Rotary Lobsterfest Tomorrow Night

A major fundraiser for the Kenora Rotary Club this weekend.

The annual Lobsterfest is taking place tomorrow night.

Rotary spokesperson, Fred Wright says they're looking forward to using the White Cap Pavillion for the first time for the event.

Lobsterfest will take place starting at 6:00 tomorrow night, with music by Big Boogaloo afterwards.

Junior Boys Volleyball Tournament Starts Today

Some junior boys volleyball teams will get their first serious taste of competition this weekend.

The annual Kenora Invitation Volleyball Tournament will take place at Thomas Aquinas and Beaver Brae starting this afternoon.

Teams from Dryden, Fort Frances, Whitefish Bay, Pelican Falls and Whitedog will compete in the two day tournament.

Action begins this afternoon with the finals set for tomorrow at 3:30.

Terry Fox Run Sunday

Organizers are hoping for a good turn-out for this weekend's Terry Fox Run.

Numbers have been dropping in recent years.

Laurine Goertzen says they still have been able to generate a lot of money for Cancer Research.

The Terry Fox Run will take place Sunday morning starting at Valleyview School.

School Board Sets Up Transition Team for Beaver Brae

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has set up a transition team as it prepares to welcome grade seven and eight students into Beaver Brae next fall.

Superintendant of Education, Sean Monteith updated trustees this week on plans to expand the secondary school to include junior grades for the 2013-2014 school year.

The transition team includes administration from the public school board, parents, trustees, teachers and students.

Monteith says adding grade seven and eight at Beaver Brae will help fill some of the gaps that may have existed at the elementary school level due to smaller enrolments.

Protection for Norman Park in the Works

Some changes are being planned in Kenora's Official Plan to protect Norman Park from future development.

A couple of new uses could be included, including an off-leash dog area, and an interpretive center.

The city's Planning Administrator, Tara Rickaby says she wants some council input on Norman Park before they hold a public meeting.

A public meeting on the future of Norman Park is expected to be held sometime in November.

City Working on Asset Management Plan

The City of Kenora has just over a month to complete a complete inventory of its roads, bridges, buildings, and sewer and water lines.

The provincial government has asked all municipalities to draft an Asset Management Plan by October 22nd.

The government has committed 10 million dollars for municipalities to enable them to compile the information.

Mayor Dave Canfield says they don't have a lot of choice.

If they don't file an Asset Management Plan, they won't be eligible for any future infrastructure programs.

PSAC to Protest Job Cuts

With word the Federal Government is slashing another 48 jobs in Kenora and Thunder Bay, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is holding a National Day of Action.

PSAC is protesting the Harper Government's austerity agenda that saw them eliminate jobs in the Employment Insurance and Human Resources fields in the two communities.

A rally is being held in Thunder Bay tomorrow at noon eastern.

Elementary Teachers Hold Strike Vote

Elementary teachers with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board have voted 100 percent in favour of strike action if they can't reach a new contract agreement.

The teachers met earlier this week in Vermillion Bay following legislation passed by the McGuinty Goverment.

While the bill does ban strikes by teacher, local EFTO spokesperson Ann Saltel says they are encouraging members to not take part in any extracurricular activities this fall.

Saltel says they are also encouraging teachers to take part in McGuinty Mondays, and refrain from any activities that might take them away from their classroom.

Keewatin-Patricia Responds to EQAO Results

Still plenty of room for improvement for the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

The 2011-2012 reading, writing and math scores have been a released and the Board saw a drop in reading and math in Grade 3 and 6.

Director of Education Jack McMaster is taking a different look at the numbers and says they have seen a growth in achievement.

Math results for students in Grade 9 also dropped 6-percent.

More Job Cuts for HRSDC Office in Kenora

Thunder Bay and Kenora are losing 48 federal jobs in the latest round of cuts.

Local Public Service Alliance Union Spokesperson Judith Monteith-Farrell says they come in the areas of human resources and employment insurance processing.

Monteith Farrell says Northwestern Ontario residents should question what the Federal Govenrment is doing to our communities.

Monteith-Farrell says some of the jobs were moved to Southern Ontario and some were just eliminated.

