Research Project Turning In To Book

A report released last year on race-relations in the Rainy River district is being turned into book form.

Author Jeff Denis says he's secured a contract with an academic publisher.

He's back in the area to discuss his findings and gather more data.

Denis' research was conducted over an 18-month period that included interviews and surveys

Kelly Loses National Chief Bid

Former Treaty Three Grand Chief Diane Kelly has failed in her bid to become National Chief of the  Assembly of First Nations.

Kelly dropped out of the race after finishing third with 39 votes in the second round of balloting.

Shawn Atleo, who was returned for a second term, says First Nations are increasingly demanding to be treated as equal partners in governance and in control over natural resources.

He says his mandate will reflect the will of the regional chiefs who advise him.

Help From Minnesota Arrives

Map of Active Fires

Ontario is now receiving assistance from Minnesota is dealing with a rash of forest fires in northwestern Ontario.

Twenty firefighters from the State are being deployed near the remote communities of Deer Lake and Keewaywin to aid in suppression efforts of several fires there.

The lack of fire activity in the Rainy River district is also allowing the MNR to relocate some personnel from this district to the remote north.

Five new fires were reported yesterday, bringing to 70 the number of those active.

Former ORNGE CEO Says Government Was Informed

The man at the centre of the Ornge scandal says the government never told him he was veering off course in running the province's air ambulance service.

Chris Mazza told a legislative committee yesterday the Ministry of Health was fully informed about what he was doing at the taxpayer-funded organization.

Health Minister Deb Matthews disputes Mazza's testimony, saying even the auditor general had trouble finding out what was going

Candidate Proposes Federal Mining Institute

A Democratic congressional candidate in northern Minnesota is proposing developing a new federal institute on mining and the environment.

Rick Nolan says the institute would be located in the Iron Range area and could help the industry overcome production and environmental issues to create more jobs.

Rival candidate Jeff Anderson calls the plans wasteful federal spending.

Worldwide Support For Experimental Lakes Area

The international community isn't giving up its fight to keep the Experimental Lakes Area near Kenora open.

More than 29-hundred people from 58 countries have signed an on-line petition calling on the federal government to reverse its decision to end funding to the research site.

Some signatories says the federal government has a mandate to conduct whole-ecosystem freshwater research.