Abzac Sold

A local manufacturing company has been sold.

Abzac's Fort Frances operation will be taken over by South Carolina-based Sonoco by the end of October.

The plant makes cardboard cores for paper mills and employees 13 people.

Kenora Shooting Report Issued

A Kenora OPP officer has been cleared of any wrongdoing in the June shooting of a woman in that city, but the Special Investigation's Unit is questioning why it took Provincial Police almost two hours to report the incident.

39-year-old Helen Proulx was shot twice in the torso after brandishing a knife at a female officer.

S.I.U. director Ian Scott found no reasonable grounds to believe the officer acted inappropriately.

Witnesses told the S.I.U. Proulx was intoxicated and in a despondent emotional state at the time and failed to comply with the officer's repeated requests to drop the knife

But in his report, Scott expressed concernd with the delay in reporting the shooting to the S.I.U., a contravention under the Police Services Act, and that some officers at the scene were told by an association lawyer not to make notes.

He's asked the OPP Commissioner to investigate.

Teenager Charged with Murder

A 16-year-old boy from Fort Hope First Nation, north of Sioux Lookout, is facing a murder charge.

Ontario Provincial Police say it follows the stabbing death of a 17-year-old boy in that community last week.

The accused will be appear in a Thunder Bay court August 3.

Police to Crackdown on Careless Drivers

A rise in the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents across the province has prompted Provincial Police to be on a close watch for motorists who break the law this August long weekend.

Sergeant Shelly Garr says there have been twelve fatalities in northwestern Ontario this year, compared with eighteen in all of 2009.

"We're always concerned with the number of motor vehicle collisions on our highways," says Garr. "We're always looking for the big three risk factors and will continue to do so this long weekend. We'll be looking for aggressive driving, failing to wear seatbelts and impaired driving."

None of the fatalities have been in Rainy River district, but twenty-six people have been injured in accidents in the district this year.

Staff Changes Before Police Probe

The Ontario Realty Corporation reportedly fired some staff and restructured a department just before a police raid as part of a corruption probe.

The restructuring took place in May and June that saw some staff, including a vice-president , let go.

The Corporation won't say what, if any, link its purge has to the police probe of procurement in three ministries which went public July 15 with search warrants executed at government buildings in Toronto.

Class Action Suit Proceeds

A lawyer says tens of thousands of people across Canada could be part of a sweeping class-action lawsuit from developmentally disabled people alleging decades of abuse at an Ontario institution.

An Ontario Superior Court judge gave the green light for the one-billion-dollar class action suit involving former residents of Huronia Regional Centre and their family members.

The institution opened in 1876 as the Orillia Asylum for Idiots, and closed in March 2009.

Computer Glitch Hits WFN Contest

The World Fishing Network has repaired a computer clitch that impacted Fort Frances' bid to become the Ultimate Fishing Town in Canada.

Wednesday morning, Fort Frances appeared with two separate bids to WFN contest, but residents could not post supporting submissions to the original bid.

The problem has since been corrected.

Low Forest Fire Hazard Prevails

Recent wet weather has dropped the fire hazard to low across much of northwestern Ontario.

Ten fires are burning in the district, including nine in the far north, but are being allowed to burn out.

There are no active fires in the Rainy River district

Meanwhile, twenty firefighters, three aircraft and three Ministry of Natural Resources officers are in Leaf Rapids, Manitoba to help in the fire fight there.

Suspected Drug Kingpin Arrested

A southern Ontario man, police believe is behind a large prescription pill trafficking ring in northern Ontario is now in custody.

37-year-old Jabir Khan was arrested in North York and sent to Thunder Bay to face trafficking charges.

Police believe he's helped in the illegal distribution of Oxycodone to First Nation communities around the region.

During a two-year investigation, police seized more than 360-thousand dollars in Oxycodone tablets and another 60-thousand in cash.

Two other men from Toronto and Thunder Bay and a woman from Toronto have also been charged.

Swimmer Warnings to be Posted

The Northwestern Health Unit is planning to post permanent signs at area beaches to warn swimmers of the potential of bacteria in the waters.

It now issues warnings only after water tests confirms its presence.

But Medical Officer of Health Doctor James Arthurs says the situation often changes by the time it get those results back from a lab in Thunder Bay.

