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DARLENE “Dar” MARIE BACH, 70, passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 12, 2019 in Duluth surrounded by family.
She was born on September 28, 1949 in Virginia, MN to Frank and Angela Pucel and later married and had two children. She remarried Floyd Bach on May 5, 1990 in Ely and they enjoyed the little things in life such as bowling, playing cards, dancing and trips to the casino where she tried her luck.
Darlene was a hard worker and held many jobs in her life, but she was most proud of her 20+ year career as the Housekeeping Supervisor at Grand Ely Lodge, which she retired from in 2016.

With over $3 million in construction for ATV trails in the Ely, Babbitt, Tower and Embarrass area, there will be new sights to be seen. This past weekend one of those sights was an old one.
For snowmobilers the pictures of the bridge over the Kawishiwi River in this week’s Echo are familiar, albeit without the snow and ice.
For ATVers, this was a new experience as the bridge previously wasn’t part of a summer trail system. Seven months out of the year the bridge sat unused. That has now changed.
The Prospector Loop ATV Trail system opened the section from South Farm to Spruce Road and beyond, including the Kawishiwi River bridge.
Days after it opened, the bridge was the scene for a photo of the 100+ people who were part of a benefit ride for Special Olympics Minnesota.

It is in me to imagine a perfection. Then to see it, to breathe it, that’s the chocolate on the sundae, and my confectioned Sunday topping, is the gray wispy downdraft of the smoke coming from the main lodges chimney.
They burn birch exclusively. You open the creaky main door on the massive log lodge, warm soft lights over head in moose antler chandeliers grab your eye every day and the wood heat draws you right to the stone hearth over eight feet long.
We had coffee at the cabin, but the feeling of being up in the main lodge pulls on me, I gotta go see it again.
And, Ok, maybe, I’m a part moth, I can’t lay off looking at the contained orange flames and the smell of birchbark burning.
The proprietor’s wife hands us mugs of steaming coffee. Coffee is great, it’s even better when wearing a thick lined sweater and a friendly generous hand pours you a cup and then, even delivers it.

District 6 - Two Harbors area
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the week checking anglers and hunters. He taught an ATV safety class at the Cook County middle school. Time was also spent assisting with an ATV work detail along the North Shore.

CO Sean Williams (Ely) attended a work crew with officers from around the state focusing on ATV recreation and small-game hunting south of Ely in areas of the Superior National Forest. Hunter success was fair with most hunters reporting seeing birds. Violations included hunting without a license in possession and failure to display current ATV registration.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked angling and small-game activity during the week. Salmon have begun to move into area streams but recent rainfall has made for challenging fishing conditions on North Shore streams. Murray took a water-quality complaint on Lake Superior that is under investigation and continued big-game baiting investigations.

by Tom Coombe
Brooke Pasmick made the most of her last home meet.
The Ely senior claimed victory in the 100 yard breaststroke Tuesday and gained one of four first-place finishes for Northeast Range/Ely, which pushed visiting Virginia to the limit but fell short 51-42 in dual meet action.
A Parents’ Night crowd at the Babbitt pool cheered the Nighthawks on as they looked to knock off the Blue Devils.
Pasmick’s win in the 100, which came in 1:09.87, brought the Nighthawks to within six points at 41-35, but Virginia swept the last two events to cement the victory.
Earlier in the meet, Lily Tedrick won the 100 butterfly in 1:10, while Morgan McClelland picked off a first-place finish in the 500 freestyle (6:37.28), with nearly 10 seconds to spare.
Tedrick and McClelland also teamed with Cedar Ohlhauser and Abby Koivisto to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:56.81.

Ronald Lee Ferdig went to the Lord peacefully at home with his family by his side, October 11th, 2019 after a 5-year battle with cancer. Ron was born January 3rd, 1949 in Bemidji MN to Leo & Blanche Ferdig. He graduated from Tower MN in 1968 and went on to work for Reserve Mining, LTV Steel, and retiring from Inland Steel.
He loved Ice-fishing, Wood-working, driving his Monte Carlo ‘SS’, cracking jokes, and listening to old country music. Ron is survived by his wife of almost 50 years, Deborah, his son Chad (Sherry) Ferdig, his daughter Kristina (Brian) Baumann, Grandchildren, Tyler, Derek, Trevor, Bryce, Great-Grandchild, Nathan Ronald, Sister, Mary Lou (Ron) Waldo, Twin brother Donald (Dorothy) Ferdig, Brother Steve (Kim) Ferdig, Sister-in-law Caroline Ferdig and numerous nieces & nephews. He also leaves behind his beloved dog Shadow, who was always by his side. He was preceded in death by his parents, & his brother Dale.

by Tom Coombe
Ely may yet give business owners a choice when it comes to garbage pickup, but not for at least another year.
That was the offshoot of action at a special council meeting Tuesday night, when members agreed to terms of a negotiated deal with the current garbage contractor - G Men Environmental Services.
Facing a Nov. 1 deadline, the council agreed on a 6-0 vote, with member Heidi Omerza absent, to extend the G Men’s residential contract for four years and commercial contract for one.
The “bifurcated contract,” appears to meet the concerns of several council members, who openly called for the city to seek bids from other vendors who may provide commercial garbage pickup.
“It gives us a year to delve into what we really want and what the consequences are,” said council member Al Forsman. “I think it gives us time to evaluate our stance.”

by Tom Coombe
Time is running out to take part in a survey that could shape the size and scope of a proposed school facilities project.
A survey commissioned by the district is underway and area residents have until Monday, Oct. 14 to complete it.
Survey were mailed last month to homes across the district, and anyone who has misplaced theirs or did not receive one may contact the Ely district’s general office - at 365-6166 - to receive another.
The survey assembled by School Perceptions, a firm with a very strong track record in gaging community opinion on school referendums, also has safeguards to prevent participants from completing more than one.
The survey is part of an effort to gauge public opinion and sentiment before school board members settle on the size of a potential facilities project that almost certainly would require voter approval and property tax increases.

by Tom Coombe
The numbers are daunting and school officials including Ely High School Principal Megan Anderson say that vaping among teens is an “epidemic.”
Anderson provided firsthand evidence Monday during a public forum at the high school on the use of e-cigarettes, what’s commonly known as vaping.
The principal held a “vape” - the size of computer flash drive - that she found in a parking lot on campus while bringing her elementary-aged children to school.
“This is it,” Anderson told an audience of about 20 people in the high school media center. “This is the battle we have right now. These are pretty concealable, pretty small, pretty scary.”
Beyond the anecdotal tales this week were a plethora of numbers, all showing the use of e-cigarettes on the rise, and data noting the health risks associated with their use.

Gary Blauert died peacefully October 9, 2019, surrounded by his family after a three-year battle with complications of a blood disease. Gary Herman Blauert was born on October 8, 1943, to Herman and Arlene Blauert in Grand Rapids, MN. The Blauert family, with sister Linda and brother Jimmy, lived in Bovey, MN, throughout Gary’s childhood. Gary graduated from Greenway High School in 1961 and then attended Itasca Community College. Gary moved from the Iron Range to Minneapolis to work at Burma Shave for three years. With the persuasion of his friends, Gary moved to Bemidji to attend BSU in which he earned his elementary teaching degree in one and a half years. While looking for work, Gary was an Itasca County Deputy Sheriff. Gary eventually moved to Babbitt in 1968 to begin his teaching career at F. A. Emanuelson Elementary School. It was here that his talents and skills taught the youth of Babbitt-at that time a thriving taconite town.