Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Local Sports for Wednesday January 20

Tim Hennessey's goal 5 minutes left in the third stood as the winner as the Fort Frances Lakers edged the Sioux Lookout Flyers 4-3 at the Ice for Kids Arena last night.

Jaret Leclair, Justin Erhart and Matthew Caulfield added the other goals.

Jameson Shortreed faced 24 shots in net for the win.


Fort Frances Muskies boys' hockey team suffered its first NORWOSSA loss of the season at the hands of the Dryden Eagles.

Ethan Egli's third goal of the game 2-and-a-half minutes into overtime gave the Eagles a 5-4 decision.

Dryden had sent the game into OT with a goal just 47 seconds left in regulation.

Davis Smith with two, Nick Jourdain and Jeff Cridland had the Muskies goals.


In International Falls yesterday, the Broncos girls' hockey team defeated the Lake of the Woods Bears 3-1.

The Broncos boys' basketball team was bounced 78-55 by Hibbing while the girls' team earned a 62-48 decision over Tower-Soudan.


Rainy River Voyageurs basketball teams take to the court today at the College in games against Vermilion.

The women will kick things off at 6 with the men playing at 8

Child Obsecity Discussed

Legislators in Minnesota are looking to curb a rise in childhood obesity in their state.

They'll calling for a number of measures that include the adoption of statewide physical education standards in schools and integrating physical activity in all classrooms, recess and extra-curricular activities.

A committee discussing the issue yesterday were told one-third of kids ages 2 to 19 are considered overweight or obese and Minnesota spends more than 9-billion dollars annually treating obesity-related issues.

Bobcat Killed

Authorities in Minnesota were forced to kill a bobcat last week after it invaded a Littlefork home and killed the family's dog.

The Department of Natural Resources and the Koochiching County Sheriff's department were both dispatched to the home last Thursday where they found the 30-pound bobcat in a garage where it had entered through the doggie door.

It was later determined the animal appeared to have been starving.

Green-Energy Deal Planned

It appears Ontario is about to sign a huge green-energy deal with a South Korean consortium led by Samsung.

The Ontario government is expected to sign a deal as soon as tomorrow that would see the consortium build dozens of wind and solar farms across Ontario.

There are signs the project could create 15-thousand jobs.

Cattlemen Meet

Members of the Rainy River Cattlemen's Association will gather tonight for their annual meeting in Stratton.

Representatives from both the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ontario Cattlemen's Association will be on hand.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Stratton Millennium Hall.

Native Affairs Posting Panned

First Nation leaders are upset with Premier McGuinty's move to combine aboriginal affairs with the attorney general's responsibilities.

Nishnawbe-Aski Nation Grand Chief Stan Beardy says it sends the wrong message to First Nations grappling with high suicide rates, economic hardship and long-standing treaty disputes.

Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse says relations with First Nations have improved since the stand-alone ministry was created and the change could derail the efforts.

Attorney General Chris Bentley took over the post Monday during a cabinet shuffle.

Cabinet Shuffle Not Impressing Hampton


The area's MPP isn't impressed with the changes made to the McGuinty Government's cabinet.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says Monday's cabinet shuffle does little to improve the region's economy.

"It completely ignores the issues of northern Ontario," says Hampton. "We have some really big issues to deal with - natural resources, the forest sector, the mining sector - and we have a Minister of Natural Resources whose from southern Ontario and probably doesn't know the difference between a hardwood and a softwood."

Hampton is also critical of the Native Affairs portfolio being handed to Attorney General Chris Bentley, suggesting it shows the province isn't serious about first nations issues.

Nursing Program Resuming

Confederation College and Lakehead University are now targeting this fall as the resumption of a community-based nursing program.

The program allows students to earn L.U.'s Bachelor of Nursing program at the College's regional campuses, including Fort Frances.

College president Pat Lang says they still need 32 students registered.

"We're at the stage now we're wanting to ensure we have sufficient number of students prepared and wanting to enroll," says Lang, "and also there will be job opportunities for those graduates in four years time."

Four students from the Rainy River district graduated from the pilot program which ended in the spring of 2009.

Mill Shutdown

A problem at the company's effluent treatment system has shutdown the AbitibiBowater Mill in Fort Frances.

A company spokesperson says its because the system exceeded its daily biochemical oxygen demand limit due to the cold weather.

The company won't say how long it will be down or how many of the 565 employees have been effected.

However, some workers tell B-93 they've told they could be back to work within two weeks.