No Charges Laid In Salvation Army Fire

No charges are being laid in connection with a fire Monday night in front of the Salvation Army in Fort Frances.

Members of the Fort Frances Fire Department were called to extinguish the blaze that charred a pile of books, clothing and paper.

OPP did question a suspect who was taken into police custody on an unrelated incident.

It was determined the fire was started by a lit cigarette.

Fire Destroyed Mobile Trailer In Emo

Fire has destroyed a mobile home in the township of Emo.

The fire occurred on Carpenter Road, northeast of the village at about 6:30 a.m. yesterday.

None one was inside.

Officials with the Emo township fire department believe the fire started in a bedroom area, but the exact cause is still being determined.

Area Officer Recognized

An OPP officer who works regularly with the media and several community organizations in the Rainy River District has been recognized for her work

Constable Anne McCoy has been presented with a Queen Elizabeth the second Diamond Jubilee medal.

McCoy was one of three OPP officers in the northwest to receive medals during a ceremony in Thunder Bay yesterday.

Citation For Bravery Awarded

OPP have also awarded the Commissioner's Citation for Bravery to a man who helped rescue a woman from the Fort Frances area who was mauled by a bear last fall.

Daniel Morrison and the woman were working with a Ministry of Natural Resources group conducting an animal count survey in a remote area near Armstrong at the time of the incident.

Morrison used a hunting knife to fight off the bear until police and Conservation officers arrived to kill the bear and get the woman medical attention.

More Wage Freezes Coming

The provincial Liberal government will unveil its plan today that forces wage freezes among public sector workers.

Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested two weeks ago that his government may introduce a single bill to impose an across-the-board wage freeze.

The Ontario Federation of Labour is holding an emergency meeting with other union leaders to talk about how they can mobilize province-wide to challenge the cuts.

Property Assessments To Rise

Municipal budgets are just starting to be worked on, but area homeowners could have to pay more in property taxes next year.

A report by Ontario's Municipal Property Assessment Corporation which determines the value of homes used to set taxes projects assessments to rise 4.5 per cent for the next four years starting in 2013.

MPAC says residential property values have risen by 20 to 30 per cent in northern Ontario since its last update in 2008.

New Canada Day Advisory Committee Formed

The planning of Canada Day festivities in Fort Frances will now fall to an advisory committee with the town.

Volunteer groups involved in the past, including Fun in the Sun, will be represented.

Community Services Manager Jason Kabel sees the new committee providing ongoing support.

Kabel says it will also help the group access resources and write grants.

Huffman School To Be Demolished

The former F.H. Huffman school will be coming down.

Fort Frances town council agreed at their meeting Monday night to demolish the vacant school it purchased two years ago.

CAO Mark McCaig says it will pave the way for new housing lots.

McCaig says an outside firm will be hired, but there might be an opportunity to use town resources to help lower costs.

Councillor Seeks Funds For Tug Of War

A Fort Frances councillor wants the town to consider dedicating funds to enhancing its portion of the annual Pulling for Peace tug of war with International Falls.

Rick Wiedenhoeft says it might help the town attract well-known athletes like the Falls has done.

The Falls has brought in several former members of the Minnesota Vikings in the past and has Pro Football Hall of Famer Carl Ellar attending next July.

Little Public Input Into Budget

Little response from the public to a call by the town of Fort Frances for input into the 2013 budget.

No one attended a public meeting held last night.

The town did receive a submission from the Fort Frances Meals on Wheels program asking for $18,500 to help offset expenses.

That's 500 dollars more than it received for this year.

Radio-thon Planned For Next Week

93.1 The Border intends to bring the Riverside Foundation for Health Care's Together We Can Campaign past its goal.

A four-hour radio-a-thon will be held next Tuesday to help raise money for a new digital mammography unit.

The campaign has so far has raised about 88 per cent of its anticipated 650-thousand dollar goal.

Next Tuesday's morning's event will go from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. live from LaVerendrye Hospital in Fort Frances.

Spend "An Evening In Paris"

Riverside Foundation for Health Care is planning for its next fundraising event.

It's being called "An Evening in Paris" and will be held October 13 at the Memorial Sports Centre's auditorium.

Fifty dollar tickets are now available at all Riverside Health Care Facilities and McTaggarts.

Officers Receiving Awards

Four officers who work out of the OPP's Fort Frances detachment are among those across northwestern Ontario being honoured today at a ceremony in Thunder Bay.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis will be on hand to present awards to OPP employees and community members for various acts and achievements.

Help Sent To Alberta

MNR photo

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending forest firefighters to Alberta.

Twenty firerangers, twelve incident commanders and an agency representative left Ontario yesterday to aid with forest fire suppression efforts in that province.

Four MNR firefighters are also working in Minnesota.

Health Care Town Halls Planned

Health Care will be a focus of a series of town hall meetings, being hosting this Friday by Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell.

She'll be joined by NDP Health Critic Frances Gelinas.

Cambell is inviting members of the public to attend for an open discussion about the health care system and its ability to meet the needs of northwestern Ontario.

They're tour will start in Fort Frances, taking them to Rainy River, Kenora and Dryden.

S.I.U. Called To Investigate Kenora Fatal

Ontario's police watchdog has been called in after a 42-year-old woman was killed in a collision while being transported by provincial police in Kenora.

The Special Investigations Unit says officers were transporting a woman in custody to the Kenora detachment early Sunday morning when their cruiser collided with a tractor trailer unit.

The officers and the driver of the transport did not suffer serious injuries.

Court Rules Against Extradition

Ontario's top court has ruled a man from Rainy River First Nations facing drug charges in the United States should not be extradited because of his aboriginal status.

Zachary Leonard was arrested with four others in 2006 after trying to cross the border at International Falls in a van containing 46-hundred ecstasy tablets.

After escaping from a Falls halfway house to Canada, an Ontario Superior Court judge committed him for extradition.

But the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the justice minister didn't properly take into account a legal principle that says different considerations must be made when sentencing aboriginal offenders.

The Appeal Court says Leonard could be prosecuted in Canada.

OPP Getting It Done In Fort Frances

OPP in Fort Frances are above the provincial and national averages when it comes to solving crimes.

OPP closed the books on 67 per cent all crimes investigated in the town in 2011, 89 per cent of all violent crime and 26 per cent of all property crime.

Detachment Commander Inspector Steve Shouldice says the figure for property crime clearance is low because of the difficulty in solving such incidents.

Beef Recall Hits Area Consumers

A nation-wide recall of beef has hit the region.

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public not eat any ground beef with a best before date on or before September 26, due to a possible e-coli contamination at an Edmonton plant.

Health officials says the recall impacts both beef sold at supermarkets and unlabelled ground beef products that may have been shipped to small retailers, local meat markets and butcher shops.

Public Input Welcome

The public will get its say into the 2013 budget for the town of Fort Frances tonight.

A public meeting will be held during tonight's council meeting to solicit input.

The final budget could be complete by the middle of May.

Tonight's meeting will happen 6:20 p.m.