A look back at Ely area events during 2004

JANUARY• Boden Shae Ensign was the first baby born in Ely this year. He was born at 6:40 a.m., Jan. 1, and weighed seven pounds, seven ounces.• Mark Lindgren was sworn in as Ely’s new postmaster.• The Ely Chamber of Commerce contracted with a Twin Cities marketing firm - Olson and Company - to promote tourism in the Ely area.• Two Ely businesses - KMR Designs and Erica’s Bakery - closed.• The Minnesota Twins received a warm reception in Ely when their winter caravan stopped here. A group including manager Ron Gardenhire, third baseman Corey Koskie and Twins legend Tony Oliva spoke at a school assembly and appeared at a lunch event that drew over 200 people.• A public meeting showed there was plenty of interest - but no consensus -about plans to renovate Highway 1. Some urged state highway officials to preserve most of the aesthetics of the curve-filled roadway, while others pushed for the road to be widened to the extent that it would allow maximum speeds of 55 miles per hour.• Elementary school principal Tom Bruels impressed school board members during an interview for the superintendent’s position. The board voted later in the month to offer Bruels the job.• Rudy Semeja was re-elected chairperson of the Ely School Board.• Ely’s high school girls Nordic skiing team moved into first place in the state rankings after a victory in the Jan. 10 Mesabi East Invitational.• Dan Krunkkala was voted king and Rachel Berg was picked as queen for Ely High School’s Winter Frolic Celebration.• Ely and Babbitt clinic employees remained on the job, when a last-ditch settlement ended plans for a strike.• A judge ruled that the Lake County Planning Commission treated Laurentian Educational Ventures, Inc., unfairly when it denied their request to expand the Outdoor Learning Center.• The third annual Fun Run went off without a hitch and raised over $15,000 for area snowmobile trails. More than 700 people participated in the event.• Temperatures dipped to 32-below zero three times during the week of Jan. 26, and by January snowfall in Ely had reached 62 inches, 14 more than the entire 2002-2003 season.• An Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital employee was fired and the facility was temporarily barred from admitting new residents after state investigators concluded the employee abused a nursing home resident.FEBRUARY• The Voyageur Winter Festival had a wide variety of activities, including the annual snow sculpture symposium at Whiteside Park and the well-attended Mukluk Ball.• The Ely High School All-Class Reunion committee sent over 5,000 registration packets to alumni around the world.• Area lawmakers introduced legislation that would repeal the 2003 law that reduced state aid to cities - including Ely - that received taconite aid revenue.• Led by overall section champion Jenna Klein, Ely’s high school girls Nordic skiing team dethroned Duluth East and won the section championship. The Timberwolves would finish third in the state meet at Giants Ridge.• On a 4-2 vote, with Rudy Semeja and Ray Marsnik opposed, the Ely School Board approved a two-year contract for new superintendent Tom Bruels. The contract calls for Bruels to be paid $89,500 in 2004-2005, with total costs including benefits of about $118,000.• River Point Resort and Outfitting Company of Ely was awarded the Minnesota Association of Innkeepers Property of the Year Award. Owners Steve and Jane Koschak were recognized.• Because of cuts in city funding, the Ely Public Library slashed its budget for magazine subscriptions and appealed to the public for help.• Gary Klun announced that he would retire as Ely’s fire chief, effective Feb. 29. He held the post for more than 20 years.• The city council voted to replace the roof at City Hall. The roof had been damaged by ravens.• Initial projections showed that the Ely School District budget deficit could reach $569,000 for 2004-2005.• Hoping to cut personnel costs through attrition rather than layoffs, Ely city officials approved an early retirement plan for city employees. Two employees took advantage of the offer, which included a provision calling for city-paid health insurance for the retirees, for up to two years.• Cuts in state aid to local governments would be reversed under a plan, dubbed “Minnesota Fair,” advanced by State Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook).• Babbitt officials began discussing possible involvement in the Ely Area Joint Powers Board.• A company that has developed senior housing projects throughout the state looked at building a facility in Ely. Reallife, Inc., considered plans for a cooperative housing development with as many as 25 units.