Monday, January 4, 2010

Sexual Assault Charge

A routine Ride stop resulted in a variety of charges being laid against several Kenora area residents.

OPP stopped a vehicle that attempted to bypass a RIDE checkpoint on December 19th.

The driver 26 year old Jim Scott of White Dog First Nation was charged with impaired driving.

Further investigation led to two of the vehicle's passengers being arrested for various bail violations.

The 15 year old female passenger told police she had been sexually assaulted earlier that evening by one of the male passengers.

35 year old Gerald Scott has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada.

OPP say further charges may be pending.

Local Hockey

It was a Weekend split for the Kenora Senior Thistles against the Fort Frances Thunderhawks at Thistle Arena.

Saturday night the Thistles dominated Fort Frances winning 7-0.

Jeff Richards and Sean Hughes led Kenora with 2 goals each.

Sunday afternoon it was the Thunderhawks pulling off a 4-3 win.

The two teams will meet again January 9th when the rivalry moves to Fort Frances.

Olympic Torch In Kenora Tonight

Excitement is starting to build as the Olympic Torch gets ready to make its way toKenora this evening.

A total of seven people will carry the torch from Mikana Way down to the Harborfront starting at about 6:45 tonight.

Buck Matiowski is a member of the Olympic Torch local organizing committee and says they will have a nice added touch for the Kenora celebration.

The Olympic Torch will make its way down to the Kenora Harborfront at around 7:00 this evening.

It will then leave tomorrow morning starting at 7:00 from the Lake of the Woods Museum, with 10 more people scheduled to carry the torch.

Drive Test Workers Back on Job

DriveTest workers will be back to work this morning after a long strike.

Workers have ratified a new contract after a strike that hadprevented many Ontario residents from getting new drivers' licenses or renewals since August.

Some 590 DriveTest employees walked off the job August 21st aftertalks with their employer, Serco, collapsed.

New Tourism Officer

The City of Kenora has hired a Tourism Officer to work with the Economic Development Team.

Heather Paterson starts her new job today and has been given the task of implementing the City's tourism plan.

Economic Development Manager Jennifer Findlay says it was extremly important to hire a Tourism Officer.

Paterson is a Manitoba import but has been coming to Kenora all her life.

STR Snowmobiling Season

The Sunset Trail Riders Club is gearing up for the 2010 snowmobiling season.

President Ken Bracken says they've been hard at work grooming area trails and preparing signage.

Bracken notes they've also had a little more financial help than previous years.

The STR recently received funding from from the OFSC, and the Federal Government to rebuild the Ethelma Lake bridge.

Trail permit sales are slightly down from last year, but Bracken notes that's probably due to
November and December's warmer than normal weather.

Permits are available for purchase throughout the snowmobile season.