News - The Timberjay

Timberjay’s new Ely editor now on the job

ELY— The Timberjay’s new Ely editor will be on the job starting Friday, beginning her full-time coverage of news and events in the Ely area. Catherine “Catie” Helm-Clark and … more

12/1/22

Tower’s harbor could soon be the site for major development after years of false starts and delay.

Major players seek to join harbor development

TOWER— After decades of public investment, false starts, and dashed hopes, major development at Tower’s harbor and adjacent riverfront may finally be coming soon. At a special July 20 … more

Jodi Summit | 7/26/23

Ely City Council purr-fects its pet ordinances

ELY- Cat owners in Ely are off the hook. The Ely City Council voted to drop the licensing requirements for pets other than dogs. Mayor Heidi Omerza noted that the rewrite of the city’s pet … more

Catie Clark | 10/4/23

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

Student Kai Contreras-Pieratos shows off the last remaining bite or two of his piece of pie.

Eats to be thankful for

TOWER- Thanksgiving came a few days early at Vermilion Country School. The meal was traditional: turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes, green beans, rolls, cranberries, and plenty … more

Jodi Summit | 12/1/22

Town board meeting public comment changes denied

GREENWOOD TWP- The Greenwood Town Board, Tuesday, denied a request from resident Lee Peterson to move public comments at the meeting to the top of the agenda.“The public can’t comment on … more

Jodi Summit | 2/15/23

ngrid Lyons (left) and Becky Rom presented an overview of the Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness strategy for protecting the Boundary Waters at the July 25 Tuesday Group meeting at the Grand Ely Lodge.

NMW lays out strategy for BWCAW protection

ELY- While the U.S. Department of the Interior has banned mineral leases for 20 years on 225,000 acres within the Rainy River watershed on the Superior National Forest, Ely-based Northeastern … more

Catie Clark | 7/26/23

High court hears arguments in PolyMet case

REGIONAL— Minnesota’s highest court heard arguments Wednesday that may or may not send a key permit for the proposed PolyMet mine back to square one. While the state’s nine top … more

Marshall Helmberger | 12/1/22

Obituaries: February 17, 2023

Mark LeustekMark Leustek, 53, of Ely, died on Monday, Jan. 30, 2023. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Ely. Arrangements are with … more

2/15/23

Greenwood rep on the hot seat at ambulance meeting

TOWER- Greenwood Township Board Chair John Bassing spent time on the hot seat during a Tower Ambulance Commission meeting that started late and ended early as a result of ambulance calls requiring … more

Jodi Summit | 7/26/23

Operation Santa toy drive almost ready

TOWER- Donations are still needed for this year’s Operation Santa toy drive. We already have over 180 children on our list, so it is looking like the need will be higher than in the past few … more

12/13/23

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

Soudan home destroyed in early morning fire

BREITUNG TWP- Nine fire departments battled a large house fire in Breitung Township on Friday, April 28. The blaze was reported by a passerby around 6:05 a.m. in the 5300 block of the Junction Road. … more

5/3/23

Gary Smith cuts one of 600 Kiwanis Club pies.

Pie and much more at Blueberry/Art festival

ELY— The annual celebration of the North Country’s most popular wild berry gets underway Friday morning at Whiteside Park and runs through Sunday. This year’s Blueberry Art/Festival … more

7/26/23

River Street Vendor Boutique owners Kaycee Danielson and Deanna Washek take a moment to pose in their new Cook shop last Saturday.

Dynamic duo provides creative outlet for local vendors

COOK- When mother and daughter crafters get together, anything can happen and the sky’s the limit for creativity, but Deanna Washek and Kaycee Danielson may have set a new bar with their latest … more

David Colburn | 12/13/23

Rep. Dave Lislegard in his “Freezin in Embarrass” sweatshirt slaps meteorologist Dave Anderson on the shoulder during the Sisu Heritage annual meeting held Feb. 25.

Speaking of the weather...

EMBARRASS- The ever-affable meteorologist and local historian Dave Anderson turned his talk on weather and his family’s area history into an impromptu news session during the Sisu Heritage … more

Jodi Summit | 3/6/24

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

‘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

Obituaries: December 2, 2022

Joyce M. Maki Joyce M. Maki, 90, of Ely, passed away on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, at Carefree Assisted Living in Ely. The family is thankful for the life of their wife, mother, grandmother and … more

12/1/22

Obituaries: May 5, 2023

Frank J. BrulaFrank John Brula, 86, of Babbitt and Coal Point-Lake Vermilion, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at Essentia Health-Virginia Hospital, following the 14-day fight of … more

5/3/23

Watch for road construction

REGIONAL— The annual pilgrimage from across the region to Ely’s Blueberry/Art Festival, set for July 28-30, could take a bit longer than in some recent years for folks planning to travel … more

Marshall Helmberger | 7/26/23

Biden and Trump top primary day in Minnesota

REGIONAL—A rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump appeared all the more likely after both candidates swept most primary contests on Super Tuesday, including the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/6/24

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

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

Help is available for Minnesotans struggling to pay for insulin

ST. PAUL - A recent study found that more than 1.3 million Americans with diabetes rationed their insulin because of cost concerns by skipping doses, taking less insulin than needed, or delaying … more

12/1/22