Monday, November 23, 2009

Local Sports for November 23

Fort Frances Lakers dropped a pair of games in Thunder Bay on the weekend to the league leading Fort William North Stars.

Saturday, the Lakers were trounced 11-2.

Mike Jourdain and Henry Gutierrrez scored for the Lakers who were outshot 56-17.

Tyler Stevenson with a pair and Colton Kennedy scored in a 5-3 loss to the Stars Friday.

The Lakers are home to the Wisconsin Mustangs tomorrow.


Fort Frances Muskies girls hockey team captured silver at the Miller Aces Hockey Tournament in Altona, Manitoba.

Muskies lost the championship game 4-3 to Pembina.

Jesse Baker scored all of Forts goals.

The Muskies boys hockey team won a pair of games against Red Lake in NORWOSSA action, with wins of 9-0 and 10-0.



Three Fort Frances girls hockey teams battled for medals at tournaments in Kenora.

The Rolling Lake Lightning struck gold with a 5-0 victory in the championship game on the novice side.

The Lightning went undefeated in the tournament.

The pink Novice Timbits lost a nailer-biter in the bronze medal game by 5-4 score in overtime.

The Fort Frances peewee Super 8 girls team also battled for bronze, losing 6-1 in the game.


The Fort Frances Kaemingh Esso Atom girls hockey team earned bronze at a tournament in Thunder Bay with a 2-1 win in a shootout.

Emma Noga scored in regulation time with Chivon MacKintosh notching the winner in the shootout.

And the Pharmasave midget Wildcats girls were beat out for the bronze by Dryden 4-1 in a Thunder Bay tournament.


The Lakewood Tire Eagles girls hockey team took home a gold medal at a tournament in Thunder Bay on the weekend.

The Eagles went undefeated in 6 games, capped by a 5-0 win in the championship game.


The Rainy River Community College women's hockey team has been ranked number two in the west division by the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The defending ACHA-division two champions are 3-1 on the season and include Brenley Anderson of Rainy River and Katie Stearns of Fort Frances.

Former Officer Charged

More charges have been laid against a retired provincial police officer who once worked in Minaki and Whitedog.

Robert George Lewis was charged last week on two counts of gross indecency and two charges of indecent assault in connection with incidents that took place between 1976 and 1978 when he worked as an officer in the Kenora area.

Lewis now lives in Fenelon Falls and faces a number charges in connection with several sexual-assaults that occurred while he worked with the OPP across the province.

Visitor Restrictions Lifted

Visitor restrictions at all of Riverside Health Care Facilities have been lifted.

The restrictions were put in place at the end of October at hospitals in Emo, Rainy River and Fort Frances as well as Rainycrest in response to the outbreak of the H-1-N-1 flu.

They included children under the age of 18 being prohibited from visiting.

Officials say the number of people with the virus seeking care has eased and allowed them to remove the restrictions.

Robert Moore Memories Collected

The search is on for former students and staff of Robert Moore school.

A meeting at the Fort Frances Library tonight at 7 p.m. will be held to discuss how to celebrate the closing of the nearly 100-year-old school.

Spokesperson Cynthia Donald says the possibilities right now are endless.

"We do have some ideas," says Donald, "like maybe a picture gallery, tour through the school, maybe some t-shirts or some cups."

Robert Moore is being replaced by a new school to open in the fall of 2010.

Tax Bill Looming

A $250-million loan between Canadian and U.S. subsidiaries of AbitibiBowater is forcing the company to juggle its corporate structure to avoid a big tax bill.

The Montreal-based company, which is operating under court protection from creditors, faces a more than $55-million withholding tax in Canada, and potentially more in the United States, unless it is able to repay an inter-company loan this year.

In court documents filed last week, the U.S. holding company AbitibiBowater US Holding LLC says it "does not have sufficient funds" to repay the $200-million loan.

Hamper Requests Collected

The Salvation Army in Fort Frances is giving the opportunity to those who need Christmas hampers this year to register this week.

Captain Angel Sandoval says residents requiring a hamper can pick up forms today and tomorrow at the Citadel.

"We are asking to the families who are going to apply for the Christmas hamper to bring the proper i.d." says Sandoval. "Not only for them, but of their kids as well and the income and expenses they have."

Registration forms must be returned by Wednesday or Thursday of this week

New H1N1 Numbers

The Ministry of Health says there were 20 new cases of the H1N1 flu virus this past week in northwestern Ontario.

Since the second wave of the virus began back in October, there have been 62 cases confirmed in this region.

Overall, the province says the number of cases of H1N1 were actually down this past week.

Bio-Energy Industry Explored

Researchers looking into the future of a bio-energy industry for the town of Atikokan have wrapped up their work, but say its not the end.

Lakehead University and a team of researchers and students spent three years examining the issues surrounding a bio-energy economy.

The university's vice-president of research Rui Wang says the information gathered provides a blueprint for other agencies to take the next step.

"We have all sort of scientific data," says Wang, "and strong recommendations. We need to work together with all stakeholders to make sure that it (the bio-energy industry) will generate a long-term impact to the region."

More than 20 reports and one patent were generated out of the researchers work.