Tennis Anyone?

The Second annual Tennis throwdown takes place this weekend at the  tennis courts at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Players from Kenora and Dryden will be serving against eachother tomorrow.

John Benson is one of the organizers of the event and says they just want to get more people involved in the sport.

The tournament will begin at 9:00 tomorrow morning with ladies, men's, doubles, mixed doubles and youth events planned.

FASD Day in Kenora

A local committee is trying to raise awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Today is FASD Day in Kenora.

Kerril Davidson Hunt is one of the members of the committee and says while many substances can harm the fetus, booze does cause the most damage.

The FASD committee will have a booth set up at the Kenora Shoppers Mall both today and tomorrow handing out information and talking to local residents.

Campbell Demands Consultations on MNR Cuts

The Provincial government is being challenged to hold consultations before deciding to close any MNR offices in this region.

In the Ontario legislature today, Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell says the government needs to learn from its mistakes.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci is promising the government will be consulting local communities before any cuts are made.

Residential School Conference this Week

The healing continues for residential school survivors in Northwestern Ontario.

A number of survivors are in Thunder Bay this week for a gathering called Walking Together, Sharing Our Journey.

Albert James from McDowell Lake First Nation is one of the participants and says it's good to hear a lot of victims are coming to terms with their trauma.

Walking Together, Sharing our Journey continues until Sunday

Pinewa man faces Sexual Assault Charges

A 65 year old man in Pinawa is being accused of sexually assaulting four girls over the past six years.

The R.C.M.P. say the man was charged with four counts each of sexual assault and sexual interference.

The alleged offences involve four girls, between the ages of nine and 13, who police say were assaulted between 2006 and 2012 in the Pinawa area.

R.C.M.P. say the suspect and the girls were known to one another.

Health Unit to Concentrate on Chronic Disease

Chronic disease is going to be the target for the Northwestern Health Unit over the next few years.

The Health Unit is working on a new strategic plan.

Medical officer of health, Dr. Jim Arthurs says while they will maintain their core services, he feels they also need to do more to tackle diseases such as diabetes.

Arthurs says despite that fact almost all health service providers are targeting diabetes, the incidence of the disease continues to rise across northwestern Ontario.

Trucker acquitted of Trafficking Cocaine

A Manitoba judge says she has reluctantly acquitted a man caught behind the wheel of a semi-trailer containing about $6 million worth of drugs.

Justice Shawn Greenberg says she accepts the ``blind courier'' defence of Kuljinder Dhillon, who was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Dhillon testified he had no idea 38 kilograms of cocaine had been stashed inside a compartment for a cross-country road trip.

Dhillon, a resident of British Columbia, was caught in 2007 by Manitoba RCMP at the weigh scales in West Hawk Lake while en route to Ontario with a large load of lumber.

Two More Forest Fires Yesterday

Despite fall-like weather, new forest fires continue to crop up across northwestern Ontario.

Yesterday, there were two new blazes reported.

One was a small lightning caused fire about 10 kilometers of the city.

MNR fire crews were able to quickly extinguish it.

The other fire was located near Quetico Provincial Park.

The MNR says the fire hazard is still fairly high in the southern part of this region and one fire crew has been sent into northern Minnesota to help with new fires reported there.

Bassin For Bucks Underway

The bass fishing season is starting to wind down.

This weekend, the northwest tour stops in Sioux Narrows for the  16th Annual Bassin For Bucks tournament.

Fishing begins each day at 7:30 with weigh-ins starting at 3:30.

A total of 120 boats are expected to compete in the three day tournament.

Northern Harbor Wins Ladies Slo-Pitch Title

Northern Harbor is the top team in the Days Inn Ladies Slo-Pitch League this year.

Northern Harbor won the A-side final last night defeating the Shoal Lake Troopers in the third and deciding game of their best-of-three series.

The Ladies Slo-Pitch season isn't quite over yet.

This weekend, the 11th annual Mike Pavey Memorial Tournament will be played at the Portage Bay Ball Diamonds.

Action gets underway tomorrow and wraps up on Sunday.

Broncos Lose Season Opener

 A tough way to start the regular season for Beaver Brae's Football team.

The Broncos dropped a 34-13 decision to the Steinbach Sabres yesterday afternoon.

Dylan Pykerman had another strong game running for two touchdowns, including a 95 yard romp in the first half.

Beaver Brae trailed 18-13 after two quarters, but were unable to score in the second half.

The Broncos next game is a week from today when they travel to Winnipeg to take on the Sisler Spartans.