Ely MN

Sophomore Violet Udovich of Ely took home two golds and a silver, setting records in the 200 and 400-meter.

The fire grew to its current size within hours of starting northwest of Burntside Lake on June 1, 2026, amid high temperatures, low humidity and light winds.

Area athletes to watch at the 2026 meet include Aitkin junior Ashley Asmus, Ely sophomore Violet Udovich and West Marshall seniors Emily Marquis and Markelle Pederson.

The public can learn more about ongoing projects in the forest on Thursday, April 23, 2026.

Defending champions Pequot Lakes will be joined by Northeast Range/Ely, Bemidji, Brainerd, Cloquet, Thief River Falls and Warroad at the state robotics tournament in May 2026.

The county and MnDOT will exchange federal funds in a "highly unusual" move, so the county can keep using labor agreements. But three projects will have to be delayed a year.

Ely joins the wave of Northern Minnesota school districts trying out a four-day week to address budget constraints. The Rock Ridge School Board didn't rule out making the move in the future.

The fires will help reduce overgrown vegetation and protect local communities from wildfires.

MnDOT is planning major road construction in Bemidji, Brainerd, Proctor, Ely, Warroad and Wadena, plus other projects across the Northland for summer 2026.

The U.S. Forest Service will close its decades-old Grand Rapids research office as part of a national reorganization. The lab produces world-renowned work on woods and water.