City Turns To Former U.S. Congressman For Advice

The city of International Falls is turning to a familiar face for help in the development of its multi-modal initiative.

Director of Economic and Community Development Shawn Mason says officials will meet next week with former U.S. Congressman Jim Oberstar.

Mason says they're hoping he can identify how the city can benefit from a major rail point of entry and highway transportation links.

Oberstar chaired the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee while in office.

Mason says Oberstar is offering up his services at no cost to the city other than having to pay for travel expenses.

New Invasive Species In Minnesota

Another invasive plant is threatening to overwhelm native species in northern Minnesota.

It's called Japanese knotweed and looks like bamboo.

The Department of Natural Resources calls it a "significant threat,'' especially near water as it can survive high water and floods and spread before native species recover.

Search For Missing Swimmer Continues

The search continue for a missing swimmer in the Rainy River near Emo.

An unnamed 27-year-old man went under the water Sunday night while attempting to swim a length of the river with another person.

The one person returned safely back to the public docks at Emo.

An OPP dive team is expected on scene later today.

Ministry Asked To Help Resolve Treaty 3 Policing Issue

The province is being asked to get involved in the Treaty 3 Police Service issue.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell is asking Community Safety Minister Madeleine Meilleur to help prevent the Service's closure.

Campbell says First Nations policing has to be recognized as an essential service.

Campbell acknowledges the province has been already involved in issue, but more pressure needs to be placed on the federal government.


The Police Service cites funding issues for its decision to shut down next month.

College Moving Float Plane Base

Confederation College is looking for a new location for its float plane base.

It comes after cottagers at Eva Lake near Atikokan complained about planes flying over head this summer.

President Jim Madder says they've agreed to find a new location and have interest from some communities willing to host the program.

The program is to resume next June.

New Forest Fire In Rainy River District

MNR file photo

Three new forest fires in northwestern Ontario, including one in the Rainy River district.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says crews were called out yesterday to extinguish a human caused blaze in the area of Bearpaw Road off Highway 502.

It's this region's first fire in over two weeks.


Of the ten fires reported in this district this fire season, nine have been human caused.

Area MP Reacts To Cabinet Shuffle

No surprises for a northwestern Ontario MP with the changes made to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet.

Thunder Bay-Rainy River's John Rafferty feels the introduction of eight new Ministers is all aimed at improving the Conservatives image heading into the next federal election.

Rafferty does congratulate Kenora MP Greg Rickford becoming the Science and Technology Minister.

He's also hopeful of Rickford does well in taking over responsibility of FedNor from Industry Minister Tony Clement.

Curling Club Champions

Three days until the vote in the Kraft Celebration Tour.

The Fort Frances Curling Club has had many of its curlers compete at regional, provincial and national levels.

Kathy Jackson is the most recent, readying a team for the Dominion Curling Club women's championship this fall.

She says winning the provincials this past spring and being able to represent northern Ontario at a national event is the most exciting event in which she's participated.

She sees the Dominions are a way of supporting curling at the grassroots level, giving curlers a taste of what competitive play can be like and helping to grow the support.


It's the second time Fort Frances has been represented at the Dominions.

Raymond Roy skipped a men's team to the national event in 2010.

Prescription Drug Awareness Planned In Falls

An effort is underway in International Falls to curb prescription drug abuse.

The Borderland Substance Abuse Court Alumni group will hold an awareness event in September.

The Drug Court's Lori Santee says they're seeing in cases involving prescription drug abuse.

Santee says they plan to set up drop off sites for old medication and visit schools to educate young people.

Bear Researcher To Meet With Governor

A Minnesota bear researcher is getting an audience with the Governor.

Lynn Rogers is expected to meet with Mark Dayton Monday in a last-ditch appeal to keep his permits to radio-collar wild bears and place video cameras in their dens.

The Department of Natural Resources doesn't believe Roger's research is yielding much results and worries the bears are getting  too comfortable around humans.

Kenora MP Named To Cabinet

Northwestern Ontario has a voice in Prime Minister Harper's cabinet.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford has been named Minister of Science and Technology and will be responsible for FedNor.

Rickford says he's excited to take charge of northern Ontario's economic development program.

Rickford has also been asked by Prime Minister Harper to take the lead in the Ring of Fire project.

Kenora Search Update

OPP have recovered the body of a man who jumped off a bridge in Kenora into the Winnipeg River Saturday and failed to surface.

He's been identified as 20-year-old John Savoyard of Minaki.

His body was found by an OPP dive team early yesterday morning.

Police Search Underway In Rainy River

Police on both sides of the border are involved in a search for a man in the waters of Rainy River.

OPP say the unnamed 27-year-old was with another who attempted a swim last night into the river, returning back to the Emo public dock, a distance of about 60 metres.

The one man returned safely.

An OPP Marine unit, with help from Koochiching County Sheriff's Department are patrolling the area.

An OPP dive team is also responding.

Curling Club Profiled

Fort Frances Curling Club is looking for your vote in the Kraft Celebration Tour.

The Club is home to several leagues for curlers from its Little Rockers to seniors.

President Ron Silver says the sport attracts a wide range of talents, but remains one of few that truly promote fair play.

Silver says the club has also had the privilege of hosting many regional and provincial championships, allowing local residents to watch the likes of Brad Jacobs, Al Hackner and Krista McCarville.

Search For Man Continues

A search continues for a 20-year-old man who jumped off a bridge in Kenora into the Winnipeg River and never surfaced.

OPP officers on patrol were flagged down Saturday by witnesses.

An OPP marine unit and dive team have been on scene since.

The name of the man has not been released.

More Zebra Mussels In Minnesota

More zebra mussels have been found in Minnesota.

State wildlife officials say adult zebra mussel have been identified in Cross Lake and Lower Hay Lake - two of 14 lakes in the Whitefish chain in central Minnesota, north of Brainard.

Similar discoveries were confirmed in May at lakes, southwest of International Falls, that eventually flow in Rainy River.

Quiet Weekend For Forest Fires

MNR file photo

A quiet weekend on the forest fire front in northwestern Ontario.

Just one new fire was reported with the number of active down to 32.

However, the effects of rain in the far north were short lived and the hazard there is back to the high range.

The central and southern portions of the region are in a low to moderate fire hazard.

Newspapers Put To Computer

The Fort Frances Museum continues its work to preserve its large collection of local newspaper.

The newspapers are being digitized so they can be stored on computer.

The Museum's Jeremy Hughes says it will help protect their existing copies, some of which are in such bad shape they should no longer be handled.

Hughes says storing them on computer will also improve access for research.

Class Action Lawsuit

A longstanding class action lawsuit heads back before the courts today.

The case stems from the almost 16-thousand aboriginal children in Ontario who were removed from their homes between 1965 and 1985, and placed in non-native communities.

Vote This Friday

It's just a matter of days before you get to help the Fort Frances Curling Club secure a spot in the Kraft Celebration Tour.

The on-line vote against Dryden goes July 19.

Club president Ron Silver says the club will host a bbq, courtesy of Canada Safeway and Kraft for anyone who visits the Club Friday and uses its WiFi to cast ballots.

Those without computers can also cast ballots at Boston Pizza, La Place Rendez Vous, Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, Fort Frances Library and Technology Centre, McDonalds, Fort Frances Museum, NCDS, Lowrey's, From the Grind Up, Wilson's Business Solutions.
 
You can also log onto kraftcelebrationtour.ca, 931theborder.ca or fortfrancescurlingclub.ca beginning Friday 11 a.m.