Crimestoppers Numbers Up

Crime Stoppers of Northwestern Ontario and Northern Minnesota is showing some impressive numbers in the first three months of 2010.

Coordinator Doug Anderson says there's been large increases in tips received, cases cleared and rewards issued.

"January started strong and February kind of followed suite," says Anderson. "March was a little slower than the first two month, but all-in-all, when you compare things to last year where up all across the board so we're very please."

Anderson says continued media support and initiatives such as an improved website and a new Facebook page are helping increase the organization's public profile.

High Dollar Good News to U.S. Businesses

The Canadian dollar continues to hover just above or below parity with its American cousin.

Betsy Jensen, president of the International Falls Chamber of Commerce, says that can only lead to more Canadians travelling across the border.

"International Falls businesses prosper when the dollar is more equal," says Jensen, "because we have more (Canadian) shoppers over here with their dollar worth just as much as ours. We look at it as a good thing."

Jensen says its too early to tell if the dollar is having an immediate impact, but is seeing a few more Ontario plates at local gas stations.

More Energy Projects on the Way

The Ontario government is reportedly poised to start awarding just over $8 billion dollars in renewable energy projects to dozens of companies.

Sources say the government is awarding contracts to entities ranging from first nations communities to major corporations who will develop wind, solar and run-of-river hydro projects.

It's not immediately know if any of the projects are slated for the Rainy River district.

Prescription Changes

People in Ontario will soon pay less when getting their prescriptions filled after the province announced it will scrap an allowance pharmacists receive on generic drugs.

But that isn't sitting well with pharmacists who say the compensation is not enough.

Shoppers Drug Mart says it is strongly opposed to the changes and believes they will have a direct negative impact on pharmacy services and patient care.

Seven Generations Anniversary

An anniversary today for the Seven Generations Education Institute.

It's been 25 years since it was set up to provide education and training opportunities for Aboriginal people.

Director of Post Secondary Education programs Laura Horton says much has changed over time.

"Ten Chief originally started it and named it the Rainy Lake Ojibway Education Authority back in 1985," says Horton. "Over the years the name has been changed, our work has expanded, but always its our ten First Nations at the center of it all.

A sunrise ceremony and public tours of its facility at Couchiching First Nation will be held to mark the event.

All events are open to the public.

Voyageur's Celebrates

Voyageur's National Park celebrates its thirty-fifth anniversary today.

The park is hosting a variety of event throughout the month, but tonight it will hold an open house for the public at the Rainy Lake Visitor Center with former and current employees on hand.

This free event goes from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Encore Winner

A Sioux Narrows resident is happy he said 'yes' to Encore when he purchased his Lotto Max ticket back in February.

Tyler Cole Marquis during his extra one-dollar decision into a reward of $100-thousand dollars.

The self-employed contractor and new father plans to pay off his mortgage.

The winning ticket was bought at Dalseg's Fine Foods in Nestor Falls.

New Education Director Named

(Left: Board Chair, Dan Belluz with Heather Campbell, Director of Education - courtesy Rainy River District School Board)

The Rainy River District School Board has promoted from within for its new director of education.

Heather Campbell takes over from Jack McMaster who left last month for a position with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

"I've first of all privileged and honoured and really excited to work with the board of trustees and staff of the Rainy River District School Board to continue enhancing student success for our students," says Campbell.

Campbell has been an educator for the past fourteen years, the last four as the board's Superintendent of Education.

Vote By Mail Accepted

Public school supporters living in the Rainy River District's unorganized areas will vote by-mail this fall in the election of school board trustees.

Trustees with the Rainy River District Board gave approval to mail-in balloting at their meeting last night.

The board had contracted services to area municipalities in the past for polling stations, but with many communities going to mail-in ballots themselves, polling stations were as not seen an option this year.

Mercury Poisoning Study

A protest is expected outside Queen's Park today by activists demanding more be done to deal with mercury poisoning at a FirstNations reserve in northwestern Ontario.

A study released yesterday suggests the health effects of mercury poisoning at Grassy Narrows are worse now than in the 1970's.

Activists are calling for permanent mercury monitoring through an environmental centre in the community and tougher federal mercury guidelines.

