Breaking News

by Nick Wognum
A controversial K-12 mask mandate was the dominat topic at a school safety advisory council session Thursday, with administrators defending its implmentation while also promising to explore how to bring it to an end.
Superintendent Erik Erie told council members that administrators would recommend that the mandate, which started when school began Tuesday, continue at least another week.
He also acknowledged growing public criticism over the requirement, including a petition signed by nearly 300 area residents, and said school leaders would consult with health officials to come up with a plan for easing the restrictions.
“Nobody wants to be wearing a mask,” said Erie. “The big question is what is it going to take to change from mask on to mask off. We don’t have all the answers yet.”
Erie added “we’re hearing from the community, certainly with the petition.”

by Tom Coombe
A potential buyer has emerged for the city’s long-vacant Community Center building.
Council members voted Tuesday night to set up a subcommittee to review “a business plan and related information” submitted by the unidentified party.
According to minutes of the city’s historic preservation commission, which recommended the plan go to the council for review, as many as four potential developers have recently showed interest in the three-story, nearly 30,000 square foot structure.
One developer has made several visits to the building and has progressed to the point of advancing a still confidential business plan.
It will be reviewed by city clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski, attorney Kelly Klun and council members Heidi Omerza and Paul Kess.
City officials and area history buffs have wrestled with the fate and future of the Community Center, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, for nearly a decade.

Dear Ely Public School Superintendent, Administration and Board members:
I am writing to express my thoughts and concerns regarding your recent decision to mandate masks in our schools. I’ve also attached a letter from the Ely Community Voice, requesting that our petition be placed on the September 13, 2021 school board meeting agenda. (See below)

If you’re a long time subscriber and reader you may be aware that I’ve always loved expressing myself by writing.
The Echo has given me THE LOVE OF A LIFETIME.
The way most newspapers are run these days is with an eye to the bottom line. Newspaper decisions are based on that limiting fact.
From the first I denied being able to cope with the public side of the newspaper. That was alright, the editor Bob Cary said he’d take care of it, be the spokesperson for the paper. His two days a week on the job were his commitment.
Our commitment to each other was that we would stay with the Echo as long as we were having fun.

On September 18, hundreds of ATV riders from across Minnesota will be squeezing the throttle on their ATVs as they venture out on area trails. The rides, with starting points in Ely, Babbitt, Embarrass and Tower, are part of the annual convention of the ATV Association of Minnesota (ATVAM), hosted this year by the Prospector Loop ATV Club.
The event will feature the ATV Big Air Tour in Babbitt on Friday, Sept. 17 at 5 p.m. This is a free show and will be held where Peter Mitchell Days is normally set up.
“We’ve been looking forward to this for two years,” said Dave Soular of the Babbitt ATV and Snowmobile Club. “This is going to be a great show, something you don’t want to miss.”
This is the third year in a row that the 3-day event, also known as the ATV Minnesota ‘Ride & Rally’, has been held in the area.

STATE OF MINNESOTA
SECRETARY OF STATE
CERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAME
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 333
1. List the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Essentia Health Ely Pharmacy
2. State the address of the principal place of business: 1500 E. Sheridan Street, Suite 100, Ely, MN 55731-1855.
3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name, OR if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary: The Duluth Clinic, Ltd., 400 E. 3rd Street, Duluth, MN 55805

Anglers over the summer caught and released a new Minnesota state record northern pike and tied the record for muskellunge.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources certified the state catch-and-release record northern pike, a 46 1/4 fish caught June 19 on Basswood Lake by Brecken Kobylecky, a 15-year-old from Geneva, Illinois. The previous record was a 45 1/4 inch northern pike caught on the Rainy River in 2018.
The record pike was the biggest fish Kobylecky had ever caught. He was fishing with an Ely-based fishing guide and with about 10 minutes left of their final day fishing, they were trolling for pike.
“We hooked onto a huge pike that was barely hooked, and could hardly land it due to the sheer size and weight of the fish,” Kobylecky said.
Once the fish was in the boat they carefully took a few photos and measured the pike before releasing the fish back to the open water.

by Tom Coombe
The Ely Timberwolves got off to a strong start in their season-opener, and it ensured a victorious start to the 2021 season.
Ely scored on its first three possessions en route to a 26-6 high school football victory over visiting Carlton-Wrenshall last Friday night.
Junior running back Erron Anderson ran for over 100 yards and three touchdowns, senior quarterback Mason Davis had two drive-extending fourth-and-long scrambles and senior Eddie Prijatel recorded 15 tackles to lead the Wolves, who gave Louie Gerzin a win in his first game on the sidelines as head coach.
It was also the first time players from Ely and Northeast Range came together for football, thanks to a last-minute cooperative agreement formed after the Nighthawks were unable to field a team this fall.
They gave an audience of about 300 people at Ely School Stadium a lot to cheer about, and Gerzin and his troops were a satisfied bunch at the end of the night.

STATE OF MINNESOTA
SECRETARY OF STATE
CERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAME
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 333
1. List the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: Essentia Health Ely Pharmacy
2. State the address of the principal place of business: 1500 E. Sheridan Street, Suite 100, Ely, MN 55731-1855.
3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name, OR if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address. Attach additional sheet(s) if necessary: The Duluth Clinic, Ltd., 400 E. 3rd Street, Duluth, MN 55805

by Nick Wognum
The Ely school district did a 180 on mask protocols just days before students returned to class.
Citing new guidance, including a letter signed by physicians and a nurse practitioner at Ely’s Essentia Clinic, superintendent Erik Erie announced Sept. 3 that masks would be required indoors for all students, staff and visitors on the Ely campus.
Three weeks earlier, Erie and school officials had said masks would be recommended rather than required to start the new school year, and Ely is one of only a few schools in the area to require masks.
Several neighboring schools, including the County District 2142 schools in Babbitt and Tower, have gone the “mask optional” route. Unlike the 2020-21 school year, there is no state mandate for masks and local districts have the option to decide on their own.