OPG Told To Keep Power Plant Going

The Ontario Energy Board feels removing the Thunder Bay Generating Station would negatively impact the region's electricity system reliability.

The OEB has ordered the Ontario Power Generation to renew the plant's operating contract for the rest this year.

Wolf Hunt Quota Reduced

Minnesota wildlife officials are cutting the quota for the state's second wolf season by nearly half.

The target for hunting and trapping this fall and winter is 220, down 180 from last year.

The change comes after an annual Department of Natural Resources survey found the wolf population had dipped to an estimated 22-hundred animals.

Researcher Gets DNR Compromise

A Minnesota bear researcher has reached a compromise with the Department of Natural Resources to continue collaring bears for research purposes.

Lynn Rogers will be allowed to keep collars on ten bears, but can't hand-feed bears around his research center near Ely or webstream cameras places in dens.

A DNR spokesperson says the compromise allows the case to move to a state administrative law judge for a ruling.

College Seeks Candidate For Board Of Governors

Confederation College is looking to fill a vacant spot on its Board of Governors.

The three year term starts September 1.

Interested people can apply to Confederation College by August 31.

Bike Rodeo In Fort Frances

OPP will be testing the skills of young bicycle riders in Fort Frances.

A bike rodeo is planned for this Friday morning at the Fort Frances Library.

You're asked to call the Library to pre-register.

Adult Readers Wanted

Fort Frances Library is giving its adult readers an opportunity to read some of the top books in Canada.

The Forest of Reading program invites people to read one or more of 10 books selected by librarians across the province.

Librarian Janet Dell says they will then vote on their best.

The campaign goes until the end of October.

Youth Jobs Fund Revealed

Ontario's Liberal government will spend $195-million over the next two years on a youth jobs fund.

Premier Kathleen Wynne says the government was already working on the strategy when the New Democrats demanded a youth jobs fund in the last provincial budget.

Under the youth jobs program, employers will be eligible for up to $6,8000 to cover wages and training costs while the young workers could get up to one-thousand-dollars to cover tools  and transportation costs.

More Tests On Aboriginals Revealed

There's new information regarding tests conducted on aboriginal people decades ago.

Historical research shows government officials tested tuberculosis vaccines on impoverished aboriginal people during the 1930s.

The vaccine was successful and remains in use to this day.

Maureen Lux, a medical historian at Brock University, says it's another example of how officials used aboriginal people as test subjects and looked for cheaper solutions instead of fixing underlying problems.

Victim Avocates Want Voice In Court Case

Advocates for victims of residential school abuse say their voices are not being heard in a court case that's to decide what to do with documents from an investigation of the alleged abuse.

The federal government is asking asked the courts for help in deciding what to do with the documents which stem from a police investigation into abuse at a residential school in Fort Albany.

New Democrat MP Charlie Angus says advocates for the victims need to be represented in Ontario court, and the federal government should pay for them to be there.

Question Of The Week

Our poll doesn't suggest it, but there were strong crowds for the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship as it returned to the Sorting Gap Marina for the first in three years.

In response to a question on 931theborder.ca, 48 per cent of respondents had indicated they would not be taking in any of the activities.

This week we ask if the weather has deterred you ability to have a good summer.

New Board Sets First Public Meetings

The first ever open houses and public meetings for the newly formed International Rainy-Lake of the Woods Watershed Board will be held later next month.

It will meet in International Falls August 20 before traveling to Kenora the next day.

The board was formed through the merger two existing groups to help the International Joint Commission identify issues about water for the entire boundary watershed,

Right To Union Child Care Providers Gets Court Approval

Union officials are applauding a federal judge's ruling which allows them to continue organizing home-based child care providers in Minnesota.

The judge ruled yesterday a pair of lawsuits seeking to halt the unionization effort were filed prematurely.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 5 spokeswoman Jennifer Munt says child care providers can now decide for themselves if they want to join a union.

Democrats who control the Legislature approved the union-organizing drive in May.

Charges For Fake 911 Calls

Pranksters who dial 911 without a real emergency to report face stiffer penalties under a Minnesota law hitting the books this week.

The law effective Thursday targets those who report a fictitious emergency to 911 dispatchers with the intent of luring authorities somewhere.

If the phony call results in a serious injury, it could mean felony charges.

FFCBC Champions

A pair of anglers well-known to northwestern Ontario are this year's Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championships.

Kenora's Jeff Gustafson and Bemidji's John Peterson came in on the final day of fishing with just over 20 pounds of bass, giving them over 55 lbs over the three days.

Gustafson says their catch Saturday came early in the day.

The Fort Frances team of Ryan Hyatt and Karl Wolff were a pound and a half back in second.

Fort Frances anglers Bryan Gustafson and Jamie Bruce were tops in the second division while Sean Good and Pete Badiuk earned the win in the third division.

Sorting Gap Marina Site Welcomed

It was a return to the Sorting Gap Marina for the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship after going indoors for the past three years.

Gary Rogozinski, a former chair, was among those happy to see it back on the waterfront.

While exact attendance figures aren't immediately know, the weigh-ins attracted strong crowds.

Kids Get Out On Lake

FFCBC photo

Missing from the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship this year was the Kids Pro tournament.

That lead to Missouri's Phil Bangert taking it upon himself to organize an informal event that allowed some of the Championship's anglers to take some local kids out for a day of fishing.

It attracted between 15 and 20 kids, some Bangert says have never been fishing or been on Rainy Lake.


Bangert hopes it will continue in some fashion in the future.

Bangert says he'd also like to give similar opportunities to seniors.

Fire At Fort Frances Mill

No major damage reported from a fire at Resolute Forest Products mill in Fort Frances yesterday.

Members of the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service were called out at around  5 p.m. to deal with a stubborn blaze in the duct work in the grinding room.

Fire crews were on site for about four hours.

Operations at the mill, though, were not impacted.

MNR Fire Centres Get Upgrades

The Ontario Government is upgrading three forest fire response centers.

47-million dollars will be spent on upgrades to a facility in Sudbury, the Hailburton Fire Management Headquarters and a fire attack base in Armstrong.

Jails Full

New statistics show that nearly half of Ontario's jails are overcrowded.

Cells meant for two people at times hold three or more as a rising tide of inmates await their day in court.

Figures from The Ministry of Community Safety and Corrections show that on an average day last year,  14 of Ontario's 30 jails held more prisoners than they were designed for.

McCaig Wins Quest

Mike McCaig stole the show at Quest for the Best.

McCaig wowed the crowd with his rendition of "If I Were A Carpenter" to advance to the final sing-off against Larissa Desrosiers where the judges selected him as the overall winner.

People's choice winners were Erika Tymkin and Clinton Bruyere.