News - The Timberjay

Some current and future TS Elementary soccer players, coaches, and parents gathered to receive the donation on Tuesday.

Fortune Bay donates to TS Elementary sports shed project

TOWER- Fortune Bay Casino’s ‘Ticket in, Ticket Out’ program just donated almost $1,400 to the Tower-Soudan Athletic Association/Tower-Soudan PTO fundraiser to construct a storage … more

8/21/25

Frandsen, U.S. Bank, Entrepreneur Fund recognized

MINNEAPOLIS – The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota District will honor 10 lenders throughout the state for their commitment to helping small businesses succeed at the … more

8/21/25

Obituaries: August 22, 2025

Jack E. Montagna Jack Elliot Montagna, 75, of Soldotna, Alaska, originally of Ely, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. Friends and family are invited to join in a celebration of life … more

8/21/25

The WELY staff, including (l-r) Trader Craig Loughery, Polka Ron, Terri Pylka, and Todd Crego.

Rollout of revamped WELY FM now set for fall

ELY — The excitement surrounding the rollout of WELY radio was hard to miss as station manager Terri Pylka spoke to the Tuesday Group on Aug. 12. But the return of the longtime local radio … more

Jodi Summit | 8/21/25

Dena Suihkonen rests at home with the ever-present comfort of her rescued hairless cat, Glacia.

Learning a new way to live

TOWER- It was a fraction of a second that changed her life, and Dena Suihkonen said she honestly can’t even remember it. What she does remember is trying to grab onto something as she fell … more

Jodi Summit | 8/21/25

2142 still seeking students, staff for Friday day care

VIRGINA — While the framework for ISD 2142’s Friday day care option to support the transition to a four-day school week is solidly in place, two big questions still loom as the program … more

David Colburn | 8/21/25

Health care costs push Ely’s 2026 budget higher

ELY—Members of the city’s budget committee here are grappling with how to craft next year’s finances among uncertainty over staffing levels and health care costs. A preliminary … more

Robert Monteith | 8/21/25

An Ely police squad car with a canoe used as a hiring incentive. The department will now be equipping officers with body cameras.

Ely Police Department to adopt body-worn cameras

ELY — The police department here is taking the first steps toward implementing body-worn cameras, with Police Chief Chad Houde announcing plans to begin a formal public review process this … more

Robert Monteith | 8/21/25

Water emergency on Lake Vermilion claims life of St. Paul woman

COOK — An 80-year-old St. Paul woman died Wednesday evening after being found unresponsive in Lake Vermilion near Blueberry Island. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said a 911 … more

8/14/25

Mayor, but not council, supports Keetac variance from wild rice standard

TOWER — The city council here politely declined to go on record in support of a pollution variance for U.S. Steel’s Keetac operation, despite a concerted effort by Mayor Dave Setterberg … more

Marshall Helmberger | 8/14/25

Town board approves $15,000 for tennis court resurfacing

GREENWOOD TWP — The town board on Tuesday approved spending $15,000 for the tennis court resurfacing project. Recreation Committee President Paul Thompson outlined this year’s current … more

Jodi Summit | 8/14/25

Erickson lawsuit claims hostile work environment

COOK — Former Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Cook Executive Director Reed Erickson has filed a civil lawsuit seeking more than $50,000 in damages, alleging that a hostile work … more

David Colburn | 8/14/25

Water could soon move from stabilization ponds, pictured above, to rapid infiltration basins.

Design for wastewater upgrades are complete

Designs are complete for a new wastewater treatment facility that could potentially double the capacity for Tower and Breitung Township. Water/wastewater supervisor Matt Tuchel said the plans had … more

Robert Monteith | 8/14/25

Proposed sale of Minnesota Power divides typical allies

REGIONAL— The proposed acquisition of Minnesota Power parent company, ALLETE, by two large investment funds has divided some usual allies over whether the purchase is in the public interest. … more

Marshall Helmberger | 8/14/25

Obituaries: August 15, 2025

Dr. Douglas A. and Marcia L. DeGroote Douglas A. and Marcia Lenore DeGroote, beloved parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, educators and friends, passed away peacefully in their home in Merino, … more

8/14/25

During a Saturday training, residents of Eagles Nest Township were quick to pick up information related to wildfire risk mitigation and area resources to help reduce their vulnerability to wildfire.

Preparing for wildfire: this township takes the task seriously

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 … more

Jodi Summit | 8/14/25

Perry Drift resigns in wake of DUI arrest

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 … more

David Colburn | 8/14/25

Instructor Ian McKiel shows students how to read the weight distribution in rocks in a dry masonry retaining wall.

Building history, stone by stone

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 … more

Robert Monteith | 8/14/25

Ely schools hire SEH for sports facilities projects

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 … more

Robert Monteith | 8/14/25

2142 board talks plans for four-day week

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 … more

David Colburn | 8/14/25

Terry Wagoner racing in late July in Detroit Lakes, where he once again got a first place.

With sale of his businesses, Wagoner to focus on dirt bike racing

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 … more

Jodi Summit | 8/7/25

Phaseout of insurance tax credits will hit many family budgets

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. … more

Marshall Helmberger | 8/7/25

New state law gives consumers more privacy protection

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, … more

David Colburn | 8/7/25

The areas indicated in purple reflect the lands purchased by St. Louis County under the deal with The Conservation Fund.

County completes purchase of former Potlatch lands

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 … more

8/7/25

Teen leads deputies on high-speed chase through Cook

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 … more

David Colburn | 8/7/25