Huge hunting fine

An Iowa man has been handed a large fine for illegally obtaining Ontario hunting and fishing licences.


Stephen Grupe pled guilty fined 10 thousand dollars to having a void outdoors card, making false statements on an application and illegal hunting.

The Ministry of Natural Resources says Grupe bought a hunting and fishing camp on Wabauskang
Lake back in 2004, but his primary residence was still in Iowa.

He managed to purchase an Ontario resident Outdoor card and hunting and fishing licences
over the next four years.

The MNR says he saved over three thousand dollars during that period.

Union Gas rates going down

Good news for people who heat their home with natural gas.


The Ontario Energy Board has approved changes to the natural gas
commodity price that Union Gas Limited will charge its customers
effective July 1st.

Union gas says the average customer in northwestern Ontario will
pay about 32 dollars less a year.

The change is due to a decrease in what Union forecasts it will
have to pay for natural gas.

Summer Officially here

Does it feel any warmer yet?


Summer officially arrived in northwestern Ontario earlier this morning

The first day of the new season began at 6:28 this morning.

Environment Canada's long range forecast for the summer calls for both
above normal temperatures and above normal precipitation in this
region.

Busy weekend for fire crews

A busy couple of days for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews in northwestern Ontario.

Friday's windy weather resulted in more than 16 small wildfires in the region.

The MNR says the blazes were caused by trees falling onto hydro lines.

All of the fires were small and most were located in the Fort Frances and
Dryden Districts.

Fire Ranger Crews have also been dispatched over the weekend to
northern Manitoba to help battle wild fires there.

Hospital using new technology

Lake of the Woods District Hospital says its made great strides in diagnosing
patients with infectious diseases.

The hospital is one of the few in the province that now has molecular genetics
testing equipment.

Dr. Kerry McDonald is the hospital's chief of staff and says they can isolate
certain infectious diseases in a matter of hours, rather than days.

McDonald says in the past a patient could spend up to 72 hours in isolation
before they could determine if they had any infectious diseases.

The new technology allows them to diagnose any problems within two hours.

Confederation College Graduation tonight

A big week for local students.


Graduation ceremonies will be taking place on three fronts over the next
four days.

This afternoon, graduating students from the Confederation College Campus
in Kenora will be holding their 2010 convocation.

The ceremonies will start at 4:30 at Pope John Paul the Second School.

On Thursday, both Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas will be holding their
graduation ceremonies for grade 12 students.

That will be followed by Safe Grad Celebrations at the Kenora Rec. Center.