Monday, September 21, 2009

Cone Collections Continue

Interest in collecting cones in Minnesota has been high this year.

The annual purchase of cones by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources started earlier this month and run through October.

D-N-R state forest nursery supervisor Craig VanSickle says collecting native, high-quality seed is critical to the success of regenerating forests that can adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Hunting Fines Issued

A Nestor Falls lodge owner and guide is out of pocket $7-thousand after being convicted on charges related to illegal deer hunting.

Dean Roy, an owner and operator of Meline’s Lodge and Guide Service, pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of unlawfully hunting deer during closed season and one count of making a false statement to a Ministry of Natural Resources conservation officer.

The charges stem from a November 2008 incident in which the MNR says Roy provided guiding services to three non-resident hunters in an area that was closed for the season and later stored a deer that was shot by one of the hunters.

A Minnesota man has been fined for illegally hunting deer in the Kenora area.

The man was fined $25-hundred for careless hunting and $500 for transporting illegally killed wildlife in connection with an October 2006 incident.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says the man was charged after conservation officers found the man had shot a deer standing on a roadway in the vicinity of homes and cottages and taking the kill back to Minnesota.

Missing Teen Sought

Fort Frances OPP is seeking the the public's assistance in locating a missing youth.

15-year-old Stephanie NELSON was last seen Sunday afternoon at a friend's home on Church Street.

She's described as a First Nations female, 5-feet 8-inches tall, 125 lbs with a slim build.

She has shoulder length dark brown hair and was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, blue jeans and black boots.

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Stephanie NELSON is asked to call provincial police.

Math Facilitator Hired

The Northwest Catholic District School Board has added to its administration.

Helen McKay is the board's new Mathematics Facilitator.

The position was created to provide additional support to teachers in math instruction.

Funding was provided last month through the provincial government's Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat.

Paving Operations in Fort Frances

Paving operations in the downtown area of Fort Frances take place this week.

Today, Nelson Street, between Victoria Avenue and Veterans Avenue, will be shutdown beginning at 7 a.m. forcing heaving trucks to use Scott Street as a detour.

Tomorrow, the intersection of Scott and Portage Avenue will be closed to allow for paving of Portage between First Street and Nelson.

Personal Addictions Explained

A powerful message on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse was presented to area school students Friday.

Roland Vandal, an ex-gang member from Winnipeg, was one of the three individuals who spoke at Fort Frances High School and later at the Chronic Pain Management and Addiction Prevention Symposium.

Vandal says speaking about his experiences provides him with a form of release and closure to his former past.

"So by me getting sober and staying sober is not enough for me," says Vandal. "To get any kind of balance back in my life I need to be giving back at least enough that how much I've taken from life. That's a big motivation for me."

Vandal says while quitting his dependence on drugs and alcohol was an easy decision, staying sober has been the most difficult.

Walk Takes Place Today

A number of walkers are expected to hit the road today in honour of a Fort Frances man who helped raise thousand of dollars for Dialysis services in the Rainy River District.

The Tom Bruyere Memorial "20-Mile Walk for Dialysis" begins this morning on River Road about 20 miles east of Fort Frances.

Walkers are expected to end their walk at about 1:30 p.m. at North American Lumber.

Stand Up for Mental Health in Dryden

A group of Fort Frances residents who use comedy to talk publicly about their mental health issues is taking their routine to Dryden this weekend.

The group have participated in Stand-Up for Mental Health, a program introduced to the local area a couple of years ago by Vancouver counsellor David Granirer.

Nancy Daley of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Fort Frances says they'll be performing as part of a district-wide conference.

"It's a great way to spread the word about mental health," says Daley. "It takes some of the scariness away. We can kind of laugh at some of challenges each of us has experienced at the same time giving some education about mental illness."

Daley says many of the same people who participated in the Fort Frances shows will be performed at the Dryden show.

Hospital Deal

Staff at the Atikokan General Hospital have a new 3-year contract.

The deal for the hospital's paramedical, nursing and support staff includes wage hikes of 6-percent and improvements to benefits and vacation time.

The contract takes effect October 11th.

Chronic Pain Explored at Symposium

Chronic pain is the focus of a symposium in Fort Frances tomorrow.

The first-ever Chronic Pain Management and Addiction Prevention Symposium takes place at the Townsend Theatre beginning at 9:30 in the morning.

Patti-Jo LeDrew, the chronic disease management coordinator at the Fort Frances Community Clinic says the conference will help people with chronic care and their.

"The purpose is to educate our community about chronic pain relief and the services in our community," says Ledrew. "It's also being brought forth to provide other medalities for pain relief other than looking toward a narcotic based relief."

The keynote speak will be Doctor Jackie Gardner-Nix who founded a program that uses a mindful approach to pain management, combining medical treatment, meditation and exercise.

Cattle Sales Celebrated

50 years of cattle sales at the Stratton Sales Barn will be celebrated this weekend.

The Rainy River Cattlemen's Association will be marking the anniversary tomorrow with public tours and a community bar-b-que.

President Ken McKinnon credits volunteer support for helping the yard endure many ups and downs over the years.

"When it started 50 years ago it was volunteers who donated material and labour to put it in," says McKinnon. "It's the same today. It's the volunteers who kept the organization stable."

Festivities are the Barn begin tomorrow at 1 in the afternoon and are open to the public.

Bear Sightings in the Fort

Fort Frances residents are being warned to watch out for prowling bruins.

Town official says the number of reports of bears in the community is about the same as last year.

Residents are being reminded to avoid attracting bears to their property by doing things such as picking apples that have fallen off trees.

Black bears not expected to go into hibernation for at least another month.

Good News Found in EQAO Results

The Rainy River District School Board admits there is room for growth, but is pleased with the results of the most recent provincial tests written its grade three, six and nine students.

The percentage of students who achieved at or above the provincial level is below the provincial average in all areas, but Superintendent of Education Heather Campbell says the numbers do show improvements from previous years.

"I think on of our greatest learning from this past year's EQAO testing year is that while we're narrowing the gap between high and low achieving students we still need to continue to raise the bar," says Campbell.

Significant increases over time were seen in the result for Grade 3 and Grade 6 students achieving at Level 2 or a passing level.

70 per cent of grade 9 students in academic math and 66 per cent of Grade 3 students in Math achieved at or above the provincial standard.

Paper Machine to Close

A paper machine at the Fort Frances Mill that's been shutdown for much of the summer has been the target of a more permanent closure by AbitibiBowater.

The Montreal-based company says is it halting production indefinitely at machine number 6, which produces a commercial printing paper, on October 31st.

The machine was restarted after a lengthy shutdown for three weeks of orders, but the company says a downturn in market conditions and difficult economic realities, it's being idled indefinitely to improve overall efficiency.

The closure impacts about 75 employees.