Lake of the Woods Brewing Still On Schedule

The brew pub being proposed for the old Kenora Fire Hall is still being targeted for a May long weekend opening.

Demolition work inside the Heritage Building is continuing and owner, Taras Manzie says they are still working on getting all the building and liquor licencing permits they need in order to move the project along.

Manzie says they will be keeping all the artifacts that have been designated, including the call box, the fire bell and most of the porcelain brickwork.

He adds that he has already hired a brew master from Victoria and is also working to staff some other key positions.

Sharks Host Annual Fall Meet

The first big test of the season for the Kenora Sharks Swim club.

The Sharks are hosting their annual Kenora Invitational Swim Meet this weekend.

Teams will be coming from across northwestern Ontario and Winnipeg.

The first heats will take place tomorrow morning and will wrap up Sunday afternoon.

Thistle Teams in North Dakota This Weekend

Both the Kenora Triple "a" Midget and Senior Thistles will be spending the weekend in North Dakota.

The Senior Thistles are in Bottineau for a pair of games against a college team.

Coach John Tressoor says this is still part of the team selection process.

The Senior Thistles have games Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Kenora Midgets will be taking the weekend off league play, for a tournament in Grand Forks.

The Thistles will play four games over the next three days.

Rec. Center looking for More Employees

The Kenora Rec. Center is hoping to increase its staffing complement.

Community Services manager Colleen Neil has put in a request to  city council to hire two more maintenance operators.

She says right now, their maintenance technicians just don't have time to get all their work done.

Neil says while the extra jobs will add another 48 thousand dollars to their budget, it will reduce the need for contracting out and the need for part-time workers.

New Logo for Tourism in Kenora

North America's Premiere Boating Destination.

Thats the new status the Brand Leadership Team feels they took a big step towards today with a new tourism logo for Kenora.

Team chairman Randy Nickle says the logo is just one step of the process and that community involvement will be key in expanding the brand.

Nickle adds that anyone intrested in using the new logo and helping to build the brand can visit kenoraboating.com.

Saints Sweep for NWOSSA Gold

The Thomas Aquinas Senior Boys Volleyball Team has its ticket booked for the All-Ontario Single "a" Championships.

The Saints swept the Manitouadge Wolverines in three straight sets this morning in the NWOSSA Final.

Saints head coach Bob Kowal feels they are still capable of playing better.

Thomas Aquinas will leave next Tuesday for Belleville, for the OFSAA championships.

The All-Ontario finals will start next Thursday. 

Hockey Northwest Raises Concerns About Minnesota

There's an issue developing between Hockey Northwestern Ontario and Minnesota Hockey.

H.N.O. says it is dispelling a rumour that they will not issue travel permits to teams wanting to compete in tournaments.

General Manager Trevor Hosanna says travel permits will be issued once an event is sanctioned properly and Minnesota Hockey seeks approval from U.S.A. Hockey late.

Hosanna says permits will be issued once Hockey Canada approves the event and so Hockey Northwestern Ontario is the last to know making it more difficult to approve a permit.

Free Daycare on Offer

A group called Community Caring for Community is offering a day of free child care.

The day care will be run at the Kenora Rec Centre next Saturday and will have a morning and an afternoon session.

Kelly Sipos is one of the organizers and says the goal of the free daycare is to shine a spotlight on an on-going concern in the community.

Yesterday was the last day to register, but Sipos says they still may have room for last minute registrations for the service.

Public School Board Releases Grad Results

A new report by the Keewatin Patricia District School Board shows that the graduation rates are higher for those who stay in school longer.

The four-year rate for all students 71%, the five year rate in 84% and the six year rate is 86 %.

Scott Urquart is the Student Success Leader and says they are particularly pleased with grad rates for special education students.

The rates are lower for Aboriginal students, with the four year rate at 45%, the five year rate at 67% and the six year rate at 71%.

Wynne Brings Northern Tour to Kenora

Liberal leadership candidate Kathleen Wynne will be rolling out her Northern Ontario platform today in Kenora.

Wynne was in Thunder Bay yesterday and will be in Kenora this afternoon to meet with party faithful.

One of her promises is the creation of a northern Ontario committee of cabinet.

Glen Murray is also on a tour of northern Ontario this week.

Saints Advance to NWOSSA Championship game

The Thomas Aquinas senior boys volleyball team is a win away from advancing to the All-Ontario Single Championships again.

The Saints will play in this morning's NWOSSA final against either Manitouadge or Dennis Franklin Cromarty High School from Thunder Bay.

Yesterday T.A. easily won both their round robin matches in three straight sets.

Neither game lasted longer than an hour.

The NWOSSA gold medal games goes at 10:00 this morning at the Thomas Aquinas gym.