Tourism Officials Meet on Future of Information Centres

Area tourism officials hope to meet with the Ministry of Tourism this week to discuss the pending closure of the Tourist Information Centres in the Kenora and Rainy River districts.

Tom Pearson, president of the Ontario Sunset Country Travel Association says the April 30 closures are bad for business.

The province says it's closing centres in Fort Frances, Kenora and Rainy River because of low visits.

More Burning Allowed

More communities in the Rainy River district are lifting bans on open air burning.

The township of Emo joins Chapple and Alberton townships and the town of Fort Frances to again permit burning.

Spaces Available for Emo Walleye Classic

Still lots of room for angling teams in the first major fishing tournament of the 2012 season in the Rainy River district.

The Emo Walleye Classic has about half the entries it wants.

Chair Lincoln Dunn says they're not pushing the panic button yet.

Dunn is hoping changes in the prize structure giving anglers more of chance to win money will help boost the numbers.

March Weather Recap

There were plenty of weather records broken in the Rainy River district last month.

Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says you have to back almost 70 years to find a March that was about as warm as it was.

The U.S. National Weather Service says the average monthly temperature in International Falls of just over 3 C or 38 F is the warmest on record there.

Show Cancellation

Another show cancellation for Tour de Fort.

Dala, which previously postponed its December performance, has again cancelled its make-up show on April 13.

However, the Fort Frances entertainment series group says the Digging Roots, an aboriginal blues, soul and R&B band, and recent winner of an Aboriginal Peoples Choice award will perform in their place.

People who purchased tickets for Dala can use them to attend this show.

Thunder Bay Couple Pick Up Winnings

Ont. Lottery and Gaming Corp photo

 A Thunder Bay man says he nearly fainted when he checked his Lotto Max ticket and found he and his wife had won 50 million dollars.

Louis and Jo-Anne Chikoski matched all seven numbers for the March 23rd draw and picked up their winnings yesterday in Toronto.

Louis and Jo-Anne say they used to have their favourite numbers but the windfall came when they chose to play a quick pick.

No Arrests in Suspicious Fire

OPP have some leads, but no arrests yet in their investigation of last month's fire at Leon's furniture store in Fort Frances.

The March 24 fire was contained to storage door area and caused minimal damage.

Anyone with information about the fire or who may have witnessed suspicious activity that morning is asked to call the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Another Scam

Wanted by the FBI?

It's likely a scam.

A badly written e-mail claiming the FBI has a warrant out for your arrest and asking for money is circulating its way around computers in the Rainy River district.

OPP recommend you not respond and delete the email.

If authorities really want to arrest you, they'll just show up at your door in person.

Hunters Charged

Two men from Devlin have been handed huge fines for not following party hunting rules while moose hunting.

The men were charged last October after the Ministry of Natural Resources received conflicting information over who actually shot the animal.

Court fined the men over $2,700.

Their kill was also forfeited to the crown.

Early Fishing Date Requested

There's a call to push up the start of the walleye fishing season in Minnesota.

Democrats want it to open May 5, avoiding the Mother's Day weekend when fishing is supposed to begin this year.

Senator Tom Saxhaugh doesn't see it impacting fish populations much.

The proposal is being put forward by two northeastern Minnesota democrats.