Day of Pink Hailed A Success

(Students at Robert Moore School pose for a photo as part of Day of Pink)

School participation in yesterday's national Day of Pink is being hailed a huge success.

Students, teachers, custodians and support staff across the Rainy River district donned pink as a stand against bullying.

Sonja Bodnarchuk, a grade 7 teacher at Robert Moore School in Fort Frances, believes students, especially, are getting the message.

"They for sure do," says Bodnarchuk. "They know that it's part of diversity, standing up for something they believe in and being themselves."

Many other businesses and organizations in the district participated in the event.

Male Victims Getting Support

A Fort Frances agency will be among the first in Canada that will begin offering support to male victims of sexual abuse.

Riverside Community Counselling is among 45 agencies approved by the provincial government to provide services such as peer support, counselling and residential services.

Roads Closed

Two roads in the Rainy River District are closed to traffic at this hour.

Highway 502 is closed due to a washout 11 kilometres north of Highway 11.

The Ministry of Transportation is also reporting a washout of an unnamed road about a half kilometre from Off Lake near Emo, forcing motorists to detour through Wassmith Road.

Special Council Meeting Called

Fort Frances town council has called a special meeting for today to discuss a request for assistance from the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

The Championship's board provided council with a list of requests that included the waiving of rental fees at the Memorial Sports Centre and a cash donation.

The meeting at the Civic Centre is at 1 p.m.

NOMA Voices Concerns with Forest Tenure Act

The Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is having its say about the Forest Tenure Act.

President Ron Nelson told a legislative committee yesterday NOMA wants a minimum five year trial period for the proposed forest management corporations.

"The question that I have for you as well is have you heard us?, "said Nelson. "Have you truly heard what we've said."

NOMA wants the bill amended before it returns to the Legislature for third reading.

Minnow Case Overturned

A Baudette, Minnesota bait dealer is off the hook after the state Court of Appeals ruled that a minnow is not a fish.

The court overturned Kim Barsness' conviction of illegally selling wild animals - in this case shiny minnows.

He was charged in May 2009 after harvesting minnows from Upper Red Lake with equipment the D-N-R said wasn't supposed to be used

But the Appeals court found minnows are not treated as fish under state law.

Festival Results for Wednesday April 13

Shawn Brady and Andrew Eldridge each picked up four wins in the drama portion of the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts yesterday.

Emma Kunkel, Callahan Wiedenhoeft and MacKenzie Wright, as well as Robert Moore, J.W. Walker and Sturgeon Creek Alternative Schools were multiple award winners.

The drama competitions resume this morning at the Townshend Theatre beginning at 9 a.m.

Here is a list of all winners from Wednesday

FESTIVAL RESULTS – DRAMA DIVISION, April 13, 2011

CLASS A709-A
FIRST - Adriane Gurski, Alanna Walsh, Taylor Swire, Tamika Andy, Jilayne Derkson and Jessica Caul
SECOND - Avery Adrian, Will Anderson, Joseph Ball, Brayden Botsford, Judd Gardiman, Travis Kewakundo, Ryllie Yarmovich, Fred Ottertail and Caleb McIntosh

CLASS A109-A
FIRST – Emma Kunkel
SECOND – Haley Trimble

CLASS A109-C
FIRST - Nicole Horn
SECOND - Kaayla Fox

CLASS A109-D
FIRST - Hailey Clendenning
SECOND - Carley Busch

CLASS A109-F
FIRST – Alice Johnston

CLASS A503-D
FIRST - Emma Kunkel
SECOND (TIE) - Sarah Glover, Kaitlyn Chiasson

CLASS A503-E
FIRST - John Colfer

CLASS A1301
FIRST – Emma Kunkel

CLASS A1000
FIRST - Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program, Grades 6, 7 and 8

CLASS A1200-A
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 4 and 5

CLASS A703-C
FIRST - J. W. Walker School, Grades 2 and 3

CLASS A703-A
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 3 and 4

CLASS A705-C
FIRST - J. W. Walker School, Grades 4 and 5

CLASS A708-A
FIRST - Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program, Grades 6, 7 and 8

