Opinion/Columnists

Celebrate Ely celebrates worthy award winners, delivers optimism

Publisher — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 03:08:26 +0000

Celebrate Ely celebrates worthy award winners, delivers optimism

Publisher Fri, 04/19/2024 - 05:08

Ely continues to face economic challenges and problems that vex many rural communities.

Population is declining, school enrollment is falling and a lack of affordable, available housing and ready and accessible child care are but some of the obstacles we face.

And for those who are able to work here, many need more than one job just to make it, as high-paying jobs are at a premium.

Those challenges aren’t going away anytime soon and Ely continues to face many hurdles just to hold its own during these difficult times.

Yet it’s not all doom-and-gloom here at the End of the Road.

We look no farther than last Thursday at the Grand Ely Lodge as Exhibit A.

That’s when the Ely Chamber of Commerce held its annual Celebrate Ely night.

An offshoot of the old “Smile You’re in Ely,” celebrations, Celebrate Ely brought business owners, some of their employees and civic leaders together.

While “Safari Guy” Steve Fredlund delivered a timely, at-time stirring and often funny keynote address, one that packed home important messages during his hour-plus in front of the group, the real highlight of the night came earlier.

That’s when the Chamber saluted several winners of the organization’s annual awards.

Bob Hendrickson, who has been behind the bar at the Grand Ely Lodge since it opened as a Holiday Inn Sunspree resort back in 1996, was recognized with the Chamber’s Excellence in Customer Service Award.

If anyone has earned that award, it’s Bob. A fixture inside the Antlers’ Lounge, he has served drinks and dinner to regular local customers, and the thousands who have passed through the GEL either for brief stops in Ely or annual vacation visits.

In an era when many of our restaurants and bars are dealing with a revolving door of employees, Bob has been synonymous with the GEL and excellence for three decades.

The Chamber also recognized other worthy winners. Tony Rechichi has volunteered his time in the community and particularly for veteran-related causes, and was saluted for all he has given to Ely.

Thanks also to the Ely Veterinary Clinic - this year’s Ely Good Neighbor Business. Thanks to Dr. Chip Hanson and all of the Vet Clinic staff, our pets have high quality and compassionate care- right here in town.

The late Jackpine Bob Cary was a champion of Ely for all seasons - particularly winter - and hats off to the Ely Winter Festival for winning the Chamber award bestowed in Cary’s honor.

Since the 1990s, the Ely Winter Festival pumps life and excitement into the community when folks might otherwise be tempted to stay home and stay warm. The snow sculptures, ArtWalk and associated events bring vibrancy to winter and people to our community.

It’s also fitting that the Chamber chooses to hold Celebrate Ely each spring, as the town picks up energy in advance of another summer season.

Soon more snowbirds will arrive, and fishing season in May serves as an unofficial kickoff to summer and more traffic in town and on the lakes.

The pages of the Echo will soon include our annual Progress Edition and be filled with photos and stories about businesses investing in our community and reopening, remodeling, renovating or starting from scratch.

While there are no megaprojects or magic pills that are a quick fix to some of the troubling declines, there’s still plenty of life here in Ely.

We’re excited to see what the next 12 months will bring and certain that Celebrate Ely will have cause to recognize others in our midst in 2025.

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Editorial: Eight more Minnesota community newspapers soon will vanish

Publisher — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 15:28:36 +0000

Editorial: Eight more Minnesota community newspapers soon will vanish

Publisher Fri, 04/12/2024 - 17:28

“If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall all become wolves.” - President Thomas Jefferson on the dangers of a uniformed electorate

•••

Eight community newspapers — the Hutchinson Leader, Litchfield Independent Review, Chaska Herald, Chanhassen Villager, Jordan Independent, the Shakopee Valley News, Prior Lake American and Savage Pacer — will cease to exist later this month.

Their demise due to corporate greed was set in motion last week by Denver-based company MediaNews Group, which is owned by the soulless hedge fund Alden Global Capital.

Litchfield’s population is 6,600, and Meeker County’s is 23,500. Hutchinson’s is 14,700, and McLeod County’s is 36,714. If these cities had locally owned newspapers, they would have a future — not an easy one, but one that would continue to serve the needs of citizens and businesses.

But they were owned by a hedge fund that stripped them of revenue and staff, and is now discarding them with no thought to the information void they will leave in these vibrant communities.

