Festival Results for Wednesday April 13

Shawn Brady and Andrew Eldridge each picked up four wins in the drama portion of the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts yesterday.

Emma Kunkel, Callahan Wiedenhoeft and MacKenzie Wright, as well as Robert Moore, J.W. Walker and Sturgeon Creek Alternative Schools were multiple award winners.

The drama competitions resume this morning at the Townshend Theatre beginning at 9 a.m.

Here is a list of all winners from Wednesday

FESTIVAL RESULTS – DRAMA DIVISION, April 13, 2011

CLASS A709-A
FIRST - Adriane Gurski, Alanna Walsh, Taylor Swire, Tamika Andy, Jilayne Derkson and Jessica Caul
SECOND - Avery Adrian, Will Anderson, Joseph Ball, Brayden Botsford, Judd Gardiman, Travis Kewakundo, Ryllie Yarmovich, Fred Ottertail and Caleb McIntosh

CLASS A109-A
FIRST – Emma Kunkel
SECOND – Haley Trimble

CLASS A109-C
FIRST - Nicole Horn
SECOND - Kaayla Fox

CLASS A109-D
FIRST - Hailey Clendenning
SECOND - Carley Busch

CLASS A109-F
FIRST – Alice Johnston

CLASS A503-D
FIRST - Emma Kunkel
SECOND (TIE) - Sarah Glover, Kaitlyn Chiasson

CLASS A503-E
FIRST - John Colfer

CLASS A1301
FIRST – Emma Kunkel

CLASS A1000
FIRST - Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program, Grades 6, 7 and 8

CLASS A1200-A
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 4 and 5

CLASS A703-C
FIRST - J. W. Walker School, Grades 2 and 3

CLASS A703-A
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 3 and 4

CLASS A705-C
FIRST - J. W. Walker School, Grades 4 and 5

CLASS A708-A
FIRST - Sturgeon Creek Alternative Program, Grades 6, 7 and 8

CLASS A400
FIRST - Courtney Sinclair
SECOND – Mira Donaldson

CLASS A500-D
FIRST – Callahan Wiedenhoeft

CLASS A200
FIRST - Jenaya DeBenetti

CLASS A103-E
FIRST - Isaac Dykstra

CLASS A104-B
FIRST – Callahan Wiedehoeft
SECOND – Brianna Eldridge

CLASS A104-C
FIRST – Courtney Sinclair

CLASS A104-E
FIRST - Alina Eldridge
SECOND - Maddysan Redford

CLASS A104-F
FIRST – Mira Donaldson

CLASS A106-B
FIRST - Mackenzie Wright

CLASS A106-C
FIRST – Emmy Dykstra

CLASS A106-E
FIRST – Mackenzie Wright

CLASS A108-C
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A108-E
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A108-F
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A202
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A402
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A502-D
FIRST – Shawn Brady

CLASS A502-B
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

CLASS A1300
FIRST – Andrew Eldridge

Wood Allocations Confusing to MPP

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton is questioning how the Liberals are allocating wood supplies in northern Ontario.

Hampton says recent decisions have left him dumbstruck.

"A reasonable person looking at northern Ontario as a whole would say there is no rhyme or reason to these decisions," says Hampton. "The McGuinty government may want to keep sawmills going in some Liberal ridings, but some of the decisions don't even make sense even in Liberal ridings."

Hampton is particularly upset with a government decision that took a wood supply away from a sawmill near Sioux Lookout.

Day of Pink

Staff and students with the Rainy River District School Board will be encouraged to wear pink today (Tuesday) as a stand against bullying.

Shane Bliss, Chair of the Board's Character Education Steering Committee says the effort coincides with the national Day of Pink.

"It's a good chance for us to support this anti-bullying effort," says Bliss, "not just the students, but the staff too. We're doing this at the board office. We've got the schools involved."

Several other area organizations and businesses are also getting involved by having their employees wear pink.

Budget Gets Vote April 25

Fort Frances town council is to formally pass a budget for 2011 later this month.

A public presentation of the budget has been scheduled during the April 25 council meeting.

The public will get an opportunity to comment.

This year's budget includes a tax increase to residential ratepayers of just over 2.5 per cent.

Chamber Announces Awards

The International Chamber of Commerce has named its award winners for 2010.

Pat Bjorum is the Citizen of the Year

Gearhart's Floral & Gifts of International Falls was chosen as Small Business of the Year.

Mannco Trucking is the Large Business of the Year winner.

The winners will be honoured at a ceremony next month.

