Winnipeg Team Leads FFCBC

(Mark Raveling of Longville, MN and Mike Luhman of Deer Park, WI are third after Day 1 of fishing with their catch of 19.11 lbs of bass)


Winnipeg team has grabbed the early lead in the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Alex and Darrell Keszler were the only team crack the 20 pound mark, weighing in five bass at 20.1 lbs.

Darrell Keszler says it was a great start.

"We had an awesome day," says Darrell. "The old man was hot. We made great decisions, but in all honesty we didn't catch that many fish. Fishing has been tough but we got the right bites today."

Dorian Lindholm of Fort Frances and fishing partner Bill Wilcox of Texas sit half a pound back in second.

Three time defending champions Joe Thrun and Jim Moyaugh are thirteenth.

Strike Vote Taken at Ainsworth

Unionized workers at Ainsworth OSB mill in Barwick has voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to back contract demands.

The strike vote came after the 130 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union voted 97 per cent against the company's latest offer.

C.E.P. national rep Steven Boon says the union will continue to work towards a deal before the mid-August strike deadline.

Boon says many of the outstanding issues centre around non-monetary items such as contract language, contracting out, seniority and scheduling changes.

Record Road Work Planned

The Ontario government has released the list of highway projects in northern Ontario its funding during this construction season.

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says almost $775-million will be spent on on road improvements, expansions and bridge updates.

"That's a 20 per cent increase over last year's record amount of $648-million," says Gravelle. "We are seeing a tremendous amount of construction work. All of it important to the people of the communities it effects.

Six projects are in the Rainy River district, including continued upgrades to the Noden Causeway and the rehabilitation of the LaVallee River bridge on Highway 11.

Applications Now Accepted

(Aboriginal Affairs Minister Chris Bentley (left) with Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro)

The McGuinty Government has unveiled a new training program for northern Ontario residents.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Chris Bentley says they want to train aboriginals, Metis and other northerners who want a new job but don't have the necessary skills.

"It ables the business organization with the training provider and the First Nations communities to come together with a proposal to say "we want to train these people for these jobs."

The 45-million dollar fund will cover part of the training costs with the rest coming from the businesses looking to hire.

Bear Frees from Jar

An elusive black bear near Thunder Bay is finally free of the jar that was stuck to its head for about two weeks.

Wildlife officers say the bear somehow managed to get rid of the jar on its own.

A canoeist found a similar empty jar yesterday containing black fur and scratches with claw marks.

Teddy Bear Picnic

Teddy Bears off all types and their owners are being invited to the annual Teddy Bear's Picnic today.

Head of the Children's department Andrea Avis says lots will be going on at the Fort Frances Library Technology Centre, rain or shine.

"We have some carnival games for the kids to participate in with some pretty cool little prizes," says Avis. "Face painting and a special guest performer, Aaron Brunette and his wife, coming from Winnipeg. They'll be performing in the main part of the library."

It begins at 11:30 a.m.

Man Charge in 1990's Sex Offences

Provincial Police in Fort Frances have charged an area man in connection with a series of sex offences, some dating back almost twenty years ago.

43-year-old Garry Donald Mathewson was to appear in a Fort Frances courtroom Thursday on eleven counts of sexual exploitation and a charge of sexual interference.

Police say the charges relate to incidents that took place within the Rainy River and Thunder Bay districts between 1992 and 1999 involving three men who were in their early teens at the time.

Mathewson was arrested last week in Vancouver and returned to Fort Frances where he's currently in custody.

New Deal for Town Workers

Unionized employees with the town of Fort Frances have a new contract.

The 80 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees ratified the deal Tuesday.

Workers will get a 3.5 per cent increase in pay over the course of the two-year agreement.

There are also improvements affecting part-time employees including a sick leave benefit plan and changes in vacation time for employees who worked as seasonal or part-time employees prior to gaining full-time employment with the Town.

Chair for Northwoods Broadcasting Dies

The man who chaired the parent company responsible for Acadia and Northwoods Broadcasting has died following a brief illness.

Jack Irving was 78.

Irving was the youngest son of industrialist the late K.C. Irving and was responsible for a number of companies within the varied Irving enterprises, including its radio stations in Ontario and the Maritimes.

Recyling to Help Local Groups

An Emo businesses is looking at recycling as a means of providing some financial support to the area's not-for-profit groups and organizations.

Cloverleaf Grocery is proposing to set up a collection depot for residents to drop off their recyclables.

Co-owner Mark Loney says, in turn, organizations would come help sort the items to earn a share of the profits when sold off.

"We always have people asking for some money," says Loney. "This is a good way where we can say 'we'll give you some money but you're going to have to sort some plastics."