A presidential election and races for the U.S. Senate and House are on the ballot in November. State legislative seats and contests for school boards, city councils and county boards will bring voters to polls. Who will inform the citizens of these communities about the candidates and their positions on issues?

Where is the outrage? Where is the demand for federal and state actions supporting community newspapers? We suspect that too many believe the internet will provide their news. They are disastrously wrong.

For two decades, we’ve been promised a revolution of civic participation built on the broad, deep knowledge citizens will gain from online reporting. The reality of the past two decades is the decimation of reporting staff.

We have experienced an internet world that has fractured society into warring social and political clans. Death threats, misinformation and ridicule are more common than harmony, compromise and enlightenment. Lies gain power, and the truth is harder to find.

One irrefutable reality is that community news has, at best, a bleak future in a digital world.

According to the U.S. Census, 76% of America’s towns — more than 14,600 — have a population under 5,000. Newspapers in these communities earn less than 5% of their income from digital sources. Many earn little or nothing because they are far too small, with too few subscribers and too few businesses to support them with digital pennies.

Newspapers or local reporting are being lost in towns the size of Litchfield, Hutchinson and St. Cloud because digital revenue could not sustain them.

For too long, elected officials have promised action, but nothing happens. Close to 2,500 newspapers have been lost since 2005, and more than 200 counties no longer have a newspaper.

Citizens watch idly as politicians promise action but then are distracted by a thousand other causes on their agenda. Lawmakers’ focus is fragmented as another one of their newspapers disappears.

We see a heightened focus on improving civic education, but its basic textbook is the community newspaper. These efforts will be meaningless if newspapers disappear.

People say TikTok, Facebook or other social media are their news sources. Define news. Unless it has been stolen from a newspaper, people aren’t getting the news of their local school board, city council and county commission on these sites. They aren’t getting the news of day care shortages, lack of affordable housing or the latest economic development efforts to address these challenges. Those stories come from local reporters. What readers are getting instead is entertainment and snippets of national news.

The eight newspapers being eliminated are institutions. The Shakopee Valley News and Chaska Herald have been published for more than 160 years; the Jordan Independent was founded 140 years ago. At their core, hometown newspapers provide living histories of their communities.

Today’s remaining community newspapers are fragile. They often fear taking tough editorial stands, knowing they will lose advertisers and subscribers.

The voice of independent community news is replaced by fake news sites run by political parties, special interest groups, corporations and foreign countries, each pushing its propaganda in increasingly sophisticated ways.

When communities lose their newspapers, they become more politicized, fewer people vote, incumbents are returned more frequently, taxpayer-supported bonding costs rise and government corruption expands.

Controversy in our communities is not typically divided along Republican and Democratic lines. Debates involve issues about their children’s education, property taxes, public safety and quality of life.

Lose the printed newspaper, and local government officials go largely unchecked. For those in power, accountability will be a worry of the past. At 95% of the meetings our newspapers cover, our reporters are the only citizens in the room. Video connections are available, but no one signs in.

If we want another generation of journalists to take on the responsibility of community journalism, if we want to hire trained journalists for our newspapers, they must see a future with financial security. Too many newspapers can’t guarantee they will be around a year from now.

In a representative democracy, who ultimately has the most to lose if they are no longer informed about the actions of their public bodies? If they aren’t connected to their fellow citizens through the common bond of shared knowledge? If they lose the reporting of the challenges facing their communities? Citizens.

Citizens, in the form of their state and federal governments, must ensure the financial health of newspapers and an informed electorate before the wolves feed unchecked.

Reed Anfinson is a past president of the Minnesota and National Newspaper Associations. He and his wife, Shelly, own three county-seat newspapers in western Minnesota.

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Klobuchar: Ensuring Minnesota veterans can get care they’ve earned

Publisher — Fri, 05 Apr 2024 14:17:16 +0000

Klobuchar: Ensuring Minnesota veterans can get care they’ve earned

Publisher Fri, 04/05/2024 - 16:17

by Senator Amy Klobuchar

Whether they served in the jungles of Vietnam, the mountains of Afghanistan, or the sands of Iraq, when our veterans signed up to serve our country, there wasn’t a waiting line.

When they return home from duty and need a job, education, housing, or health care, there should never be a waiting line in the United States of America.