Local Man Designs Lure for Contest

A Fort Frances man is at the top of a contest that asks people to design their own fishing lure.

Mike Hanson says his design for Gambler Lures combines colours he now uses while out on the waters.

The colour I chose is a cinnamon with purple flakes on the body," says Hanson, "and brownish-green on the claws with gold flakes. I can't find the two together so I thought why not give it a shot."

To vote, first click HERE and LIKE their page.

Then click HERE and LIKE the picture and post a comment.

Festival Results for Tuesday April 12

Robert Moore School choirs received top honours in the final day of vocal performances at the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.

The School earned four first place finishes with the Senior Kindergarten classes earning two wins.

Performances in Drama begin today (Wednesday) at the Townshend Theatre with Graham Ashmore adjudicating.

Here is a list of all winners from Tuesday

FESTIVAL RESULTS – VOCAL DIVISION, Tuesday, April 12, 2011

CLASS V241E
FIRST - St. Michael’s School Choir, Grades 1-3

CLASS V223E
FIRST - Robert Moore School Senior Kindergarten Class

CLASS V259
FIRST - Robert Moore School Senior Kindergarten Classes

CLASS V233E
FIRST - Robert Moore School, Grades 3 and 4

CLASS V249E
FIRST - Robert Moore Girls’ Choir, Grades 4 to 8

CLASS V176
FIRST – Callahan Wiedenhoeft
SECOND – Mira Donaldson

CLASS V177
FIRST - Emma Dykstra
SECOND - McKenna Begin


CLASS V178
FIRST - Isaac Firth
SECOND – Taylor Shouldice

CLASS V179
FIRST - Kennedy Latimer
SECOND – Phoebe Firth

CLASS V180
FIRST - Katelyn Shortreed
SECOND – Jessica Whalen

Council Ready to Help Club

Fort Frances councillors says they'll willing to work with the International Early Iron Car Club.

The club cancelled its annual Scott Street Show and Shine, alleging a lack of co-operation by the town.

Councillor Andrew Hallikas say no one on council was even aware there were problems.

"In all of this, I don't think one person on council is aware that (the club) had grievances with us or that (the club) was upset," says Hallikas. "To my knowledge, nobody from the club has talked to anybody on council."

In the past, the club's event was, in part, organized with the assistance of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association.

Among the club's concerns was the process it took last year to obtain a lottery license used by the Fort Frances High School auto club.

Sewage Plant By-Passed

The town of Fort Frances was forced to by-pass its sewage treatment plant Sunday of nearly 37-hundred cubic metres of partly-treated waste water.

Operations and Facilities Manager Doug Brown says while a rainstorm was partly to blame, the system still sees groundwater that doesn't need treatment.

"We've got to figure out how to eliminate this stuff," says Brown. "This is our biggest restriction in the town, from a growth point of view, how we're taxing the sanitary sewer system treatment process."

Brown says homeowners should not be dumping groundwater from their sump pumps into the sewer system.

Gas Prices Discussed in Ontario

Ontario's opposition parties are hoping to make rising gas prices an election issue.

Gasoline prices have shot up almost 25 per cent since late last year.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says he will consider options such as removing the H-S-T from gasoline

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath wants prices regulates.

The Liberals reject both ideas.

Teacher not to 'Friend' Students

The Ontario College of Teachers is telling teachers not to "friend'' students on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

They're also being told to avoid exchanging private texts, phone numbers, personal e?mail addresses or photos of a personal nature with students.

A spokesperson for the College says e-communication and social media can offer exciting teaching experiences but there are serious risks of misunderstandings or abuse.

College Simulator

(B-93 News Director Randy Thoms tries his hand at operating a back-hoe with Confederation College's new heavy equipment simulator)

Students enrolled in the heavy equipment operator program at Confederation College's Lake of the Woods campus have a new tool to practice their skills.

I.T. director Cathy Tysz says new computer software simulates the operation of a equipment such as a back-hoe, saving money and wear and tear on the real thing.

"According to the instructor, he spends nearly $200 a day on diesel fuel with the students in the cab moving the bucket left and right, up and down" says Tysz. "Now they can sit and can actually simulate it and the other students can learn by watch it on screen."

Instructor Brian Degagne helped build a unit incorporating the soft to provide a more real operating experience.

Ultimate Fishing Town Voting Begins

Voting begins today to help find the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada and the United States.

Nestor Falls and Fort Frances are nominated for the World Fishing Network's contest in Canada.

International Falls is seeking the U.S. title.

The first round of voting begins at 11 a.m. CST and ends May 3.

