Bio Energy Atikokan

Researchers looking into the bio-energy industry in Atikokan have wrapped up their work, but they says its not the end.

Lakehead University and a team of researchers and students spent three years examining the issues surrounding the industry.

L-U's Vice-President of Research Rui Wang says the information gathered provides a blueprint for other agencies to take the next step.

More than 20 reports and one patent were generated out of the researchers work.

Northern Growth Plan Meeting Tonight

The Northern Growth Plan has been out for about a month and now the provincial government is seeking public input on the document.

A meeting will take place tonight in Kenora so the province can get feedback.

Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle saysthey just want to make sure the plan does what local residents want it to do.

Tonight's meeting will take place at 6:30 at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.

Elk Management Ontario

The Ministry of Natural Resources is drafting an Elk Management Planto deal with the population of the animals in four separate areas of the province.

The MNR began importing elk into Ontario from Alberta 10 years ago with mixed results.

Christie Curley is a spokesperson for the MNR and says due to concerns over disease, they have decided not to import anymore elk.

Elk numbers in the Bancroft area have exploded in recent years,and Curley says there has been talk of moving the animals into areas where their populations have not done as well, like Lake of the Woods.

Drug Bust

A 16-year-old has been charged following a drug bust at the Sandy Lake First Nation Airport.

Nishnawbe-Aski Police seized roughly 30-thousand dollars worth of oxycontin pills from the girl.

The drugs were transported to the remote Northern Reserve from the Winnipeg Airport.

The teen faces 1-count of possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Post Mortem

A post-mortem is to be conducted in Toronto today as an investigation continues into the discovery of human remains in northwestern Ontario.

A hunter came across the remains near Pickle Lake and investigators are trying to determine the person's identity and the cause of death.

Police say there is no evidence at the scene to suggest there was foul play.

Red Lake Mining

Conquest Resources has provided an interim report on its Red Lake area mining property.

The company has completed its 2009 surface drill programme which consisted of six drill holes
of over 4-thousand metres.

The report shows that the property contains shallow depths of gold.

The report provided the company with necessary encouragement to embark on a major deep drilling program in the near future.

Warm Weather Record Kenora

Kenora broke temperature records on Monday.

The city reached a high of 5 degrees in mid November, something the community hasn't seen since 1942.

Mix FM Meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says residents should enjoy the warmer temperatures while they have the chance.

The rest of the region also saw record breaking temperatures with Dryden recording a high of 4 degrees something the City hasn't seen in 90 years.

Local Sports Round Up

It was a successful trip to Thunder Bay for the Beaver Brae Broncos Senior Boys volleyball team.
When the dust settled the Broncos walked away with their fifth NWOSSAA Volleyball title since 2000.

The Broncos won both matches against the Westgate Tigers by identical 3 sets to zero scores.

With the win, the Broncos now move on to the OFSAA Provincial Championships being played in Sarnia Nov. 27-28.
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A tough weekend away from home for the Kenora Triple "A" Thistles.

On Saturday Kenora was doubled up 4-2 by the Southwest Cougars.

On Sunday the Thistles were edged 3-1 by the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Council Thank You

And seldom is heard an encouraging word.

That's the usual mantra at Kenora City Council meetings.

This week, things were a little different.

Gord Day-Janz of the Kenora Ministerial Associationsays he wanted to give council a show of gratitude fortheir work.

A small group of people also presented council memberswith a bag of treats as a gift of appreciation.

Triple Play Funding

The Triple Play organization expects to have a budget of about 80 thousand dollars this year.

About half of the budget will go toward administration, and the rest to program costs.

Tanya Watts is the program co-ordinator and says the need forfunding from Triple Play
continues to grow.

Watts says in response to increase demand for their program, they have updated their policies to help as many kids as possible and also assist those most in need.

Underserviced Area Program

The provincial government is looking at making changes to itsUnderserviced Area Program, which helps rural northern communities recruit doctors and other health care professionals.

The Municipality of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls has drafted are solution in support of the new program.

It says the government seems to recognize the difficulty smaller communities in the north have in competing for physicians.