That’s why for years I worked alongside Minnesota veterans and families to ensure that veterans exposed to toxic substances, including burn pits in the Middle East and Agent Orange in Vietnam, could get the high-quality, affordable health care they need through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

For too long, our vets had to jump through bureaucratic hoops to prove the obvious — that their conditions, be they high blood pressure from Agent Orange or cancer from exposure to burn pits, were related to their service — and in some cases, they still found they weren’t eligible to receive care through the VA. That changed when Congress came together to pass the PACT Act.

In March, the VA announced that it is now able to provide health care for all vets who were exposed to toxins or served in the Vietnam War or any combat zone after 9/11. That means millions of vets can apply for VA health care up to eight years earlier than expected.

This is a game-changer for the 118,000 Minnesota vets who the VA estimates benefit from the PACT Act. In our state alone, more than 8,000 vets have already applied for care.

I think of the Starks family, who I had the privilege of meeting in March. Jerald Starks served our country in the Army for 16 years, and his dedication to service didn’t end when he got home — he went on to work in law enforcement and for the Postal Service. He tragically passed away from leukemia related to burn pit exposure, but during his cancer battle, the PACT Act ensured he and his family could afford care.

In the wake of the VA’s announcement, I am focused on ensuring all Minnesota veterans can get the health care they need. If you or a loved one served and may have been exposed to burn pits or toxins of any kind, I encourage you to enroll in health care through the PACT Act.

You no longer have to file a disability claim to receive this care — if you were exposed to toxins or served in the Vietnam War or any combat zone after 9/11, you are eligible to enroll in VA health care today and will have access for life. Visit VA.gov/PACT or call 1-800-MYVA411 to learn more. For assistance, you can also call my office at 612-727-5220.

Just as our veterans made a promise to defend our nation, we make a promise to be there for them when they come home. By expanding access to health care, we are letting our veterans and service members know that when the United States of America makes a promise, we keep it.

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Editorial: Momentum for proposed Ely housing project is both real and welcome

Publisher — Fri, 29 Mar 2024 17:35:58 +0000

Editorial: Momentum for proposed Ely housing project is both real and welcome

Publisher Fri, 03/29/2024 - 18:35

Ely leaders can be forgiven if they’ve felt a bit like the famed cartoon character Charlie Brown the last few years - at least when it has come to putting together a badly-needed housing project.

It has seemed like whenever progress was made in one area or another, there was Charlie’s arch-nemesis Lucy to pull the football away just when Charlie was about to proceed and succeed.

But the dark clouds appear to be subsiding and Lucy is nowhere in sight this week as plans for a 37-unit apartment complex near the hospital campus take further root in Ely.

After first finding a developer willing to take on the project, the city got more good news this week in the form of an $850,000 grant from the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board.

The IRRRB money is but one piece in a funding puzzle that will reach better than $8 million when all is said and done, but it’s a pivotal one.

Clerk-treasurer Harold Langowski cautioned this week that the numbers are so tight that other funding sources are critical to moving the project forward.

The bright side is that now, perhaps more than ever, there’s keen awareness that a lack of affordable housing is a serious roadblock in efforts to sustain and grow the local economy.

When prospective employees can’t find acceptable and affordable housing in town, the odds of them taking a job here plummet.

Local officials have heard the real-life struggles of area employers and a housing study bears out that there’s significant demand for more housing in town.

Like child care, housing is an obstacle that must be overcome not only to attract new workers, but to keep employees who are already here.

There’s a process yet in front of us - with decisions on state funding looming yet this summer followed by construction in 2025 and occupancy by 2026.

But for the first time in a long time, it appears there’s real momentum for a housing project in Ely. Now let’s keep Lucy away from Charlie Brown.

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Prescription for ambulance issues can’t just be injections of tax dollars

Publisher — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 14:24:52 +0000

Prescription for ambulance issues can’t just be injections of tax dollars

Publisher Fri, 03/22/2024 - 15:24

As rural ambulance services struggle to stay afloat, not only in the Ely area but across Minnesota, state officials have taken notice.

An issue that perhaps flew under the radar as recently as 12 months ago is now front and center in St. Paul, where lawmakers as well as Gov. Tim Walz have both recognized the problem and floated plans to pump more state dollars into the system, including $10 million in direct funding.