CLASS A400
FIRST - Courtney Sinclair
SECOND – Mira Donaldson

CLASS A500-D
FIRST – Callahan Wiedenhoeft

CLASS A200
FIRST - Jenaya DeBenetti

CLASS A103-E
FIRST - Isaac Dykstra

CLASS A104-B
FIRST – Callahan Wiedehoeft
SECOND – Brianna Eldridge

CLASS A104-C
FIRST – Courtney Sinclair

CLASS A104-E
FIRST - Alina Eldridge
SECOND - Maddysan Redford

CLASS A104-F
FIRST – Mira Donaldson

CLASS A106-B
FIRST - Mackenzie Wright

CLASS A106-C
FIRST – Emmy Dykstra

CLASS A106-E
FIRST – Mackenzie Wright

CLASS A108-C
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A108-E
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A108-F
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A202
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A402
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A502-D
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A502-B
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A1300
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

Wood Allocations Confusing to MPP

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is questioning how the Liberals are allocating wood supplies in northern Ontario.

Hampton says recent decisions have left him dumbstruck.

"A reasonable person looking at northern Ontario as a whole would say there is no rhyme or reason to these decisions," says Hampton. "The McGuinty government may want to keep sawmills going in some Liberal ridings, but some of the decisions don't even make sense even in Liberal ridings."

Hampton is particularly upset with a government decision that took a wood supply away from a sawmill near Sioux Lookout.

Day of Pink

Staff and students with the Rainy River District School Board will be encouraged to wear pink today (Tuesday) as a stand against bullying.

Shane Bliss, Chair of the Board's Character Education Steering Committee says the effort coincides with the national Day of Pink.

"It's a good chance for us to support this anti-bullying effort," says Bliss, "not just the students, but the staff too. We're doing this at the board office. We've got the schools involved."

Several other area organizations and businesses are also getting involved by having their employees wear pink.

Budget Gets Vote April 25

Fort Frances town council is to formally pass a budget for 2011 later this month.

A public presentation of the budget has been scheduled during the April 25 council meeting.

The public will get an opportunity to comment.

This year's budget includes a tax increase to residential ratepayers of just over 2.5 per cent.

Chamber Announces Awards

The International Chamber of Commerce has named its award winners for 2010.

Pat Bjorum is the Citizen of the Year

Gearhart's Floral & Gifts of International Falls was chosen as Small Business of the Year.

Mannco Trucking is the Large Business of the Year winner.

The winners will be honoured at a ceremony next month.

Local Man Designs Lure for Contest

A Fort Frances man is at the top of a contest that asks people to design their own fishing lure.

Mike Hanson says his design for Gambler Lures combines colours he now uses while out on the waters.

The colour I chose is a cinnamon with purple flakes on the body," says Hanson, "and brownish-green on the claws with gold flakes. I can't find the two together so I thought why not give it a shot."

To vote, first click HERE and LIKE their page.

Then click HERE and LIKE the picture and post a comment.

Festival Results for Tuesday April 12

Robert Moore School choirs received top honours in the final day of vocal performances at the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.

The School earned four first place finishes with the Senior Kindergarten classes earning two wins.

Performances in Drama begin today (Wednesday) at the Townshend Theatre with Graham Ashmore adjudicating.

Here is a list of all winners from Tuesday

FESTIVAL RESULTS – VOCAL DIVISION, Tuesday, April 12, 2011

CLASS V241E
FIRST - St. Michael’s School Choir, Grades 1-3

CLASS V223E
FIRST - Robert Moore School Senior Kindergarten Class

CLASS V259
FIRST - Robert Moore School Senior Kindergarten Classes

CLASS V233E
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 3 and 4

CLASS V249E
FIRST - Robert Moore Girls’ Choir, Grades 4 to 8

CLASS V176
FIRST – Callahan Wiedenhoeft
SECOND – Mira Donaldson

CLASS V177
FIRST - Emma Dykstra
SECOND - McKenna Begin


CLASS V178
FIRST - Isaac Firth
SECOND – Taylor Shouldice

CLASS V179
FIRST - Kennedy Latimer
SECOND – Phoebe Firth

CLASS V180
FIRST - Katelyn Shortreed
SECOND – Jessica Whalen