News

A booming tourism economy thrives on the attention given to visitors and businesses through the Ely Chamber of Commerce. This week marks the annual membership drive as the Chamber readies for its new fiscal year starting July 1.<BR><BR>In this issue of the Ely Echo are listed the names of all the members who make up the many facets of the Chamber and information about what functions the Chamber performs in the community. <BR><BR>It helps to fund many services which benefit local residents year around, and it uses its marketing expertise to stretch its budget to bring notice of the northland’s beauty to people around the country.<BR><BR>The Ely Chamber of Commerce is currently an ‘Explore Minnesota Affiliate Travel Information Center’. The partnership was established to provide standardized information for on the road travelers and increase economic benefits to the state and its communities.

Ely’s economic development organization has taken both immediate and long-term steps to fill a void in its office.<BR><BR>Bill Henning, executive director of the Ely Area Development Association for nine years, retired at the end of May.<BR><BR>And while the future of the position remains unsettled, the EADA is continuing its work with assistant director Cindy Fenske running the group’s Community Center office and board member Jeff Sundell and city clerk-treasurer John Tourville serving - temporarily - in Henning’s capacity.<BR><BR>“Currently John and myself are picking up any slack that there might be,” said Sundell.<BR><BR>The EADA has also formed a committee to recommend how to fill the position.<BR><BR>“We’ve got three people from the (Ely Area) Joint Powers, two from the EADA and two from the city that have formed a task force,” said Sundell.<BR><BR>Named to the task force were Joint Powers representatives

Eighteen faithful Fall Lake residents were in attendance for the business of the June regular township meeting, completed in record time. Maybe it was the sun peeking through the clouds after a long Memorial Day weekend of dreary, rainy weather that put everyone in a very contented mood. All business was addressed in 32 minutes, with no complaints or additional business offered to the Fall Lake Township board from the citizens. <BR><BR>The biggest news was a request from the Lake County Recreation Board to hold a meeting at the Fall Lake town hall, which they have never done before. That meeting will likely take place in September or October. <BR><BR>Morse Township supervisor Lenny Cersine was in attendance and said that he was willing to meet with the entire Fall Lake Township board or with each member individually to discuss the drafting of a Volunteer Fire Department and First Responders contract.

During the Whiteside Park ceremony honoring veterans of WW II, a check for $6,122.50 to the Gillette Children’s Miracle Network was presented to Karen and Steve Erickson and their children Peter, Brenna and Eli from Hibbing, Minnesota. <BR><BR>The Children’s Miracle Network, founded in 1983, divided Canada and United States into regions for its purposes. Each region chose a children’s hospital to receive funds. <BR><BR>In the region Gillette Children’s Hospital is the affiliate and has been treating children with disabilities since 1897. <BR><BR>Its main facility is in St. Paul with clinics in New Brighton, Minnetonka, and Duluth. In 2003 Gillette saw 17,198 children, 6,000 of them were new patients last year. <BR><BR>The Duluth Clinic saw 1,250 special needs patients, 222 of them from St. Louis County alone.

Ely area citizens will soon be assisted in emergency situations by the service which has become basic in much of America - a 911 call center.<BR><BR>Under discussion since 2002, the Ely City Council on Tuesday finally passed motions which set into action the switch to the St. Louis County’s 911 call center. City employees now being utilized for dispatching emergency services will be given precedence for hiring in other city departments.

Plans for a full-scale bear museum in the Ely area are advancing on two fronts.<BR><BR>The North American Bear Center has found a new home for its storefront mini-museum, in the former Hill’s Canoe Outfitter building on Ely’s far east end, and it could be open for business as soon as this week.<BR><BR>Meanwhile, NABC supporters continue to work toward raising the money and acquiring the property they need to build a larger facility outside of town.<BR><BR>Last month, St.

Hockey season is months away, but hockey will most definitely be on the minds of many Ely area residents Tuesday morning.<BR><BR>That's when the Minnesota Wild brings its summer caravan here, in an effort to build interest in the team and raise money for local youth hockey.<BR><BR>Ely is one of 23 stops on the 2004 Wells Fargo Minnesota Wild Road Tour.<BR><BR>At least one Wild player, in addition to radio play-by-play announcer Bob Kurtz, former Minnesota North Star Jack Carlson, and Wild scout and former North Star coach Glen Sonmor will be part of the delegation that comes to Ely.<BR><BR>Events include a 10 a.m. program for Ely public school students at Washington Auditorium, and a fundraiser from 10:45 a.m.

Three of Ely’s newest residents were introduced to the public last week.<BR><BR>The International Wolf Center has three new wolf pups that will eventually join the center’s captive pack. Male and female pups, born May 5. are joined by a female, born May 12, All have the same father but the youngest pup has a different mother than the other two. <BR><BR>The pups will be named through a contest sponsored by Twin Cities television station KARE 11 (people may submit names by going to the Wolf Center website at www.wolf.org), but for now center staff have given them temporary monikers. <BR><BR>Grizz is a male with dark, grizzled hair and Groan is a female who groans when picked up. The little black female is called Nubee for newborn.

They’ve achieved in the classroom and given to the community.<BR><BR>Their accomplishments on the athletic fields, at speech meets and in music and fine arts have been exemplary.<BR><BR>But there’s one last thing that 74 Ely High School seniors will do together.<BR><BR>That happens Saturday night, when they receive their diplomas and take part in the school’s graduation ceremony.<BR><BR>Set for 7 p.m., the graduation program for Ely Memorial’s Class of 2004 follows Ely tradition, complete with the procession down the auditorium aisles and the presentation of diplomas by school board chairperson Rudy Semja.<BR><BR>In between, class members will sit together on stage for their last formal activity as high school students.<BR><BR>They’ll also hear a few words from one of their instructors.

State Rep.