Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Quest for the Best Talent Tonight

Some of the region's best talent takes to the stage tonight at the Memorial Sports Centre.

Quest for the Best Talent Show goes indoors, after being part of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship's entertainment for many years.

It features seventeen singers and three dancers.

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce opted to expand the act to include other talents after being a vocal competition since its inception in 1995.

Tickets are still available at the Fort Frances Chamber Office for $12.00 and 15.00 at the door if any remain.

Grey Wolf Off Endangered Lists

More than four-thousand grey wolves in the upper Great Lakes region are going back on the US endangered species list -- at least for now.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service says it made a mistake by ending federal protection for wolves in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin without public comment.

Under a settlement with five environmental groups which were suing the US government, the agency said it would return Great Lakes wolves to the list while considering its next move.

The wolves had been classified as endangered from 1974 until their removal in early May.

New Atikokan Youth Centre

A new youth centre is coming to Atikokan.

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is providing more than $51 thousand for the centre to be developed in the town's downtown area.

The centre, which will be geared toward youth 13 to 18, will include a canteen, games and furnishings.

Kenora-area Derailment

One person was injured following a train derailment near the Manitoba-Ontario border, about 20 kilometres east of Kenora.

A westbound CN freight train hit the rear-end of another CN train Sunday evening.

Three locomotives and six empty rail cars derailed.

More MNR Firefighters Return

Some of the Ministry of Natural Resources Firefighters who were helping fight fires in Alberta for the past two weeks are now home.

About 60 Ontario fire personnel returned to their home bases yesterday.

The remaining contingent of about 37 will return Friday.

New Ministry Support by Industry

A move by the province to move forestry from the Ministry of Natural Resources to Northern Development is gaining some positive reviews.

The executive director of the Ontario Forest Industries Association Jamie Lim says it should be a good move for her members.

"If only certain parts of forestry are moved over to MNDF and critical files are left at MNR, it will increase costs and increase burden for operating in Ontario," says Lim. "I'm certain Premier McGuinty isn't going to make an announcement that's going to create greater burden."

Lim says the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines has been a real booster for the mining sector and hopes it can do the same thing for the forest industry.

Abattoir Construction Underway

Work on the new abattoir in Emo is now underway.

Members of Rainy River District Regional Abattoir Incorporated were joined by area producers and elected officials at the site yesterday for a sod-turning ceremony to celebrate the start of construction.

President Steve Loshaw says its been a long time coming.


"The abattoir project in whole has been ongoing for almost thirteen years," says Lowshaw. "The current board has worked on its going into our fourth year and we've had a number of hurdles we've had to overcome. Today was very positive cause it was the start of construction. It shows we will have an abattoir."

When the two-million dollars facility opens at the end of the year, it will handle a variety of animals including cattle, elk and other smaller animals.