Fire Rangers Remain Busy

Cooler, and damp conditions yesterday helped put a bit of a damper on the fire situation in northwestern Ontario.

Fire crews have responded to 20 new blazes over the past two days, including four new ones yesterday.

While the fire behind Valleyview School has been declared out, a couple of other fires on Lake of the Woods are still being monitored.

Kenora Fire 103 is located on the east side of Big Narrows Island and has grown to 36 hectares.

The MNR says that fire is still not posing any threat to people or property.

Fire Fighters Complete Bike Ride for MD

A great accomplishment by local firefighters.

Reagan Breeze from Dryden, Graham Warburton from Atikokan and two others are now in Thunder Bay, after biking from Kenora to raise funds for Muscular Dystrophy Canada.

Breeze says they actually exceeded their fundraising goal.

Breeze says they are also riding in memory of a firefighter who passed away.

Bronco Football Teams On the Road Again

Beaver Brae will be looking for its first win of the young season in the Winnipeg High School Football League.

The Broncos travel this afternoon to Winnipeg to take on the Sisler Spartans.

The Spartans also have a 0-1 record after dropping a 40-0 decision last week to Neelin.

Beaver Brae also lost its first game of the season to Steinbach last week 34-13.

Kick-off this afternoon is 5:00.

Kenora Water Smelly, but Safe to Drink

It may smell bad, but Kenora's water is safe to drink.

The City has been getting a steady stream of complaints about poor water quality over the past few weeks.

City spokesperson Heather Kasprick says even though the water has a bad odor, it meets or exceeds the province's drinking water standards.

Kasprick says the foul odor is a result of the algae in the lake, which has been a little higher than usual due to a warm summer and a lack of rainfall.

She says they expect the odor-issue should be rectified over the next few weeks as the temperatures start to drop.

OPP Call Blaze Suspicious

The Provincial Police say the cause of a major fire in Kenora is suspicious.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact OPP or Crime Stoppers.

The fire started behind 9th Street North yesterday afternoon and forced the evacuation of Valleyview School.

City fire crews, the Ministry of Natural Resources and two water bombers were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread to nearbye homes.

Gas prices going Up

Its going to cost more to fill up today.

Most gas stations have increased the price at the pump by more than six cents a liter in the past day.

Gas is now selling for as much as 1.35.9 cents a liter, up from 1.29.4 yesterday.

Gas price crusader, Dan McTeague says there's really no reason for this latest increase.

He calls the dramatic hike quite absurd.

More Funding Needed for Infrastructure

Federation of Canadian Municipalities call for more Federal Funding for infrastructure.

The call comes from the FCM's report card on infrastructure that states communities are reaching a breaking point when it comes to paying for infrastructure upgrades.

FCM Board Member Linda Rydholm says more money is needed.

The FCM report card on infrastructure was released earlier this week.

Catholic Board Pleased with EQAO Results

The Kenora Catholic District School Board is crowing about its latest standardized test results.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office released the results of grade three and grade six reading, writing and grade nine math tests yesterday.

Director of Education Phylis Eikre says their grade six and nine students had some very good marks.

Eikre says the marks of their grade three students were below the provincial average, so they will be looking more closely at those results to see how they can make improvements.

Rainy River New Owner of Tourist Info Center

The town of Rainy River now owns the former Ontario Travel Information Centre in the community.

The province agreed to hand over the building to the township at no cost.

Mayor Deb Ewald says they hope to re-open the facility next spring as a tourist centre, but want to talk with the Rainy River Chamber of Commerce and Lake of the Woods township about being involved.

The centre was one of three closed in May as part of cost-saving measures by the province.

Kenora Hunters Fined for Shooting Moose

Three Kenora residents have been fined close to five thousand dollars for illegal moose hunting.

The trio were hunting north of Dryden last December, when one of their party shot at a bull moose while standing on Glider Road.

The court heard that they did not have a valid bull moose game seal.

Diane Neniska was fined two thousand dollars for discharging a firearm from a roadway, and 750 dollars for making a false statement to a conservation officer.

Stuart Neniska was fined one thousand dollars for unlawfully hunting big game, and is not allowed to hunt in Ontario for the next year.

He and Mark Carlson were also fined 500 dollars for making false statements.