News - The Timberjay

Funding snafu for Tower-Breitung drinking water plant

TOWER— City officials here rejected a proposal by the state’s Public Facilities Authority, or PFA, that would substantially increase the cost to local ratepayers for the new drinking … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/13/25

Bill would sweeten incentives for large data centers

REGIONAL— A bipartisan group of lawmakers is once again proposing to sweeten and extend tax incentives for the construction of large data centers in Minnesota, and that comes at a time when … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/13/25

State faces projected $6 billion budget deficit

REGIONAL- Minnesota’s state budget outlook could be described as moving from feast to famine, as a historic $18 billion surplus at the outset of the 2023 legislative session has drastically … more

David Colburn | 3/13/25

Breitung Police Chief Dan Reing teaches a CPR class to students at Vermilion Country School.

Annual meeting highlights recent school successes

TOWER- This year’s annual meeting of the Vermilion Country School in Tower, held Feb. 17, gave school director Sam O’Brien and the board a chance to review the school’s remarkable … more

Marshall Helmberger | 3/13/25

Group hosts workshop on buying/selling a small business

ELY- Looking to buy a small business? According to Steve Dunnom of Sunbelt Business Advisors, now is a great time thanks to the ongoing retirements of the baby boom generation. Dunnom, along with … more

Catie Clark | 3/13/25

Obituaries: March 14, 2025

Anthony J. Brandenburg Anthony “Tony” James Brandenburg, 54, of Minneapolis, passed away unexpectedly at home on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025. A celebration of life will be held in the spring. … more

3/13/25

An above- ground portion of the Ely water line from Burntside Lake, which was built in 1932.

U.S. House vote nixes critical area projects

REGIONAL- The last hope that the North Country would see any of the nearly $40 million in federal funding requests submitted by the state’s congressional delegation went up in flames Tuesday … more

David Colburn | 3/13/25

Paul Thompson, a strong advocate of Option B, reacts positively to Tuesday night’s vote in Greenwood. Thompson also won the race for town treasurer but will not have to serve due to the passage of Option B.

Greenwood approves Option B

GREENWOOD TWP— Years of turmoil between the town board and it’s various elected clerks and treasurers, appeared to be more than enough drama for voters here as they overwhelmingly … more

Jodi Summit | 3/13/25

District again considering a four-day week

VIRGINIA- In a stark about-face from November, the ISD 2142 School Board appeared ready to adopt a four-day school week for next year at a working session on Tuesday, and scheduled a vote on the … more

David Colburn | 3/13/25

Babbitt man remains at large after felony assault

BABBITT- A local man here was charged with felony threats of violence but remained at large as the Timberjay went to press. Michael Shaun Jarvis, age 37, was cited on March 4 for an alleged domestic … more

Catie Clark | 3/13/25

Quilting guild members display some of the chemotherapy bags they make for Essentia in Virginia.

Local quilters donate time and creativity

TOWER- Quilting is a hobby that takes time, skill, and patience, but for members of Vermilion Dream Quilters, it comes with something even more rare these days— a desire to care for others. The … more

Jodi Summit | 3/13/25

Board agrees to pay Maus his paid-on-call

GREENWOOD TWP- At a special meeting on March 4, the Greenwood Town Board agreed to pay Jeff Maus for 14 hours of paid-on-call time at $25 per hour, plus a penalty of $80.70 for late payment. State … more

Jodi Summit | 3/8/25

Fortune Bay recovers all of scammed cash

FORTUNE BAY- All of the $110,000 taken from Fortune Bay Resort Casino in an attempted November scam has been recovered, according to an announcement last week by the Bois Forte Tribal Council. On … more

David Colburn | 3/8/25

Interim Bois Forte Tribal Council Chairman Shane Drift cuts the ribbon to signal the opening of the Ishkode cannabis dispensary.

Ishkode cannabis dispensary is now open at Vermilion

VERMILION RESERVATION— After months of clearing legal hurdles and playing the waiting game on a supplier and transporter of marijuana, the new Bois Forte cannabis dispensary, Ishkode, opened … more

David Colburn | 3/6/25

Full lineup on tap at third annual Ely Film Festival

ELY- The third Ely Film Festival starts next week at Ely’s Historic State Theater at 238 E. Sheridan St. This year’s event is even bigger than before and starts next Wednesday, one day … more

Catie Clark | 3/6/25

Shuttering of Indian Health Services office could impact region

REGIONAL- The potential termination of the Indian Health Service office lease in Bemidji by the Trump administration drew strong pushback on Tuesday from Minnesota U.S. Senators Tina Smith, a member … more

David Colburn | 3/6/25

Babbitt man charged with threats of violence in Ely

ELY- A Babbitt man was charged with felony threats of violence after suggesting he would shoot a woman in the face with a handgun last Friday evening at the Grand Ely Lodge. Hotel officials alerted … more

Catie Clark | 3/6/25

Crystal Schlueter demonstrated how to make a traditional Finnish rye quick bread.

Sisu Heritage annual meeting features local award-winning ethnic cook

EMBARRASS- Crystal Schlueter, of Babbitt, received quite a bit of publicity last fall after winning a nationwide recipe contest sponsored by Campbell’s Soup. But her passion for cooking lies … more

Jodi Summit | 3/6/25

Obituaries: March 7, 2025

Mary Ann Henderson Mary Ann Henderson, 90, of Lake Vermilion-Tower, died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025, in Eden Prairie. A memorial service will be planned for July 2025 in … more

3/6/25

Nearly 50 protestors turned out at VNP’s Rainy Lake Visitor Center last week to protest major cuts to the National Park Service workforce.

Protesting park cuts

REGIONAL- When President Donald Trump addressed Congress on Tuesday, former Voyageurs National Park Ranger Kate Severson was in attendance, representing hundreds of National Park Service employees … more

David Colburn | 3/6/25

Chaos in D.C. worrying Bois Forte officials

VERMILION RESERVATION- Tribal Vice-Chair Shane Drift didn’t have answers for tribal members concerned about possible cuts in federal funding, but he did describe the efforts tribal leaders are … more

Jodi Summit | 3/6/25

City council backtracks on WICOLA grant support

ELY—In a stunning about-face, the city council here voted 5-2 to send a letter to the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources in opposition to a grant application by the White … more

Catie Clark | 3/6/25

New WELY owners outline plans for the station

ELY- The new owners of WELY radio have big plans to restore the iconic station’s community focus, although they urged patience during the process of returning the station to the airwaves. … more

Catie Clark | 3/6/25

Trump tariffs will jack up the cost of getting around

REGIONAL- President Donald Trump sent the stock markets spiraling downward early this week when he followed through on his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on imported goods from Mexico and … more

David Colburn | 3/6/25

Two running for open supervisor seat in Greenwood

GREENWOOD TWP— Voters in Greenwood will have a clear choice on March 11 between former clerk and supervisor Sue Drobac and Steve Bradach, who brings years of experience in city government … more

Jodi Summit | 2/28/25