Man Killed in Traffic Accident

A 31-year-old man is dead following an accident in International Falls.

International Falls City Police say the man was driving a van along Keenan Drive yesterday morning when his vehicle collided into the back of a dump truck.

The man, who has yet to be identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The dump truck operator was not injured.

No Charges Laid In Salvation Army Fire

No charges are being laid in connection with a fire Monday night in front of the Salvation Army in Fort Frances.

Members of the Fort Frances Fire Department were called to extinguish the blaze that charred a pile of books, clothing and paper.

OPP did question a suspect who was taken into police custody on an unrelated incident.

It was determined the fire was started by a lit cigarette.

Fire Destroyed Mobile Trailer In Emo

Fire has destroyed a mobile home in the township of Emo.

The fire occurred on Carpenter Road, northeast of the village at about 6:30 a.m. yesterday.

None one was inside.

Officials with the Emo township fire department believe the fire started in a bedroom area, but the exact cause is still being determined.

Area Officer Recognized

An OPP officer who works regularly with the media and several community organizations in the Rainy River District has been recognized for her work

Constable Anne McCoy has been presented with a Queen Elizabeth the second Diamond Jubilee medal.

McCoy was one of three OPP officers in the northwest to receive medals during a ceremony in Thunder Bay yesterday.

Citation For Bravery Awarded

OPP have also awarded the Commissioner's Citation for Bravery to a man who helped rescue a woman from the Fort Frances area who was mauled by a bear last fall.

Daniel Morrison and the woman were working with a Ministry of Natural Resources group conducting an animal count survey in a remote area near Armstrong at the time of the incident.

Morrison used a hunting knife to fight off the bear until police and Conservation officers arrived to kill the bear and get the woman medical attention.

More Wage Freezes Coming

The provincial Liberal government will unveil its plan today that forces wage freezes among public sector workers.

Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested two weeks ago that his government may introduce a single bill to impose an across-the-board wage freeze.

The Ontario Federation of Labour is holding an emergency meeting with other union leaders to talk about how they can mobilize province-wide to challenge the cuts.

Property Assessments To Rise

Municipal budgets are just starting to be worked on, but area homeowners could have to pay more in property taxes next year.

A report by Ontario's Municipal Property Assessment Corporation which determines the value of homes used to set taxes projects assessments to rise 4.5 per cent for the next four years starting in 2013.

MPAC says residential property values have risen by 20 to 30 per cent in northern Ontario since its last update in 2008.

New Canada Day Advisory Committee Formed

The planning of Canada Day festivities in Fort Frances will now fall to an advisory committee with the town.

Volunteer groups involved in the past, including Fun in the Sun, will be represented.

Community Services Manager Jason Kabel sees the new committee providing ongoing support.

Kabel says it will also help the group access resources and write grants.

Huffman School To Be Demolished

The former F.H. Huffman school will be coming down.

Fort Frances town council agreed at their meeting Monday night to demolish the vacant school it purchased two years ago.

CAO Mark McCaig says it will pave the way for new housing lots.

McCaig says an outside firm will be hired, but there might be an opportunity to use town resources to help lower costs.

Councillor Seeks Funds For Tug Of War

A Fort Frances councillor wants the town to consider dedicating funds to enhancing its portion of the annual Pulling for Peace tug of war with International Falls.

Rick Wiedenhoeft says it might help the town attract well-known athletes like the Falls has done.

The Falls has brought in several former members of the Minnesota Vikings in the past and has Pro Football Hall of Famer Carl Ellar attending next July.

Little Public Input Into Budget

Little response from the public to a call by the town of Fort Frances for input into the 2013 budget.

No one attended a public meeting held last night.

The town did receive a submission from the Fort Frances Meals on Wheels program asking for $18,500 to help offset expenses.

That's 500 dollars more than it received for this year.

Radio-thon Planned For Next Week

93.1 The Border intends to bring the Riverside Foundation for Health Care's Together We Can Campaign past its goal.

A four-hour radio-a-thon will be held next Tuesday to help raise money for a new digital mammography unit.

The campaign has so far has raised about 88 per cent of its anticipated 650-thousand dollar goal.

Next Tuesday's morning's event will go from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. live from LaVerendrye Hospital in Fort Frances.

Spend "An Evening In Paris"

Riverside Foundation for Health Care is planning for its next fundraising event.

It's being called "An Evening in Paris" and will be held October 13 at the Memorial Sports Centre's auditorium.

Fifty dollar tickets are now available at all Riverside Health Care Facilities and McTaggarts.

Officers Receiving Awards

Four officers who work out of the OPP's Fort Frances detachment are among those across northwestern Ontario being honoured today at a ceremony in Thunder Bay.

OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis will be on hand to present awards to OPP employees and community members for various acts and achievements.

Help Sent To Alberta

MNR photo

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending forest firefighters to Alberta.

Twenty firerangers, twelve incident commanders and an agency representative left Ontario yesterday to aid with forest fire suppression efforts in that province.

Four MNR firefighters are also working in Minnesota.

Health Care Town Halls Planned

Health Care will be a focus of a series of town hall meetings, being hosting this Friday by Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell.

She'll be joined by NDP Health Critic Frances Gelinas.

Cambell is inviting members of the public to attend for an open discussion about the health care system and its ability to meet the needs of northwestern Ontario.

They're tour will start in Fort Frances, taking them to Rainy River, Kenora and Dryden.

S.I.U. Called To Investigate Kenora Fatal

Ontario's police watchdog has been called in after a 42-year-old woman was killed in a collision while being transported by provincial police in Kenora.

The Special Investigations Unit says officers were transporting a woman in custody to the Kenora detachment early Sunday morning when their cruiser collided with a tractor trailer unit.

The officers and the driver of the transport did not suffer serious injuries.

Court Rules Against Extradition

Ontario's top court has ruled a man from Rainy River First Nations facing drug charges in the United States should not be extradited because of his aboriginal status.

Zachary Leonard was arrested with four others in 2006 after trying to cross the border at International Falls in a van containing 46-hundred ecstasy tablets.

After escaping from a Falls halfway house to Canada, an Ontario Superior Court judge committed him for extradition.

But the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the justice minister didn't properly take into account a legal principle that says different considerations must be made when sentencing aboriginal offenders.

The Appeal Court says Leonard could be prosecuted in Canada.

OPP Getting It Done In Fort Frances

OPP in Fort Frances are above the provincial and national averages when it comes to solving crimes.

OPP closed the books on 67 per cent all crimes investigated in the town in 2011, 89 per cent of all violent crime and 26 per cent of all property crime.

Detachment Commander Inspector Steve Shouldice says the figure for property crime clearance is low because of the difficulty in solving such incidents.

Beef Recall Hits Area Consumers

A nation-wide recall of beef has hit the region.

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public not eat any ground beef with a best before date on or before September 26, due to a possible e-coli contamination at an Edmonton plant.

Health officials says the recall impacts both beef sold at supermarkets and unlabelled ground beef products that may have been shipped to small retailers, local meat markets and butcher shops.

Public Input Welcome

The public will get its say into the 2013 budget for the town of Fort Frances tonight.

A public meeting will be held during tonight's council meeting to solicit input.

The final budget could be complete by the middle of May.

Tonight's meeting will happen 6:20 p.m.

Candidates Forum For Falls Area Candidates

The International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is setting up a candidates' forum for those running in local elections in November.

It's to take place October 16 at Rainy River Community College.

Candidates running for positions on the International Falls City Council, Ranier City Council, Koochiching County Board and District 361 School Board have been invited to participate.

They'll face questions being developed by the College's Student Senate and students from Falls High School and Indus High School.

Schools Raise Funds For Terry Fox Foundation

Two elementary schools have added to the coffers of the Terry Fox Foundation.

Students at Donald Young School in Emo raised $2941.00 during its Terry Fox school run Friday.


Students at Sturgeon Creek School in Barwick collected more than $27-hundred in their run on Friday.

Other area schools will hold their runs and walks this Thursday.

Revco Introduces Hot Tubs To Local Market

A venture into a new product for a Fort Frances flooring business.

Revco Flooring has introduced a line of Beachcomber hot tubs to area residents.

General Manager Guy Donaldson believes there a strong market for the tubs

As the dealer for the entire northwestern Ontario, Donaldson says they're already getting interest from people in Red Lake and Sioux Lookout/

Donaldson says hot tubbing can also bring many health benefits.

Fort Frances BIA Chair Steps Down

The chair of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association has stepped down.

Connie Cuthbertson has informed Fort Frances town council of her resignation from the board in a letter, citing health reasons.

A new chair has not been selected.

Boundary Changes Hearing Approaching

Area residents have a week left to register if they want to make comment to the agency proposal changes to the federal riding in our region.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission in Ontario is proposing Lake of the Woods township be removed from the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Riding and added to the Kenora riding.

A public hearing takes place in Kenora October 9.

Anyone wishing to comment must contact the Commission by October 1st.

Absentee Voting Underway In Minnesota

Absentee voting is underway for Minnesota voters who can't make it to the polls on Election Day in November.

Absentee voting is available in person at county auditors' and some municipal clerks' offices up until November 5th, the day before the election.

Mail-in votes will also be accepted, but voters must submit an application and get the absentee ballot back to local election officials by Election Day.

