Tag Archives: Ely

Big, bad media wolf

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Less than a week after the Academy Awards, the International Wolf Center weighed in and Facebook fans voted: the 2013 Scat Award goes to “The Grey.” Also nominated was Jodi Picoult’s book, “Lone Wolf.”

The award calls attention to the worst portrayal of wolves in the media, according to the organization’s executive director Rob Schultz.

“The Grey,” for instance, demonizes wolves, and Picoult’s book romanticizes and anthropomorphizes wolves to an absurd level.

The award will be on display in the trophy case at the International Wolf Center in Ely.

Text your choice

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Going to a website isn’t the only way to vote in the Power a Bright Future contest, and — based on what we’re hearing — that’s a good thing. The contest’s winner will get a $50,000 grant from Clorox. But slowdowns on the voting website have frustrated some voters.

Quick-fingered users can text in their votes for the Northland schools in the running for the prize.

Text the following “keywords” to 95248:

    • For Lakeview Christian Academy in Duluth, text 1837pbf
    • For St. James Catholic School in Duluth, text 1504pbf
    • For St. John’s School in Duluth, text 1438pbf
    • For Washington Elementary School in Ely, text 764pbf
    • For Wrenshall School, text 1393pbf

One vote each via text and website per person is allowed through Dec. 19, so don’t get greedy.

Don’t let fraud embarrass you

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The only thing spookier than a kid in a costume at your door is a crooked paving contractor. Don’t be embarrassed if you think you were scammed by one of these clowns — report it to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office is investigating reports of an unlicensed paving contractor working in the Ely and Babbitt areas who offers driveway paving and repair at low prices. The contractor performs work with substandard materials and later presents the homeowner with a bill many times the original estimate.

The contractor’s practice has been to operate by verbal agreement and to offer a receipt after payment with little detail and a false name and phone number.

In some cases, the investigation has been hampered by delayed reporting because victims are embarrassed to admit that the contractor had taken advantage of them, the Sheriff’s Office said. The contractor may be targeting elderly people.

The Sheriff’s Office reminds people to require written estimates of contractors, licensing information and references, especially of contractors they are not familiar with.

Anyone who has been victimized by such practices or knows of someone who has been involved in the fraudulent practice is asked to call 911.

Pups meet wolf pack

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This week the International Wolf Center’s new wolf pups got to meet for the first time the rest of the wolf pack at the Ely facility. Boltz and Luna gradually will be united with the pack under close monitoring to make sure the existing adult wolves, Aidan and Denali, accept them.

More than 100 volunteers have spent 2,500 hours observing, socializing, feeding, measuring and weighing the pups. One volunteer crossed the Atlantic to help with the introduction of the pups. Carla Mounsey, of Helensburgh, Scotland, said it was the experience of her lifetime.

According to the Center’s Wolf Curator Lori Schmidt, the transition went as well as it possibly could. “One of the biggest concerns had to do with Luna, our female pup. She is still recovering from her May surgery to repair a broken femur,” Schmidt said.“So far, so good.”

The introduction plan calls for a team of behavioral observers to watch the interactions between the pups and the adults around the clock for several days after the transition. For more information, go to wolf.org.