Yet despite the additional attention, news releases from area legislators and the clear recognition that the status quo is not working - those hoping for a quick fix or a lasting lifeline from St. Paul seem to be in for disappointment.

State Rep. Roger Skraba (R) of Ely conceded this week that legislation that would pump about $120 million into rural ambulance operations faces a steep if not impossible climb.

And DFL Gov. Tim Walz, while recognizing the plight faced by rural EMS operations, floated a plan that would deliver a mere fraction of the $120 million sought by area legislators such as Skraba, State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D-Hermantown) and State Rep. Dave Lislegard (D-Aurora).

So now what?

Well despite opposition to the $120 million lifeline, which essentially would plug the bath of red ink incurred by ambulance operations last year, there appears to be bipartisan support for some level of action by the state.

The Walz plan includes a $6 million set-aside for innovative options, all but urging local entities to think outside the box and come up with new ways to fund and sustain ambulance operations.

We’re not sure how that would look locally, but the $6 million carrot ought to be reason enough for the area ambulance service, the joint powers board that oversees it and perhaps neighboring communities to come together and develop new ideas or perhaps even a new model.

The recent developments also throw cold water on any expectation that the state is going to come forward and bail out local ambulance operations, not for one year and certainly not for the long term.

Just as Ely city officials have been quick to dismiss proposals for a massive increase in the local subsidy, there appears little appetite at the state level to come up with the amount of public funds needed simply to make local operations whole.

A state bailout is no option, either temporarily or in the long run. Yet at the same time, the state is clearly aware of the problem and a helping hand of some sorts is not just wishful thinking but likely. Only not at the level that local ambulance providers might want.

That’s probably a good thing. It likely will take movement on several fronts, from the way ambulance service is delivered to how it is funded, in order to make a badly-needed service sustainable and available for all of us - whenever we might need it.

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Editorial: Good news from Pulsar hopefully a sign of things yet to come

Publisher — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:23:16 +0000

Editorial: Good news from Pulsar hopefully a sign of things yet to come

Publisher Fri, 03/15/2024 - 20:23

Good economic news can be hard to find in northeastern Minnesota.

That may be why so many people are starting to keep an eye on the news coming from Pulsar Helium - and an announcement this week certainly provides more reason for hope.

The company announced Thursday that helium contents of up to 13.8 percent were measured from one of the samples obtained at an 1,800-foot in-hole depth near Babbitt.

What does it mean?

It’s still far too early to say, but advisors engaged by Pulsar indicate it’s “the highest helium concentrations we have ever seen.”

The collection of further data will determine whether the drill pad is sitting on what could be the largest helium reserve in the world.

One would hope that this will be news that can unite both sides of the political and environmental spectrums, and that if further tests prove well and economic markets are favorable, that helium extraction and or processing will be part of the region’s economic future.

Whether Pulsar creates 20 jobs or 200, that’s 20-to-200 more than currently exist and can serve only to help a region that continues to struggle on economic fronts.

The economic challenges facing Ely, Babbitt and other rural regions aren’t unique and are in many ways similar.

Declining and aging populations; school enrollments that continue to dwindle - to the point that incoming kindergarten class of 34 students in Ely may be taken as good news; shortages of affordable housing and difficulties retaining reliable and affordable childcare.

These issues continue to vex our region and efforts that would lead to good-paying and stable employment must be supported and saluted.

That’s why we are continuing to watch and cheer for Pulsar Helium as it looks to become part of our economic future.

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Flawed caucus system caters to the extreme and parties fail to connect

Publisher — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 16:20:58 +0000

Flawed caucus system caters to the extreme and parties fail to connect

DFL Caucus-goes raise their hands to vote on an issue at Tuesday’s event held at Vermilion Community College.

Publisher Fri, 03/01/2024 - 17:20

If history is any indication, Ely area voters will turn out in droves this November.

The last time a presidential election was on the ballot, more than 3,700 local residents cast ballots, including almost 2,000 in Ely and another 1,700 plus in Winton and three area townships: Morse, Fall Lake and Eagles Nest.

But anyone expecting that voter engagement translates into interest in what Congressman Pete Stauber called the “on ramp” to the current election season - this week’s precinct caucuses - was in for a giant disappointment.

