News - The Timberjay

Jail escapee apprehended

REGIONAL — A man who escaped from the Northeast Regional Corrections Center, a minimum-security facility operated by St. Louis County near Saginaw, on Sept. 23 has been captured after more than … more

10/9/25

Obituaries: October 19, 2025

Terry Lee Kylmala Terry Lee Kylmala, 81, of Embarrass, peacefully passed away at Essentia Health - St. Mary’s in Duluth on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. A gathering of family and friends will take … more

10/9/25

Clerk-treasurer Schultz resigns for new job in Biwabik

TOWER— At a special meeting on Monday, the city council here formally accepted, with regret, the resignation of clerk-treasurer Michael Schultz. Schultz, who has been with the city for the past … more

Jodi Summit | 10/9/25

Your Boat Club: Local operations steady amid legal squall

TOWER- A recent lawsuit by a division of Wells Fargo Bank against the owners of Your Boat Club has drawn attention across Minnesota’s lake country, including here in Tower, where the company … more

David Colburn | 10/9/25

Ely council votes to hire Babbitt police chief

ELY - Troy Bissonette, Babbitt’s police chief, has applied to join the Ely Police Department, requesting to be hired at a five-year pay step rather than as a new officer. The move comes as … more

Robert Monteith | 10/9/25

Hauschild won’t seek Stauber’s seat, for now

REGIONAL— State Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, announced this week that he won’t seek to challenge Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber at this time. Hauschild, who represents … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/9/25

Kids and adults took advantage of Ely’s new pocket park on Chapman.

Party time

Timberjay photographer Curt Laine looked in on the Chapman Street block party in Ely and captured these images of the big turnout for the event. more

10/9/25

A recently sheared alpaca, Finn, watches the crowd at Cook’s Country Connection event.

Spinners bring fiber to life at alpaca event

COOK — In a corner of the multipurpose shop at Cook’s Country Connection, the hum of conversation blended with the rhythmic whisper of spinning wheels as three women twisted fiber into … more

David Colburn | 10/2/25

Night Sky Singers drum group. From left: Ryan Bajan, Chaz Wagner, Jordan Gawboy, Ginew Benton, Daniel Lightfeather, and David Morrison.

Night Sky Singers share traditions, music, and stories

TOWER — The acoustics in the Lake Vermilion Cultural Center brought the drumming of the Night Sky Singers alive, as the drum group led by Jordan Gawboy gave a concert in late August to an … more

Jodi Summit | 10/2/25

DontChaKno owners Scott and Shannon Woodworth.

DontChaKno custom clothing store now open

TOWER — Have you been dreaming of a T-shirt but didn’t have the means to design it or print it yourself? DontChaKno has got you covered — and you can enjoy a complimentary coffee … more

Stephanie Ukkola | 10/2/25

Trooper 7, the state patrol’s new twin-engine Bell 429 rescue helicopter, features a fixed hoist system that negates the need for a landing zone.

When time is the enemy, Trooper 7 is the answer

REGIONAL — The wilderness of northern Minnesota draws people in with its quiet waters, endless forest, and sense of escape. But when something goes wrong deep in that isolation – a fall, … more

David Colburn | 10/2/25

NE Minnesota agencies launch cannabis education effort

REGIONAL — As cannabis products become increasingly available to Minnesota adults, public health officials across northeast Minnesota are launching an education campaign to help parents … more

Robert Monteith | 10/2/25

Obituaries: October 3, 2025

Diane M. Nikunen Diane Marie, “The Little Finn,” Nikunen, 80, originally of Soudan, passed away on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, from cancer and a stroke at her home in Rushford. A graveside … more

10/2/25

Lamppa Manufacturing employee Mike Larson works to put the finishing touches on a Kuuma wood furnace in preparation for delivery.

Looming loss of tax credit boosts furnace demand

TOWER — The abrupt cancellation of a 30-percent tax credit for the purchase of efficient and clean-burning wood furnaces has prompted a boom in sales for Lamppa Manufacturing, whose Kuuma … more

Marshall Helmberger | 10/2/25

MPUC to decide on MP sale this Friday

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is expected to vote on Oct. 3 on whether Minnesota Power’s parent company should be sold to a pair of private investment firms, … more

Robert Monteith | 10/2/25

A work crew lays fiber optic infrastructure along Cty. Rd. 77.

Fiber buildout follows path previously laid

REGIONAL — If you’ve driven Highway 169 or any stretch of road along Lake Vermilion’s south shore lately, you’ve probably seen them. Crews in hard hats hauling cable, guiding … more

David Colburn | 10/2/25

Seven-year-old twins Brooke and Marla Redmond could almost fit inside this prize-winning pumpkin brought in from Buyck by their grandfather Peter Redmond. The big holiday gourd weighed in at a whopping 143 pounds.

Big pumpkins have their day

ORR — Halloween came early to Orr last Saturday with the annual Orr Lions Club pumpkin weigh-in and associated festivities at the Orr Center. Kids enjoyed art and pumpkin carving while everyone … more

David Colburn | 10/2/25

afne Caruso in her studio in Ely with one of her colorful creations.

For Caruso, expression is found in color

ELY—The first thing you notice about Dafne Caruso’s work isn’t the subject matter — it’s the colors. Electric purples dance across a familiar Ely storefront. A pink … more

Robert Monteith | 10/2/25

Minnesota breaks from CDC on COVID recommendations

REGIONAL- While a federal vaccine advisory panel last week narrowed its COVID-19 recommendations and even flirted with requiring prescriptions, Minnesota health officials announced Monday … more

David Colburn | 9/25/25

Chiabottis ending 22 years as campground managers

BREITUNG TWP — After 22 years managing the McKinley Park Campground on Lake Vermilion, Susie and Jerry Chiabotti are going to retire. “We are 75 years old,” said Susie, “and … more

Jodi Summit | 9/25/25

Eugene Olson’s take on wild rice soup took the top prize in the new wild rice cooking contest at the powwow.

Wild rice cooking crown goes to Fond du Lac member

NETT LAKE- The Bois Forte Band’s powwow at Nett Lake took a flavorful turn on Sunday when the celebration of the wild rice harvest included the event’s first-ever wild rice cooking … more

David Colburn | 9/25/25

Breitung to update comp plan

SOUDAN — The Breitung Town Board affirmed their commitment to doing a Joint Comprehensive Plan with the city of Tower at their last board meeting on Sept. 16. A comprehensive plan is a tool … more

Stephanie Ukkola | 9/25/25

Saddle Club votes to keep arena at Embarrass fairgrounds

EMBARRASS — The Northwoods Saddle Club voted on Wednesday, Sept. 17 to accept the proposal from the Embarrass Region Community Association (formerly the Embarrass Region Fair Association). The … more

Jodi Summit | 9/25/25

Obituaries: September 26, 2025

Marjorie J. McPeak Marjorie Jean “Marge” McPeak, 90, of Tower, passed away on Thursday, Sept.18, 2025. A gathering time for family and friends will be held on Sunday, Sept. 28 at Hope … more

9/25/25

Bill Newman (l) and Jeffrey Hanson inside their mobile lab, developed to further demonstrate their process for affordably removing sulfate from water.

Affordable sulfate control coming soon?

BABBITT— The ongoing debate over the regulation of sulfate discharges from Iron Range taconite mines has centered, at least to date, on the perception that expensive reverse osmosis is the only … more

Marshall Helmberger | 9/25/25