Manitoba Hydro Identifies Tranmission Line Routes

Manitoba Hydro has identified some possible routes for a transmission line to cross into Minnesota that will send power to the Iron Range.

It's preferred location would connect to Minnesota Power's proposed 500 kilovolt line at the border just south of Piney.

Six alternative locations have also been pinpointed.

Manitoba Hydro will begin a series of public meetings later this month.

Minnesota Power is looking at possible routes through Koochiching County for its part of the connection to be in place by 2020.

More Protection For Cell Phone Users

New protection for cellphone users is now in place in Ontario.

New legislation went into effect Tuesday that forces companies to have its contracts written in plain language and clearly identify which services are included as part of the basic fee and which come with extra charges.

It also limits the amount companies can charge if users cancel their contract before it expires.

Casino Question Pondered

The idea of a casino in Fort Frances could come to a public vote this fall.

Town council is considering adding a question to the ballot during the municipal elections to determine if residents support council pursuing the idea.

Mayor Roy Avis says it does not mean the town intends to build one, but rather gaging interest about it speaking further with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission.

A public meeting on the question will be held this month before it reaches the October 27 ballot.

Town Budget Nearly Complete

It's looking like it will be a minimal tax increase for residential ratepayers in Fort Frances.

Final approval has yet to be given, but the 2014 budget does includes a tax increase that's less than one per cent.

Mayor Roy Avis says given where the numbers were at the start of the discussions, he's happy.

He notes it was also done without having to cut services.

The town will spent almost $23-million in the operating budget.

Another $8.6 million has been earmarked for capital projects.

The town is still awaiting final figures from the province affecting the industrial rate before it's in a position to pass the budget later this month.

Provincial Budget Coming May 1

It appears a provincial budget is coming May 1.

The Progressive Conservatives says documents obtained reveal a so-called  "Budget Leaking Team" intended to roll out it's components through a variety of announcements in the weeks leading up to the release.

They say it also includes $5.7 billion in new spending.

The Tories says the Liberals are co-opting the civil service to help generate publicity in advance of a spring election.

What Do You Think Of Kiss And Ride

Proponents of the Kiss and Ride initiative in Fort Frances want to know how its working.

OPP Constable Anne McCoy says the local traffic safety committee is conducting a survey to determine what the public thinks of the new rules for dropping off and picking up students at Fort Frances schools.

The survey can be found on the Rainy River District School Board and the Northwest Catholic District School Board websites.

Festival Results From Wednesday

Brianna Eldridge, Tayler Shouldice and Maggie Gauthier the only multi-winners from the second day of vocal competitions at the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.

Eldridge and Shouldice won their awards in solos categories.

Eldridge also won twice on the festival's first day.

Gautheir earned a first in a solo category and later in a duet on an original composition written and sung with Lisa Loney.

The choirs take over the competitions this morning at Robert Moore School before the vocalists return to the stage at Knox United Church this afternoon.

Here is a list of all winners from Wednesday.

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 1
FIRST:  Paiten Kinnear
SECOND:  Jaycee Mose

Musical Theatre, Up-Tempo, Solo, 9 and 10 years
FIRST:  Christian Wiedenhoeft
SECOND: (Tie) Kenzie Begin, Janaya DeBenetti, Mya Davis

Musical Theatre, Ballad, Solo, 9 and 10 years
FIRST:  Joelle Bruyere

Musical Theatre, Up-Tempo, Solo, 11 and 12 years
FIRST:  Katelyn Bruyere
SECOND:  (Tie) Bianna Eldridge, Carmen Hebert, Star Martin, Callahan Wiedenhoeft

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 5
FIRST:  Brianna Eldridge
SECOND:  Katelyn Bruyere

Musical Theatre, Ballad, Solo, 11 and 12 years
FIRST:  Brianna Eldridge
SECOND:  Carmen Hebert

Musical Theatre, Up-Tempo, Solo, 13 and 14 years
FIRST:  Emma Dykstra
SECOND: (Tie) Emily Loney, Caitlin Anderson

