Delta Seeks Air Passenger Service Changes

Delta Air Lines is seeking federal approval for changes to its flights at International Falls.

Delta wants two subsidized routes handed over to another air carrier.

It's part of a host of changes the airline is seeking at airports across the United States.

Delta says it has been losing $14 million a year serving 24 cities.

Flights out of International Falls have been averaging 53 per cent capacity.

Nexus Program Aids to Smuggling

Newly released documents show Nexus travellers who are supposed to be low-risk have been caught trying to smuggle goods into the country illegally.

The program is to border patrol more efficient by allowing Nexus members who have
already undergone security clearances to pass through customs more quickly.

But documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show more than a hundred Nexus travellers were caught smuggling goods valued in the thousands of dollars in the second half of 2010.

The goods include a $16,000 engagement ring, a set of tires installed on a car that was crossing the border and a boat attached to a trailer.

In many cases the travellers did not initially declare the items then later admitted to attempting to smuggle them.

Forest Fires Situation Extreme

The forest fire situation in northwestern Ontario remains extreme.

Ninety-six fires, mostly in the region's remote north, continue to burn.

Over 250-thousand hectares of forest have been blackened.

That's prompted the evacuation of residents from Cat Lake, Kee-Way-Win and Fort Hope.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has also imposed a restricted fire zone in an area north of CN's northern rail line until further notice.

Hot Weather Blankets Borderland

The temperatures in the Rainy River district and Koochiching County reached near record highs on the weekend.

Yesterday, Fort Frances reached 32 C, but with the humidity it felt like 42 C or 108 F.

Atikokan hit 33 C, 41 C with the humidex.

The thermometer in International Falls reached 91 F.

Senator Not All Happy with Budget Deal

Minnesota legislators could be recalled this week for a special session following last week's tentative deal to end the government shutdown.

District 3-A Senator Tom Saxhaugh says while the deal gets services back, it's done little to solve the budget issue.

"I guess the good news is that it's over and we don't have the cuts we were trying to avoid," says Saxhaugh. "The bad news is we've kicked the can again and we're going to have to deal with that $1.4 billion or more two years from now."

A special session was expected today, but work continues on the detailed budget bills.

Electronic Waste Depots in Fort Frances

Ontario Electronic Stewardship comes to Fort Frances today to collect unwanted old televisions, computers, cellphones and stereos.

Depots will be at the Memorial Sports Centre beginning at 2 p.m.

Spokeperson Sean Magee says it's part of a northern tour to help divert the materials from landfill.

"we've had actually a bigger turn out for most of the places we've been to," says Magee. "We've collected over 70 tonnes of electronic waste. It's been a real great success."

The Recycle Your Electronics tour has also been to Rainy River and Atikokan.

Kids Pro Winners

For the first time, the Kids-Pro side of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship has been shared by a pair of youngsters.

13-year-old Kale Bruyere-Huntley fishing with Mike Adams and Michelle Desalnier and 11-year-old Kobi Ward fishing with Joe Thrun tied for first with just over eleven pounds of fish each.

A total of twenty youngster shared the day with tournament anglers.

Accident on Highway 502

At least two people were taken to hospital in Fort Frances following a two-vehicle accident on Highway 502 Friday morning.

It happened at around 9:30 a.m. in the area of of the Crow Rock Bridge, about 7 kilometres north of Highway 11.

Police the two people were from one of vehicle and sustained injuries that are described as serious.

Wisconsin Man Loses Appeal

A Wisconsin man has lost a bid to have charges for failing to pay the toll at the bridge linking International Falls with Fort Frances overturned.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals, last week, upheld the conviction of Dean Crist.

Crist was convicted in a Koochiching Court last year on charges of theft of services for crossing the bridge several times without paying.

He appealed on several grounds, including claiming the Court did not have jurisdiction over the case on an "international bridge."

But the Appeal's court says the theft did not occur on the bridge, but on private property within the city of International Falls.