Tower-Breitung Waste Water Board’s new water …

TOWER — Tower’s only convenience store has new owners and a new name. Some changes that are sure to please customers are already underway. Lars Odegaard owns three convenience stores near …

REGIONAL — If you’ve spent much time outside in the North Country this summer, odds are you’ve caught yourself squinting at the sky – not because of the sun but because of the …

ELY—The city of Ely received an unmodified “clean” opinion on its 2024 financial statements during a recent audit presentation by Tom Kelly of Walker, Giroux & Hahne, the same …

REGIONAL — Over 140 members of the Vermilion Lake Association attended the annual meeting and dinner on July 26 at Camp Vermilion. Informational displays highlighted the group’s work …

ELY — A intense burst of rainfall last week caused flash flooding in several neighborhoods, damaging homes and businesses and overwhelming the city’s drainage systems. The flooding …

BEATTY TWP — As reported in last week’s print edition of the Timberjay, a devastating house fire on July 17 near the west end of Lake Vermilion claimed the lives of two Cook women, …

REGIONAL — President Donald Trump’s July 17 announcement that he was delaying implementation of stricter air quality standards for the taconite industry could well prevent the state of …

REGIONAL — With votes on the 2026 St. Louis County budget looming, county officials say they’re still working to refine estimates of the cost of the federal reconciliation bill signed …

REGIONAL—Nine-banded armadillos have expanded their range into central Illinois, marking one of the more visible signs of how climate change is altering the Great Lakes region, according to a …

Grant C. Hughes Jr. Grant Conrad Hughes Jr., 83, of Lake Vermilion-Cook, passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at his home on the lake after a fight with cancer. A celebration of Grant’s life …

The 39th annual Blueberry Art Festival took place over the weekend in Ely’s Whiteside Park. The event featured 227 unique vendors selling their original work.  Eva Sebesta, executive …

NETT LAKE— The Bois Forte Band held a dedication ceremony last week for a project years in the making – a new Department of Natural Resources building that will serve not just as an …

ELY—The school board here is deciding how to distribute a $5.25 million state grant for athletic facility improvements across multiple sports programs, while questioning whether the proposed …