Barely 60 people turned out on the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College as Democrats and Republicans took the first steps toward electing delegates, selecting candidates and formulating their respective party platforms.

When one does the math, that’s fewer than two percent of election participants.

The abysmal turnout is an obvious signal of disconnect, one between the large majority of voters and the two major parties.

Precinct caucuses by design require more effort than voting and it’s doubtful they’d ever attract numbers anywhere close to general election turnout, but when 98-to-99 out of every 100 voters ignore them entirely, that’s a problem.

Through the years, we’ve seen both parties move to the fringes rather than the center, and that seems to be the direct result of the caucus process where so many are left out.

Only the very engaged seem to be participating at the grassroots level, and the result are positions and resolutions that may play well to the base but have little hope of ever attracting enough support to become reality.

When one side wants to ban copper-nickel mining in the region and further restrict gun rights, and the other is talking about prohibiting critical race theory and voting machines, it’s not hard to see why the vast majority stay home and watch TV or surf the internet.

The tugs of their respective parties can also put elected officials in difficult spots.

After winning by a mere 15 votes two years ago, State Rep. Roger Skraba would have a hard time towing the caucus line when he’s out stumping for votes this summer and fall in what figures to be a very close election campaign. State Sen. Grant Hauschild, who just recently bucked many in his party by coming out against sanctuary state legislation, faces similar difficulties.

In some ways, it’s a chicken-and-egg situation.

It’s clear both parties need a little more pragmatism and vision to compromise to appeal more to the mainstream voters, yet mainstream voters aren’t likely to participate in the process - if they see the process as meaningless and controlled by the extremes.

Until something changes, the parties are stuck with what they have now: a system that appeals to a dwindling few and has little connection to what ultimately becomes law.

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Nursing home has its lifeline, but fund drive shows that needs remain

Publisher — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:55:24 +0000

Nursing home has its lifeline, but fund drive shows that needs remain

TALKING NURSING HOMES were Sen. Grant Hauschild, Adam Masloski of Boundary Waters Care Center and Rep. Roger Skraba May 23 in Ely. Photo by Tom Coombe.

Publisher Fri, 02/23/2024 - 16:55

What a difference one year makes - as leaders at the Boundary Waters Care Center can attest.

A year ago today, Ely’s nursing home was fighting for its very survival, as a woeful reimbursement system, employee shortages and a low census created a financial mess that put the facility on the verge of closing its doors.

First the Ely community and then state lawmakers rose to the occasion, combining to give BWCC an 11th hour reprieve.

A direct appeal to the community for funds resulted in about $60,000 in needed cash, while the legislature delivered better than $1 million through various funding mechanisms.

The nursing home got its lifeline, and today the facility’s future is much more secure - and much brighter - than it was during the first part of 2023.

That’s good news not only for those BWCC officials breathing a sigh of relief and the families with loved ones at the facility, but for the Ely community as a whole.

Like the school, the hospital, the community college and the now-struggling ambulance service, the nursing home is one of those pillars of Ely. A community necessity and not a want.

The next-nearest nursing facility is an hour away, and the absence of the BWCC would create hardships for our elderly and their loved ones, adding so many logistical difficulties at an already difficult time in life.

There are other benefits as well, notably the jobs that result from BWCC’s continued existence in Ely.

The community recognized those things and helped come to the rescue, and we’re pleased that both of our area legislators - State Sen. Grant Hauschild (D) and State Rep. Roger Skraba (R) - put their partisan hats aside last session and worked together on measures that would aid and assist Ely’s nursing home.

The state fixes weren’t perfect nor permanent but the nursing home issue goes beyond Ely and we’re hopeful, if not confident, that BWCC and other nursing facilities will get the help they need to keep going.

Community support figures to be a continued piece of the puzzle, with BWCC renewing its appeal to the community last month and again seeking area help by way of donations.

The pitch doesn’t have the same urgency as it did a year ago yet it’s still important.

Take some time and consider what might occur months, years or decades into the future, if a parent or grandparent, or even ourselves, come to need the care that BWCC can provide.

Having that facility across town rather than across the Range is valuable but not free of charge.

A little bit of giving now might ensure that BWCC will be there for all of us in the future.

