ely

A Minnesota researcher has surprised his followers and officials alike by removing radio collars from his research bears in the Ely area.

An Ely outfitter and guide has completed an 80-mile bushwhacking trek across Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area on foot and by swimming - without a canoe.

As catastrophic forest fires burn across the western United States, forest managers in northern Minnesota are laying the groundwork for a deliberate fire in hopes of preventing similar blazes.

Highway 1 near Ely is reopened, as officials continue to mop up hot spots around a forest fire. Officials say the fire is now 90 percent contained.