NOMA Opens

Municipal leaders from across northwestern Ontario are gathering in Kenora for the start of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association's annual conference.

NOMA vice-president and Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says a few of McGuinty's cabinet members are expected as well.

Among presentations today include ones on health care recruitment and dealing with the increasing presence of illegal drugs in our communities.

Sturgeon Getting Bigger and Older

Fisheries officials in Ontario and Minnesota says measures to strength Sturgeon populations in Lake of the Woods and Rainy River are working.

Tom Mosindy of the Ministry of Natural Resources says short-goals identified several years ago have been achieved.

Mosindy says they're still working towards having much older and longer fish in the future.

Rainy Lake Bass Fishing Recognized

Rainy Lake has been identified as one of the top bass fishing lakes in the United States.

The lake, which lies along the Ontario-Minnesota Border, is ranked 11th by Bassmaster magazine.

Rainy was cited for its top notch smallmouth fishery.

New Foundation Fundraiser Launched

Riverside Foundation for Health Care is set to embark on an effort to raise money for a new digital mammography unit for Riverside.

The Foundation plans to outline how it will do that later next month.

Immunization Reminder

The Northwestern Health Unit is encouraging area residents to keep their immunization records up to date.

The Health Unit's Donna Stanley says as adults we're usually make sure our children get their regular immunization, but forget about getting our own shot.

Stanley says residents can get their shots up to date by booking an appointment through the Health Unit.

Local Residents Turns 104

Birthday celebrations for Hubert Medhurst at the Sister Kennedy Centre yesterday.

Medhurst is one of the district's oldest residents at 104 and continues to be active.

Medhurst, who still drives, intends to renew his license for another year later this year.

Money for Northern Hospitals

Cautiously optimistic is the phrase coined by the NDP Health Critic on extra cash for Northern Ontario Hospitals.

France Gelinas says her party has secured an additional $20-million in funding for small, rural and Northern Hospitals.

The agreement was a condition for NDP support on the 2012 Provincial budget.

Local Tories Not Happy with Budget

Not everyone is happy with Tuesday's passing of the provincial budget.

The Progressive Conservative Riding Association in Kenora-Rainy River is speaking out against it..

President Dennis Butler says the budget includes cuts to tourist centers in the riding as well as to Ministry of Natural Resources offices.

Butler is also disappointed that Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell decided to abstain from voting rather than against it.

Scam Continues

There's more warnings being issued about a scam involving someone calling claiming to be from Microsoft.

The individual tries to gain remote access of people's computers and even asks for credit card information.

The calls have circulated across northwestern Ontario.

Chamber Awards

Atikokan Progress photo

There's been a record number of nominations for the Atikokan Chamber of Commerce's upcoming business awards.

29 businesses, individuals and community organizations were nominated.

The awards will be handed out May 3 at the Little Falls Community Centre.

Appeal Denied

A former employee of the Rainy River Cattlemen's Association has lost a bid to have a lower court ruling against him overturned.

The Ontario Court of Appeal dismissed an appeal by Russell Richards, who had been manager of the Association's Stratton Sales Barn for nearly a decade.

Lawyers for Richards claimed the lower court erred in its December 2010 decision that supported the Association's reasons for letting him go three years earlier.

Theft Numbers Up

There's been an increase in the number of thefts and sexual assaults in the Rainy River District.

OPP says they investigated 17 thefts in March compared with 10 the month before.

Twelve of those were in Fort Frances.

Item taken included bicycles, wallets, electronic items and copper wire.

In one case, a person fled before paying for gasoline.

There were also three sexual assaults in March, all in Fort Frances, compared with none in February.

Charges have since been laid in two of those cases.