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by Tom Coombe -

It’s not easy being a Minnesota sports fan. Pick a sport and there’s plenty of heartbreak to go around. The Wild, the Vikings, the Twins and even some of our college teams have left us wondering when the championship days will return.
Mary and I took a trip to the Twin c\Cities and managed to squeeze in four games. My buddy Jim Ronn’s daughter plays varsity for the Blaine girls hockey team. Two of our four games were watching her play.
We haven’t watched much girls hockey and I have to say I was impressed. The girls know the game and play it well. They pass the puck and hustle back on defense. They attack on offense and play the game right.
There were very few penalties so the game moved right along. The only difference for me was the blaring ’80s rock music every time the whistle blew. Hey, I love music but there is such a thing as volume control.

Since 1972 the Ely Echo has maintained an office and employed a staff in Ely, contributing to the Ely economy with real estate taxes and its payroll. Staff members children attend Ely schools. We believe in Ely and know it is important to support our local businesses with our patronage and concern.

This website is free for your browsing and features legal notices which affect Ely residents and some articles and photos from each week's news - about 10-15 percent of what you'll find in the complete Ely Echo newspaper. In addition to the Echo in print which is sent to paid subscribers, there is an email version of the Echo available for just $35 a year and sent to any email address in the world. If you'd like to see a sample, just let us know.

Two full pages are devoted to the history of Ely in its first 46 years by Van Brunt in 1921, shared by Connie Rohloff with the Ely Echo. You'll find photos of some of Ely’s founding fathers and places around town, such as this one of Ely’s earliest hotel - The Pioneer on Chapman Street, built of logs.
You'll want to pick up a copy before they are sold out.

And if YOU have any old photos of Ely to share, the Echo will copy them while you wait so you can take home your treasures to keep.

In this two page article you'll learn how the City of Ely began, its schools, government and mines.

FIRING UP THE CROWD - Ely no longer has high school cheerleaders, but Betty Kunstel brings her pom-poms to each home basketball game and leads Ely fans through the singing of the school fight song.

REMODELED DIGS for Ely Community Resource at the former AFU Building on Fourth Avenue East. The organization held an open house Wednesday to show off its new offices and headquarters. Viewiers included Trudy Staubitz. Echo photo

Last week a team from Interact, the new kids’ service club, briefed the Ely Rotary Club on their first project. In two weeks during December the students sold Yuda bands to raise funds for the education of a girl in Zimbabwe. A total of 310 bands were sold, raising $2,200.75, which was augmented by a $200 donation from Ely Rotary Club. Interact members also shared their experience of Skyping with Benadette Vushe in Zimbabwe. There is no public school available to Benadette, who wishes to become a teacher. Pictured are Esther Anderson, Finn Liesching, Shane Spangler, Grace Sundell, Natasha Fulkrod and Zach Robbins of the Interact team. Photo by Jocelyn Majerus and Sue Savereide

It may be early but it’s likely taxpayers in the Town of Morse will not see a levy increase in 2020.
The Morse board met Tuesday night and took a first look at the proposed budget for 2020.
Both treasurer Mary Ann Lekatz and supervisor Bob Berrini said a levy increase wouldn’t be needed.
The board will make its recommendation to the annual meeting in March where voters will decide whether or not to raise taxes in 2020.
When the meeting started a moment of silence was held for Tom Rukavina who most recently served as the St. Louis County Commissioner for the Ely area.
Rukavina worked hard to get an agreement on annexation between Morse and the city of Ely. That tentative agreement is now in the hands of the city council.
The city is expected to take action on Morse’s counter proposal at Tuesday’s council meeting.
In other business the board:

Sharon Jeanne (Whiting) Dimich, 65, of Babbitt, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at the Boundary Waters Care Center in Ely. She is survived by her husband William Dimich of Babbitt; children: Bruce Dietrich of Ely, Craig (Jen) Dietrich of Houston, TX; sisters: Julie (Dave) Rhein, Diane (Paul) Myers, brother: Jerome (Brenda) Whiting; granddaughters: Morgan Dietrich, Kaela Dietrich and great granddaughter Wynter; several nieces, nephews and cousins, step children: Heather Jackson, step grandsons Austin Hayes and Magus Jackson. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Leora Wetzel, 90, of Ely, passed away on Sunday, January 13, 2019 at Essentia Health- St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.
Leora was one of 14 children born to Albert and Selma Jaeger in Merrill, Wisconsin. She learned to bake and cook at her mother’s side and used that talent to bless the family she stayed with while attending high school. After graduation, she was a stenographer. Then she fell in love with Arn at church. Leora and Arnold Wetzel were married on October 8, 1949 in Wausau, Wisconsin. The couple moved to Wells, Minnesota where they raised chickens and hogs. Together they had one son, Thomas. Leora was a housewife on the farm and taught Sunday School at Wells Assembly of God Church.
Lee had the gift of hospitality and shared her culinary talents with everyone Grandpa Arn invited over to the house.