Musical Theatre, Ballad, Solo, 13 and 14 years
FIRST:  Abigail Lücke
SECOND:  Jillian Armstrong

Musical Theatre, Solo, 19 years and over
FIRST: Betty Ann Lücke

Musical Theatre, Ballad, Solo, 15 and 16 years
FIRST:  McKenna Begin
SECOND: (Tie) Isaac Firth, Faith Pollard

Musical Theatre, Up-Tempo, Solo, 15 and 16 years
FIRST:  Kenzie Godin
SECOND: (Tie) Isaac Firth, McKenna Begin

Musical Theatre, Ballad, Solo, 17 and 18 years
FIRST:  Taylor Shouldice
SECOND:  Danielle Pearce

Musical Theatre, Up-Tempo, Solo, 17 and 18 years
FIRST:  Taylor Shouldice

Contemporary Solo, 17 and 18 years
FIRST:  Maggie Gauthier
SECOND: (Tie) Alisha Hunter, Taylor Shouldice

Original Composition, 19 years and over
FIRST:  Lisa Loney and Maggie Gauthier

County To Help College Find Space

Koochiching County is offering some help to find extra space for Rainy River Community College.

The College had expressed interest in a former Armory building for an industrial maintenance program.

Commissioner Wade Pavleck feels putting a proposal to the State for a new building might be a better route.

The College says it has 22 students planning to take the course this fall.

New CEO At Rainy Lake Medical Centre

Rainy Lake Medical Centre has a new Chief Executive Officer.

Dan Odegaard takes over from Bob Haley who had been serving in an interim capacity for the past couple of years.

Odegaard comes to the International Falls hospital after serving as CEO at Bigfork Valley Hospital for the past eleven years.

Police Numbers Drop In February

The cold weather likely having an effect on the need for provincial police in the Fort Frances area in February.

OPP handled around 270 calls.

That's about 50 less than in February of last year.

Police laid a total of 64 charges during the month, 15 fewer than in 2013.

They also responded to 33 motor vehicle accidents, up from the 29 in January and the 30 in February 2013.

Woman Held In Police Custody Dies

A woman who had been held in custody by the Koochiching County Sheriff's Office has died.

Authorities says the woman was found hanging in a cell at the County jail last Tuesday night.

28-year-old Kathryn Schneider was eventually airlifted to hospital in Duluth where she was pronounced dead on Saturday.

Police say the woman had turned herself in last Tuesday on a parole violation.

Watch For The Lake Ice To Go

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is asking citizens to document when the ice disappears from lakes on its side of the border.

The agency says it helps identify changing climate trends.

The MPCA collects both lake ice-on and ice-off data and makes it available for use by researchers and the State Climatology Office.

Festival Results For Tuesday April 1

A trio of wins by two young vocalists highlighted the opening day of the vocal competitions at the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.

 

Callahan Wiedenhoeft and Piper Likea each scored three first place finishes.

 

The vocal competitions continue today at Knox United Church starting at 9 AM.

 

Here is a list of all winners from Monday.

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Introductory Level
FIRST:  Christian Wiedenhoeft
SECOND:  Maya Davis

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 2
FIRST:  Morgan Beckett

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 4
FIRST:  Carmen Hebert

Secular Solo, 9 and 10 years
FIRST:  Christian Wiedenhoeft

Secular Solo, 11 and 12 years
FIRST:  Callahan Wiedenhoeft

Sacred Solo, Examination Courses, Introductory Grade
FIRST:  Piper Lidkea

Sacred Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 5
FIRST:  Brianna Eldridge
SECOND:  Callahan Wiedenhoeft

Traditional Folk Song, Examination Courses, Introductory Level
FIRST:  Piper Lidkea

Contemporary Solo, 7 and 8 years
FIRST:  Piper Lidkea

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 6
FIRST:  Emma Dykstra

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 7
FIRST:  McKenna Begin

Secular Solo, 15 and 16 years
FIRST:  Isaac Firth

Secular Solo, Examination Courses, Grade 6
FIRST:  Emma Dykstra

Sacred Solo, 11 and 12 years
FIRST:  Brianna Eldridge

Traditional Folk Song,  Examination Courses, Grade 2
FIRST:  Kenzie Begin

Traditional Folk Song, Examination Courses, Grade 5
FIRST:  Callahan Wiedenhoeft
SECOND:  Brianna Eldridge

