MNR Monitoring Fire on Lake of the Woods

A quiet weekend for Ministry of Natural Resources fire crews.

Just a couple of new blazes over the past three days.

One of the fires was located on an island down Lake of the Woods.

The MNR says the fire is burning near Tranquil Channel about 25 kilometers south of Kenora and is currently being monitored.

The blaze is about 0.1 hectares in size but isn't considered a threat to any property.

Dragon Boats Profitable for Community Foundation

A big weekend for the Kenora and Lake of the Woods Regional Community Foundation.

The foundation managed to raise 22 thousand dollars from this past weekend's dragon boat races on Rabbit Lake.

Over 340 paddlers took part in the day long festival at Garrow Park.

A couple of local teams took top honors, with the Super Troopers winning the A-side title, and Carpe Diem, members of Kenora's legal community placing first in the b-side event.

Thunder Bay Woman Injured in Falcon Lake Crash

A 29 year old Thunder Bay woman is in Kenora hospital following a collision on Highway 1 in eastern Manitoba.

The RCMP say the single vehicle accident took place Saturday afternoon around 3:00 about 3 kilometers west of Falcon Lake.

The Mounties say the woman lost control of her pick-up truck and rolled the vehicle.

She was taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital in critical but stable condition.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt, but alcohol was not a factor in the accident.

No West Nile Yet in Northwestern Ontario

Despite high numbers of reported cases of mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus in southern Ontario, we appear to be quite safe here in the North.

Entomologist, Dr. Ken Deacon says there have been no positive tests on mosquitoes trapped here so far.

Apparently we need even higher temperatures than what we've experienced for it to be a legitimate threat.

Dr. Deacon still says precautions should be taken and the West Nile season runs until the end of August.

Federal Government Unsure of Costs for New Schools

The federal government admits it doesn't know how much its going to cost to build schools in the remote communities of Pikangikum and Fort Severn.

Aboriginal Affairs minister John Duncan announced the construction projects last week.

He says they are looking at bundling the tenders to try and get a better price.

Both Pikangikum and Fort Severn are fly-in communities which means most of the construction material will have to be shipped on ice roads during the winter.

NAN Prepares for Election of Grand Chief

Election Day is coming up this week for Chiefs with the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Delegates at the Keewaywin Conference in Kashechewan First Nation will be voting for NAN's executive council.

Chief Electoral Officer Larry Amos says it's been a busy couple of weeks for campaigning.

August 15th is election day.

Council to Vote on Daycare Closure Tonight

Another standing room only crowd is expected in council chambers tonight.

Council is expected to have a final vote on the future of the Castle of Learning Daycare center.

Last week a majority of council indicated they supported a report recommending the closure of the city run daycare center.

But parents who have children at the Castle of Learning are fighting back.

They've released their own report which shows the Castle of Learning actually has been operating with a surplus over the past couple of years.

Council is expected to vote on the issue at 5:00.

SKBI Wraps up 25 Years of Bass Fishing

The 25th edition of the Shaw Kenora Bass International went off without a hitch.

The fishing tournament wrapped up under the White Cap Pavillion Saturday evening with a couple of thousand people in attendance for the final day weigh ins.

Chair of SKBI, Duncan McEwan says they enjoyed their new digs.

This year a total of 133 teams entered the 25th Shaw KBI.