Home Sales Up

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation says the average home price in the Kenora and Rainy River districts has increased 26 per cent over the past four years. 

MPAC's chief assessor Larry Hummel says different forces affect the real estate market in northern Ontario, including the recent increase in activity in the mining sector.

Overall, Ontario's home prices are up 17 per cent.

Portage Avenue Underpass To Close

The Portage Avenue underpass in Fort Frances will be temporarily closed to traffic next week.

The closures happen next Tuesday and Wednesday, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., both days.

It's to allow crews working on the pumping station to install new electrical services.

A temporary pedestrian walkway will be set up on the east side of the road during the closure.

Mining Symposium Planned

Mining and skilled trades are the wave of the future in northwestern Ontario, so the federal government is giving a hand to help aboriginal youth gain access to those sectors.

Federal government's setting aside $46-thousand to support an Aboriginal Trades and Employment Symposium in Dryden.

The September event will include reps from various mining companies.

Man Dead In Shooting Incident

A 61-year-old man is dead following a shooting incident at Whitefish Bay First Nation near Sioux Narrows.

Police says Charles Minshall was the owner of a store in the community.

Treaty Three Police Service found his body after responding to reports of gunfire being heard in the area of the store Sunday morning.

No one has yet been arrested.

No Injuries In Boating Incident

No one was injured in a boating accident on Rainy Lake on the weekend.

Koochiching County Sheriff's Office says two boats received minimal damage after brushing each other sides Saturday night.


Police says both operators thought the other was going to turn away to avoid a collision, but neither did.

Man Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges

A 25-year-old man man faces a long list of charges after a 50-year-old woman was sexually assaulted in the Red Lake area.

OPP says the two knew each other.

The victim was transported to hospital and released.

The accused remains in custody.

No names have been released.

MNR Getting More Fire Aid

The Ministry of Natural Resources is receiving more outside help to deal with a rash of forest fires in northwestern Ontario.

Twenty firerangers from Saskatchewan and 20 from New Brunswick will join Ontario's crews on the fire lines.

Waterbombers from Quebec and Newfoundland have also been called in.

Twenty firerangers from Minnesota arrived last week.

Five new fires were reported yesterday, bringing to 70 the number active.

Four are in the Rainy River district.

Sun Starts Deck Fire

The sun is being blamed for starting a fire in Littlefork.

Fire personnel were called to extinguish a blaze Sunday night on a deck of a home.

Officials say it was started by the sun hitting a mirror to create a heat source.

Town Seeks Federal Dollars

The town of Fort Frances will submit federal funding requests for four components a recent energy retrofit study.

Upgrades to the Memorial Sports Centre and a group of facilities that include the Daycare Centre, Museum, East End Hall, Sister Kennedy Centre and Sorting Gap Marina top the list.

Councillor Paul Ryan says its in line intent of new Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund.

Upgrades to the Civic Centre and sewer and water plants will also be part of the application.

New Aestheticians

A special graduation ceremony for six students of a new program at Confederation College's Rainy River campus.

They're the first to complete an introductory aesthetics course.

Instructor Sara Enns says students can use the program to further their education or start their own business.

The College is looking at offering the 13-week program again this fall.

New Diapers Wanted

A collection of new diapers is underway in International Falls.

The United Way of Northeastern Minnesota is teaming up with a number of businesses and groups to collect diapers for needy families in Koochiching County.

Spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson says it's a first  for the community.

Depots have been set up at Border State Bank, Bremer Bank, City Drug, Kmart, Koochiching County Health Department, KSDM/KGHS Radio, Stewart's Super One, SUPERVALU, TruStar and Wells Fargo.

UnitedHealthcare and Boise will also be conducting internal drives with their employees.

The diapers will be distributed by the Salvation Army and Falls Hunger Coalition when the drive is over August 13.

Atikokan Plant To Stop Burning Coal In October

Ontario Power Generation's plant in Atikokan will stop using coal this fall.

The plant won't be generating power using biomass until 2014.

Plant Manager Chris Fralick says they'll be shutting the plant down in October to allow for the conversion work to proceed.

