Graduation Ceremonies tonight followed by Safe Grad

Its a big night for students at Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae.

Graduation ceremonies will be taking place this evening.

For the first time ever, Beaver Brae will be moving out of its gym and holding its grad under the new Harborfront Tent.

About 130 students are expected to don their caps and gowns this evening.

Meanwhile, over at Thomas Aquinas, as many as 90 students will graduate from grade 12.

Following the graduation ceremonies, the Safe Grad will start up at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Things are expected to get rolling around 11:00, and run till about 4:00 in the morning.

Community Foundation Hands out $107,000

(Circus Kids accept $1,000 cheque)

It was an expensive night for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

The Foundation handed out over 107 thousand dollars worth of grants to about two dozen local community groups.

The biggest share of the funding came from the Moffatt Family Foundation with over 42 thousand dollars handed out.

Randy Moffatt says it's been a great pleasure to be able to give back to the local community.

Triple Play was one of the big winners of the night, collecting a couple of cheques totalling over 12 thousand dollars, while the Minto Parent Child Resource Center collected over 11 thousand dollars in funding.

New Sioux Narrows Tourist Center Opens Today

A big celebration in Sioux Narrows today as the long-awaited opening of the Northern Ontario Sports Fishing Center takes place.

The Center will act as the community's tourism center and the grand opening will take place this afternoon.

Mayor Bill Thompson believes people will be impressed.

Activities will be taking place all day today leading up to the official opening ceremonies at 2:00 this afternoon.

Changes in Store for Cigarette Packaging

New smoking packages may leave people thinking twice.

The new lables feature disturbing images of the effects of smoking.

Roberta Lappage at the Northwestern Health Unit says the messages are bigger and bolder then before.

A "quitline" and websites will also be featured on the packs to help people quit.

Provincial Budget Confirms Closing of Tourism Centers

Northernwestern Tourisim is taking quite a hit.

With the passing of Bill 55, the budget bill by the Liberal government, the McGuinty government says that tourism centers are outdated and there is no need for them anymore.

Conservative MPP from Nippissing Vic Fedeli says he's not happy with the outcome of yesterday's vote.

He says decisions for northern Ontario are being made by people who've never been to the region.

Fedeli is also upset with the lack of job promises in the new bill.

Council Approves Food Vendors for Discovery Center

More outdoor eating options for visitors and local residents.

Kenora City Council has agreed, after much discussion, to allow food vendors to set up shop at the Discovery Center and the Harborfront Tent area.

Kenora mayor Dave Canfield says while some members of council are opposed to the request for proposals, he thinks its a good idea.

Both Councillors Rod McKay and Louis Roussin voted against the request for proposal for two food vendors for the Discovery Center, arguing it would deter visitors from coming downtown and looking for restaurants to eat at.

Catholic School Board Expects Small Enrolment Increase

Student numbers are expected to grow slightly once again at the Kenora Catholic District School Board this coming fall.

Director of Education Phylis Eikre says last year they saw a jump at the kindergarten level when they introduced all-day classes at Pope John Paul School.

Eikre says the good new this year is the provincial government will actually start getting partial funding for their all-day kindergarten classes this fall.

Last year the Catholic School Board had to dip into its reserves to help pay for its all-day kindergarten programs.

Fire Destroys local Garage

Fire has destroyed a garage on East Mellick Road.

Kenora's Fire and Emergency Services Department was called out yesterday morning morning to deal with the blaze.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says they called out all their units to ensure the flames didn't spread to other buildings on the property.

Crews managed to contain the fire, though the cause is still unknown at this point.

Damage has been pegged at anywhere from 50 to 75 thousand dollars.

OPP Urge Homeowners to protect their Property

The OPP say they plan to be more proactive this summer to help local residents protect their personal property.

Tuesday night, police say they received a number of complaints of minor mischiefs and thefts around the community.

In one incident, a vehicle on Mill Street in Keewatin sustained some damage as a result of mischief.

In another incident, a bike was stolen from a garage on 4th Street South and some cash was taken from another garage on Agur Street.

The OPP say they plan to go door to door over the next few months educating home owners about the importance of securing their property.