Youth Charged in Assault

A 17 year old youth is facing assault charges following an altercation at a downtown business.

The OPP say officers responded to a panic alarm at the Chipman Street Laundry around 7:00 last night.

A 44 year old woman had been attacked, but the assailant fled before police arrived at the scene.

The suspect was located a short time later and arrested.

The youth has been charged with assault and will appear in Kenora Court today on the charge.

IISD Negotiating for Transfer of ELA

The incoming president and CEO of the International Institute for
Social Development says he'd take over the Experimental Lakes Area
in a heartbeat.

There's word the IISD is in negotiations with the federal government for
the transfer of the property east of Kenora.

Peter Kirby from the group Save ELA says the facility is too valuable to
close.

Kirby says talks between the IISD and the federal government are an open secret, but are moving slowly.

Rickford Looking Forward to Federal Budget

It's budget time!

The Feds will unveil the fiscal document tomorrow.

Kenora MP Greg Rickford says it will strike a balance.

Rickford stresses the goal is balancing the budget for 2015 as orginally planned.

Campbell Speaks Out Against Cuts in the North

Talks are continuing in the Ontario Legislature leading up to the provincial budget.

And Kenora Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell, speaking on the Interim Supply Motion, says the government has no accountability for the North.

She says the government is more concerned about moving gas plants in southern Ontario, rather than maintaining important services in this region, such as Tourist Information Centers and provincial
parks.

Campbell says the Supply Bill does stay the course and she will support it as the N.D.P continue to push the Liberals to meet their demands on the budget.

Phy-Ed Teacher Shortage in the North

Northern Ontario is mentioned in a report about physical education teachers in elementary schools.

The study from People for Education found that only 22-percent of schools in the north have phys-ed teachers, compared with 75-percent in the Toronto area.

Majority of schools in the area don't have teachers that teach only phys-ed classes, instead the classes are taught my each teacher.

The report also says that due to the shortage, it's preventing students from getting the 20 minutes of daily physical activity, which is recommended by the province.

Spring Has Sprung?

Today is the first day of spring but looking outside it is hard to believe.

The Kenora area received roughly 15-centimeters of snow in the early week storm.

If you think back we were enjoying temperatures of plus 14 at this time last year.

It’s going to be colder than normal to start spring off in the Northwest, but we should see more seasonal temperatures later this week.

The storm resulted in several minor vehicle collisions but no serious injuries were reported.

Saints Girls Eliminated from OFSAA Finals

The Thomas Aquinas girls hockey team is out at the All-Ontario Single A/AA championships.

The Saints dropped a 4-0 decision to Holy Cross High School from St. Catharines in the consolation semi-finals.

T.A. finished the tournament with a record of one win and three losses.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team is in Oakville for the OFSAA
A/AA championships.

Play begins tomorrow morning.