"The potential exposure of the public to high bacterial counts may occur actually before we get the tests back," says Dr. Arthurs, "and because of the run off of our rivers, the water may have actually cleared by the time we get an adverse report and have closed the beach."

Arthurs sees the signage more as a preventative measure than a suggestion to swimmers they enter at their own risk.

Sunny Cove Funding

The town of Fort Frances has been awarded funding for upgrades to Sunny Cove Camp.

The $100-thousand is from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The money is to cover the cost of plumbing, electrical and structural renovations done to the camp.

The town had pegged costs coming in at about $134-thousand.

Trillium Money to Atikokan

Two Atikokan organizations will benefit from funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

The Beaten Path Nordic Ski Club is getting almost $15-thousand to purchase an all-terrain vehicle to maintain cross-country ski trails in the Atikokan-Quetico area.

The town of Atikokan will use another $15-thousand to install insulation, siding and new windows in the Mount Fairweather ski chalet.

Board Office on the Move

A move of the Rainy River District School Board administration office is to begin at the end of this week.

Education Director Heather Campbell says the offices will be temporarily located in the main floor of the existing Robert Moore School.

"We are moving the board office (to the existing school) to prepare for the renovations to our offices," says Campbell.

The offices will be closed Friday, reopening in the new location Monday August 9.

Bike Rodeo in Atikokan

The second of two bicycle rodeos in the Rainy River district this week happens in Atikokan today.

The event at North Star Community School begins at 1:30 p.m. and is open to kids aged 4 to 12.

There are also now plans to hold a bike rodeo in Fort Frances at Boston Pizza on August 5 and later this month as part of childrens' camps at the Memorial Sports Centre.

Ministries Identified in Probe

Premier Dalton McGuinty has identified three ministries that were the target of police raids this month, as part of an anti-corruption probe.

McGuinty says they are Transportation, Economic Development and Trade, and Community and Social Services.

McGuinty says he has no details of allegations that sparked the probe, which has not resulted in any charges.

Restructuring Plan Approved

An Ontario Superior Court judge has approved a financial restructuring plan for Terrace Bay Pulp.

Tuesday's decision means the pulp and paper mill will be able to exit bankruptcy protection by August 17 and immediately ramp up ongoing operations to get the plant back into production before fall.

The pulp and paper mill is a division of Thunder Bay-based Buchanan Group and had stopped production in February 2009.

Garden to Open Next Year

Gardeners hoping to be a part of a community garden in Fort Frances will have to wait until next year to plant their vegetables.

A group was hoping to have the garden ready for planting this summer, but Becky Holden of the planning committee says permission needed to use municipal property in the town's north end took longer than expected.

"We will not be moving ahead with gardening this year," says Holden, "but we will be working on the property after we've been given approval form the town of Fort Frances to use to site. The committee will also still be meeting regularly."

Town council held a public meeting Monday night on a potential zoning amendment to permit the Garden at Lillie Avenue and Elizabeth Street West.

A decision is expected next month.

Beach Volleyball Courts Sought

The development of more beach volleyball courts at Pither's Point Park will get another look by the town of Fort Frances during its 2011 budget discussions.

Councillors Monday night discussed the idea put forward by an organizer of a beach volleyball league.

Councillor Rick Wiedenhoeft says with ownership of the park in dispute, it's best the town hold off on the request for now.

"That would be an ideal spot," says Wiedenhoeft, "but given the Point Park is in dispute probably not a wise move at this point in time. Next year, maybe, the disposition of the park may be resolved."

It was suggested the courts could be built at St. Francis Sports Field or Sunny Cove Camp.

Loans Nearly Paid in Full

AbitibiBowater says it's repaid $166-million of its debtor-in-possession loan following an improvement in market conditions and operational performance.

In regulatory filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the company says it now has $40 million outstanding under the loan.

Companies rely on DIP financing to fund operations while in bankruptcy.

Terry Fox Stories Wanted

Terry Fox's Memory of Hope is going onto its thirtieth year.

Terry's brother, Fred Fox wants to hear from northwestern Ontario residents.

"People that saw Terry or touched Terry or even had the change to talk to Terry," says Fox. "We don't hear those stories enough or people haven't had the opportunity to share those stories. One day we're going to lose those stories."

Anyone who wishes to share their story can e-mail ontario2@terryfoxrun.org.