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Harold Chilson, 69, of Ely, passed away on Thursday, September 12, 2019 at his residence.
Harold “Harry” Chilson was born on April 6, 1950 in Austin, Minnesota, which may account for the fact that he was the only one in his family that liked Spam.
He grew up in Tioga, North Dakota and spent his teens in Biwabik, Minnesota where he learned to love cars, racing and a certain girl from Hoyt Lakes.
After his service during the Viet Nam War, he came back to the Iron Range and reunited with the girl who would become the love of his life, Sandra.
Harry is survived by a cat who misses him, Shawn and Eric, his sons, and that love of his life.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Hartvic Chilson and Doris Chilson, and sister LaVonne (John) Goodman.
Family arrangements have been entrusted to Kerntz Funeral Home of Ely.

Marilynn Elizabeth Pelkey, age 78, of Babbitt, passed away September 6, 2019 at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital in Ely, MN surrounded by her loved ones.
She was born September 14, 1940 in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada to Rev. William and Elizabeth (Knack) Krueger, the oldest daughter of four children.
She was married December 5, 1959 in Marble, MN to Clarence E. Pelkey of Pengilly, MN. To this union, four children were blessed: Mark, Sheree, Susan and Kay.

by Tom Coombe
During a visit to Ely Tuesday that included meetings with those both for and against the Twin Metals Minnesota project, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D) sided with opponents on a key issue.
Smith criticized the Trump Administration’s decision to halt a two-year study that could have led to a 20-year ban on mining on more than 235,000 acres of national forest land in northeastern Minnesota.
It was a decision that delighted mining advocates and angered those opposed to the proposed copper-nickel mining venture near Ely, and Smith pulled no punches during an afternoon press briefing at Vermilion Community College.
“I think the Trump Administration made a mistake when they stopped that study,” said Smith.
Smith did not directly address a question about her position on another pivotal Trump Administration decision: one that reversed an Obama Administration edict and reinstated federal mineral leases held by Twin Metals.

Mary and I accepted an offer to go along on a pontoon boat ride on Lake Vermilion. We would join up with the Ronn family for an afternoon of boating and fishing along with a nice picnic lunch.
We met at Pike Bay Lodge, a very well kept and nicely run resort. The owner met us at the dock and talked shop while everyone came aboard.
He said he pays his help $15 an hour and struggles to get young people who want to work. For his cabin cleaners he raises the rate to $20 an hour. Same problem, can’t get workers.
“I have one kid who called and said he didn’t want to come to work that day because it might rain. So here I am driving the riding lawnmower and getting a sunburn,” he said.
Tourism is a funny business. It brings in people to the area but the area can’t always support the added business. When we had class sizes of over 100 kids, there were plenty to choose from. Today our class sizes are down to 40 or lower.

by Tom Coombe
It didn’t take long - just one match to be exact - for the Vermilion Ironwomen to equal their win total from 2018.
The community college team made new head coach Nicki Kosik a winner in her Vermilion debut, as the Ironwomen stomped Northern Division rival Fond Du Lac in a lopsided sweep Wednesday night.
Sophomore Crystal Stignani had a whopping 18 aces in the 25-4, 25-7, 25-10 thrashing.
Vermilion made quick work of the visiting Thunder, taking care of business in less than an hour and serving notice that it could very well be a new era for Ironwomen volleyball.
The win was a milestone of sorts for an 11-member Vermilion squad that has been practicing since mid-August.

The Minnestoa DNR reports bear hunters have had good luck during the first three days of the 2019 season.
Preliminary bear harvest registration through Tuesday Sept. 3 showed a total registration of 1018 bears based on electronic licensing. This is about 40% higher than last season harvest to date, but similar to 2017.
Statewide numbers showed 58 percent males with similar numbers in zones in the Ely area. In bear zone 24, 65 percent of the harvest was males; in 25 is was 59 percent males and in 31 it was 60 percent. All numbers are preliminary. The season ends on Oct. 13.

Editor’s note: This counterpoint originally published in the Star Tribune on Aug. 30. It is being republished with permission.
Editor:
On the Iron Range, we’ve been mining for more than 130 years. Our former mine pits supply our drinking water. We believe Gov. Tim Walz and our state agencies should allow the environmental process to go forward for Twin Metals’ proposed copper nickel mine in northern Minnesota. We have rules under the laws and should respect them.
Mining opponents had sought — and initially earned — a generic, two-year environmental impact study designed to support a proposed 20-year ban on all mining in 235,000 acres of Superior National Forest. The study area is fully outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its buffer zone, and covers land long designated for multiple uses, including mining.

STATE OF MINNESOTA
COUNTY OF ST. LOUIS

DISTRICT COURT
PROBATE DIVISION
SIXTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT
Court File No. 69DU-PR-19-178

ESTATE OF
CARL LOUIS BLAIR,
Decedent

NOTICE OF INFORMAL APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORS (INTESTATE)

Edwin Nilsen “Ed”, 80 of Watertown passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, September 4, 2019 with his family by his side.
Ed was born on February 20, 1939 in Bergen, Norway the son of Ole and Ruth Nilsen. Ed married the love of his life Mary Kotchevar on July 22, 1961 in Ely, Minnesota and the couple enjoyed 58 years of marriage. He proudly served our country in the U.S. Marine Corps for 3 years. Ed worked most of his life as an industrial engineer for multiple companies and was a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Watertown. In Ed’s free time he enjoyed golfing, working on crossword puzzles, watching a good war movie, and was well known for his jokes and stories. Above all he enjoyed spending time with his family and friends; he will be dearly missed by those who were blessed to have known him.