Teachers In Legal Strike Position This Month

Elementary and High School teachers in the Rainy River District will be in a legal strike position November 22.

This after their unions and the Rainy River District District School Board recommended a Ministry of Labour conciliator issue a no-board report in their contract talks.

Board chair Mike Lewis says its was really no surprise.

Lewis says while Bill 115 takes the right to strike away, teachers are still permitted to set up pickets under the Labour Relations Act.

The board is now preparing for the possibility of those pickets being set up in front of schools.

Teacher Job Action Cancelled

Job action planned today by some high school teachers in the province has been cancelled.

Members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation had been instructed to skip staff meetings and forgo standardized tests starting today.

The union says it plans to meet with government officials today to "fast track to potential resolutions'' to its labour dispute.

Obama Back For Four More Years

Democrat Barack Obama has been re-elected to a second four-year term as president of the United States, beating out Republican rival Mitt Romney.

In his victory speech, Obama says he's "more inspired than ever'' to tackle the big problems facing the country.

Democrats also took control of the Senate, but Republicans held onto the House.

Minnesota Election Winners

There's a new mayor for the city of International Falls.

Bob Anderson, a former mayor, returns after defeating councillor Paul Eklund.

Pete Kalar was voted to serve as councillor at large.

Wayne Skoe was elected to represent District 5 on the Koochiching County Board of Commissioners.

Board chair Brian McBride was unopposed in his return as District 3 commissioner.

Michael Holden, Michelle Hebner and Gordy Dault won the three seats up for grabs on the Independent School District 361's board.

Dennis Wagner was elected Mayor of Ranier.

Democrats took control of the Minnesota Legislature with top Republicans conceding the loss of both the Senate and House.

Democrat Rick Nolan beat Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack to recapture the 8th district U.S. congressional seat, a northeastern Minnesota seat long considered Democratic turf.

Senator Amy Klobuchar regained her seat for the Democrats in Washington.

Minnesota rejected constitutional amendments that proposed to ban gay marriage and one requiring photo I.D to vote.

Open House on Rainy River Resources Project Today

First the of two open houses on Rainy River Resources gold project goes this afternoon in Nestor Falls.

It's intended to give the public a say as the project north of Barwick undergoes environment assessments by both the provincial and federal governments.

The open house at the Nestor Falls Community Centre goes from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with another tomorrow at the Emo Legion.

Stuff A Cruiser Meeting

Ontario Provincial Police are preparing to stuff-a-cruiser or two.

The annual event aimed at gathering non-perishable food items for area agencies and their food banks goes in Atikokan November 24 and Fort Frances December 8.

Acting Sergeant Anne McCoy says a planning session for the Fort Frances event goes today, 1:30 p.m. at the Fort Frances Public Library.

Twenty-seven cruisers were filled at events across the district last year.

Property Assessment Changes In Rainy River District

Property values are increasing in parts of the Rainy River district.

The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation says the assessed values of homes has increased an average of 1.66 per cent in Atikokan to over 8 per cent in Lake of the Woods township since 2008.

Assessments of homes in Fort Frances is up 2.72 per cent.

Decreases are seen in the townships of Chapple, Morley and Dawson and the town of Rainy River.

I. Falls Council Supports Main Street Fairness Act

International Falls City Council is giving its support to proposed legislation that would allow States to collect taxes from purchases made by consumers over the Internet.

Proponents says the "Main Street Fairness Act" levels the playing field between on-line retailers and store-front businesses.

Fall City Councillor Cynthia Jacksa says the proposed bill will bring additional revenue to the State which in turn helps maintain funding the city receives.

Lawsuit Launched

A lawsuit has been launched by six men from the Lac La Croix First Nation who allege being sexually abused while they were boys by a priest who lived and worked on the reserve in the 1960's.

Court documents filed in a Winnipeg court show the men are seeking unspecified financial damages from the federal government, a Catholic diocese in Thunder Bay and a Winnipeg-based Roman Catholic order, as well as the priest who died almost 20 years ago.

