Wind Storm In Distrct's West End

A number of campers and property damage reported after a severe storm moved through the Morson area Saturday.

OPP say much of the damages was in the area of the Assabaska Heritage Park, where several trees are reported toppled.

No injuries were reported.

Plane Crash Near Kenora

Two people have walked away from a plane crash in the Kenora area.

The Cessna float plane reportedly went down in an area between Lulu and Louise Lakes Friday afternoon.

The pilot and a passenger, who were rescued by a group of anglers fishing nearby, sustained only minor injuries.

New Faces On Board

There are a few new faces within Northwest Catholic District School Board's administration team.

Along with new education director Rick Boisvert,, Meghan Bourgeois has been appointed to the position of eLearning and Homework help.

Kelly Jaeger is the board's new Mental Health Leader.

Brendan Hyatt is principal of Our Lady of the Way School in Stratton.

Ron Fryer takes on the same job at St. Patrick's School in Atikokan after serving as vice-principal of St. Francis and St. Michael's schools in Fort France
s.

Question Of The Week

Do you think Premier Wynne has the best interests of northern Ontario near the top of her government's agenda?

Let us know on our website, 931theborder.ca.

In last week's poll, 80 per cent felt the recent Kraft Celebration Tour exceed their expectations.

Kenora MP Unhappy With Ontario Premier

A Conservative MP isn't happy with the Premier.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says Kathleen Wynne's announcement of the deal to keep the Experimental Lakes Area open failed to mention any involvement of the federal government in the negotiations.

Rickford says the Province wanted a joint communications approach on the deal, but then turned around and failed to uphold its end of the bargain.

A joint news release did come out Monday, a day after Wynne's announcement.

Suicide Rate Up In Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Health is urging folks to take action when a friend, family or neighbour hints that they want to harm themselves.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

The Department's Melissa Heinen says the suicide rate in the State has reached its highest point in a decade.

Heinen says since suicide is preventable, the numbers indicate much more needs to be done to connect those who are considering harming themselves with services available.

Province Steps Forward To Keep ELA Open

CJRL photo

The Provincial government has formally announced funding to keep the Experimental Lake Area open.

Premier Kathleen Wynne made the announcement for two-million dollars annually during her visit to Kenora Sunday.

Wynne says she's not sure why the federal government decided to pull out of the ELA but her government is committed to the scientific research being done there.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development will be responsible for operating the freshwater research facility.

Ministry Of Labour Probing ATV Accident

A 63-year old Ear Falls man is dead as the result of an all terrain vehicle accident near Marathon on the weekend.

OPP say James Buckner was operating the ATV on a trail when he lost control and was thrown off went it went down a hill.

Police says he was not wearing a helmet.

Because he was working for a mining company at the time, the Ministry of Labour is investigating.

New Fires In Fort Frances District

A couple of lightning caused fires identified by the Ministry of Natural Resources in the Rainy River district.

The fires, one on Rainy Lake near Goose Island and the other on Lac La Croix near Spool Island, were both small in size and have been declared out.

The MNR continues to monitor two others that have been burning within Quetico Provincial Park since last Tuesday.

Fires In Boundary Waters Wilderness Now Out

Fires that have been burning on the Minnesota side of the border within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness have now been declared out.

U.S officials says suppression efforts and significant rainfall have helped quell the fires, including one at the south arm of Knife Lake near the U.S.-Canada border.

Campsites, waterways, and portages closed because of the blazes have been reopened.

Confederation College Back In Class

It's another school year for Confederation College's Rainy Lake campus in Fort Frances.

As many as 80 first year students are expected.

Campus manager Anne Renaud says there's also new programs this year with its environmental technician program and the two-year tourism, travel and eco-tourism adventure program.

The College will hold two days of orientation before classroom learning begins Thursday.

Union Merger Approved

The merge of two of Canada's largest unions is now complete.

Almost 96 per cent of delegates at a conference in Toronto on the weekend approved of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers and the Canadian Autoworkers Unions becoming the newly formed Unifor.

Jerry Dias was elected its first president.

Unifor now represents almost 7-thousand members in northwestern Ontario, primarily in the areas of forestry, health care, manufacturing and transportation."

Kraft Buying The Water

Kraft Canada is stepping forward to cover the cost of extra water purchased by the Fort Frances Curling Club during last Sunday's Celebration Tour in Fort Frances.

Town council said last Monday night it would pay the $600.

But Kraft's Sue Brooks says as soon they found out about the purchase, they immediately reached out to the Club.

Brooks says about 3-thousand bottles of water had been made available, but were quickly grabbed by the huge crowd attending.

Highway 53 Upgraded

Motorists, heading to Duluth will encounter a switch in the route of Highway 53 near Cook.

Four-laning of a section of the Highway is taking place with a portion of the northbound lane now complete.

Traffic is being routed to that new lane so crews can construct the new southbound lane.

The project is expected to be complete by next summer.

Wolve Sent For Testing

File photo

A wolf suspected of attacking a teenager at a campground in south-central Minnesota has tested negative for rabies.

A 16-year-old boy is recovering from last Saturday's attack at Lake Winnibigoshish.

The animal was trapped last Monday, but the department is still not certain if it was the animal involved.

A wolf muscle sample and the youth's shirt have sent to California for DNA testing.

I Am Awesome Conference

A conference for girls is set for next month in Nestor Falls.

The I Am Awesome and I know it Self-Esteem and Empowerment Retreat is aimed at girls between the ages to 10 and 14.

Director Renee Martin-Brown says it's aimed at helping build up self-confidence

Registration is through the group's website.

Power Outage To Be District Wide

A power outage to affect the town of Fort Frances this week will now be district wide.

The town will be without power from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday September 8.

Hydro One is now reporting that residents living east of town to Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation will be without power during the same time.

Residents living to west to Rainy River, including the Morson and Big Grassy areas and north to Nestor Falls, will be lose electricity from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Hydro One is performing equipment upgrades during the outage.

Cabinet Minister Impressed With Premier's Admission

The Premier's admission of "trying" marijuana has at least one member of her cabinet impressed.

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says he admires the Premier's honest in responding to the question.

The premier didn't say where she stands on the issue, but believes legalization and regulation of marijuana is one that needs to be debated.

Welfare Recipients Get Increase

People who receive social assistance in Ontario will see a slight increase on their cheques this month.

A one per cent hike in the Ontario Disability Support Program benefit went into effect Sunday.

A similar increase for people receiving Ontario Works happens October 1.

The increases were first announced in the provincial spring budget.

Birth Control Recall

The Northwestern Health Unit is alerting women in the region about a recall of birth control pills.

Mylan Pharmaceuticals first issued the recall of the oral contraceptive pill Freya-28 after a placebo pill was found in a one package.

The Health Unit says it doesn't dispense the brand of pill, but local pharmacies may