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.

Couple Lending Hand to Campaign

Supplied photo

Rainy River couple is helping to promote the financial campaign for a home where visiting physicians can stay while providing temporary medical care in the community.

George Johnson, says he and his wife Nancy want to get the message out by simply visiting others in their home.

Construction of the home is underway with the campaign to raise over $300-thousand recently passing the half-way mark.

Health Care Discussed At Falls Council

Health officials in International Falls are clarifying where health care there and the Rainy Lake Medical Centre is headed.

Essentia Health is proposing a full integration of the hospital under its wing.

Appearing before city council, Essentia's CEO Doctor Daniel Nikcevick says its being pushed by changes in health care.

Rainy Lake Medical Centre's board member Susan Congrave says they do have some concern as its perceived as a potential take over of the hospital with only an advisory board in place.

Essential and the Centre have agreed to continue work on some short term strategies they plan to implement in the next six months.

Specialty WSIB Clinics Requested

A retired Thunder Bay based Orthopedic Surgeon wants the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to hold specialty clinics in northwestern Ontario.

Dr. Jack Remus says it would given its clients in this area access to specialists, diagnostics and treatment resulting in a quicker return to regular employment.

Remus recently discussed the idea with chair of the WSIB Elizabeth Witmer

Rafferty Supporting Seniors Pension Fight

The fight by a local seniors' group for better protection of pensions and Old Age supplements is expected to get a strong voice in Ottawa.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty met with the group Seniors-Retirees Against Pension and Elder Abuse last week.

He says they deserve government attention.

The group is most concerned with the $1.9 billion shortfall in the pension fund for retired workers at Resolute Forest Products.

Underpass Closure

The Portage Avenue underpass in Fort Frances will be closed for periods of time this week beginning today.

The closure, starting at 7 a,m, this morning,  is necessary to complete the removal of the old sewage pumping station which has been replaced.

The roadway will remain shut until 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

Further one day closures are also scheduled for Thursday and maybe Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. both days.

New Fire in Quetico

MNR file photo

Another forest fire in Quetico Provincial Park.

The small lightning-caused fire was spotted yesterday at the western edge of Beaverhouse Lake.

Three others are still burning at the southern edge of the park.

All are being observed by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Tories Want Changes to Abritration Rulings

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives want to force arbitrators to consider a community's ability to pay when they rule on public sector labour disputes.

Leader Tim Hudak says the Liberal government has ignored calls from municipalities to restructure the system so arbitrators consider the financial impact of their decisions.

His party is introducing a private members bill.

Last year, firefighters in Fort Frances were awarded a 16 per cent increase in an arbitrated settlement the town said added an extra $335-thousand to its budget.

MPS BackTo Work

The Tories say they'll be focusing on job creation and economic growth as the fall session of Parliament opens today.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty says seniors, employment insurance and the job loss in northern Ontario will be his focus.

The NDP is also pushing for a  gasoline ombudsman who can look into consumer complaints about high fuel prices.

Terry Fox Run Successful

A huge response to this year's Terry Fox run in Fort Frances.

More than $97-hundred was raised in Sunday's event.

A total of 118 people registered.

Top fundraisers were George Walsh, Aimee Schutte and 7-year-old Samantha McNay who raised nearly 21-hundred dollars.

Highway Relocation Proposed

The Minnesota Department of Transportation has identified potential routes for a realignment of Highway 53 around Virginia and Eveleth.

A section land were the Highway lies between the two cities is owned by Cliffs Resources.

It's given the State notice it plans to terminate a 50 year-old easement agreement.

The MinDOT has until 2017 have the new route in place.

Extra-curricular Activities Still Going On.

High School teachers say they're appreciative of their students support, but school activities are continuing.

Several students across northwestern Ontario walked out of class last week worried extra-curricular activities would be impacted by teachers protests against government legislation imposing new contracts and banning strikes.

Local President of Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation Kent Kowalski says it's up to each individual teacher to decide if they want to continue volunteering their time.

Kowalski says moral among teachers has been diminished by the government bill.

E-Health Ontario Diabetes Registry

A perk for students in grade 7 and 8.

The Northwestern Health Unit will be making its rounds this winter to provide immunization against hepatitis B, meningitis and H-P-V.

Manager of Infectious Diseases Donna Stanley says it's the perfect opportunity for students to get the vaccine.

Parents can call the health unit to see if their child is eligible for a vaccine.

More Campaign Ads On TV

A Democratic congressional candidate is joining a chorus of TV ads in Minnesota's 8th District which includes Koochiching County.

Rick Nolan's campaign begins its first post-primary ad today, emphasizing his northern Minnesota roots without mentioning Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack.

The race between Nolan and Cravaack is getting national attention after Cravaack upset a long-serving Democrat two years ago in a traditionally Democratic area.

Former Minnesota Governor Opposes Ban

Former Governor Jesse Ventura is speaking out against a gay marriage ban on the Minnesota ballot.

The former Independence Party governor and longtime gay rights supporter appears in a video posted online by Minnesotans United for All Families.

In the video, Ventura and his wife, Terry, talk about their 37-year marriage and urge Minnesotans to show their independence by rejecting the gay marriage ban.

Voters will decide the issue in November's elections.

The Walking Monk Passes Area

www.thewalkingmonk.org

A monk is making his fourth trip across Canada by walking.

Bhaktimarga Swami is currently passing through the Rainy River district.

He says taking time for oneself is something others should do more often.

Bhaktimarga, also known as the walking monk, says he's does the walks simply for inspiration and to meet new people.