Stories - The Timberjay

Media misinformation

The major media in the U.S. are continuing to fail the public, and that failure is playing a major role in the current state of the presidential race. If polls can be believed, large majorities of … more

5/23/24

The signature climax of any Timber Days celebration is the participation of area loggers in bringing up the end of Sunday's parade

Cook's Annual Timber Days gears up for another run

COOK- If you love traditions, you won’t want to miss this year’s Timber Days festival in Cook beginning Friday, June 7 and running through Sunday, June 9. All the favorites that folks … more

David Colburn | 5/23/24

Field hearing airs complaints on VNP access

REGIONAL- A recent congressional subcommittee field hearing in Hayward, Wis. provided a venue for an International Falls houseboat rental operator to air local concerns about actions taken by … more

David Colburn | 5/23/24

Obituaries: May 24, 2024

Dr. John V. Urick Dr. John Victor Urick, 91, of Lake Vermilion, passed away quietly at his lake home on Tuesday evening, May 14, 2024. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 1 at Bauman … more

5/23/24

NER-Ely girls take second in home golf tournament

ELY- The Northeast Range – Ely girls golf team teed it up on their home course this week and took second in the seven-team East Range Conference tourney on Monday at the Ely Golf Club. Four … more

5/16/24

Mental mistakes plaguing Ely in late season

SOUTH RIDGE— The Timberwolves were heading into this weekend’s annual Veterans Showcase tournament still looking for answers with just ten days to go in the regular season. “The way … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/16/24

Grizzlies compete at Denfield

DULUTH- North Woods tracksters competing with the South Ridge Panthers participated on Friday in the 15-team Matt Kero Memorial Invitational at Duluth Denfield High School. The Panthers finished well … more

5/16/24

Eleanor Nyquist (left) and her mother Jordyn Stocks were on the winning team.

Piecing it all together: Jigsaw competition proves popular

EMBARRASS- Five hundred pieces. Four sets of hands. Ten teams ready to go, each with their own copy of the same puzzle. The Timber Hall Event Center’s first Jigs and Jaws puzzle competition got … more

Jodi Summit | 5/16/24

A map of possible plowed and staked ice roads on Kabetogama Lake under the revised frozen lake use plan proposal.

VNP issues revised frozen lake use proposal

REGIONAL- Voyageurs National Park officials on Monday released a revised version of their proposed Frozen Lake Surface Use Plan, a measure that generated intense blowback from the public when the … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

ECR reports funding cuts to board

ELY- The nonprofit Ely Community Resource shared unhappy news with the Ely School Board on Monday evening. The group, which runs several tutoring, mentoring, afterschool, and summer programs for … more

Catie Clark | 5/15/24

An angler uses his bare hands to land a modest Lake Vermilion walleye on opening day.

Fish stories aplenty

REGIONAL- Another successful fishing opener weekend is in the books, with hoards of eager anglers flocking to Lake Vermilion and other area lakes in search of the often elusive walleye. Reports … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

Council hears pushback over short-term rental recommendation

TOWER— A recommendation to prohibit short-term rentals in districts zoned residential here drew some pushback at Monday’s meeting of the Tower City Council. The city’s planning and … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

Beldo pleads guilty in Babbitt double homicide

BABBITT- Roger Beldo pled guilty to second degree murder “with intent” in a Virginia courtroom May 8 in the deaths of an elderly Babbitt couple last October. Beldo acknowledged the double … more

Catie Clark | 5/15/24

Ely’s Zoe MacKenzie zeroes in on home plate as she winds for a pitch.

Sweet revenge for Grizzlies

FIELD TWP- With an eye on avenging an earlier loss this season to the Ely Timberwolves, the North Woods softball team stepped up on Friday to defend their home diamond and send the visitors home on … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

Udovich wins 400 for Ely at league meet

HIBBING- The Ely boys and girls track squads parted ways last week to compete in separate meets in Chisholm and Hibbing, then got back together on Tuesday to compete at Rock Ridge. IRC championship … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

North Woods’ Olson hits hot streak, takes first at Ely tourney

ELY- North Woods golfer Tori Olson bagged first place on Monday at the East Range Conference meet in Ely, and placed high on the leaderboards in Virginia and Hibbing last week. The Grizzlies senior … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

Solid hitting lifts Wolves over Rangers

ELY— A big day at the plate made the difference for the Timberwolves as they pounded out a baker’s dozen to dump the Rangers 13-5. “I thought this was the best we looked all season … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

NER-Ely boys take second at Hoyt Lakes meet, struggle at Hibbing

HIBBING- The Northeast Range – Ely boys golf team teed it up in back-to-back tourneys last week, chalking up a second-place finish at Hoyt Lakes while struggling at Hibbing. The Mesabi East … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24

A boreal chorus frog sings away from its soggy home.

The spring chorus

Here in the North Country, the springtime woods can be a noisy affair, and few sounds are as symbolic of that seasonal cacophony as the calling of frogs. For years, I’ve tried (though … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

There is hope where there is help

I found out my mom was an alcoholic when I was 17 years old. That was devastating, but eventually shed some enlightenment for me on our household dysfunctions. I shouldn’t have been surprised, … more

Betty Firth | 5/15/24

A red sun sets through smoky skies last Sunday evening as dense wildfire smoke from Canada moved into the region.

Forecast: more smoky skies this summer

REGIONAL— This past Sunday’s incursion of heavy wildfire smoke into the North Country from north of the border was a portent of what to expect this summer and into the fall. North Country … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/24

Greenwood still wrangling over treasurer reports

GREENWOOD TWP- “We are going to zip right through here tonight,” said Greenwood Chair Lois Roskoski optimistically at the beginning of the May 14 town board meeting. And while the meeting … more

Jodi Summit | 5/15/24

Politicians for sale

Rarely has a presidential candidate been so blunt. During a meeting with some of the country’s top oil executives at Mar-a-Lago last month, Donald Trump reportedly pushed them to raise a … more

5/15/24

Area stream levels continue to show considerable bounce

REGIONAL— River and stream levels continued to exhibit considerable bounce this week as the impact of late April and early May rains faded. Area stream levels began the ice-free season at near … more

5/15/24

Duluth man dies in BWCAW accident

REGIONAL- A 62-year-old Duluth man was found dead on Friday on Lake Agnes, the victim of an apparent drowning. Mark Ham was described by family members as a clinical psychologist and an avid … more

David Colburn | 5/15/24