Nuinsco Sells Royalty

Nuinsco Resources is selling off a royalty it has on a exploration project in the Nestor Falls area.

The 3 per cent royalty on Coventry Resources' Cameron Gold Project will be handed off to an unnamed third party for $5.1 million.

Nuinsico earned the royalty as part of a sale of the project to Conventy two years ago.

Medical School Fundraiser

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is embarking on a new fundraising campaign.  

Officials are hoping to raise $120-thousand with the sale of so called virtual chairs.

Organizer Jackie Dojack says the money will help offset students expenses.

The cost of each chair is 60 dollars with 2-thousand being made available.

Falls Senior Facility Progressing

Work on a new home for the Good Samaritan Society in International Falls is well underway.

The $18-million, 54 bed project, will replace the Society's existing facility and is scheduled to open sometime next fall.

Community Relations director Barb Owen-Boerger says residents can expected to see walls go up early next month.

Owen-Boerger says fundraising for the project also continues with about half of their one-million dollar goal raised.

FireRangers Replaced

The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to provide forest fire fighting assistance to Minnesota.

Four forests firefighters from the MNR's Fort Frances fire district have been working in Ely and Roseau since the beginning of the month.

They're came home Friday, but replaced by four others.

Question of the Week

Most respondents to a 93.1theborder.ca poll don't think students were justified in walking out of class last week

Just 29 per cent feel the students were right in staging walk-outs, they said supported teachers opposition to a legislated contract.

Our question this week, should motorists being paying in advance before filling up at the pumps?

Fort Frances Participates in Health Recruitment Tour

Officials from Fort Frances will get a chance today to meet with some prospective physicians they hope to woe back to the community.

They're attending a health professional recruitment event in Thunder Bay.

It kicks off a tour that will also take them to southern Ontario in October.

New physician recruiter Todd Hamilton says it's the first step in building relationships.

He'll be joined in the visit to Thunder Bay with Dr. Jason Shack.

Hamilton says the benefits of living in Fort Frances will be a main selling point in their discussions with the students.

New Foundation Chair

Some new faces at the helm of the Riverside Foundation for Health Care board of directors.

Livia Lundon takes over as chair from Deane Cunningham who held the position for the past three years.

Lundon has been with the board since 2010 and was serving as its vice-chair since last year.

Kim-Jo Bliss becomes the new vice-chair.

Families In Decline In Rainy River District

More evidence of the population decline in the Rainy River district.

Census figures released show the number of families in the region last year is down 245 since 2006.

Statistics Canada defines a family as being composed of a married or common-law couple, or a lone parent living with at least one child.

Atikokan had the biggest net decline of 105 families over the past five years.

Morley Township sees an increase of 15 while the number of families in Emo has remained the same.

The number of families living in Fort Frances declined by 60 since 2006..


Of the families in Fort Frances, 67 per cent were married couples, with and without children - a decrease of almost 3 per cent from five years ago.

Common-law couples make up 13.7 per cent of local families, up slightly from 2006.

Divorce is also up - 8.3 per cent last year, compared with 8.1 per cent five years ago.

Almost five per cent of households in Fort Frances also have adult children aged 25 and over still living at home.

Internet Cattle Auction Planned

The Rainy River Cattlemen's Association will be going a little high tech at it's next auction.

The September 29 sale at the Stratton sales barn will be broadcast over the Internet, allow bids to come from all over the world.

The Association's Kim-Jo Bliss says a website promoting the sale has generated lots of interest.

The Internet auction is a first for the Association, although it has tried sales via satellite in the past.

Outsourcing of Government Service Still Concern With MPP

The opposition is still upset Ontario hunters are having to call Tennessee to register for this year's hunting season.

At Queen's Park,  Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says despite assurances from government, hunters are still concerned how their personnel information will be used.

Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle insists privacy will be protected, noting Ontario's privacy commissioner also feels the information collected will be safe.

International Falls "Best In Glass"

International Falls can now brag that its water is ``Best in Glass.''

The city's drinking water was judged the best-tasting in Minnesota in a contest held by the Minnesota chapter of the American Water Works Association.

It's the first ever win for International Falls.

Diamond Jubilee Celebrated In Atikokan

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is being celebrated in Atikokan today.

The Atikokan Museum holds a community tea this afternoon as it unveils a new exhibit.

Curator Derek Kowalchuk says local newspaper accounts of the Queen's coronation are among items on display.

The Museum will also commemorate the Queen's 60th year by planting two trees near the Historical Park log cabin tomorrow.

Today event goes from 3 pm to 5 pm with the tree-planting ceremony taking place tomorrow at 1 pm.

Scams Hit Rainy River District

A couple of scam are making their rounds through the Rainy River district.

