Soudan Mine Fire Update

Soudan Mine near Ely MN

On March 17th a fire broke out in the main shaft of the Soudan Mine about two thousand feet down. There had been repair work being done in the shaft earlier that day and sparks from the welding work being done above fell down the shaft, and some of […]

State Auditor Joins in the Hunt for Project Firefly

If the Executive Board of the Ely Area Development Agency thought they were going to clear the air regarding activities like Project Firefly by having a March Mixer where questions could be asked and answers given they were wrong. At the end of a contentious one hour meeting where the questions were many and the […]

Intaxication

By Wilderness Hawk

Intaxication is the euphoria you feel when you receive your tax refund…until you realize it is your money in the first place! And then you read about all the huge corporations in the U.S. that don’t pay any taxes at all.

Ely Council Ponders Charter Changes to Shrink Council

April 16, 2011; Ely Council Ponders Charter Changes to Shrink Council

Every form of government needs a set of rules by which that government operates. When America won its independence from Great Britain, our founding fathers came up with a constitution that has been the model system for all other free governments that have […]

Buzzing About Spring, April 4, 2011…Two weeks before what we hope is the last snowfall of the season today April 16th, 2011

Buzzing About Spring, April 4, 2011…Two weeks before what we hope is the last snowfall of the season today April 16th, 2011

It’s been a long winter here at the end of the road. We had a lot of snow and cold temperatures that tested the metal of the habitants who chose to winter here […]

Ely, A Two Fisted Hard Drinking Town

Ely, A Two Fisted Hard Drinking Town, by Mike Hillman

The first mention of Ely and drinking that I could find went back to the late 1800’s when a St. Paul Pioneer Press reporter asked the nationally known evangelist Billy Sunday the reason why he spent so many summers battling Old Scratch in the small […]

The Fire Is Out, but Questions Burn Over the Future of the Soudan Mine

13 April 2011; Soudan Mine Fire Update

The Fire Is Out, but Questions Burn Over the Future of the Soudan Mine.

It was just about the last place where I expected to hear about a fire, but on the morning of March 19th, I was listening to the morning news, when they announced […]

150th Anniversary of our Civil War

April 2011 150th Anniversary of our Civil War by Mike Hillman

This week marked the 150th Anniversary when the forces from the Confederate States of America fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. It was the beginning of our most sanguinary conflict in our nation’s history, and The American Civil War cost the lives of […]

Spring is slowly arriving in Ely!

It’s been a long winter here at the end of the road. We had a lot of snow and cold temperatures that tested the metal of the inhabitants who chose to winter here in Ely. We had some warmer weather in mid March, but then Old Man Winter decided he wasn’t done yet. March ended […]

“You’re listening to?”

“You’re listening to?”

In days past, WELY was a radio station where many had the opportunity to offer their talents, music and personal time through volunteering. Dozens of on-air personalities past, no longer given the opportunity, left us a piece of themselves for all ages and interests to enjoy, even participate, and the range of […]