Councillor Rory McMillan suggests the revised program will also help Kenora in its efforts to recruitand retain doctors.

H1N1 Clinics

The Ministry of Health says there were 20 new cases of the H1N1 flu virus this past weekin northwestern Ontario.

Since the second wave of the virus began back in October, there have been 62 cases confirmed in this region.

Overall, the province says the number of cases of swine flu were actually down this past week.

The Northwestern Health Unit says it will be offering H1N1 flu shots Monday, Tuesdayand Wednesday by appointment.

There will also be a walk-in clinic on Thursday at the Kenora Rec. Center.

Hampton Child Services

Ontario's Children Aid Societies are running out of money.

A Northeastern Ontario society recently announced plans to layoff 120-staff unless it receives operating funds by December 16th.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says children's aid socieities in this region are also facing tough financial challenges.

Kenora-Patricia Child and Family Services confirms that it has laid off six employees recently butit has more to do with the number of kids it has in its care homes, rather than budgetary issues.

More Charges OPP

The Ontario Provincial Police say they have laid an additional four charges against a retired OPP officer who used to work in theMinaki and Whitedog Detachments.

Robert George Lewis was arrested on Wednesday and charged with two counts of gross indecency and two charges of indecent assault.

The charges relate to incidents that took place between 1976 and 1978 when Lewis was was an officer in the Kenora area.

Lewis now lives in Fenelon Falls, and the OPP have charged him in connection toa number of historical sexual assault incidents while he worked indetachments across the province.

Dangerous Driver

A 27 year old Kenora man has been charged after the OPP were called about a vehicle being driven in an erratic manner on the Reddit Road.

Police were called out around 10:45 last night and tried to pull over the vehicle as it approached Highway 17-A.

The OPP say the driver was posing a danger to other vehicles on the road and forced the car off the highway and into a ditch.

The driver was removed from the vehicle and arrested.

Vernon Kent has been charged with impaired dirving, and dangerous driving and other Highway Traffic Offenses.

Keewaywin Drug Abuse

A chief in a northern Ontario First Nation is asking for help indealing with a rampant drug problem on the reserve.

Chief Joe Meekis of the Keewaywin First Nation says almost halfthe adults in the community of 400 near the Manitoba border are abusing prescription narcotics such as OxyContin and Percocet.

Meekis says children are going hungry because their parents are spending grocery money on pills.

Meekis has asked social services agencies and other First Nations to help the community cope.

Truck Driver Charged

A truck driver from Burlington, Ontario faces several charges following a single vehicle accident in the Fort Frances area.

The OPP say a tractor trailor unit sustained extensive damage after the driver failed to stop at the intersection of Highway 502 and Highway 11 Thursday.

The trailor was carrying a load of wood chips which shifted during the collision.

Police say the driver wasn't familiar with the road and drove through a stop sign and ended up on a ditch on the south-side of Highway 11.

He suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to hospital in Fort Francesfor treatment.

The Watten Volunteer Fire Department was called out to the scene to help contain the spill of diesel from the ruptured fuel tanks.

A 53 year old man has been charged with failing to stop for a stop sign and failing to maintain a daily log.

C.P. Holiday Train

A major fundraiser for local foodbanks will be starting up next week.

The C.P. Holiday Train will begin its long journey across Canadaon November 26th.

Mike LoVeccio is a spokesperson for C.P. and says the trainhas been helping to fill local foodbanks for the past 10 years.

The Holiday Train will be rolling into Kenora, Dryden andIgnace on December 5th.

The alternative Canadian rock band, the Odds will be providingthe entertainment this year.

Ontario Drug Survey

Northern Ontario high school students hit the bottle and use cannabis more than their provincial counterparts.

112 students took part in the most recent Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey.

Dr. Robert Mann says the stats for the Northern Region were slightly higher than the provincial average.

The survey was administered to students in Grade 7 to 12.

Heating City Hall

The City of Kenora is going to have to cough up almost 17 thousand dollars for a new heating system in city hall.

The city is planning to replace the Heating, Ventilation, andAir Conditioning system in the aging building.

Councillor Dave McCann says because its an old building when repairs are needed, they tend to be expensive.