Youth Injured Snowmobiling on Falcon Lake

A 15 year old youth had to be taken to hospital in Winnipeg following a snowmobile accident on Falcon Lake.

The RCMP say the incident took place yesterday afternoon around 5:00, when four sledders were travelling north of the groomed trail.

One of the riders drove over an elevated ice ridge and flipped his snowmachine.

He was thrown from his sled and suffered unspecified injuries.

Emergency service personnel were contacted and the youth from Steinbach was airlifted to hospital, where he's recovering.

Police say alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

Parking Meter Vandalized

Someone was apparently in need of some quick change.

On Saturday, the OPP were called down to Chipman Street after a parking meter was damaged.

When officers arrived at the scene, they noticed the money had been stolen.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Kenora OPP or Crimestoppers

Paterson Appointed to Board of Canada Post

One of the benefactors of the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation is taking on some new duties.

Andrew Paterson has been named to the board of directors of Canada Post.

Paterson has been a major supporter of the Community Foundation, donating over 500 thousand dollars for a First Nations Apprenticeship Program.

He was named an honorary member of the foundation last year.

He heads up Paterson Global Foods Inc.

His appointment to the Canada Post board of directors was effective March 1st.

Temperature records Shattered

It was a record breaking weekend for communities across northwestern Ontario weather-wise.

Temperature records tumbled in almost every town and city on Sunday.

In Kenora, the Thermometer peaked at 14.9 degrees, smashing the previous record by three degrees.

The previous high on March 11th was 11.2 set back in 1995.

The hot spot in the region yesterday was in Fort Frances and Atikokan, where  temperatures soared to 16.2.

More records could fall this week, as the forecast calls for temperatures into the double digits once again by the end of the week.

Local Abuse Rates on the Rise?

It's unclear if abuse rates are on the rise in North America or if more people are reporting acts of abuse.

That's the feeling of Lori Beyer who addressed delegates attending a domestic abuse conference in Dryden last week.

The Trauma Specialist hints that more people are coming forward, especially following the Penn State football sex scandal.

Beyer says incidents of abuse are much more public now compared to several years ago.

Sioux Lookout approves 2012 Budget

Taxpayers in Sioux Lookout are going to see a small increase.

Council has approved the 2012 Municipal Budget and taxes are going up 2.25-percent.

Mayor Dennis Leney says the increase is within an acceptable range, bearing in mind that the national cost of living increased by 2.9-percent last year.

Leney says there will be no cuts in service levels.

Treasurer Henry Wall says its a tight budget, but notes that the Municipality is in very good shape.

MNR Defends Invasive Species Strategy

The Ministry of Natural Resource says it's being proactive in the fight to keep invasive  species out of the area's border waters.

Last week, Minnesota's department of Natural resources complained no enough was being done to protect Rainy Lake and Lake of the Woods.

Spokesperson Michelle Novak says part of their efforts have been through education.

Novak says the MNR also works jointly with Minnesota, something Koochiching County  commissioners were asking for last week.

Local Judoka wins medal at Ontario Winter Games

Just one medal for Kenora fighters at the Ontario Winter Games judo tournament this weekend in Collingwood.

The Jaffray Melick Judo Club sent four members as part of Team Northwest.

Karly Lockhart was the lone medalist, picking up a bronze medal in the under 16, 44 kilo division.

In volleyball action, it was a learning experience for Team Northwest, as the girls squad, represented by players from Kenora, Dryden and Rainy River, failed to win a match in two days of competition.