• Top-seed Virginia hammered Ely 9-2 in the Section 7A high school hockey quarterfinals.MARCH• Record-high turnouts were reported at precinct caucuses in the Ely area. Over 200 Democrats and 25 Republicans gathered at Vermilion Community College to kick off the political season. Eventual Democratic nominee John Kerry was the winner in presidential preference balloting by local Democrats. Kerry had 72 votes, followed by Dennis Kucinich (70) and John Edwards (37).• DFL party officials and the manager of a rival campaign accused State Rep. David Dill of breaking state campaign finance laws.• Vermilion Community College student Bert Hoyer was killed in action while serving military duty in Iraq. The 23-year-old Hoyer was active both on the college campus and in the community. He was remembered during a memorial service at the college, and Vermilion chartered a bus to transport faculty and staff to the funeral in Hoyer’s hometown, Ellsworth, Wisc.• Morse Township residents approved a $10,946 contribution for funding the Ely Public Library during their annual meeting. Len Cersine was re-elected to the town board.• More than 40 Ely High School seniors took part in the annual class trip to Washington, D.C.• Five Ely area snowmobilers were ticketed for illegally snowmobiling in the BWCAW.• Two Harbors eliminated both the Ely boys and girls basketball teams from the Section 7AA playoffs. In a boys first-round game, the Agates clobbered the Wolves 73-47. The Ely girls led by 11 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t hold on as Two Harbors pulled out a 50-46, overtime decision in the 7AA quarterfinals.• Ely-based Louis Leustek and Sons was the low-bidder and was named general contractor for the Camp Street Project. Total cost of the project was estimated at $2.4 million.• Ely School Board members accepted retirement letters from long-time instructors John Anderson (math) and Marcia Homer (vocal music).• About $3 million worth of improvements are in store for Highway 169, state transportation officials announced. The summer work included new overlay between Rice River and Tower, culverts between Ely and Soudan, and spot overlay on 26 miles of roadway.APRIL• Savings realized by the consolidation of two administrative positions, as well as the reduction of 1.3 teaching positions and the use of almost $300,000 in reserve funds helped school officials balance the Ely district’s 2004-2005 budget.• A federal grant will help Vermilion Community College get a new program off the ground. The school will launch an 11-month diploma program in cut-to-length logging, thanks to a $496,750 earmark from the U.S. Department of Labor.• Tofte outfitter Bill Hansen gained the DFL endorsement over incumbent David Dill in Minnesota House District 6A. Hansen outpolled Dill 198-32 during an April 17 endorsing convention at Duluth.• The Trezona Trail Celebration Association was formed and will coordinate and oversee the purchase and planting of trees, bushes and flowers along the four-mile path around Miners Lake. The group planted its first two trees April 22, in remembrance of Mary Markovich and Richard Gamble.• Ely’s Joe Manlove, Raychal Zupancich and Brian Kess were all medal winners at the state high school speech meet.• The high school baseball team opened the season with a 9-1 win over Eveleth-Gilbert.• In hopes of luring Chicago-area tourists to the Ely area, the Chamber has launched “The Last Great Pure Experience” campaign, supplementing conventional newspaper, magazine and radio advertisements with a new wave of innovative techniques. Representatives of Olson and Company, the marketing firm hired by the Chamber, were outside Chicago’s Wrigley Field before the Chicago Cubs’ home opener.• The Ely School Board and district faculty reached agreement on a two-year contract calling for consecutive one percent increases to the salary scale.• Sandy Layman, commissioner of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, addressed members of the Ely Area Development Association at their quarterly meeting.MAY• Bill Henning, Ely’s economic developer since 1995, announced that he would retire at the end of the month.• Ely firefighters endorsed Louis Gerzin for the vacant fire chief position.• U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton (D) came to Ely for the fishing opener. He fished with an Ely delegation that included mayor Frank Salerno, clerk-treasurer John Tourville and other local officials. He later addressed a group of about 30 area leaders at Veterans on the Lake.• Ely sophomore Jordan Richards won the East Range boys golf championship.• Marty Breaker of Ely announced his candidacy for the House District 6A seat. He was endorsed by the Republican party.• An $11-million golf course - The Wilderness - opened at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino outside of Tower.