Cost of the work is estimated at about $200-million.

Fralick says the existing workforce of 85 will continue to be on site during the work.

Dragon Boat Club Formed

There's a move to keep the Dragon Boats floating all summer long along the Rainy River.

A club is being formed to help coordinate use of the boat obtained by Northern Community Development Services of Fort Frances.

Executive Director Jenny Greenhaulgh says it stems from the recent Dragon Boat festival in Fort Frances.

Greenhaulgh says they'll be making it available to both individuals and groups.


She says they're still in the process of finalizing scheduling of the boat.

Town To Seek Retrofit Funds

The town of Fort Frances is looking at the federal government's new community infrastructure fund to help with an energy retrofit project.

An administrative report to council tonight recommends it submit an application for the previously approved project with Honeywell listed at over $3.4 million.

The feds are making about $4-million dollars in its fund available to northern Ontario communities.

Other projects, including the reconstruction of Colonization Road East, were considered, but the energy saving initiative was was identified as top priority.

New Fires In Rainy River District

There are two new forest fires in the Rainy River district.

Both are lightning caused and listed as being under control.

One is located south of Mine Centre.

The other is near Lower Squirrel Lake, northeast of Atikokan.

A third fire still burns within Quetico Provincial Park.

Because it's posing no problem, the 0.4 hectare fire is being allowed to burn itself out because of its benefits to renewing the area's ecosystem.

Plane Crash Near Brainerd

A pilot has been killed and a passenger injured following a plane crash into a lake near Brainerd, Minnesota.

The Federal Aviation Administration says it happened just before 10 yesterday morning at Upper Whitefish Lake.

The FAA says the plane was amateur-built four years ago.

Class Action Lawsuit Launched

A class action lawsuit has been launched against Elections Ontario regarding the loss of personal information of up to 2.4 million voters.

This after Ontario's chief electoral officer announced last week that two memory sticks containing copies of personal information collected from voters in 20 to 25 ridings went missing in April.

New Instructor At Rainy River Community College

Rainy River Community College has hired a new part-time American Indian Studies instructor.

Stephen Briggs of International Falls will begin his tenure August 20.

He has been with the Minnesota Indian Education Association Board of Directors, but has worked at the College in past summers as an assistant teacher for its Ojibwe Immersion Camps and with its American Indian Studies Department.

Kids Pro Tournament

11-year-old Aarron Meyers is the big winner of the Canada Safeway Kids Pro fishing tournament to open the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Meyers reeled in almost 11.5 pounds of fish with partners James Kaemingh and Dan Veldhuisen.


All 19 youngsters involved caught fish.


Here's the complete standings


Kid-Angler -  Pro Angler - Total Weight
Aaron Meyers - James Kaemingh - 11.35
Blake Morken - Vince Godbout - 10.30
Braedon Belluz - Shane Wepruck - 10.14
Aiden Wielinga - Troy Norman - 9.96
Caleb Woods - Luke Levesque - 9.49
A.J. Kellar - Luke Levesque - 9.28
Shaye McCormick - Cole Godbout - 9.10
Hunter Bourassa - Dave Lindsay - 9.16
Jacob Albright - Larry Butner - 7.87
Chase Badiuk - Phil Banger - 7.63
Jarvis Esselink - Mike Adams - 7:48
Maverick Wickham - Dave Lindsay - 7.22

Trace Gosselin - Dan Fraser - 6.73
Sullivan Shortreed - Ray Watson - 4.82
Garrett Hyatt - Jon Evans - 4.61
Jesse Esselink - Anthony Veert - 4.00

Gaige Dyke - Sean Good - 3.40
Gabby Peters - Bryan Gustafson - 2.80
Rachel Anderson - Bryan Gustafson - 2.80

OPG Gets Power Deal

Ontario Power Generation has a power purchase agreement with the Ontario Power Authority for its soon to be converted coal-fired plant in Atikokan.

It was the last step needed before the plant can be switched to using biomass.

Mayor Dennis Brown says it's a huge relief for his community that has been waiting several months for the announcement.

Work on the conversion will start this fall.