On January 20, 2025 at approximately 5:26 AM, area emergency services responded to the report of smoke, inside of a guest residence, located in the 3300 block of the Wolf Lake Road in Morse Township which is located West of Ely. 

Questions about quality of life in St. Louis County, what people think of the job the County is doing at providing a wide set of critical services, and how much priority people think the County should place on certain services – St. Louis County is seeking public input on these issues and others in a survey that is being mailed out this week.

On January 10, 2025, Reed Erickson, 69, of Side Lake, pleaded guilty to gross misdemeanor Misconduct of a Public Employee for acts that occurred during his time as executive director of the Cook Housing and Redevelopment Authority (“Cook HRA”). When Mr. Erickson resigned, he paid himself $18,982.90 in “unused vacation time” to which he admitted he was not entitled.