News

ON THE TRAIL and on her way to a second place finish behind her husband Blake Freking was Jennifer Freking who finished in 21:17:58, with Blake taking first with a time of 19:32:31. The couple resides in Finland, MN. The 293 mile race is the longest in the lower 48 states and carries a purse of $5,400 for first place and $3,600 for second place.

Elyite Peter McClellan placed seventh in the Marathon finishers.
Photo by Heidi Pinkerton.

NEW AND OLD LIONS - The original Ely Lions Club gave away $16,000 this past weekend. Accepting a donation of $4,000 was Steve Saari of Veterans on the Lake. The original Ely Lions Club gave away $16,000 this past weekend in monies raised from pancake feeds in Whiteside Park during the Blueberry/Art and Harvest Moon festivals. $3,500 was sccepted by Kurt Erickson for the St. Louis County Rescue Squad. Donations were also made to Ely Food Shelf $2,000, Veterans on the Lake $4,000, Northwoods Partners 1,500, Ely Community Resource $1,000, Advocates for Family Peace $1,500, South Shore Ambulance $500 and Leader Dogs $2,000. Presenting the checks were Bud Adamic and Len Katauskas. Also pictured are two people looking to revive the club, Kris Winkelman (left) and Mike Brundski. There will be an Ely Lions Club meeting at the Boundary Waters Care Center on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. Photo by Nick Wognum.

Thursday morning greeting

Thought I'd send these photos taken between 7 and 8 this AM at White Iron with thermometer about 4ft off the lake.
Enjoy,
Eric Pfeiffer

Ely schools were closed for the third day due to the cold.

by Nick Wognum -

by Tom Coombe
The countdown is on to Ely’s premiere winter celebration.
Now in its 26th year, the 2019 edition of the Ely Winter Festival is set for Feb. 7-17, and organizers say it will include a combination of “new and traditional events that will enhance your enjoyment of winter.”
While it includes dozens of events and activities, the festival is headlined each year by the International Snowsculpting Symposium.
Whiteside Park and other locations in town serve as home to an array of snow sculptures, to be carved by 18 teams from Ely, elsewhere in Minnesota and other countries.
The symposium kicks off the festival Feb. 7-10, and the park is certain to serve as an unofficial hub of activity as sculpting teams make their works of art out of giant blocks of snow.
Volunteers brave the cold to set the forms and city crews fill them with snow.

by Tom Coombe -

You can tell who the hometown Elyites are - they're the ones volunteering and working to make the City of Ely and its environs survive - not just cold temperatures but also the sometimes harsh environment. Hundreds of prizes were donated by businesses to the Fun Run. Businesses which support local activities and welcome your patronage. That truly counts all year around. So say thanks to a volunteer and donator when you're out and about. They'll appreciate being recognized.

This issue of the Echo features hundreds of happy faces at the Fun Run.

LOON STATS AND STORIES were prevalent Tuesday at the Grand Ely Lodge when loon watcher Sherry Abts spoke during the weekly luncheon. Abts presented data showing where loons were observed in the Ely area this year, and she and others shared stories about loons and their travels, including loons that have traveled as far as Nova Scotia or to the southern United States. Photo by Tom Coombe

COLD TEMPS but the Special Olympics torch lighting was still held Thursday morning at Grand Ely Lodge for the start of the Northland 300 snowmobile ride. Photo by Nancy McReady.

Plans submitted to explore on state nonferrous metallic minerals leases

Three exploration companies have proposed mineral exploration in northeastern Minnesota.

Twin Metals Minnesota (TMM) proposes to explore for metallic mineral deposits in Lake and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota in areas about five miles east of Babbitt and eight miles southeast of Ely, Minnesota. TMM proposes to establish 6 new drill pads upon which monitoring wells will be installed, and to conduct down-hole geophysical and hydrogeological (HGP) tests at up to 9 existing temporarily sealed exploratory borings on State minerals leases.

AngloGold Ashanti Minnesota (AGAM) proposes to explore for metallic mineral deposits in Itasca County, Minnesota in an area South of State Highway 1 and east of the Bass Lake Road. AGAM plans to drill exploratory borings at 13 sites using the rotosonic drilling method.