Page 23 - Keith Vandervort News Today

Keith Vandervort BWCAW— Forest Service firefighters responded quickly last Wednesday to another fire in the Boundary Waters, the latest located about a mile southwest of Lake Two. The fire, believed to be sparked by a lightning strike, burned about an acre and a half before crews brought it under control. A “Fire Boss” floatplane and a helicopter did most of the work, dropping approximately 30,000 gallons of water on the fire to slow its growth. As many as ten firefighters were also dro...

Keith Vandervort ELY – The American Legion Sir G’s Midsummer Classic baseball tournament kicks off Friday at Veterans Memorial Field. This is the 20th year for one of the premier small-town baseball events in the state. Ten teams will compete over three days with games played all day here and at Soudan. The field is the third largest in the history of the tournament, according to Ely Head Coach Tom Coombe. The first Sir G’s Classic held in 2002 included six teams. “Ely is the only Class...

Posted Erik Erie Keith Vandervort ELY – ISD 696 Superintendent Erik Erie met or exceeded “most” of the school board’s expectations during the previous two years, however, there were also “major concerns” voiced in the recent evaluation. A list of goals and expectations was included with a new two-year contract for the school district’s part-time administrator. Board chair Ray Marnik quoted a performance evaluation summary during a special meeting on Monday...

Keith Vandervort ELY – With numerous questions and feedback in hand, and a recent plea for major adjustments, ISD 696 school board members gathered at a study session Monday night to ponder their next moves for a $20 million building project that is more than $4 million over budget. Following a special study session with district principals and a building facilities committee meeting last week, board members met with the project architect and construction managers to work through the mounting...

Keith Vandervort ELY– After a one-year delay due to COVID, the International Wolf Center here was finalizing plans this week to add a new pup to its ambassador exhibit wolf pack. Details were slow to emerge and an official announcement was pushed back again earlier this month. In an email to the Timberjay last Thursday, International Wolf Center Communications Director Chad Richardson wrote, “(The) bottom line is that we will have one pup and she will be joining us next week.” On Tuesday,...

Keith Vandervort ELY –No turning back now. Demolition of the Ely school Industrial Arts building started Monday afternoon as the $20 million facility renovation project moves forward for ISD 696. School board members gathered a couple of hours later and were briefed on how they hope to proceed with a project that was bid millions of dollars over budget. District leaders formally rejected the entire second phase construction bid package that came in last month at more than $8 million, twice th...

Keith Vandervort ELY – Continuing public health guidelines are forcing Ely Chamber of Commerce officials to downsize the Blueberry/ Art Festival this year, and local nonprofits are not too excited about the new Experience Ely Expo format. The Experience Ely Expo, designed to run in conjunction with the Chamber’s two main arts and crafts festivals, Blueberry/Art Festival in July and Harvest Moon Festival in September, was first announced in late 2019, but the new format was put on the shelf ...

ATV Trails Task Force recommends changes Posted Keith Vandervort ELY – Several recommendations from the new ATV Trails and Ordinance Task Force for the city of Ely were approved by the city council here Tuesday night, giving the off-road vehicles more access to city streets. The task force was formed last month to review and update city rules pertaining to off-road vehicle operation on city streets and to bring the city rules in compliance with county and state laws. With a new recreationa...

CLOQUET - The Timberwolves better-than-expected softball season came to an end last Thursday as they fell in back-to-back games to slip from the double-elimination Section 7A tournament. After …

ELY – This community at the end of the road is once again honored as one of the best places in the country to visit. In a recent issue, Smithsonian Magazine compiled a list of the 15 best small …