Swimmer Warnings to be Posted

The Northwestern Health Unit is planning to post permanent signs at area beaches to warn swimmers of the potential of bacteria in the waters.

It now issues warnings only after water tests confirms its presence.

But Medical Officer of Health Doctor James Arthurs says the situation often changes by the time it get those results back from a lab in Thunder Bay.

"The potential exposure of the public to high bacterial counts may occur actually before we get the tests back," says Dr. Arthurs, "and because of the run off of our rivers, the water may have actually cleared by the time we get an adverse report and have closed the beach."

Arthurs sees the signage more as a preventative measure than a suggestion to swimmers they enter at their own risk.

Sunny Cove Funding

The town of Fort Frances has been awarded funding for upgrades to Sunny Cove Camp.

The $100-thousand is from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The money is to cover the cost of plumbing, electrical and structural renovations done to the camp.

The town had pegged costs coming in at about $134-thousand.

Trillium Money to Atikokan

Two Atikokan organizations will benefit from funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Beaten Path Nordic Ski Club is getting almost $15-thousand to purchase an all-terrain vehicle to maintain cross-country ski trails in the Atikokan-Quetico area.

The town of Atikokan will use another $15-thousand to install insulation, siding and new windows in the Mount Fairweather ski chalet.

Board Office on the Move

A move of the Rainy River District School Board administration office is to begin at the end of this week.

Education Director Heather Campbell says the offices will be temporarily located in the main floor of the existing Robert Moore School.

"We are moving the board office (to the existing school) to prepare for the renovations to our offices," says Campbell.

The offices will be closed Friday, reopening in the new location Monday August 9.

Bike Rodeo in Atikokan

The second of two bicycle rodeos in the Rainy River district this week happens in Atikokan today.

The event at North Star Community School begins at 1:30 p.m. and is open to kids aged 4 to 12.

There are also now plans to hold a bike rodeo in Fort Frances at Boston Pizza on August 5 and later this month as part of childrens' camps at the Memorial Sports Centre.

Ministries Identified in Probe

Premier Dalton McGuinty has identified three ministries that were the target of police raids this month, as part of an anti-corruption probe.

McGuinty says they are Transportation, Economic Development and Trade, and Community and Social Services.

McGuinty says he has no details of allegations that sparked the probe, which has not resulted in any charges.

Restructuring Plan Approved

An Ontario Superior Court judge has approved a financial restructuring plan for Terrace Bay Pulp.

Tuesday's decision means the pulp and paper mill will be able to exit bankruptcy protection by August 17 and immediately ramp up ongoing operations to get the plant back into production before fall.

The pulp and paper mill is a division of Thunder Bay-based Buchanan Group and had stopped production in February 2009.

Garden to Open Next Year

Gardeners hoping to be a part of a community garden in Fort Frances will have to wait until next year to plant their vegetables.

A group was hoping to have the garden ready for planting this summer, but Becky Holden of the planning committee says permission needed to use municipal property in the town's north end took longer than expected.

"We will not be moving ahead with gardening this year," says Holden, "but we will be working on the property after we've been given approval form the town of Fort Frances to use to site. The committee will also still be meeting regularly."

Town council held a public meeting Monday night on a potential zoning amendment to permit the Garden at Lillie Avenue and Elizabeth Street West.

A decision is expected next month.

Beach Volleyball Courts Sought

The development of more beach volleyball courts at Pither's Point Park will get another look by the town of Fort Frances during its 2011 budget discussions.

Councillors Monday night discussed the idea put forward by an organizer of a beach volleyball league.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says with ownership of the park in dispute, it's best the town hold off on the request for now.

"That would be an ideal spot," says Wiedenhoeft, "but given the Point Park is in dispute probably not a wise move at this point in time. Next year, maybe, the disposition of the park may be resolved."

It was suggested the courts could be built at St. Francis Sports Field or Sunny Cove Camp.

Loans Nearly Paid in Full

AbitibiBowater says it's repaid $166-million of its debtor-in-possession loan following an improvement in market conditions and operational performance.

In regulatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says it now has $40 million outstanding under the loan.

Companies rely on DIP financing to fund operations while in bankruptcy.

Terry Fox Stories Wanted

Terry Fox's Memory of Hope is going onto its thirtieth year.

Terry's brother, Fred Fox wants to hear from northwestern Ontario residents.

"People that saw Terry or touched Terry or even had the change to talk to Terry," says Fox. "We don't hear those stories enough or people haven't had the opportunity to share those stories. One day we're going to lose those stories."

Anyone who wishes to share their story can e-mail ontario2@terryfoxrun.org.

More Support Needed

More public support is needed if Fort Frances is going to have any hope of being considered the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada.

As of this Tuesday, Fort Frances has seven supporting submissions in its bid to the World Fishing Network Contest.

That pales in compared to Thunder Bay which as 23.

Kenora has 20 with Dryden sitting at 14.

Residents are being asked to submit stories, photos and video to support reasons why their town should be considered the Ultimate Fishing Town before next Monday.

A link to the Fort Frances nomination can be found on our website http://www.b93.c-a/.

Area Man Killed in Timmins Crash

A northwestern Ontario man has been identified as one of the victims of a helicopter crash south of Timmins.

19-year-old Ethan Boucha of Rat Portage was among two people aboard a Bell 206 helicopter that struck a tower last Friday afternoon.

The helicopter belonged to a North Bay company which offers flight training in conjunction with Canadore College.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Crash Victims Identified

OPP have identified the names of the victims in a crash on Highway 17-A just east of Kenora earlier this month.

46-year-old Chae Nyeo Hyeon and her 19-year-old son Jayson Kim were both killed when the van they were in struck a rock cut on July 22.

47-year-old Soo Hyun Kim and 17-year-old Jewan Kim were transported to Thunder Bay hospital and are still listed in critical condition.