(Minnesota DNR photo)
The Rainy River District School Board is starting the school year with fewer special education teachers.
Board chair Dan Belluz says there are nine fewer teachers on staff because of cuts in provincial funding.
Belluz says while the board had been made aware of the government 's reduction plans a while ago, the number of students needing special ed has not decreased.
The mayor of Atikokan feels like fresh air has blown through his community.
Dennis Brown says government approval for Ontario Power Generation to move head with the switch of its coal-fired plant to biofuel is giving the community renewed hope.
"This certainly has been a big relief in our community," says Brown. "It's something we've been waiting for close to a year. We now have an opportunity to create more certainty in the community for investment and local residents,"
The conversion is expected start in 2012 and create over 200-jobs.
Enrolment at Confederation College's Rainy River campus in Fort Frances is expected to break the hundred mark for a third straight year.
Classes resume for another year today.
Campus manager Anne Renaud says a variety of individuals are heading to college.
"We get students who are directly out of high school that want to take one year and move onto something else at a college or university in a bigger centre," says Renaud. "We have lots of mature returning students who have been out of school for a while and we have student enrolled through the province's Second-Career program."
Renaud says this year's numbers could come close to the 137 that attended classes last year.
Full-day kindergarten is up and running across Ontario, but critics says the government still hasn't figured out the A-B-Cs of running the program.
Only 10 to 15 per cent of schools will offer after-hours child care that was a key component of the original plan.
Conservative critic Elizabeth Witmer says some school boards are siphoning money from other areas in the scramble to fund full-day kindergarten.
The program is currently being offered in Atikokan at North Star Community School and St. Patrick School.
The MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River is standing firm on his commitment to scrap the long gun registry.
Some New Democrats, who supposed a Conservative private members bill to scrap the registry in second reading, are planning to change their votes when it comes back to the house later this month.
John Rafferty says he won't be standing with them.
"My opinion has not changed," says Rafferty. "I, of course, welcome all kinds of discussion on the issue. I think listening is important and discussing it to the fullest extend. But I've heard loud and clear from the people of my riding and I have not changed the way I intend to vote.
The NDP Caucus is meeting in Regina this week to discuss possible changes to the legislation.
(CKDR photo)
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty is brushing aside comments made about him by Industry Minister Tony Clement as simply politicing.
During a visit to Fort Frances Tuesday, Clement told a group of area leaders the local MP's decisions in Ottawa are not consistent with the values and principals of the riding.
Rafferty says it's just a desperate attempt to take a riding they know then can't win.
"There numbers are not going anywhere in the polls," says Rafferty. "The prospect of an election in the spring continues to loom and quite frankly they're running a little scared."
Rafferty adds he's been pretty true to the wishes of his constituents.
(Teresa Hazel (l.) with Dr. Cynthia Saliba)
There's are a number of new Parliamentary Assistants to Ministers on the McGuinty Cabinet.
The premier has given eleven MPP's new responsibilities.
Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro keeps his duties as Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Government Services.
Canadian Blood Services is looking forward to another strong turnout of donors at its Fort Frances clinics next week.
Spokesperson Harvey Heather says they're hoping for over 300 donors to clinics at the Fort Frances High School as the demand for blood continues to grow.
"We need about 1,200 donations of blood each week," says Heather, "to look after patients in about 90 hospitals in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario including the hospitals in the Rainy River district."
Heather says they're also hoping to see at least forty new donors to clinics that happen next Wednesday night and Thursday.
Some walk-in spots are available, but Heather says it's best to book an appointment in advance by calling 1-888-2-DONATE - that's 1-888-236-6283.
The so-called grandparents scam is apparently reaching some residents in the Rainy River district.
Provincial police says they've received a number of complaints about a man calling, claiming to be a grandchild jailed in Montreal and asking to wire bail money.
In once case, the man sought five-thousand dollars.
Police say residents should not be pressured into giving information or money to anyone.
(Dr. Cynthia Sabila (c.) with Dr. Robert Algie and Dr. Elaine Spencer)
(Brienne Lowey-Bodkin (l.) and Jacqueline Edwards)Two students from the Northern Ontario School of Medicine are in Fort Frances to compete their third year clerkship.
Brienne Lowey-Bodkin and Jacqueline Edwards will be working along side the town's current physicians until next April.Lowey-Bodkin says a familiarity with the area led her to the Fort.
"My grandparents live in Fort Frances and my dad was born in Fort Frances," says Lowey-Bodkin, "so I always came to Fort Frances as a kid. When I choose where I wanted to go, family is always important to me and I knew that it would make my transition really smooth if I could stay with family members.""Fort Frances has quite of few specialists that come in," says Edwards, "and a lot of the docs do different things themselves. They'll do obstetrics. They'll do general surgery. They'll do anaesthesia. So I'm hoping to get a good picture of all those different areas as well as family medicine."
Both students are from Thunder Bay.
The last of the incumbents in Fort Frances have filed for re-election.
Paul Ryan filed his nomination papers for this October's election yesterday.
Ryan was first elected to council in 2006.
(CJUK photo)
(Ministry of Natural Resources photo)Some of Ontario resources are coming back from British Columbia.
Officials says the fire situation in B-C has eased.
Eighty one Ministry of Natural Resources FireRangers headed back to their hometowns yesterday.
The remaining personnel are scheduled back tomorrow.
(CJUK photo)
(Borderland Roller Derby League photo)Members of the new Borderland Roller Derby team are preparing to play their first ever game.
It happens September 11 at the 52 Canadians Arena.Crystal Caul says the local girls will be ready for their opponents from Winnipeg.
"We've been practicing very hard in the last month," says Caul, "because we wanted to get a game in before the ice goes in the arena. When the ice goes in we're going to be homeless. We don't have a place to play or practice so the girls worked really hard so they would be ready for this game."Tickets be can obtained at Northwoods or any team members.
September 1 marked the day Terry Fox was forced to put an end to his cross Canada Marathon for Hope.
It was 30 years ago when Fox stopped in Thunder Bay.
His parents say today is bittersweet, and they'll be using the anniversary to pay tribute to him.
No official ceremonies are planned.
The Terry Fox Run will be held September 19.
(CKDR photo)
Industry Minister Tony Clement was in Fort Frances to help campaign for Maureen Comuzzi-Stehmann.
She's the Conservative hopeful in this riding for the next federal election.
Speaking to area leaders, Clement believes the area would do better with a Tory MP on their side in Ottawa.
"If this riding saw some of the shenanigans in Ottawa that the local MP is involved in in a regular basis," says Clement, "not being consistent with the values and principles of yourselves, or your neighbours or your communities, it would be an easy thing to make a switch."
While acknowledging John Rafferty's support to end the long-gun registry, Clement says the local MP voted against many of the initiatives that have improved local economies.
