News - The Timberjay

Breitung Board open to new hiking trail route to McKinley Park

SOUDAN- The Breitung Town Board, during their June 20 meeting, expressed support for a hiking trail connecting McKinley Park Campground to the Pine Ridges trail system, but they weren’t willing … more

Jodi Summit | 6/28/24

Ely School Board approves deficit spending for 24/25

ELY- The Ely School Board approved a 2024-25 budget on Monday that includes a $133,457 deficit, marking a significant improvement from earlier projections of a half million-dollar budget shortfall. … more

Catie Clark | 6/28/24

The view down River Street in downtown Cook on Thursday.

Flood devastates Cook

COOK- Downtown Cook and surrounding neighborhoods were overwhelmed last week by a flash flood caused by torrential rains that fell on the city and the Little Fork River drainage basin last Tuesday. … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Sheriff Gordon Ramsay addresses an emergency session of the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners on June 20 as they prepare to approve an emergency disaster declaration.

County puts wheels in motion for disaster aid

REGIONAL- The St. Louis County Board held an emergency meeting in Virginia this past Thursday to approve a local emergency declaration in the wake of Tuesday’s torrential rain and subsequent … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Gov. Tim Walz talks with Theresa Drift, whose home was flooded, during his recent visit to Cook.

Walz tours flood-damaged city

COOK— Gov. Tim Walz traveled to Cook on Friday with area legislators and other state officials to assess the damage from the flash flood that inundated the town on Wednesday after torrential … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Ely man bites police officer in altercation

ELY- A 32-year-old Ely man remained in custody in the St. Louis County Jail this week after he allegedly bit an Ely police officer who was trying to buckle him into a squad car. Travis William … more

Catie Clark | 6/27/24

Water inundated virtually all of the seating at the Comet Theater during this past week’s flooding.

Cook’s historic Comet Theater faces major cleanup

COOK- From her spot in the boutique and coffee shop of the Comet Theater, Shelly Hlavinka had a front row seat to the rising flood crawling toward her last Wednesday. “It started getting higher … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Cook Lions accepting flood relief donations

COOK—The Cook Lions Club has announced that are providing ways for people to make monetary donations for flood relief in the wake of this week’s devastating flood in Cook. The club … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Volunteers step up to aid in Cook cleanup

COOK- Like so many others, Missy Bakker Roach just wanted to help when she came to Cook last Friday. Little did she know that she would wind up helping others to help. Roach said she mentioned to … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Greenwood dumps Data Practices Act compliance

GREENWOOD TWP- In a short and contentious special meeting last Thursday, the Greenwood Town Board on a split vote rescinded their adoption of the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act (MGDPA) that … more

David Colburn | 6/27/24

Welty challenging Stauber in August GOP primary

REGIONAL- Harry Welty, a former member of the Duluth School Board, a longtime Republican who calls himself a “Lincoln Democrat” has announced he will challenge Pete Stauber in the Aug. 13 … more

Marshall Helmberger | 6/27/24

Duluth man sentenced to 17 years for Babbitt attack

BABBITT- St. Louis County District Judge Michelle Anderson sentenced Josiah David Delvecchio, of Duluth, to 204 months in state prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to murder the owner of a … more

Catie Clark | 6/27/24

Obituaries: June 28, 2024

Barbara J. Matts Barbara Jean “Barb” Matts, 87, of Cook, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 12, 2024, at home, surrounded by her family. A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. on … more

6/27/24

Cook officials issue Sunday flood update

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 21, 2024 Crystal Whitney, City of Cook crystal.whitney@alslib.info FLOODING UPDATE IN COOK, MINNESOTA On Thursday, June 20, city officials, staff … more

6/21/24

Volunteers used whatever bags they could find to sandbag the VFW to protect it from the rising waters.

Cook flood peaks, decline will be slow

COOK- Some good news from the Duluth National Weather Service office on Friday -- they reported the flood in Cook has peaked and will very slowly recede, with the possibility for flood waters to … more

David Colburn | 6/20/24

County board declares local disaster in wake of Tuesday's storm

REGIONAL- The St. Louis County Board of Commissioners held an emergency meeting in Virginia on Thursday morning to approve a local emergency declaration in the wake of Tuesday’s devastating … more

6/20/24

List of county roads closed by storm

REGIONAL- St. Louis County released a list of county roads closed due to Tuesday's storm as of 2 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. Roads may be added or deleted to this list as assessments continue and … more

6/19/24

Hwy. 1 was closed indefinitely about four miles east of Hwy. 53 in Angora after floodwaters washed away a section of the state highway. MnDOT currently estimates the road will be closed for at least a week for repair.

Area hit by deluge

REGIONAL- Torrential rains on Tuesday, the likes of which haven’t been seen in the North Country in decades, created widespread flash flooding, extensive property damage, and wreaked havoc on … more

David Colburn | 6/19/24

Study calls for three-way EMS merger

ELY- The Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital once owned the local ambulance service here but gave it up over financial concerns. Yet a recently completed study suggests that the most cost-effective … more

Catie Clark | 6/19/24

Tower-Soudan’s main well fails, back-up in place

BREITUNG TWP- A “catastrophic failure” of the pump shaft that operates Tower-Soudan’s primary drinking water well over the weekend has the system running off the backup well, … more

Jodi Summit | 6/19/24

Unlike a similar meeting in International Falls that drew only three attendees, a large crowd turned out for the public comment meeting at Kabetogama Town Hall.

Kabetogama crowd not happy with revised frozen lake plan

KABETOGAMA- From the very first question Voyageurs National Park Superintendent Bob DeGross was asked at last Thursday’s town hall meeting in Kabetogama to review the park’s revised … more

David Colburn | 6/19/24

Maija Peterson and her horse Telsa kick up dust in the barrel races.

It’s all about the horses

EMBARRASS - The first of three competitions in the St. Louis County Summer Series was held at the Timber Hall Event Center horse arena on Saturday, as a total of 31 riders, 17 years-old and younger … more

Seth Roeser | 6/19/24

Forest Service still assessing damage to BWCAW

Officials with the Superior National Forest are still assessing the impacts from torrential rains that hit the area on Tuesday. Several inches of rain fell in a matter of hours, sending area rivers … more

Seth Roeser | 6/19/24

John Jamnick of JPJ Engineering of Hibbing gave a presentation on the project to replace the city’s aging water supply line at Tuesday’s Ely City Council Meeting.

Ely doesn’t want to lose its traffic lights

ELY- Will a roundabout replace the traffic light at the intersection of Third Ave. and Sheridan St. in Ely sometime soon? Not if city officials have anything to say about it. Council members reacted … more

Catie Clark | 6/19/24

YMCA Camp Northern Lights lost its Orion Building to fire early Sunday morning. The structure housed the camp’s kitchen and several bedrooms. The building was found burned to the ground.

YMCA camp in Babbitt loses kitchen-bunkhouse to fire

BABBITT- The YMCA Camp Northern Lights lost its kitchen and bunkhouse building Sunday to fire. The 2,000 square foot Orion building caught fire sometime before dawn. According to a Babbitt Police … more

Catie Clark | 6/19/24