Hospital CEO Retiring

Riverside Health Care Facilities is losing its Chief Executive Officer.

Wayne Woods is retiring next March.

He's been with Riverside for the past 13 years.

The Board has already hired an executive recruiting firm to assist in the search of a new CEO.

Record-Setting Forest Fire Season

It's a modern day record for forest fires in Ontario.

Debbie MacLean of the Ministry of Natural Resources says over 600 thousand hectares of forest where burned this past season - the most in about 50 years.

MacLean says it cost the government about $230 million to fight the 1330 blazes.

Tourism Season Not Great

Ont. Sunset Country Travel Assoc. photo

It wasn't a great summer for many tourist outfitters in northwestern Ontario.

Gerry Cariou, executive director of Ontario's Sunset Country says there wasn't much in the way of growth compared to last year, but there was some improvement at the border with fewer complaints received.

Cariou says a sluggish American economy continues to be a drag on this region's tourism industry.

New Hydro Rates In Place

New time-of-use electricity rates go in effect today.

Using electricity between 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. or between 5 p.m.and 7 p.m. at night will cost 10.8 cents a kilowatt hour.

The rate between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. is now 6.2 cents while the mid-peak rate from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. is 9.2 cents.

Cooks Needed

A call for help has been put out by organizers of the Community Christmas dinner in Fort Frances.

Karen Mitchell of the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau says the biggest need right now is people to cook turkeys.

Mitchell says she's already received donations, but there's no panic for items just yet.

Health Care Task Force Formed

A new task force is being deployed in Minnesota to examine how to hold down costs while improving access to health coverage.

Governor Mark Dayton set up the group to come up with an action plan for policy changes.

Moustache Season Opens

Moustache Season is open!

Thousands of men across Canada are taking part in the Movember challenge to raise funds and awareness for men's health, specifically prostate cancer.

Rebecca Von-get, Executive vice president for prostate cancer Canada says early detection is key

According to Statistics, Prostate Cancer afflicts one in seven men in Canada.

BIA Pleased with Rainy Lake Talks

The chair of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association is happy with the direction being taken on the former Rainy Lake Hotel.

A group of representatives have agreed to continue meeting to finding possible ideas for the shuttered landmark.

BIA Chair Connie Cuthbertson says last week's meeting was very encouraging.

The group will meet again at the end of November to discuss possible funding opportunities

Garage Destroyed by Fire

Fire destroyed a garage on Third Street East in Fort Frances Friday

It occured shortly after the noon hour.

A small shed and a nearby house also suffered damaged.

The cause has not been identified.

Halloween Tonight

Ontario Provincial Police want to ensure everyone has a safe Halloween.

Constable Anne McCoy says young trick or treaters should keep to well lit areas and parents should know where they're children will be if going by themselves.

McCoy says youngsters should also avoid running across streets or lawns.

Youngsters Glowing Tonight

Youngsters across the Rainy River district will be glowing again this Halloween.

Grace Silander of Safe Communities Rainy River says nearly four thousand glow sticks were distributed to schools and day cares for children to use tonight.

The sticks help keep them visible tonight.

A limited number of the sticks are still available at Tess' Kitchen on Scott Street in Fort Frances.

Halloween for Hunger

Members of Saving Faces will be on the streets tonight asking for non-perishable food items.

Natalie Hyatt says it's the second year that the Fort Frances High School group has participated in the Halloween for Hunger.

Members will be in costume, but will carry name tags to identify themselves.

Walleye Anglers Examined

A Ministry of Natural Resources study gives anglers some credit in keeping walleye stocks healthy in northwestern Ontario.

Researchers looked at the habits of anglers in 157 walleye lakes.

One of the studies authors, Len Hunt, says it did prove lakes close to anglers do face fishing pressures

The study also disproved a theory that anglers target the best lakes until fish populations go in decline.

Campbell Now Riding's MPP

Sarah Campbell is itching to get to work.

The Kenora-Rainy River MPP was handed the NDP critic portfolio of Natural Resources and Aboriginal Affairs before being sworn into office Thursday.

Campbell says MPP's could be in the legislature next month.

MP Looks to Protest Severance Pay

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty has brought back a private members bill aimed at protecting workers' severance when companies enter bankruptcy protection.

It's a similar bill that died on the order table in the last parliament.

First reading of the bill took place in the House Thursday.

Gas Leak

The smell of natural gas brought members of the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service to the downtown core Thursday night.

Fire officials say a relief value let go at Union Gas's new sub-station on Mowatt Avenue at around 6 p.m.

The problem was blamed on debris on the line and corrected within three hours.

Hunters Fined

A costly hunting trip for two Ontario men.

The two men, from Chelmsford and Manitouwadge, were fined a total of  $10,000 after being convicted on two separate incidents of hunting on private property.

They had been first charged last November and then again in April while hunting in the Rainy River district.

Alone with the fines, one man was banned for hunting for four years - the other for two.

L.U. Moves Up

Lakehead University has moved up one spot in the Maclean magazine rankings of Canadian universities.

President Dr. Brian Stevenson says they have room for improvement.

Lakehead ranks second among the five undergraduate universities in Ontario.

Haunt Opens Again

What has become a Halloween tradition returns Monday to Fort Frances.

Tess and Robert Coish will transform the backyard of their Scott Street business into a Halloween haunt for young ghouls and goblins.

The Coishes are also accepting donations of treats from people willing to assist.

Gold Search Widens

The search for gold in the Rainy River district continues to heat up.

Winnipeg-based Kings Bay Gold says it has staked more land around its Menary township project after assay results showed strong indications of gold mineralization.

Further mapping, sampling and drilling are now planned for the area, 20 kilometres south of Nestor Falls

The company is also exploring a tailing's pond used by a former mining company back in the 1990's