Breakfast Program Needs Support

A breakfast program at a Fort Frances elementary school is looking for financial and volunteer support.

Parent John Homer says the program at Robert Moore School is intended to provide students a healthy breakfast no matter their families financial status.

Homer says with costs running nearly $18-thousand dollars a year, the group is pursuing all avenues of raising funds which includes a spaghetti dinner at the school tonight.

The dinner goes at 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

NOMA Wants Cuts To Parks Reversed

An area municipal lobby group wants the province to reverse cuts its making to some provincial parks in northern Ontario.

President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Ron Nelson says the move impacts both visitors and local residents.

Caliper Lake at Nestor Falls is among parks effected by a reduction in services and staff announced last month.

Police Officers Need Help With Stress

The province's ombudsman says badly needed changes that would help traumatized provincial police officers are getting the "bureaucratic brush-off.''

Andre Marin says failure to act by the OPP and the government is leading to tragic results.

Since 1989, Marin says 23 active and retired OPP members have killed themselves -- two more than were killed in the line of duty.

Marin says cop culture tells them to "suck it up'' as they battle with depression, anxiety, nightmares, addictions and post-traumatic stress disorder.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis says he'll look into the recommendations, but cautions changes can't be made overnight.

Unit Unvieled To Public Today

Riverside Health Care Facilities will officially cut the ribbon on its new digital mammography unit later today.

The official opening, scheduled for 2 p.m. this afternoon at LaVerendrye Hospital, will also recognize those involved in the fundraising campaign Together We Can which raised $650-thousand in six months.

Labor Assembly Endorses Candidates

The Koochiching County Labor Assembly is out with its list of local candidates it's backing in the upcoming November 6th election.

It's giving endorsements to Paul Eklund for Mayor of International Falls and Pete Kalar for the city council at large seat.

In Rainer, the Assembly supports Ron Wilcox as Mayor and Tony Cole for city council.

Chili Cook Off Winners

Eleven teams put their best chili recipes to the test at the annual Great Canadian Chili Cook Off.

The judges selected the Kiwanis Club "Lo Local Chili" as their favourite.

Rainy Lake Tribal Contracting "R.L.T. Chili" was the judges second choice, but got the nod as the best in a vote by people who taste tested the dishes at the Fort Frances Royal Canadian Legion.

Seven Generations' "Sweaty Moose Chili" earned third spot honours from the judges.

English Dominate Language In Rainy River District

The Rainy River district remains overwhelmingly a unilingual one.

New census data shows English being the language of choice for well over 90 per cent of residents in most areas of the district.

It's 94 per cent in Fort Frances, 91 per cent in Atikokan and a whopping 97 per cent in LaVallee township.

German ranks second in many areas of the west end of the district where between 8 and 10 per cent residents in Emo, Morley and Dawson township say its mainly spoken in their homes.

Fewer Speaking Native Languages

While it may be the fastest growing population, many of Canada's aboriginal languages are struggling to survive.

Nearly 212-thousand people reported speaking an aboriginal language last year.

That's a decline of 1.7 seven per cent from 2006.

Fewer than in one in four aboriginals under the age of 25 can have a conversation in a native language.

Premier Blames Opposition For Shutdown

Premier Dalton McGuinty is throwing blame back on the opposition for the shut down at Queen's Park.

Speaking to reporters in Toronto for the first time since announcing his resignation nine days ago, the Premier says the opposition's contempt motion against his government is one of the reason he prorogued the legislature.

McGuinty rejected suggestions prorogation was a "cowardly'' way to avoid hearings scheduled into the Liberals' decisions to scrap two gas plants in southern Ontario.

Duncan Not Running

Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has decided against running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal party.

Duncan says he will support his friend, former cabinet minister Sandra Pupatello, if she decides to throw her hat in the ring.

Others said to be considering a bid include Municipal Affairs Minister Kathleen Wynne and former MP Gerrard Kennedy.

Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle is also toying with the idea of running.

Warnings On Food Suggested

The province's doctors want sugary soft drinks, french fries and even fruit juices to have graphic health warnings similar to those on cigarettes

.

The doctors say the obesity epidemic should be fought using the same tools that have made major inroads in the battle against smoking.

They're also calling for higher taxes on sugary or fatty foods, lower taxes on healthy foods, and restrictions on sales of junk foods.

Union Advice on Report Card Comments Stays

Ontario's largest teachers' union isn't backing down on asking instructors to keep their report card comments to a minimum.

Education Minister Laurel Broten says she asked the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario to rescind that advice when she met with its president Sam Hammond Tuesday.

Hammond has said it's advice that conforms with ministry policy, which tells teachers to use their "professional judgment'' when completing progress reports.

Unemployment Drops in Koochiching County

The unemployment rate in Koochiching County has dropped.

Figures released by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development indicate last months figure hit 6.6 per cent from 7.1 in August.

Former Teacher Honoured

The name of a long-time educator in Fort Frances is now a permanent part of a school he play a key role in building its physical education department.

A ceremony was held at Robert Moore School for the official naming of its gymnasium after the late Jim Oster.

His son Brad says it means a lot to the family and his father.

Oster taught for over 30 years and has been cited as being responsible for helping foster the school's physical education department and the building of a gymnasium at the former school.

School Review Underway

The Rainy River District School Board has started its review of Sturgeon Creek School in Barwick.

Education Director Heather Campbell says a public meeting last night was the first of four a committee will hold to gather public comment.

The review, and one later of Crossroads School in Devlin, are being done to help the board determine the size of a new recommended school to replace Donald Young in Emo.

Mining Company Welcomes Federal Assessment

Rainy River Resources is not worried about the need to go through a federal environmental assessment for its proposed gold mines north of Barwick.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency made the ruling last week and is currently seeking comment on the scope of that assessment.

Company vice-president Kyle Stanfield says it wasn't unexpected.

Stanfield expects the process to take at least a year and won't impact on their timetable to have an open pit mine open by 2016 and an underground operation soon after.

Blowdown Wood Up For Auction

Koochiching County intends to put up for auction nearly 25-thousand cords of timber damaged in a windstorm this past July.

A total of 26 tracts of land will be sold off next month.

Loggers and officials with Boise say they would have preferred the auction a month ago.

County Land Commissioner Dennis Hummitzsch says delays in trying to identify the exact size of the damaged areas prohibited them from having the auction earlier.

Duncan Expected Not To Seek Liberal Leadership

Ontario Finance Minister has apparently decided against running for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal party.

Dwight Duncan is expected to make an annoucement this afternoon in Toronto.

Several other potential leadership candidates are said to be waiting to see if Duncan enters the race before making their decisions.

More Calls To Recall Queen's Park

Progressive Conservatives are calling on Premier McGuinty to immediately recall the legislature.

Tory house leader Jim Wilson is also urging Liberal MPP's to break ranks with McGuinty by publicly endorsing a return to business at Queen's Park.

Chili Cook Off Today

It's the Great Canadian Chili Cook Off.

Some of the best chili recipes found in the Rainy River district will be seeking the support of residents' pallets at the Royal Canadian Legion in Fort Frances today.

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce sponsored event goes from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with everyone invited.

The Cake Roulette will also take place with proceeds to Robert Moore School's Breakfast program.