The study says mercury dumped into the Wabigoon River between 1962 and 1970 continued harming area residents as recently as 2004.

Raw Sewage into River

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is looking into an incident in which raw sewage was pumped into the Rainy River.

Acting on a recent complaint, a DNR conservation officer found a septic tank being pumped into a ravine running into the river near Baudette.

The property owner claimed his drain field had not worked for some time and that bringing it up to code would cost to much.

The DNR's Soil and Water Bureau is investigating.

Bids for Forests Received

The forest allocation competition for eleven million cubic metres of fibre in Ontario has come to a close.

Forestry Minister Michael Gravelle says a number of companies have placed bids, some on the value-added side of the industry.

"A lot of the new entrants did not have access to a wood supply," says Gravelle, "so the goal is to try to find some way of evening the playing field."

Gravelle expects to announced recommendation within six months.

Library Grant

The town of Atikokan has received an Ontario Trillium Foundation grant for upgrades to its library.

The more than $20-thousand will be used to purchase and install new energy efficient doors and windows in the children's area.

March Weather Recap

March 2010 is going down in history as the least snowiest ever in the Fort Frances area.

For the first time ever, no snow was recorded at area weather stations.

Geoff Coulson of Environment Canada says combined with warmer than usual temperatures, snow levels diminished by the middle of the month.

The average temperature for the month came in at 1.1 C., breaking a 10-year-old record high by more than a full degree.

Tax Increase Considered

Homeowners in Fort Frances could be faced with a 2-point-4 per cent tax increase.

But a decrease in the education portion of the tax bill and a change in assessment could result in some residential ratepayers paying less.

Mayor Roy Avis says he's pleased with the figure.

"I was hoping for two per cent," says Avis, "but at 2.4 per cent it's well within the scope of what we wanted to accomplish this year."

However, taxes could increase another one per cent if municipalities vote in favour of a change in how share the costs of social services administered by the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board.

That vote comes next week.

Councillors also trimmed the capital budget by about 57-thousand dollars at their budget meeting last night.

It includes holding off on replacing the stage at the Townsend Theatre, installing new light standards on Scott Street and painting of the overpass on Portage Avenue.

The town is proceeding with an upgrade to the water system at Sunny Cove Camp, improvements to its recycling building and the purchase of equipment to help firefighters better identify hazardous materials.

Relay for Life Meeting

The planning for this years Relay for Life in Fort Frances begins tonight.

Committee member John Homer says anyone interested in being a part of this year's fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society is invited to a meeting at the La Place Rendez-Vous.

"What the meeting is for is anybody who wants to put in a team," says Homer, "or wants to know anything about Relay for Life, if your a business and you want to sponsor, if you want to volunteer or be a committee member. It's open to anybody."

Tonight's meeting begins at 6 p.m.

Relay for Life will happen June 25 at Pither's Point Park.

Contact North Study

Contact North is having more than just an educational impact in northern Ontario.

A Lakehead University study says the distant education and learning network generates between $9 and $16 million to the economy.

President Maxim Jean-Louis says that is impressive.

"It was really internally for us at Contact North to have a good sense of what impact that we've having," says Jean-Louis. "Also we wanted everyone in the region (to understand the impact) because the reason why Contact North is providing these services is to stem the out-migration."

Contact North has 94 access centres, including one in Fort Frances, creating 245 full-times

Golf Season Opens

It's an early start to the golf season in Fort Frances.

Kitchen Creek open its fairways to golfers for the first time yesterday.

President Faye Flatt says it may be the earliest opening ever.

Flatt says green fees are also being lowered to reflect the early opening.

The driving range at Heron Landing is also open with the rest of the course to open at a later date.

Weekend Fire

A garage and house were destroyed in a weekend fire in Alberton township.

It occurred on Hill Road Saturday afternoon.

The exact cause is not know, but fire officials say it started in the garage with the wind fanning the flames to two vehicles parked outside and the nearby home.

About about fourteen firefighters from Alberton were joined by another ten from the LaVallee township fire department in battling the blaze.

New C.A.O.

The City of Kenora has appointed from within as its new chief administrative officer.

Karen Brown, the city's manager of finance, replaces Bill Presentanz who is retiring in August.

Brown has been employed by the city for the past eighteen years.