Respect Technology Presentation For Parents

Ontario Provincial Police will be helping parents to help their children respect and use safely their computers, iphones and ipads.

Acting Sergeant Anne McCoy says a presentation tonight at Fort Frances High School is an extension of the Respect Technology program introduced a year ago.

Tonight's session is free and begins at 7 p.m.

New Strategic Plan For Health Unit

The Northwestern Health Unit is planning ahead.

CEO Mark Perrault says they've released a new strategic plan that will take them through to 2016.

Perrault says the plan is focused around four key areas such as physical activity and healthy eating.

U.S. Elections Today

Americans go to the polls today, and the presidential candidates are looking for those last minute undecided voters.

President Barack Obama is done with the road, but has interviews scheduled today.

Republican Mitt Romney is making appearances in Cleveland and Pittsburgh before heading home to Boston.

There are also local elections taking place in Koochiching County.

Councillor Paul Eklund and Bob Anderson are seeking the vacant mayor's seat in International Falls.

There are also races within the Koochiching County Board of Commissioners, Independent School District 361 and the city of Rainer.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

Wynne Enters Leadership Race

Former education minister Kathleen Wynne says she would work to repair relationships with public-sector workers if elected Liberal leader.

Wynne announced her candidacy to replace outgoing Premier Dalton McGuinty last night in Toronto.

The Great One Invited To Pull For Fort Frances

The city of International Falls is lending a hand to Fort Frances in attracting celebrities to next summer's Pulling For Peace Tug of War.

Councillor Paul Eklund says they've recently sent a letter to hockey great Wayne Gretzky asking him to participate for the Canadian side.

The Falls has already attracted a number of former NFLers and most recently former NHLer and now player agent Neal Sheehy.

Go Local Promoted

Efforts continue to increase awareness of the Go Local program.

It was launched to the Fort Frances area last month with the intent of expanding across the Rainy River district at a later date.

Newly hired Program Coordinator Tonya Dolph says it's not about getting people to stop shopping outside the region, but rather to get them to shift more of their spending to local businesses.

Proponents says a shift of a small portion of the dollars now being spent elsewhere could help create businesses and new jobs.

Suspicious Death Still Under Investigation

Yellow police tape remains up around a section of a Fort Frances motel where the body of a man was discovered last week.

An employee at the Mid Town Motel discovered the body early Friday morning.

The man's name has not yet been released.

On the weekend, police investigators were seen in and around the room where his body was found gathering evidence into the death OPP have deemed suspicious.

Hunter Fined

A area man has been fined $1,500 for having illegally killed deer in his possession.

Randy St. Pierre of Morson was fined after pleading guilty to the charge in Ontario Court of Justice earlier last month.

St. Pierre was charged last November after Ministry of Natural Resources Conservation Officers found two deer hanging outside his home without tags.

Berland Man Fine For Using MNR Gravel Pit

A Bergland man has been fined five-hundred dollars for removing gravel from a pit without a permit.

Ralph Olson pleaded guilty to the charge in court last week.

Olson was charged in April after removing two one-ton truckloads of gravel from a Ministry of Natural Resources pit south of Morson.

Local Anti-Bullying Efforts Highlighted

Dexter Fichuk being video taped while visiting 93.1 The Border

A video featuring the efforts of a Fort Frances High School student to raise awareness of bullying has now been made public.

It was shot in September around an anti-bullying concert put on by Dexter Fichuk.

In it, Fichuk explains the importance of the issue to him.

Some of his peers also talk about their own experiences with bullies and offer appreciation to Fichuk for his efforts.

The video can be found on the MusicMusic website and will be aired to a national TV audience on Sunday.

Resolute Records Profit

As employees its mill in Fort Frances are in the midst of a unscheduled shutdown, Resolute Forest Products is reporting profits of $31-million U.S. for the third quarter of this year.

That compares with a net loss of $44-million recorded in the same period last year.

More than 340 employees in the Kraft and Paper mills in the Fort are expected back at work next week.