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Vibrant theater, annual film festival give Ely a badly-needed boost

Publisher — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 05:39:26 +0000

Vibrant theater, annual film festival give Ely a badly-needed boost

Publisher Sat, 02/17/2024 - 06:39

Sheridan Street, at least the area around Ely’s Historic State Theater, provided both an unfamiliar and welcome sight for four straight days last week.

It really didn’t matter if it was Thursday night, Friday afternoon or the bulk of the day on Saturday, not to mention Sunday afternoon.

Parking spots were at a premium and cars were lined up blocks away - with nearly all belonging to those who were attending the Ely Film Festival.

The second annual event was bigger than the first, attracting sellout gatherings - including one emceed by the Echo’s Nick Wognum - during the evening

Even the daytime hours brought people into the building for showings both in the large theater and the cozy smaller room where movies are also shown - and can be watched from plush seats.

It clearly wasn’t a typical Saturday in Ely last weekend when at noon, about 70 people gathered for a revealing discussion about diversity and the issues those of color face in our town, along with movies in both of the theater’s main rooms.

If someone had opened their eyes for the first time after a long slumber and turned up in the theater lobby on Saturday afternoon, they might have a hard time believing they were in a tiny town in the northeastern part of Minnesota. Instead it had the feel of a busy venue in an urban area.

In just two years, the Ely Film Festival has not only caught on -but it has caught fire.

It was clear that the assortment of longer movies and short films attracted a wide-ranging audience, bringing local residents and college students to the facility and attracting curious movie-goers from the Range and Duluth and far beyond.

Film festivals have an audience of their own and the Ely event attracted people who came from the Twin Cities, and even the film-haven of Los Angeles, for the event.

Like it or not, it’s clear that until more can be done on the economic development front, a significant portion of the local economy depends on the successes of our many events.

And that’s not just the obvious ones, such as the well-established Blueberry/Art, Harvest Moon, the Fun Run and Ely Winter festivals and the numerous baseball tournaments held here every summer, but also still fledgling events such as the Ely Marathon, Jake Forsman Burnout and Car Show and now the Ely Film Festival.

Organizer Jacob White started with a concept a couple of years back and it has quickly grown to far beyond that - and we expect that the Ely Film Festival will build on its present successes and maybe even grow in 2025 and beyond.

That wouldn’t be possible without the facility where the festival takes place.

A decade-and-a-half ago, the theater was crumbling and patrons all but needed an umbrella because of a leaky roof. A decade ago, the building was closed entirely.

Developers John and Tanner Ott saw opportunity in the eyesore, purchased the building and got some outside help along the way in renovating the building.

We remember the Blueberry Saturday night a few years back when the theater lights went back on for the first time, and a nonprofit group has taken the ball and run with it - turning the theater into a home for first-run movies, concerts, events and yes, the Ely Film Festival.

In an era when the community is dealing with restaurant closures, an uncertain economy and many nights when downtown resembles a ghost town, the theater is helping to turn the tide.

We’re hoping that there are many more days in the future where downtown parking spots are very hard to find, just as they were during the film festival.

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Minnesota Newspaper Convention evokes memories, pride and changing times

Publisher — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 21:24:12 +0000

Minnesota Newspaper Convention evokes memories, pride and changing times

ELY ECHO award winners at the Minnesota Newspaper Convention included Karl Scheuer, Parker Loew, Tom Coombe and Nick Wognum. Photo by Mary Wognum.

Publisher Fri, 02/09/2024 - 22:24

by Tom Coombe

Echo editor

A little more than a half-century ago, Ely had itself a new publication by way of the Ely Echo.

An outsider by the name of Miles Aakhus came to town, decided to give the existing Ely Miner some competition and started up the Echo.

Full of bombast, ol’ Miles picked a fight or two with the powerful at City Hall and in town and the Echo quickly made its mark.

Not a journalist by trade, Miles hired a canoe outfitter who spent decades as an outdoors writer in Chicago - Jackpine Bob Cary - to serve as the face of the paper and add both newspaper acumen and further flair.

Not long after Anne Swenson moved to town with her husband and two kids and joined the staff.

By the mid-1970s, ol’ Miles had probably worn out his welcome and had a couple of health scares, and Swenson became one of the first women in Minnesota to own a newspaper. Jackpine Bob continued to be synonymous with the Echo, garnering publicity for the paper and himself with edgy editorials, expert features and articles on fishing and the outdoors, and spoofs such as his fictitious run for president in 1980.