Festival Results for Monday April 11

Taylor Shouldice was the big winner in the first day of vocal performances at the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts.

Shouldice picked up four first place finishes.

Competitions continue this morning at the Townshend Theatre beginning at 9:30.

Here's a list of all winners from Monday

FESTIVAL RESULTS - VOCAL DIVISION, Monday, April 11, 2011

CLASS V101
FIRST - Naomi Carradice

CLASS V102
FIRST - Carmen Hebert
SECOND - Star Jewell Martin

CLASS V103
FIRST - Jillian Armstrong

CLASS V145
FIRST - McKenna Begin
SECOND - Faith Pollard

CLASS V146
FIRST - Alyssa VanDrunen
SECOND - Maggie Gauthier

CLASS V147
FIRST - David Loney
SECOND - Natasha Peters

CLASS V107
FIRST - Taylor Shouldice
SECOND - Kennedy Latimer

CLASS V108
FIRST - Jessica Whalen
SECOND - Phoebe Firth

CLASS V221
FIRST - Naomi Carradice, Lemuel Carradice, Moriah Carradice

CLASS V184
FIRST - Katelyn Shortreed

CLASS V115
FIRST - Jillian Armstrong

CLASS V154
FIRST - Isaac Firth

CLASS V119
FIRST - Kennedy Latimer

CLASS V157
FIRST - John Jankiewicz

CLASS V138F
FIRST - Phoebe Firth
SECOND - Jessica Whalen

CLASS V161
FIRST - Emma Dykstra
SECOND - McKenna Begin

CLASS V162
FIRST - Maggie Gauthier
SECOND - Isaac Firth

CLASS V163
FIRST - David Loney

CLASS V131
FIRST - Taylor Shouldice

CLASS V132
FIRST - Phoebe Firth
SECOND - Jessica Whalen

CLASS V207
FIRST - Taylor Shouldice
SECOND - Alyssa VanDrunen

CLASS V210
FIRST - Phoebe Firth
SECOND - Greta Fedoruk

CLASS V168
FIRST - Callahan Wiedenhoeft

CLASS V169
FIRST - Emma Dykstra
SECOND - Faith Pollard

CLASS V170
FIRST - Taylor Shouldice
SECOND - Isaac Firth

CLASS V171
FIRST - Ericka Tymkin
SECOND - David Loney

CLASS V172
FIRST - Katelyn Shortreed
SECOND - Jessica Whalen

Missing Boys Found in Fort Frances

Canadian Customs officers are being credited for helping find two missing boys from Missouri.

The boys were with their father when they attempted to cross the border at Fort Frances Saturday afternoon.

The children, aged six and three, had been subjects of an Amber Alert.

Police in Missouri says the father was arrested and the boys taken into the care of Canadian authorities after Customs officers learned they had been wanted.

Service Centre Proposed

An Alberta developer is looking at building a large vehicle service centre in the west end of Fort Frances.

Danny Lizotte is in the process of purchasing a piece of property at the corner of Pit Road 2 and Highway 11 and is looking to have a sewer line connected.

Lizotte says the centre would employ five people to start and provide services to large vehicles currently not available in the district.

Following Election Twitter

A Lakehead University professor is counting the tweets.

Livio DiMateo says he is checking out which of the local candidates in the federal election are on Twitter and seeing what kind of following they have.

"I weas very interested in knowing how the candidates were making use of some of the newer social media," says DiMateo. "What I've been doing is following the number of twitter followers on my blog called 'Northern Economists'."

DiMateo says he wants to see if the number of followers a candidate has matches the vote count at the end of the election.

Victims of Crime Awareness Week

It's National Victims of Crime Awareness Week.

Peggy Loyie of the Rainy River District Victims Services says they're using the week to promote its services.

"We are here to work with police," says Loyie. "In our area that with OPP and Treaty 3. We work with emergency medical services, fire, hospital. If there's a crisis, our volunteers are ready to go in and provide those practical supports."

Loyie says the agency has about twenty-one volunteers who make themselves available to help victims.

Province Helps Victims of Crime

The Ontario government is spending $900-thousand to help victims of crime and their families deal with the justice system.

The province is spending the money to tackle some of the challenges victims and their families face when attending trials.

Cellphone Tower Opposed

An environmental group is going to court today to try to block AT&T's plan to build a 450-foot cellphone tower near the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness says the flashing lights would be visible from several lakes and waterways within the remote area.

AT&T Mobility says the tower will extend cell service to residents and cabins east of Ely and allow paddlers in the waters to call for help in emergencies.