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The Grinch made a stop in Ely today when money was stolen from the Boundary Waters Care Center.
During a Christmas luncheon on Friday donations were put into a jar to be used for craft supplies or bingo prizes for the residents, according to BWCC Activities Director Bonnie Forsman.
“All we know is that the jar was full and when my staff went and looked there was like $10 left in the jar,” said Forsman.
Craft items were being sold at a table with monies raised put into a jar.
One employee posted a message to the thief.
“You are not taking that money from me. You have taken it from my residents!!!!! Veterans who have served our country, mothers and fathers who have taken care of us . All that they have done for our country to make it great and now to be in a nursing home and have so little,” said Kyle Stella, BWCC Recreational Therapy Assistant.

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s high school girls basketball team is a missed free throw away from a perfect start.
Other than a late collapse that resulted in an overtime defeat to Two Harbors last weekend, it has been smooth sailing for the Timberwolves, who improved to 4-1 Tuesday night with a 60-24 romp at Silver Bay.
The lopsided win eased some of the sting from Saturday, when a shorthanded Ely team ran out of gas in the second half as a 16-point lead went by the wayside and the visiting Agates rallied for a 51-47 win.
Ely missed several free throws late in regulation and a last-second basket forced overtime, where the Wolves again struggled at the free throw line.
Ely went 17-for-40 from the line, which set the stage for a tough finish.

As winter cold arrives in the northland, folks reach out to friends and acquaintances to share the settling early darkness.
In 2002 a group of musicians gathered to light up an evening with music. Some listeners joined the evening affair to provide the audience.
Musicians in Ely can change with the seasons, as snowbirds come and go. Fortunately, there are a number of Ely musicians around.
Many years ago, Bob Cary’s Starlighters band practiced at my home for its summer appearances at Burntside Lodge at the time.
Over time, the music room had also hosted a reggae group, Canadian and Russian performers, and others.
This particular evening was by request of a spouse. He had been ailing and his piano playing wife, Carol Brude prescribed the evening. That night Dan Erzar was on drums and Byron Moren fulfilled the role for stand up bass. The year that followed was not kind to all, with health issues hitting two of them.

This is the final weekend to carry a firearm and hunt deer in Minnesota for 2019.
It’s muzzleloader season and I came in a bit unprepared. I didn’t hunt the first weekend and it wasn’t until Harold Langowski and I went for a ride to look at a trail issue that I was too excited to go out.
But when a huge buck was standing in a clear cut the urge to get back in the woods chasing whitetails returned in a hurry.
So, it was a last minute run to J&L to pick up ammunition since mine was at the shack.
Jay fetched powder pellets and bullets and I would’ve walked out the door if he hadn’t asked if I needed primers as well. Thanks Jay!
Since the law was changed I have been wanting to put the scope back on my muzzleloader.
Finally on Monday I was able to run down to Virginia Surplus where owner Doug Ellis stayed to help me out.

Letter to the Editor:
Earlier this week I attended the annual legislative meeting hosted by the Community Economic Development Joint Powers Board. Attending the meeting, as reported by the Ely Echo, were State legislators Tom Bakk and Rob Ecklund, City officials, IRRRB commissioner Mark Philips, Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar’s field representatives and field representative Spencer Igo from Congressman Pete Stauber’s office.
The meetings are held each year at this time and provide the opportunity for our local community leaders and the public to communicate with our legislators and express their concerns regarding infrastructure, our school and hospital, streets, roads and highways, the absence of broadband service, jobs and the state of our local economy. And conversely, it provides an opportunity for our legislators to tell our community leaders how much state money will be available to fund local projects.

The Morse town board discussed broadband at its regular meeting Tuesday night.
Morse approved a potential project that would involve the Town of Fall Lake in approaching Zito Media to expand services in the two townships.
Morse supervisor Terry Soderberg reached out to Zito Media in Pennsylvania after the partnership with Frontier was unable to get IRRRB funding.
Morse had put up $100,000, along with $200,000 from Frontier and an application was put in to IRRRB for $300,000 in funding.
But due to problems Frontier has with the state PUC the request was denied.
Soderberg said the only other partner is Zito Media that has fiber and conduit in the ground in the Ely area.
The board will have clerk Nick Wognum put together a project proposal in coordination with Fall Lake and Zito.
The board discussed the property tax statements sent out recently by St. Louis County that included the wrong phone number.

by Tom Coombe
Ely’s recycling center is now open at a new location, and around the clock.
A move announced earlier this year was completed this week, with the dropoff point for recyclables now located adjacent to the softball complex on Ely’s east end.
And in new twist, the city of Ely announced Thursday that the recycling area would be open 24 hours per day, seven days per week.
That’s in contrast to the last several years, when the recycling area was open only during posted hours.
Several recycling bins have been moved east, following the closure of the old recycling area on the west entrance to town.
The move was prompted by the development of Ely’s trailhead project and a move that will extend Fifth Avenue West from Highway 169 to the Ely hospital campus.

Joyce Carlson, Lake Havasu City, Arizona resident, passes away on November 29, 2019 at the age of 90.
Her daughters, Nicki Marines and Peggi Maki, lived with and cared for her since the passing of her devoted husband, Bernard Carlson, on July 4, 2011. She was also preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Gladys Anderson and her brother, Donald Anderson.
The last year, battling Alzheimer’s disease, was under the loving care of Casa Grande Assisted Living Home and Beacon of Hope Hospice, where her daughters visited daily. She is also survived by her step-children Lynne and Gay Carlson of Arizona, 8 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Joyce was born and raised in Ely, Minnesota where she graduated from Ely Memorial High School and was a majorette in the Drum and Bugle Corp Marching Band. She worked in administration at Vermilion Community College.

STATE OF MINNESOTA
COUNTY OF ST. LOUIS
AMENDED
DISTRICT COURT
PROBATE DIVISION
SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
Court File No. 69VI-PR-19-139

ESTATE OF
Lucille Ann Brula,
a/k/a Lucille A. Brula,
Decedent

NOTICE AND ORDER FOR HEARING ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION OF INTESTACY, DETERMINATION OF HEIRSHIP, APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS

by Tom Coombe
The Ely council chambers was filled Tuesday by those who say disabled veterans deserve special access to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
An aide to U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber and Kawishiwi District Ranger Gus Smith heard those appeals during a town hall meeting called by those taking up the cause.
They cited existing federal law and the difficulties associated with obtaining permits to make the case that the government should set aside day use motor permits - through the Moose Lake Chain and Basswood Lake - for disabled veterans.
Gerald Tyler, commander of Ely American Legion Post 248 and one of the organizers of the session, suggested legislation to set aside 10 percent of the day use permits for disabled veterans, while others - including Ely area veteran Bill Erzar - said the government should increase day use permits by 10 percent to accommodate veterans.