More Paramedics Added

The city of International Falls is adding more paramedics to its ambulance department.

City councillors last night accepted a recommendation from their Advanced Life Support Committee to hire three paramedics in 2011.

Committee Chair Terry Ehrman says an increase in runs and changing demographics warrant their need.

"The population of the baby boomers is getting older," says Ehrman. "There's going to be more elderly people requesting the service. There's going to be an increase in the service as well with that."

The task force estimates cost of having now four paramedics on staff at about $825-thousand with net revenues to the city coming in at about a quarter-of-a-million.

Fight on Blight Continues

The city of International Falls fight on blight campaign continues.

The push to have old derelict building torn down has resulted in fourteen homes, five mobile homes, eleven garages and six sheds demolished this year.

Building Inspector Kelly Meyers says they're hoping to have at least three other burned-out buildings and some garages brought down in the near future.

Walking the Path

A group of police officers and community members are gathering this week in Couchiching First Nation to learn about a new educational program for youth.

Walking the Path focuses on teaching native and non-native students about the history, beliefs and traditions of Aboriginal People.

Carol Clarke of the OPP's Aboriginal Policing Bureau says they seeing success in area's that now have the program.

"Once it comes into an area, people just snowball, they want it everywhere because it's so fun," says Clarke. "The kids love it. The community loves it. The schools love it. It's self-empowering for these kids to learn about their culture."

Clarke says they're working to spread the program across the province.

Children's Fair Today

Children's agencies and services from the Rainy River district will be showcased at a event today at J.W. Walker School in Fort Frances

Miranda Sigurdson of the Northwestern Health Unit says a number of groups are taking part.

"We're going to have different health representatives like an audiologist from the Ear Clinic," says Sigurdson. "There will be the Dental Centre and representation from the Health Unit and the different programs there. The Karate Club and Kids and Company will also be on hand."

The event goes from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. and is put on by the Coming Together for Kids Coalition.

Coroner's Inquest Makes Recommendations

A coroner's jury is recommending increased staff training and searches of inmates after examining the death of an Atikokan man at the Fort Frances district jail.

An inquest into the August 2009 death of 21-year old Dylan Wreggitt determined he died accidentally of opiate toxicity.

The jury made a total of eight recommendation after hearing two-days of testimony last week in Fort Frances.

They included the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services making resources available to staff for enhancing training regarding drug screening and that the Fort Frances jail consider using OPP K-9 units to conduct random weekly searches of the cells.

Multiple Ballots Received

Some voters in the Rainy River district may have received multiple Vote by Mail kits for this month's school board elections.

The kits were sent out last week.

The Rainy River District School Board says electors with property in both a municipality and an unorganized area may have received kits from both their municipality and the school board.

Superintendent of Business Laura Mills says the mailings could not be avoided due to the way voter notification lists were produced.

Voters are to use just one ballot, and to return it to their municipality.

Stop Being Nice: Panel

How do we get northwestern Ontario issues on the radar at Queen's Park?

That was the topic at a panel discussion at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference in Thunder Bay.

Panelist and Toronto Star Writer Christine Blizzard says northerners have to stop being nice.

"I was very surprised to hear (municipal leaders) had given two standing ovations to Premier Dalton McGuinty," says Blizzard, "in light of the far north act that was passed against serious opposition from northwestern Ontario that the crowd could have been a lot more critical."

Others says northerners need to focus attention on a couple of key issues at one time.

More Gold Found in Atikokan

An mining company says its found new gold zones near Atikokan.

The discovery by Sparton Resources was made during its summer exploration program of property that straddles Osisko Mining Corporation's Hammond Reef project.

Sparton is planning more exploration this fall that will include a drilling of the identified areas.

Live@edu

The Rainy River District School Board is partnering with Microsoft to make its Live@edu initiative available to secondary students across the district.

Information Technology Services manager Stephen Danielson says it allows students to access their school emails and projects from any computer.

"From home, the public library, wherever they have an interest connection," says Danielson. "The nice part is that they can transfer their files from school to an on-line storage and access that same file from home."

Danielson says they are already looking to expand the initiative to students in grade seven and eight.

Students Clean Shoreline

The shores of Rainy River are a little cleaner today, thanks in part of the students from J.W. Walker School in Fort Frances.

Teacher Angela Petsnick says about forty students picked up garbage as part of the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-Up.

