UPDATED: ELY – A special tribute event at Ely school memorializing the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks planned has been called off. In an email announcement to local media on Wednesday afternoon, after the Timberjay’s deadline, Ely Memorial High School 6-12 Principal Megan Anderson wrote, “The Ely Student Council 9/11 Event scheduled for September 10th has been canceled. We will commemorate the 20th anniversary of September 11th at the Veteran’s Day ceremony in November.” As reported in this week’s edition of the Timberjay, the event was originally dubbed the “9/11 Never Forget Project,” and was organized by the school student council, in partnership with the politically-conservative Young America’s Foundation. When made aware of the political ramifications of the partnership, ISD 696 officials were quick to dissolve any involvement with the organization. “We are not partnering with the Young America Foundation,” Erie told the Timberjay this week. “What we try to do is to stay apolitical. YAF certainly has a strong political bandwidth on different issues. If it was a politically- liberal action committee or organization, we wouldn’t endorse that either. Or anything in the middle.” Read more about the controversy in the Sept. 10 issue of the Timberjay. ELY – With ISD 696 officials facing controversies such as a recent book-banning request and a face-mask wearing policy reversal at the start of the new school year, another political hot potato … more

REGIONAL- As the surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the delta variant continues, a treatment to lessen the severity of the disease approved months ago is gaining increased attention and use.The use of … more

EAGLES NEST TWP- The Eagles Nest Town Board took the unusual step this past week of banning the use of ATVs and other off-highway vehicles on a short township road in a stop-gap effort to discourage … more

ELY –As the 2021-22 school year got underway this week, all students, staff and visitors to Ely schools were required to wear protective face masks due to public health concerns over the … more

REGIONAL – Fire crews working to contain wildfires burning in northeast Minnesota were aided by cool temperatures and scattered rain showers over the last week, and by Tuesday the Greenwood … more

REGIONAL— U.S. Steel is seeking a permit modification for its Minntac tailings facility north of Virginia, that would eliminate the regulation of a number of pollutants that are covered in its … more

ELY – Ely is hosting the 2021 Harvest Moon Festival this weekend in Whiteside Park. This year’s festival will feature about 100 booths filled with arts, crafts, and food. For all of those … more

ELY- The Ely School District’s decision to require students to wear facemasks as part of their back-to-school attire this week has prompted a petition drive by some district residents seeking … more

BABBITT – A 70-year-old Babbitt man was injured last Saturday afternoon when he swerved his motorcycle to avoid a deer and ended up crashing.Lester Allan Parson was driving a 2014 Erik Buell … more

ELY – Beginning immediately, all Ely schools students, staff and visitors are required to wear protective face masks due to public health concerns over the spiking coronavirus pandemic in the … more