RCMP Confinement case

RCMP have gotten medical clearance to send David Leblanc back to Nova Scotia tonight.

Leblanc is a suspect in an unlawful confinement case in Nova Scotia and has been in hospital since his arrest Sunday.

Walk For Hope Tomorrow

The Kenora Fellowship Center wants local residents to give thanks for having a roof over their head.

The emergency drop-in center is holding its third annual Walk for Hope this weekend.

Spokesperson Nikki Spencer says the fundraiser will take place tomorrow morning.

The walk will start at 9:00 and will be followed by a community breakfast afterwards.

Thistles Open new Season on the Road

The Kenora Triple "a" midget Thistles will see their first regular season action this weekend.

The Thistles will head to Morden to take on the Pembina Valley Hawks for a pair of games.

The first game of the year is tomorrow night at 8:00.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas boys volleyball team continues its busy fall schedule.

The Saints are travelling to Portage La Prairie for the annual Pride of the Prairies tournament.

Its the third weekend in a row the Saints have entered a tournament.

Last weekend, they won the consolation side of the University of Winnipeg tournament.

OPP offer Hunting Tips

Happy Hunting.

The OPP is reminding hunters to be careful when heading out into the bush this fall.

Constable Dave Cain says each year there are accidents, which are preventable if people take the proper precautions.

Cain adds that quads can be used on and off road at this time of year, but says the Trans-Canada Highway is off-limits to ATV's.

Gravelle Taken To Task for Provincial Park Cuts

Some tough questions for Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle in the Ontario Legislature.

Gravelle was grilled about cuts announced by the MNR last week to provincial parks.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell is also seeking assurances the cuts will not impact area offices.

Gravelle didn't answer Cambell's question directly, though he did says the MNR is committed to maintaining its core services.

KDSB Ready to Pull the Plug on Non-Emergent Ambulences

The Kenora District Services Board says it plans to move ahead in November with a new policy that could allow the Board to eliminate non-urgent land ambulance patient transfers.

Board member Dennis Leney says discussions about the move have taken place.

Leney believes the hospitals should run non-emergency patient transfers, noting it costs the KDSB 450-thousand dollars.

Both sides still have differing views on the issue and further talks are planned.

Firefly Willing to Take Over Child Care Services in Kenora

A seamless transition of child care services in Kenora.

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board says it will be working with Firefly to replace services currently being provided by the Castle of Learning.

Superintendent of Education Caryl Hron says there will be no major changes.

Before and after school programs will continue to be offered at Evergreen, King George and Valleyview.

Police Confirm Identity of Body found near Longlac

RCMP have confirmed that a body found in the woods of Geraldton is a man who was facing charges of alleged confinement of a 16-year-old Nova Scotia boy.

Police say Wayne Cunningham's body was found near Long Lac at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

A news release says OPP found the remains of the 31-year-old near a 2003 Hyundai Elantra he was believed to have travelled in.

Cunningham had faced charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement after a boy alleged he was held captive by two men at a home last month.

Police say the cause of death is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected.

Saints Excel in Two Day Road Trip

A successful road trip for Thomas Aquinas Court Sport teams.

The Saints were in Ignace and Sioux Lookout this week, and lost just one match.

In girls basketball, the Saints senior girls held on for a 22-21 win over Queen Elizabeth High School.

The T.A. junior girls suffered the lone loss of the day, after they were edged 36-35 by the Warriors, but they bounced back with a 30-17 win over Pelican Falls later in the day

In boys Volleyball, the Saints Junior Squad earned wins over Sioux Lookout and Pelican Falls yesterday, while the senior team remains perfect in league play, recording 3-0 wins over Warriors and the Thunderwolves.

The T.A. senior boys will play their third tournament in a row this weekend as they travel to Portage for the Pride of the Prairies tournament.

Hydro One, Manitoba Hydro Report Outages

About 2300 Hydro One customers in the Kenora area are without power this morning.

There have been a number of outages reported in areas west of town and in the Whitedog area.

Hydro One says heavy snow and high winds yesterday have knocked trees and branches onto power lines affecting service.

It could be later this afternoon before power is fully restored to all customers.

Manitoba Hydro adds that about 24 hundred of its customers in the Falcon Lake, West Hawk Lake and Hashaville areas are without power today.

School Buses Cancelled this morning

Some students will get a chance to sleep in this morning.

The Northwestern Ontario Services Consortium has announced that it is cancelling school bus service for the Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Red Lake and Ear Falls areas.

Rat Portage also says its school buses will not be running today.

Local schools will remain open however, for kids who walk or who get dropped off by their parents.

Last night, road conditions in the Kenora area got so bad, the OPP closed down the Kenora By-Pass for just over an hour, due to a number of accidents between the Jones Road and the Redditt Road intersections.

Highway 17-A was re-opened around 10:30 last night.