Nipigon Area Man Charged With Attempted Murder

OPP are charging a 49 year old man with attempted murder, attempted arson and damage to property.

It stems from a report of mischief at a home on Highway 11 near Nipigon.

The homeowner says he tried to leave his house in the early morning on Monday but couldn't because the door was secured from the outside.

After forcing his way out, he found his gas line had been cut and an ignition source was placed beneath the propane fuel.

The suspect remains in police custody and will appear in Thunder Bay court on May 13th.

Sioux Lookout OPP Charge Dangerous Driver

Provincial Police in Sioux Lookout have laid charges in a weekend incident involving a black SUV and an ambulance.

An ambulance with its emergency lights on was passed at a rate of speed by a vehicle on Highway 664 west of Sioux Lookout.

OPP have now charged a 24-year-old woman with careless driving.

Another woman in the car flashed one of the paramedics as they were passing by.

Resolute Mothballing Fort Frances Mill

Resolute Forest Products is making it official

The company has announced it is permanently  closing its idled pulp and paper mill in Fort Frances.

Spokesperson Xavier Van Chau
says all efforts to restart the mill in some way were simply exhausted

Van Chau says part of the efforts included trying to find a potential buyer.

School Bus Evacuation Drills Today

Don't be surprised to see school buses pulled over to the side of the
road today.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium says it will be conducting
emergency evacuation drills on it's buses in Kenora and Sioux Narrows
today.

The buses will be pulling over to pre-determined safe areas to conduct
their evacuation exercises.

Motorists are advised not to stop and try to help the bus drivers who are
trained to handle the evacuations.

Rickford Enjoys Italian Hospitality

A meeting of the minds in Rome.

Natural Resources Minister Greg Rickford is taking part in the G7 Energy Ministers conference this week.

The Kenora MP says the gathering was born from the crisis in Ukraine.

Rickford says discussions are also taking place on forestry and the Ring of Fire.

Liberals Look to Improve Fortunes in Kenora-Rainy River

A challenge for the Liberals in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding in the June 12th provincial election.

The Grits were a distant third in the last election.

Anthony Leek is back for the second straight election and feels his party's budget, which triggered the vote, was a missed opportunity for this region.

Leek will be challenging incumbant NDP candidate Sarah Campbell, Conservative Randy Nickle and the Green Party's Tim McKillop.

Firefly Celebrates Children's Mental Health Week

FIREFLY is celebrating Children's Mental Health week in the northwest region.

One of the goals this week is to increase awareness of the signs of child and youth mental health problems.

Chief Executive Officer at FIREFLY, Karen Ingebrigtson says it's a big issue locally.

Ingebrigtson says early intervention is critical to the issue because it provides children and families with hope for a healthy future.

Child Poverty Projects Get Funding

Three projects in Kenora are receiving funding from the Kenora District Services Board to address child poverty.

Triple Play is getting 20 thousand dollars to help children, living in low income families, to access recreation, leisure, arts and cultural activities.

The Beaver Brae PASS program is welcoming 6-grand for baby supplies and food securing for High School students who are parents.

Five thousand dollars is going to Northland Supportive Housing to support food costs for adults living in the supportive housing services program.

Two Killed In Sudbury Mining Accident

A fatal incident at the First Nickel Lockerby Mine in Sudbury is being mourned by the Minister of Northern Development and Mines.

Two contractors died underground yesterday due to the fall of material, preceded by seismic activity.

Michael Gravelle says it's a very sad day and his government is committed to mine safety in the province.

ONA Handed a Two Year Deal

The Ontario Nurses Association isn't pleased with an arbitration decision on contracts.

The two year award for ONA members provides a 2.8 percent wage increase over the life of the deal.

The Association says that barely keep up with the rate of inflation.

The ONA says registered nurses had every expectation of moving back to more appropriate compensation
that reflects the value of RN's to health care.

They expected a decision that would have been more in line with increases given to other essential workers.

Auditor General Reports on First Nations Policing

The federal auditor is raising concerns about the First Nations Policing program.

In his spring report, Auditor General Michael Ferguson raised a number of issues including a poor allocation of money, shoddy buildings and a lack of transparency.

He also suggests aboriginal police services aren't governed by the same professional standards
as other police agencies in Ontario.

The report found living conditions for officers on first nations were often crowded, contained mould and were in a state of disrepair.