Loney says it will still be at least another month before the program will be ready to roll.

Day 1 Fishing Underway

Weather could a factor for anglers on the first day fishing at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Bill Laidlaw of Signal Weather Services says a system moving in the area could bring plenty of rain.

The first flight of boats left the government dock at Pither's Point Park at 7 a.m. with weigh-ins at the Memorial Sports Centre underway at 3:30 p.m.

Be sure to stay with B-93 as we'll be providing live-up during those weigh-ins.

Schedule Change

There's a correction to the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship's schedule for tonight.

Doors for Quest for the Best will open at 6 p.m..

Not 7 p.m. as advertised in the Championship's website.

The annual singing competition starts at 7 p.m.

Enforcement Blitz Nets Charges

Almost 100 charges and another 300 warnings were issued by Ministry of Natural Resources Conservation officers during a recent enforcement blitz across northwestern Ontario.

Almost 23-hundred anglers were checked on area rivers and lakes during the seven-day blitz held from June 17 to June 24.

Most of the charges were issued for fishing without a license, having too much fish or importing live bait.

Fire Season Remains Quiet

The forest fire situation across the Rainy River district remains quiet.

One small lightning fire, along Highway 622 north of Atikokan, was reported Tuesday and is now out.

A total of 13 fires still burn in northwestern Ontario, most in the far north and are being monitored by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Jar Stuck on Bear's Head

Conservationists are crying foul over recycling habits as a frightened bear with a plastic jar stuck on his head slowly starves.

Joanne St. Godard, of non-profit group the Recycling Council of Ontario, says the bear is in this predicament because someone didn't properly recycle the jar in the first place.

Wildlife officials in northwestern Ontario have spent the last two days searching for the bear, who has not been able to eat or drink because of the jar.

Ministry of Natural Resources official Ross Johnston says the bear is weak and has lost weight -- and may be only surviving off the condensation from his breath inside the jar.

Officials and the OPP have tried to catch and tranquilize the bear, but he runs when people approach.

First Street to Close

Work on another section of Portage Avenue in Fort Frances is expected to begin this afternoon.

The start of work at the intersection of First Street and Portage at noon will mean a closure of First between Victoria and Mowat Avenues for approximately fifteen days.

Meantime, work at the intersection of Sixth Street and Portage is expected to be complete by this Friday.

Bike Rodeos Planned

Ontario Provincial Police will host a couple of bicycle rodeo's next week.

Summer student Samantha Mueller says events are planned for next Tuesday morning in Emo and Wednesday afternoon in Atikokan.

"We set up different courses and challenges for the kids to come out," says Mueller. "We teach them about the safety of their helmets and put their bike skills to the test by letting them run through these courses."

Mueller says young cyclists aged four to twelve also get lessons on proper riding safety.

The Emo event takes place Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. at the tennis courts.

The Atikokan rodeo is scheduled for next Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. at North Star Community School.

Mine Centre Tender Accepted

Construction of a new elementary school in Mine Centre could begin as early as next month.

Trustees with the Rainy River District School Board yesterday awarded a contract worth $5.9 million to Thunder Bay-based Finnway General Contractor.

Education Director Heather Campbell says additional funding from the Ministry of Education is also covering all project costs pegged at $6.5 million.

"We received two letter from the Ministry of Education providing the funding," says Campbell, "and we've come under budget in our tendering and working with the contract to reduce costs. So we are full speed ahead."

The new school will house about 90 students from the Mine Centre area as well as Seine River and Nicickousemenecaning First Nations.

Ontario's Education Minister Deb Matthews must still sign off on the project, but the board isn't anticipating any difficulty with that step from occurring.

St. Francis School Project Funded

The Northwestern Catholic District School Board has received provincial funding for a renewable energy project for St. Francis School in Fort Frances.

Superintendent of Education Chris Howarth says the $159-thousand is for the installation of a SolarDuct Photovoltaic project.

"It consists of solar panels that will use the sun's energy," says Howarth. "Using a converter, we'll convert it into electricity and that will be fed back into Ontario's power grid and the school board will see revenue from that."

Howarth says the project could generate $27-thousand annually for the board through the sale of power back to the grid when in place next fall.

Parade of Boats Returns

The Parade of Boats makes its return today at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

It begins at 5 p.m. beginning on Central Avenue with boats making their way down Scott Street to the Memorial Sports Centre.

Chair Tom Fry is looking for a good show from the anglers after the parade was dropped last year.

"They were part of the desire to bring it back," says Fry. "We had a lot of comments from people in the town as well as anglers who said they missed it last year. So we're kind of hoping everyone will come out and support it."

Boston Pizza also jumped on board as the major sponsor and is putting up a prize to the best dress boat as selected by the public.