"Last year we picked up a lot of cigarette butts along the river front," says Petsnick, "A lot food wrappers and plastic bottles. Sometimes we find some weird things like a seagull or a skunk. We pick up everything."

This is the sixth year the school has participated in the Canada-wide clean-up.

Far North Act Defended

Ontario's Premier is defending the Far North Act.

Numerous groups including businesses and First Nations organizations have condemned it.

Speaking in Thunder Bay, Dalton McGuinty believes there will be a way to work around any concerns.

"We're going to work hard with our First Nation communities," says McGuinty, "to make sure we establish a genuine partnership where each party has confidence in the other and that we can almost anticipate each others thinking.

McGuinty also appointed a new coordinator to oversee the Ring of Fire chromite deposit initiative.

ReThink Economic Development: Consultant

Northwestern Ontario communities need to rethink the way they carry out economic development.

Brock Dickinson, an economic development consultant, spoke at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Thunder Bay.

Dickinson says northern communities need to revamp their economic development skills.

"The tools, the offices and the systems that we put in place were put in place thirty or forty years ago," says Dickinson, "and focused on things that are not on the leading edge of the new economy. Step one is to rethink what we're doing and why we're doing it."

Dickinson says the North can also thrive on entrepreneurs that do business world wide using technology such as green energy.

Rafferty Introduces Seconds FASD Bill

Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP John Rafferty has introduced his second Private Members' Bill on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Rafferty is calling on the Federal Government to develop a national strategy on the issue.

The bill is not expected to come up for debate before the next federal election.

Fire Season Nears an End

There is officially one month left in the forest fire season.

Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Debbie MacLean says it's been another slow season in northwestern Ontario.

"We have had 351 fires in the West Fire region," says MacLean, "and just over 9,000 hectares burned. We've had certainly more fire activity this year than we have had in the couple of previous year. We still have had a fairly quiet forest fire season."

The northwest has averaged about 626 fires over the past five years.

Falls School Board Bracing for Possible Cuts

The Superintendent of Independent School District 361 is bracing for the possibility of cuts in state funding.

Education has so far been spared by the Minnesota government, but Jeffrey Peura says the International Falls School board is being cautious with its spending.

"We don't know probably until next May what our funding formula will be leading into next school year," says Peura, "so we're going to be very cautious with revenue projections.

Peura says the board did see an increase in the number of elementary students attending classes this fall which helps with the amount of money they do get from the Minnesota government.

College Support

More assurances that Rainy River Community College won't be closing anytime soon

The College is among the smallest in Minnesota, but Interim Provost Ken Simberg told a group of International Falls business leaders the college plays a big role in the area.

"Rainy River needs to be here to serve the individuals who have college desire," says Simberg, "want to stay locally and go to school. Plus, I believe we service a very important part of being a community. We serve the workforce needs. We serve the training needs."

Simberg says they're working to build enrollment by adding new programs and promoting itself more to Ontario students.

Singer Promotes Native Teachings

A northwestern Ontario musician is using her music help promote native teachings and healthy lifestyles to young people.

Shy-Anne Horvorka is in Fort Frances as part of a aboriginal music tour.

"I think a lot of youth thing that in the music business you have to sing about drugs, alcohol and partying to be successful," says Horvorka. "We want to show them you can be successful without singing about that. You can have a positive swing to your message."

Tonight, she's holding a search for youth to participate in a mentorship program through music and art with auditions taking place at the Townsend Theater.

Inquest Continues

A coroner's inquest into the death of an Atikokan man at the Fort Frances district jail continues today.

The inquest is reviewing the circumstances behind the death of 21-year-old Dylan Wreggitt, who was found unresponsive at the jail in August 2009 and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Yesterday, a five-person jury began hearing testimony and reviewing evidence that began with viewing a number of photographs of Wreggit's jail cell taken by an O-P-P investigator.

Wisconsin Man Arrested at Border

A man, wanted in Wisconsin in connection with a sexual assault of a child, is in police custody after being arrested at the International Falls port of entry.

63-year-old Gary Luedeman was arrested last Wednesday while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered he had an outstanding warrant from Oconto County, north of Green Bay.

Luedeman was later turned over to Koochiching County Sheriff's Office pending extradition back to Wisconsin.

McGuinty Visits Northwestern Ontario Leaders

Premier Dalton McGuinty is in Thunder Bay today.

He will deliver the keynote address at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association's meeting and will be joined by area MPPs Michael Gravelle and Bill Mauro.

The premier will then met area residents applying for the Northern Ontario Energy Credit.