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by Tom Coombe -

Friends, good friends, are rare. As children we tend to expect that we will have the same friends throughout life. For a very lucky few, that happens.
Mostly, our lives tend to lead us away from the past and from places we’ve called home along the way of life. And there comes a time when we wonder about those past friends... have they passed?
Even if they have, they remain indelibly in one’s mind, nourished by memories and impromptu reminders.
In many ways, family members are supposed to remain friends through time, but that doesn’t always work out as egos, slights, and different paths separate us from those who were once a big part of our lives. Can those hostilities be resolved? Probably not if all parties are not willing to succumb to heart felt apologies.
Life goes on. With each setback one picks up the pieces of one’s life and hopefully finds new purpose. You gotta keep on, keeping on.

by Tom Coombe -

On Tuesday the Ely city council has a chance to right a wrong and award the city legals to the only legal newspaper in the city of Ely.
The picture displayed here is what the Timberjay claims to be an office in Ely. It’s not. We know it, you know it.
We believe the council was acting on incomplete information presented to members right before the meeting started.
They didn’t know about the house on Boundary Street purporting to be an office. They didn’t know it wasn’t zoned commercial and didn’t even have a home occupation permit.
What’s true at the time of the bids being submitted was that there’s only one newspaper that meets all of the qualifications to be a legal newspaper in Ely, Minnesota and that’s the Ely Echo.
The city charter says printing contracts shall be awarded to the lowest responsible bidder. We believe the key word is responsible. We believe the law is on our side in this matter.

This week featuring the Hoop Club children's teams, Winter Festival news and so much more! On newsstand now. Call 1-800-492-3555 to subscribe!

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.

Carl Skustad posted online this week, “Thanks for all your thoughts and positive vibes. After a few hours at Melgeorge’s last night thinking about today’s race strategy I decided to drop from this years AH135. With as much respect as I have for this race I didn’t want to be a liability on trail. I was safe and have all my fingers and toes in one piece. The time it would taken me to get to the finish would have possibly put me in a bivi tonight. My skis were so slow and I jacked up my knee in a little wipeout action on course. Ski ya later, peace.”

by Tom Coombe -

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 -