One involves a letter from the Mississauga area that asks residents to become "secret shoppers."

Respondents then receive large cheques they're asked to cash, sending most of the money back to an address in New Jersey.

OPP says the cheques are bogus, leaving the bank account holder responsible for the amount taken out.

Some of the transactions have been more then four-thousand dollars.

A second scam involves a letter saying they have lots of money and need someone to transfer it to a safe account.

The fraudster asks to forward personal and banking information, giving them access to your bank account and the ability to use your identity.

Diabetes Registry Scrapped

EHealth Ontario is cancelling its contract to set up a diabetes registry.

Greg Reed, president of eHealth, says notice of termination has been sent to company hired.

An eHealth spokesperson had indicated that none of the $46-million earmarked for the project had been spent, alleging CGI Information Systems and Management Consultants of regularly missed deadlines.

Environment Commissioner Upset With Liberals

Ontario's environment watchdog has some harsh words for the Liberal government.

Environment Commissioner Gord Miller says the province is defying the will of the legislature and ignoring the public's right to be involved in policy-making.

Miller says several ministries have been ignoring the environmental Bill of Rights.

He singles out the Ministry of Natural Resources as a "chronic'' offender.

No Slowing Of Forest Fire Season Yet

Forest Fire in Quetico Park - MNR photo

The official end to the forest fire season is six weeks away, but the workload for Ministry of Natural Resources firefighters isn't diminishing.

Information Officer Debbie McLean says crews have had to deal with a rash of small blaze in recent days.

Most have been lightning caused, but a few have been the result of campfires left unattended.

One of the human caused fires was spotted in Quetico Provincial Park were four other lightning caused are burning.

Four other lightning caused blazes are also still active in the park.

Rumble Strips Requested

Minn. Dept. of Transportation photo

International Falls city council is looking for measures that reduce head-on collisions on area highways.

Councillor Paul Eklund says they're asking the Minnesota Department of Transportation to consider placing rumble strips down the centre line in parts of Highways 53, 11 and 71.

Eklund says there is legislation now in place that requires the strips to be installed in new road construction and in areas recommended by MinDOT

The request follows the death of two city residents who were killed in a head on collision two weeks ago south of the Falls.

Buy Ontario Promoted

Clover Valley Farmer Market photo

The Ontario government will put on a new push to convince people to buy more locally grown food.

Premier Dalton McGuinty says convincing people to buy local will be good for the economy and job creation.

The Liberals are introduce legislation called the Local Food Act that aims to make Ontario's farm products more available to consumers.

Underpass Open

The town of Fort Frances is ending planned closures of the Portage Avenue underpass.

It's because of quick work by the contractor to complete work related to a new sewage pumping station.

All the work needed was done by 7 p.m. last night.

Bouchard Visits

A well-known Canadian author is travelling across the Rainy River district to promote the importance of reading to both students and parents.

David Bouchard says it's a must for parents to get their children to read.

He encourages parents to turn off the television, read to their children and the books they like, and to visit the local library.

As well as visiting schools, Bouchard is hosting a number of community events with one scheduled for tonight at J.W. Walker School in Fort Frances at 6:30 pm.

Driver For UR Lakers

Your test drive of a Ford vehicle next month will lend a hand to the Fort Frances Lakers junior hockey club.

Owner Nick Beyak of Sunset Country Ford says it's part of a national Ford of Canada program called Drive One 4 UR Community.

Every time someone test drives a vehicle on October 1st, Ford will donate $20 to the Lakers up to a maximum of $6,000.

It's the first time the program has been tried at the Fort Frances dealership.

New Hospital Still Possible

A new hospital may still be in the card for International Falls.

Health officials with Rainy Lake Medical Centre and Essentia Health were before city council Monday night to discuss their talks to improve care.

CEO and President of Essentia Dr. Daniel Nickevich says full integration of Rainy Lake under its wing could lead to a new hospital.

Previous plans for a new facility were put on hold because of financial issues resulting from a merge of the Falls Memorial Hospital and Duluth Clinic.

Changes Proposed To Prevent Gas Pump Thefts

A Liberal MPP is working on a private member bill aimed at curbing so called gas-and-dash thefts

Liberal Mike Colle says it would force drivers to pay upfront.

He says not enough is being done to protect gas station workers whose safety is at risk whenever gas theft occurs.

His proposal stems from the death of a Toronto gas attendant in an alleged theft on the weekend.

Smile Cookies Are Back

Tim Hortons Smile Cookies are back.

This year, revenues generated go towards OPP's Respect Technology program.

It teachers students how to be safe while on the computer or cell phones.

OPP Constable Anne McCoy says Tim Hortons support is greatly appreciated.

Cookie sales last year raise $4,300 for the program.