News - The Timberjay

The UPS truck was a total loss after catching fire on Tower’s Main St. photo courtesy of the Tower Fire Department

UPS truck catches fire on Tower’s Main Street

TOWER- Black smoke billowed here late last Thursday afternoon when a UPS truck caught fire while driving through Tower on its return from a day of deliveries. Both the Tower and Breitung fire … more

Jodi Summit | 5/15/25

A massive smoke column from the Jenkins Creek Fire as viewed from Tower on Tuesday afternoon. The fire, combined with the nearby Camp House Fire, had scorched more than 35,000 acres as of Wednesday morning.

Forests in flames

REGIONAL- What began as a small wildfire in Ault Township north of Brimson exploded into a major disaster this week, becoming the largest fire in Minnesota so far this year and the central focus of a … more

David Colburn | 5/15/25

John VanDeVoort raises his hand as he recites the oath of office with Clerk-Treasurer Michael Schultz looking on

New councilor takes the oath

TOWER— The city council here has a new member after John VanDeVoort took the oath of office at the council meeting on Monday. The council accepted VanDeVoort’s application for the … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/25

Partners offer mental health assistance

Editor’s Note: This is the third and final installment in our series on the St. Louis County jails. REGIONAL- As the St. Louis County Jail has increasingly become the county’s … more

David Colburn | 5/15/25

Voters back formation of new area township

LAKE VERMILION- Unorganized Township 63-17 won’t be nameless much longer as residents voted to organize this week. In a special election held Tuesday, voters chose to incorporate as St. Louis … more

David Colburn | 5/15/25

Heidi Holtan behind the microphone at the KAXE studios in Grand Rapids. The public station serves a huge swath of northern Minnesota.

Federal CPB cuts could be “devastating”

REGIONAL— The effect of deep cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, would ripple noticeably across the airwaves of northeastern Minnesota. Radio stations in places like Grand … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/15/25

Merchandise from fancy and casual attire to movie popcorn await in the Comet Theater's boutique.

Things getting back on track at the Comet Theater

COOK— Nearly a year after floodwaters silenced the projectors and shuttered the doors of the historic Comet Theater, signs of life are returning to the heart of downtown Cook. On Friday, May 2, … more

David Colburn | 5/9/25

Virginia man faces second charge for theft at Timber Bay Lodge

BABBITT- A Virginia man employed at Timber Bay Lodge is facing new felony charges for what may have been an earlier theft from his employers. As the Timberjay recently reported, Ronald Eugene Childs … more

Catie Clark | 5/9/25

Stauber introduces bill to advance Twin Metals project

REGIONAL— The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee advanced its portion of the congressional budget reconciliation effort this week, complete with major changes designed to benefit … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/8/25

Jim Zupancich testified at the Babbitt Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed cannabis growing business looking to build a facility in the city’s business district.

Babbitt holds hearing on a cannabis cultivation business

BABBITT- Residents here packed the city council chambers last Thursday morning for a two-hour planning commission public hearing on a proposal to create an organic cannabis cultivation and … more

Catie Clark | 5/8/25

First Minnesota legal cannabis lottery set for June 5

REGIONAL- Minnesota is taking its next big step toward launching a legal cannabis industry, with license lotteries set for June 5 for key business roles in the emerging market. The state’s … more

David Colburn | 5/8/25

Megan Sisson and SunShine Gardner thrilled the audience with their swing-inspired dance routine

“Dancing with the Ely Stars” raises over $7,000 for NLAA youth programs

ELY- The third annual “Dancing with the Ely Stars” once again sold out last Thursday for an evening of great dancing and buckets of humor. Abby Sirek was the MC for the event. Sirek … more

Catie Clark | 5/8/25

Miners in 1898. Above left: A chart showing the nationalities of the miners who died. Below: A sample of the information now available.

Soudan Mine Miners Memorial Project almost completed

TOWER-SOUDAN- Volunteers from the Tower-Soudan Historical Society are almost finished with their research on the 143 men who died in or near the Soudan Underground Mine from 1884 to 1957. Andy … more

5/8/25

Obituaries: May 9, 2025

Marie L. Zavodnik Marie Louise Zavodnik, 79, longtime resident of Soudan, died on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. A private graveside service will be held at 10:30 a.m. … more

5/8/25

Rules that would have sharply constrained some kinds of travel on frozen lake surfaces in Voyageurs have been withdrawn.

Park service drops unpopular frozen lake use plan

VOYAGEURS N.P.- Officials here have scrapped a controversial plan that would have restricted winter vehicle access on the park’s frozen lakes, ending a two-year process that drew sharp … more

David Colburn | 5/8/25

$550,000 donation to Ely Fire Dept.

ELY- The Louis J. Gornick Trust made a $550,000 donation to the Ely Fire Department on Tuesday at the Ely City Council meeting. Bernie Palcher, trustee, gave a short presentation on Gornick, who … more

Catie Clark | 5/8/25

Dena Suihkonen and her husband Tom get help from Hoodoo Point Campground Manager Randy Pratt in unloading the new life jacket kiosk installed near the campground beach this week.

Mission: Reduce drowning risks

REGIONAL-Drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages one to four. And for two area emergency service providers and their families, this is more than a statistic. … more

Jodi Summit | 5/8/25

MPCA seeks to ease exemptions from sulfate discharge rule

REGIONAL— Officials with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are facing skepticism over a proposal to make it easier to issue companies variances for sulfate discharges, which are known to … more

Marshall Helmberger | 5/8/25

One of the inmate pods at the St. Louis County Jail as seen from the observation window of a control room.

Built for misfits, now a misfit itself

Editor’s Note: This is a second part in a series on the St. Louis County jails. REGIONAL- The officer approached the cell door with a lunch tray in hand. “John, time to eat.” … more

David Colburn | 5/8/25

Friends of the Parks serve up new pickleball court plan

COOK- A long-anticipated plan to add pickleball courts at the Cook Community Center took a leap forward at last Thursday’s Cook City Council meeting, as members of Friends of the Parks … more

David Colburn | 5/3/25

New members settle into roles on Breitung Town Board

SOUDAN- At the April 15 town board meeting here, Supervisor Matt Tuchel stepped into the role of board chairman and made his mark from the outset by establishing a new tradition for the board. … more

Stephanie Ukkola | 5/3/25

Harvey Street bid comes in under county estimate

ELY—St. Louis County has awarded a $4.214 million contract for the Harvey Street reconstruction to Casper Construction of Grand Rapids. The bid was 11.37 percent lower than the county … more

Catie Clark | 5/3/25

Ely school board reviews early release program

ELY- A state-of-the-art professional development model for teachers got high marks at the Ely School Board meeting on Monday, as Superintendent Anne Oelke reviewed the first two years of the program … more

Catie Clark | 5/3/25

Learning to navigate Ely’s city government

ELY- Navigating Ely’s local government isn’t anyone’s idea of a sexy topic, but Clerk-Treasurer Harold Langowski packed the city council chambers here last month when he spoke on … more

5/3/25

Senate approves extended UI benefits for Iron Range miners

REGIONAL- More than 600 laid-off Steelworkers from the Hibtac and Minorca mines could soon receive 26 weeks of extended unemployment benefits, following an amendment added Tuesday to the Senate Jobs … more

David Colburn | 5/1/25