Longbow Lake Fire Hall Yard Sale Tomorrow

A lot of people have September 1st marked on their calendar.

That's the date of the Longbow Lake Fire Hall's annual yard sale.

Melba McGeachy is one of the organizers and says they will be bringing a popular feature back this year.

The yard sale begins at 9:00 at the Longbow Lake Fire Hall, followed by the live auction at 10:00.

Border Crossings Down

Some indication this summer's tourist season wasn't as busy as expected.

The Canada Border Services Agency says it processed about 108-thousand travellers at the Fort Frances border in July, about the same as the number in June.

But that's down almost four per cent over the same period last year.

OPP Ready for Long Weekend

The Ontario Provincial Police are stepping up their presence on area highways during the last long weekend of the Summer.

OPP sergeant Shelley Garr says officers will be making sure people respect the so called "move over" laws.

OPP will also target distracted drivers, those not wearing their seatbelts and impaired driving.

Province Creates Northern Policy Institute

The Northern Policy Institute is proceeding with the help of special advisors, Lakehead University President Dr. Brian Stevenson and Laurentian University President Dominic Giroux.

The institute will be based at the two universities in Thunder Bay and Sudbury, and will work with northern post-secondary institutions and research organizations.

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says One of the guiding principles of the institute is to stimulate public engagement and dialogue and promote the viewpoints of Northern Ontarians.

Health Unit Gets Good Report Card

The Northwestern Health Unit is out with a report on how its meeting provincial standards.

It's the second year for the report card.

The Health Unit's Alex Berry says it provides a snap shot of how well it's doing in meeting Ministry of Health standards.

The focuses on fourteen key area including food safety, tobacco use prevention and injury prevention.

Boil Water Advisory in Madsen

Residents of the northwestern Ontario community of Madsen are under a boil water advisory.

Due to a mechanical failure, the municipality of Red Lake cannot guarantee the integrity of the water.

Anyone consuming water within Madsen Township is advised to boil their water before consuming.

The advisory is in effect until further notice.

Details of Coronor's Inquest Announced

A presiding coroner and coroner's counsel have been named for the joint inquest into the deaths of seven First Nations youths in Thunder Bay.

The presiding coroner will be Dr. David Eden, and coroner's counsel will be Hamilton assistant Crown attorney Karen Shea, and Thunder Bay assistant Crown attorney Trevor Jukes.

The inquest will look at the deaths of the seven youths who were students aged 15 to 21 and who died after leaving their home communities to pursue secondary education in Thunder Bay.

The inquest will include all seven deaths due to the similar circumstances which surrounded them.

Fire Season Heating up in NWO

Four new fires have popped up in the Northwest Region, that's 22 new blazes in the last three days.

However, they are considered to be small and are being managed.

Fire information officer Heather Pridham says they are starting to see the fire hazard creep up into the high to extreme range.

Pridham says most the new fires have been caused by lightning, but they are also seeing an increasing number of human caused fires as the long weekend approaches.

KCDSB Looks at Expansion of SMB

The Kenora Catholic District School Board continues to expand.

Enrolment is up again this year, the the separate school board is looking at a four classroom addition for Ste. Margarite Bourgeoys.

Director of Education, Phylis Eikre says they hope to be able to finalize plans for the expansion next month.

Eikre says they need the extra classroom space to accommodate all-day everyday kindergarten programs at S.M.B.

MNR Threatens Closure of Ignace Office

Ignace council is concerned over the possible closure of their Ministry of Natural Resources office.

The MNR is facing a deficit and is closing a number of centers across the area.

Mayor Lee Kennard says this move would drastically impact jobs.

Kennard says a comparison would be losing 88 jobs in Kenora or 1,100 in Thunder Bay.

OPP Shut Down Atikokan Grow-Op

Ontario Provincial Police have arrested two men following a grow-op bust in Atikokan.

On Saturday, police saw the two men tending to marijuana plants in the Turtle River Road area.

As a result of the investigation, a search warrant was granted and further evidence was found.

Police say they were able to seize 176 plants, various other drugs, weapons and ammunition.

Police have charged 54-year-old Robert Koxar and 54-year-old Kevin Leblanc with several offences including production of marijuana and posession of marijuana,morphine and several firearms.

They are expected to appear in court on September 17.

Labor Day Picnic Cancelled

An annual tradition in Kenora might be coming to an end.

The Labor Day picnic put on by the Kenora and District Labor Council has been cancelled this year.

A spokesperson for the labor council says volunteer burn-out, and a lack of new volunteers is behind the decision to cancel this year's picnic.

Over the past few years, the community picnic has been held at Beatty Park in Keewatin on the Monday of the Labor Day long weekend.

Broncos Beat Dryden in Exhibition Football

A good way to start the season.

Beaver Brae's football team romped to a 36-13 win over the Dryden Eagles yesterday at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

Broncos Coach Chris Penner says their running game was dominant.

Running back Dylan Pykerman had four touchdowns, three in the first quarter alone, and over 200 yards rushing.

The Broncos open the season next Thursday on the road in Steinbach against the Sabres.

Skate 4 Life Suffers Setback

A bit of a setback for a cross-country rollerblader.

Ashley Gilbank brought her Skate 4 Life tour to Kenora yesterday, but not before her support vehicle was involved in an accident on Highway 17 east of Kenora.

Gilbrank admits her trip has been a lot more difficult that she imagined.

Gilbank is hoping to resume her tour today to raise awareness of youth mental health issues.

Her support vehicle sustained some minor damage, but no-one was hurt in yesterday's collision.

Catholic School Board Concerned with Putting Students First Act

The Kenora Catholic District School board is giving the thumbs down to the Putting Students First Act.

The bill is currently being debated in the Ontario Legislature and includes a salary freeze for public school teachers.

Director of Education Phylis Eikre also believes the legislation will create an uneven playing field between Catholic and Public school boards.

Eikre says if the bill is passed, hiring practices and student assessments will be different between Catholic and Public School boards.

No West Nile in Northwestern Ontario

No concerns in northwestern Ontario, but the West Nile virus is hitting southern Ontario hard.

Health officials say 82 people, all in southern Ontario, have been infected.

Public Health Ontario says the virus has been identified in northwestern Ontario, but no-one here has yet contracted the mosquito-borne disease.

Concern Raised about Riding Changes

A possible redraw of federal ridings in northwestern Ontario has the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River scratching his head.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario proposes Lake of the Woods township be a part of the Kenora riding.

John Rafferty is confused why it has to be moved out of his riding.

Rafferty intends to voice his opposition at upcoming meetings this fall.

More Problems for Ornge in the north

Ornge's helicopter air ambulance service is once again operating out of Thunder Bay.

Earlier in the week the service was operated out of Moosonee and Kenora due to a pilot shortage.

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro says staffing has been an ongoing issue for Ornge.

Mauro says Ornge was able to find some pilots to operate the helicopter service back at the Thunder Bay base.

One Temperature Record in NWO

It was a warm one yesterday but only one record high was set.

Fort Frances was the only community to set a new record, reaching 32.5, beating the old mark of 31.5.

Red Lake tied its record high of 29.7.

The thermometer hit 31.7 in Kenora yesterday, just shy of a record for August 29th.

Bronco Football Team Plays Exhibition Game

Beaver Brae's football team will get a good chance to evaluate this year's talent today.

The Broncos are playing an exhibition game against the Dryden Eagles at Pete Fair Memorial Field this afternoon.

This year, Beaver Brae has dropped down to the single "A" Currie Division of the Winnipeg High School Football League.

That will put them in the same division as their traditional rivals from Fort Frances and Dryden.

Kick-off this afternoon is at 3:00.