Traditional Folk Song, Examination Courses, Grade 7
FIRST:  McKenna Begin

Traditional Folk Song, 11 and 12 years
FIRST:  Callahan Wiedenhoeft

Traditional Folk Song, 15 and 16 years
FIRST:  Isaac Firth

Traditional Folk Song, 17 and 18 years
FIRST:  Taylor Shouldice

Roads Closed

Travel in the Rainy River district is slowly come back.

Traffic is flowing again on Highway 71 and a section of Highway 11 between Atikokan to Rainy River is also open.

Both those roads had been closed for nearly 14 hours because of the weather.

However, travel farther east to Thunder Bay and the use of Highway 502 is still restricted.

Schools Closed

There will be no school in the Rainy River district today for at least the public school students.

The Rainy River District School Board has just announced its closing all of its schools because of the weather.

No word yet from the Northwest Catholic District School Board about its schools

Confederation College has also closed its Fort Frances campus.

The aboriginal head start program in Fort Frances is also closed as is the Countryview Child Care Centre in Devlin.

Couchiching First Nation's Child Care Centre is closed.

Schools in International Falls and Indus are starting classes two hour later than normal.

Forest Fire Season Starts This Week

Believe it or not forest fire season officially begins tomorrow.

Fire information officer with the Ministry of Natural Resources Debbie MacLean admits it could be a while before there are any fire starts in northwestern Ontario given the amount of snow in the forest.

Still, she says the MNR will prepare for the season as normal, noting activity picked up quickly after a slow start back in 2012.

$100,000 Club Grows

The region's education sector is seeing an increase in employees earning over $100,000 a year.

 

The disclosure of public sector salaries shows 39 employees with the Rainy River District School Board over the $100-thousand salary threshold.

 

That's up from 35 employees in 2012 and the 22 disclosed two years ago.

 

The Northwest Catholic District School Board has 13 employees on the list, down one from 2012.

 

Riverside Health Care Facilities shows 20 over the magic number, including 9 nurses.

 

The town of Fort Frances has five on the list.

PSB Appointment

A member of the Fort Frances Police Services Board is back for another term.

 

Ron Scofield has been reappointed to the Board by the province for another two year term.

 

It will be his sixth year with the Board.

 

Meantime, another provincially-appointed seat is still vacant.

 

It became empty after former Mayor Glenn Witherspoon ended his term last year.

Premier Seeks At Legal Advice

Premier Kathleen Wynne is seeking legal advice regarding comments from the Progressive Conservatives over the gas plant scandal.

 

The provincial Liberals say an email from the PC Party last week and subsequently posted on its website, claims Wynne "oversaw and possibly ordered" an individual to delete records in former Premier Dalton McGunity's office.

 

Premier Wynne denies the allegations and has written Tory Leader Tim Hudak to stop making the false and defamatory accusations.

School Bus Cancellations For Monday March 31

Here is a list of school bus cancellations in the Rainy River District this morning.

 

All Iron Range Bus lines in Fort Frances area only

All Dimit Bus Lines

Shane McDonald's SM 235

Keith Jolicoeur - KJ220

Bruce Nielson - BN245

Murray McDonald - MM230

Bill Romyn - BR260

Greg Ferris - GF200

Jody Goliquer - Big Grassy to Rainy River H.S.

Ken Fisher - KRF205

Les Fraser - FK225

Murray Nielson - MN251

Darryl Dyck - MN250

Jack Medwechuk - JM240

Bob Johnson - BJ215

Kaylene Johnson - BJ216

Seine River handicap bus

Seine River high school and elementary buses

Northwest Bay's elementary and the high school buses

Stanjikoming First Nations

Red Gut Bay - both buses

Aboriginal Head Start bus