• Gary Quigley, the owner of the Ely Theater building, sought city rehabilitation loan funds to renovate the facility.• The International Wolf Center welcomed three new pups and announced a contest to name the new members of the center’s captive pack.• State Rep. David Dill violated state law, but not intentionally, when he exceeded campaign spending limits in 2002, the state’s campaign finance board ruled.• City council members voted to eliminate the city’s emergency dispatcher service and begin a transition in which all emergency calls will go to 911.• Esko ace John Geving fired a three-hitter as the Eskomos downed the Timberwolves 2-1 in the Section 7AA high school baseball playoffs.JUNE• Commencement ceremonies for Ely Memorial High School’s class of 2004 were held, with 74 students walking the stage. High school science teacher Todd Hohenstein delivered the commencement address.• Reader’s Digest completed a story about Elyite Kim McCluskey, who raised money to build a home for three orphaned girls in Vietnam.• City clerk-treasurer John Tourville took on director duties for the Ely Area Development Association on an interim basis.• Workers at eight Ely bars or liquor stores were fined $300 each for illegally selling alcohol to an underage customer, during a sting operation conducted by Ely police.• Ely sophomore Steve Milkovich placed fourth in the triple jump at the State Class A track meet.• The $2.9 million improvement project on Highway 21, between Ely and Babbitt, began.• State Rep. David Dill was fined $6,400 by the state’s campaign finance board for overspending during the 2002 campaign.• The Ely Chamber of Commerce and the city of Ely reached agreement on several issues, including a lease for the Chamber’s headquarters on the east end of town. The Chamber will pay $1 a year to lease the building, which sits on city property. The Chamber will also sponsor a raffle and donate the proceeds to selected local organizations.• The city of Ely agreed to act as a conduit and help the North American Bear Center acquire tax-forfeited land outside of town. The NABC will pay for all costs associated with acquiring the land from St. Louis County.• The phaseout of local emergency dispatch service was extended to the fall.• Ely’s American Legion team rallied past Grand Rapids 6-5 to win the Land of the Loon Tournament at Virginia. A week later, Ely swept four games to win the Ely Legion Classic.• An Ely man, Frank Miller, was arrested after a high-speed chase that started in Ely and extended past Embarrass, with speeds allegedly topping 120 miles per hour.JULY • Thousands lined Sheridan Street and dodged raindrops during the Fourth of July Parade.• More than 700 Ely graduates took part in the Ely High School All-Class Reunion, an event that featured a day at school, individual class reunions, a banquet, pep rally and entertainment extravaganza.• Cory Lassi was the winner of a Home Run Derby held on the Fourth of July. Later in the month, Lassi and the Ely Legion baseball team extended their season-opening win streak to a program-record 19 games, before falling to West Duluth.• NBC’s Today Show featured several Ely-related segments, including interviews with musher Paul Schurke and canoemaker Joe Seliga.• U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar was in town to talk about a potential development project at the Ely airport.• It will take more than $200,000 to bring Ely school facilities in line with state fire code, school officials learned after a fire marshal inspection of school grounds.• More than 40,000 people were in town for the annual Blueberry/Art Festival in Whiteside Park. The event included 245 arts and craft exhibitors.• Louis Gerzin was named Ely’s new fire chief. Gerzin follows in the footsteps of his grandfather, who was fire chief from 1958-1976.• The city’s primary election slate was filled with three candidates for mayor and eight for city council.• Former Elyite and retired newspaper columnist Jim Klobuchar helped launch a wilderness organization’s campaign to protect the state’s roadless areas.• Josh Mathson became the Ely Legion baseball program’s all-time hit leader July 19, when his homer at Cloquet gave him 145 hits in an Ely uniform, one more than previous hit king Steve Dunstan.• Ely’s reputation as a prime tourist attraction continued to grow after a front page feature story in the New York Times’ travel section.• The Ely Joint Powers Board received a report calling for the area to focus on technology-based jobs in its economic development efforts.AUGUST • An Ely man was arrested and later charged with the kidnapping and murder of Embarrass resident Travis Holappa. Frank Miller, 29, allegedly kidnapped Holappa outside a Gilbert bar.