It wasn’t long before Anne’s son Nick took a liking to the newspaper business and became a jack of all trades at a young age, learning everything from running the massive printing press located in the back of the Echo’s old home on the corner of Sheridan and Central, to writing stories, prepping ads and learning the business side of the operation on the fly.

Of course the Echo belonged to the Minnesota Newspaper Association, a group that has been around a mind-boggling 157 years.

Each winter, usually in late-January or the start of February, the organization holds its annual convention which doubles as a trade show and a chance for newspaper owners, editors and employees to trade ideas and recognize their best work via a series of award.

The Echo is part of MNA and has made its presence felt at the convention. It was there in the late-1980s that Nick cemented his relationship with Babbitt’s Mary Deinhammer with an engagement ring.

That was when the convention took place in downtown Minneapolis and served as an attraction in its own right, with numerous vendors including some who showed off printing presses that could fill a room by themselves.

By the 1990s the convention moved south to the suburbs in Bloomington, and a young reporter’s first trip to the event came as a student journalist from Duluth, vying for awards and looking to the future. There was familiarity in the halls as it didn’t take long to run into Swenson and renew acquaintances from summer past, and initial steps into the newspaper industry writing sports stories for the paper.

Not long after the reporter joined the Echo staff, covering three-hour city council meetings and typing away at computers that had yet to be linked to this new thing called the internet.

Jackpine Bob still served as the face of the Echo, swooping in a couple or three days a week, bellowing out stories and cackling in laughter at the news of the day or the latest foibles from the Forest Service or national politics.

Nick remained the glue of the paper, holding down the fort and still doing a bit of everything while he raised a family and served on countless local committees.

The convention came calling again in the late-1990s. This time the young reporter was an editor, still learning while heading south to represent the Echo as it won a state award. The conventions were full of energy, Mall of America nearby was still a novelty, and there were late nights listening in as giants of the industry held court and offered both wisdom and political predictions.

In the meantime, the Echo slowly evolved with time. The Miner was long gone. Jackpine Bob retired and later passed on, while Anne dialed back some of her duties while retaining her passion for her business.

For a time, Anne didn’t believe much in the MNA contests. Maybe the Echo was burned once when she felt the paper had earned an accolade. Maybe she was too focused on building and maintaining her pride and joy. For whatever reason there were a few years where the convention carried on without us. That changed by 2010, and we began to enter - and win - in the various MNA Better Newspaper Contest divisions.

The trips to Bloomington became a welcome mid-winter respite, although it was clear the conventions weren’t quite what they used to be in the 1980s and 1990s.

Despite competing in a division with newspapers with better than twice our circulation and far more resources, the Echo got back in the MNA contest game and is more than holding its own.

The newspaper is now recognized on an annual basis and treks to the convention, now held in the northern suburbs in Brooklyn Park, are part of the Echo calendar.

Nick and Mary returned in 2023 to collect the Echo’s awards, and the publication is recognized each year. There were five awards last year while the 2024 contest included three first-place finishes, two seconds and a third for Ely’s only locally-owned paper.

These are trying times for the newspaper industry and the 2024 convention includes some sobering numbers.

About a third of the newspaper’s nationwide have disappeared in the last decade and news organizations that once employed hundreds, or thousands, are mere shells of what they once were.

The advance of the internet and social media have changed the landscape for delivering news and publications are either adapting - or fading away.

Count the Echo among the former and not the latter, with new innovations including daily audio broadcasts along with doing what we do best - focusing heavily on the Ely area, its people, organizations and businesses.

It’s both humbling and heartening to see our work recognized, and this year’s convention evoked intersecting images and memories, past and present.

While Jackpine Bob and Anne have moved on, Nick and Mary returned to the event where they celebrated better than 35 years ago. The young reporter is now a seasoned editor, still enjoying the business, while the page was turned to the future with our new reporter, the red-headed Parker Loew, collecting the first of many MNA awards.

Like the convention and the newspaper industry, the Ely Echo too is both carrying on and being recognized on a state level for its work.

As the awards ceremony came to a close, Nick made sure there was a photo taken that marked the moment.

I’d like to think that somewhere, Anne and Jackpine Bob are looking on and beaming with pride.

Opinion/Columnists

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