• Lost in the woods for nearly two days, 83-year-old Thor Nordwall was found - safe and in good spirits - by rescuers near Burntside Lake.• Ely’s Legion baseball team finished second at the state Division II tournament, and ended the year with a 28-2 record. Ely beat Jackson 7-5 and Benson 3-0 during the state tournament at Northfield, then fell 7-6 to Sebeka in the title game.• Ely was named host site of the 2005 Central Plains Division II Legion Regional. State Legion baseball officials unanimously approved Ely’s bid during a meeting at the state tournament.• The Boundary Waters Blues Festival brought several prominent acts to the Longbranch in Winton over a two-day span.• Under terms of an agreement between Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and area government entities, EBCH will continue to operate the local ambulance service while the groups look at other alternatives, including the possible formation of an area ambulance district.• State Rep. David Dill and primary challenger Bill Hansen traded barbs during a testy debate at Two Harbors.• Nine journalists from around the world were in Ely as part of the World Press Institute tour. The journalists spoke at a roundtable luncheon sponsored by the Ely Echo.• A federal judge ruled in favor of environmental groups over permit levels for motorboats on lakes connected by water. The decision, once implemented, would dramatically reduce the number of permits available on the Moose Lake chain.• A proposal to extend Lake County Highway 16 in Fall Lake seems destined for further debate, after a consulting firm recommended that the road be extended if the need arises.• The Ely Area Development Association pushed ahead with efforts to lure medical-related employment to Ely.SEPTEMBER• After much debate, the city council voted 5-2 to commit $112,000 in city funding for the design phase of a proposed joint public works garage. The city has been asked to commit $2.8 million over 15 years for its share of a facility that will also be used by St. Louis County.• Candidates for Ely city council and mayor engaged in a tame debate, held at the Vermilion Community College theater.• Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital began a drive aimed at picking up more shareholders. Shares in the facility were available for $100 each.• Roger Skraba edged incumbent Frank Salerno by 13 votes in the mayoral primary. Incumbents Mark Zupec, Jerome Debeltz and Paul Kess were the top vote-getters in the city council primary, followed by Chuck Novak, Robin Mathews and Patrick Osaben.• State Rep. David Dill won by a better than three-to-one margin in Ely, and picked up 60 percent of the vote district-wide to top challenger Bill Hansen in the House District 6A DFL primary.• Using sonar technology, authorities were able to recover the body of a Maryland man from Birch Lake. James Schofield, 46, drowned after he fell overboard from his canoe.• New rules put in place by the U.S. Forest Service angered many local ATV riders, who found out that places they have ridden in for years are now off limits. • City and Ely Area Development Association officials backed away from a proposal to combine the EADA director position with that of clerk-treasurer John Tourville.• Laurentian Educational Ventures, Inc. was granted a permit to expand the Outdoor Learning Center in Fall Lake Township.• The Tomahawk Trail was named as one of the 10 best incomparable snowmobile adventures by SUPERTRAX INTERNATIONAL, a 250,000-circulation snowmobile magazine.• A computer was taken from Ely High School during a break-in at one of the classrooms.• Sam Moravitz was crowned king and Kara Chernak queen during Fall Homecoming Week at Ely High School.OCTOBER• A nationwide shortage of flu vaccine will have a direct impact on the number of vaccinations that will be given locally, doctors said.• Ely’s high school girls cross country team won the Class A competition at the prestigious Swain Invitational at Duluth, and moved into the fifth spot in the state rankings.• City council candidate Robin Mathews announced he was leaving the area and withdrew from the election.• A proposal to implement a $20 late fee and 18 percent interest charges for past-due utility accounts was blocked by the city council.• Interior Secretary Gale Norton appeared in northeastern Minnesota to campaign for President Bush.• Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital pulled the plug on two major initiatives - an 18-month capital campaign and plans for a hospital-owned and operated assisted living complex.• Two suspected burglars were arrested after they allegedly took over $250,000 in cash from an Ely area residence.• Vermilion Community College announced plans to open a downtown technology center.• Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards charmed a partisan crowd of more than 5,000 during a campaign appearance at Hibbing.• City clerk-treasurer John Tourville was offered the position of city operations manager in Virginia.• On Oct. 25, Ely as a whole recognized WELY’s most distinctive personality - Polka Pal Don Micklich - by declaring it Polka Pal Don Day in Ely.• Murder charges were filed against Elyite Frank Miller and three other men in connection with the death of Embarrass resident Travis Holappa.• With little notice or explanation, Ely’s Hardees restaurant closed suddenly, apparently for good. Economic conditions apparently led to the decision by North Central Food Systems, the Montana-based company that owned the Ely store as well as about 80 other Hardee’s franchises across the upper Midwest.NOVEMBER• Incumbents Mark Zupec and Jerome Debeltz and challenger Chuck Novak won four-year terms on the city council, topping Patrick Osaben and incumbent Paul Kess in the election.• Roger Skraba was elected mayor, defeating Frank Salerno by a 58-42 percentage split.• State Rep. David Dill and U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar were easily re-elected, while Ely area voters backed John Kerry for president.• After winning the section championship for a second straight year, Ely’s high school girls cross country team moved on to the State Class A meet, where the Wolves placed 10th.• Jenna Klein, an Ely High School senior, was named the winner of the Minnesota High School Heisman Award, which goes annually to the state’s “supreme citizen-scholar-athlete.”• City clerk-treasurer John Tourville resigned and accepted Virginia’s offer to be its operations manager. He left Ely after just over one year on the job.• Pamida once again looked at possible sites for a new store in Ely.• More than 700 people attended a community forum on methamphetamine use. Speaking to the crowd at Washington Auditorium were law enforcement officials, local physician Steve Park and drug counselor Pat Grahek.• The holiday season kicked off in Ely with the traditional Thanksgiving night shopping. Most downtown businesses were open, and sidewalks and stores filled with Ely residents, visiting family members, and people from outside the community. The night also included a walk for peace down Sheridan Street.• Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital secured a $32,980 grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to convene a task force to examine the future of the area’s ambulance service. Hospital officials also advanced a proposal that could delay response time for up to 16 hours per day.• Candice Smrekar advanced to the state high school diving meet for the second straight year.DECEMBER• The city of Babbitt was formally invited to join the Ely Area Joint Powers Board as a voting member.• Former city clerk-treasurer Terry Lowell, now the city administrator at Biwabik, asked the city council to consider him as a replacement for John Tourville.• City, county, school, township and economic development officials met with State Sen. Tom Bakk during the annual lobbying session conducted by the Joint Powers Board and Ely Area Development Association.• Funding prospects for a $3.4 million senior housing project on Washington Street improved, after the federal government agreed to guarantee loans for 80 percent of the project.• Despite a series of moves aimed at cutting costs, the city budget for 2005 will increase by more than $200,000. The council voted Dec. 7 to approve a $3,042,791 general fund budget. The big increase is in the police department, with a budget that goes from $636,901 this year to $830,000 in 2005.• Dave Peterson, Norma Cersine and Joe Just were elected to the board of directors at Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and Nursing Home. A report released at the hospital’s annual meeting showed 2004 net income of $466,279.• Fall Lake Township requested a 50-50 split of expenses and authority related to the joint Morse/Fall Lake Fire Department.• The Ely Area Development Association voted to advertise for a new director and to move the organization’s offices to the downtown technology center operated by Vermilion Community College.• Major improvements to Highway 169 between Ely and Soudan, including a proposed reconstruction, hinge on special federal funding. State transportation officials say they have money for just one ‘169 ’ project - about $5 million for passing lanes - between now and 2023.• The city council voted to advertise for a new clerk-treasurer, with the understanding that the position could eventually evolve into a city administrator position, pending recommendations by a council task force.