Fire at Willard Lake

Fire crews continue to battle a major fire at the Willard Lake gas station and hotel on Highway 17, about 40-kilometres East of Kenora. 

The fire was reported around 3:00 this afternoon. 

There are reports of serious damage. 

No other details are available at this time.

Hunter Fined $2,000 by MNR

Careless hunting as landed a Northwestern Ontario man a 2 thousand dollar fine.

Conservation Officers say they received a complaint on November 2nd about a deer being shot on a Dryden area property without the owners consent.

Officers investigated the call and found that Clinton Catlin had shot a white tailed deer inside a yard after spotting it from the roadway.

Along with the fine, Catlin has been banned from hunting in the province for 1 year and must re-complete the Ontario Hunter Education Course.

His firearm was seized until the fine is paid.

H1N1 Virus on the Rise

A good reason to got the flu shot.

The Northwestern Health Unit has confirmed 16 cases of the H1N1 influenze strain this season.

Doctor Jim Arthurs is the medical officer of health says one stat is alarming to him.

He says of all the confirmed cases, none of the patients has received the flu vaccine this year.

Arthurs says flu shots are available at most pharmacies throughout the region.

Cold Weather Warnings Issued

With another day of dangerous cold across our region, warnings to bundle up and protect yourself if you have to go out doors.

Emergency room doctor Jeffrey Sather says when it gets this cold, frostbite is a possibility and you can develop a freeze burn.

With prolonged exposure, the risk moves to hypothermia, where one's core body temperature actually drops and can lead to confusion, unconsciousness and even death.

Nomination Papers Ready for Municipal Election

Calling all candidates.

You can now nominate yourself to run for mayor, city council, or the school board.

Joanne McMillin in the City Clerk and says the first step of the municipal election is under way.

The elections will take place on October 27th, while the deadline to file nomination papers is
September 12th.

This year, the city will be using internet balloting for the first time.

Control Board Provides Mid-Winter Update

No concern over water levels in the area.

Matt Dewolfe with the Lake of the Woods Control Board says levels are just below normal for this time of year.

He does say they are still looking at the spring run off.

Since the start of November DeWolfe says the water level has dropped 10 centimeters.

He says they want to see it fall another 20 before the spring.

Alzheimer Society Launches Coffee Break Challenge

Drink coffee, win prizes.

That's what local businesses can do during the Alzheimer Society's Coffee Break Challenge.

Rosanna Tomashowski is the acting executive director and says there are multiple ways to participate.

The winners of the challenge will be announced on February 17th.

Any local businesses can register directly with the society.

Midget Thistles Split Again

The Kenora Triple "a" Midget Thistles continue to alternate wins and losses.

The Thistles were edged 2-1 yesterday at home by the Parkland Rangers.

On Saturday night, the Kenora Midgets started the weekend series with a
5-3 victory.

Not a lot of time for rest for the Thistles as they hit the road Wednesday
for a date with the Winnipeg Thrashers.

Local Girls Hockey Teams Excel at Own Tournament

(Photo courtesy Kelly Alcock)

A good weekend for a couple of local girls hockey teams.

The K-Town Rednex took top honors in the midget division of the Lake of the Woods Girls Hockey tournament.

The Rednex finished second in the round robin portion of the tournament, but advanced to the final.

In the A-Side championship the Rednex blanked the Steinbach Millers 2-0 to take top honors.

In the bantam division, the Dy-no-mite 4.0 advanced to the A-side final after topping
their nine team pool.

The Dy-no-mite shut down the Dryden Drillers in the championship game 3-0.

The other Kenora team, the Lake of the Woods Chaos placed fourth, after losing 6-3 to
Fort Frances in the bronze medal game.

School Buses Running This Morning

Despite the cold conditions, all school buses in the Kenora area should be running today.

The Northwest Student Services Consortium says bus operators have been checking their vehicles over the two week Christmas break due to the intense cold.

Because the region is under a windchill advisory, parents are being urged to bundle up their children as they wait for their bus.

Kenora OPP Officer Faces Theft Charges

A Kenora OPP officer has been charged with theft.

The Kenora detachment began an investigation back on December 28th.

As a result constable Steve Tetrault was charged with theft under 5 thousand dollars.

Tetreault was off duty at the time of the alleged incident and has been placed on leave from the force.

He will answer to the charges next month.

Fire Scare at Blue Heron

It could have been a very difficult start to 2015 for 2 businesses in Kenora.

This morning the Blue heron had a bit of a scare when a small plug in heater caught fire.

The employee working at the time was able to put out the small fire before calling the Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Yesterday morning Kinger Fiberglass on highway 17 East was destroyed when the Furnace caught fire.

Operations Trying to Keep Roads Open

The city of Kenora is doing all it can to keep the roads drive-able as the snow continues to fall.

Operations Manager Rick Perchuk says in weather like there is only so much they can do as the weather would eliminate most plowing and sanding operations throughout the day.

Perchuk says once the snow comes to an end they will have the full plowing and sanding fleet out to clear the roads.

He says the weather has been very tiring on the operations crew this winter.

1st Impaired Driving Chagred Laid in 2014

A new year and the same old result.

In the early morning January 1st the Provincial Police laid their first impaired driving charge of 2014.

The charges were laid after the Treaty 3 Police stopped a vehicle on Ninth Street North and handed the suspect over to the OPP.

As a result 24 year old Melissa Skead from Rat Portage First Nation was charged with impaired driving, and driving without a licence.

She will appear in court in February.

MNR Fines 2 Windsor Residents

Two southern Ontario hunters are facing a combined total of two-thousand dollars in fines for illegaly hunting deer just south of Red Lake.

Terenzio Angelini has been fined fifteen-hundred dollars for hunting deer without a license and is not allowed to hunt in Ontario for one-year.

Michele Pecoraro was fined five-hundred dollars for possessing illegally killed wildlife.

Housing Needs Addressed

Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield say the city must focus on building affordable houses.

Canfield says we're building homes above our needs and that has left slim pickings for new families.

He notes the city is looking at building subdivisions with homes in the low $200,000 range.

He notes that they hope to have more hosing in place with in the next 3-4 years as projections forecast a population increase of a few thousand people.

Harbourfest Expects Announcement This Month

The holiday season put a damper on plans plans to announce another night for Harbourfest.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says they were planning on having 2 nights booked for the August long weekend festival by the time Christmas rolled around.

However Blake says most agents have gone on hiatus until the middle of January.

He is hoping to finalize another act by the end of the month.

So far The Sheepdogs and Three Days grace will take the stage for the Saturday night show.

Alberta Clipper Hits the Region

Environment Canada has issued a snowfall warning for the area but we are going to get a small reprieve from the deep freeze.

Meterologist Geoff Coulson says we have a high of -12 today and we can expect the warmer weather to stick around for a short time.

With the warmer weather today comes snowfall with up to 10 centimeters expected and up to 20 centimeters possibly by tomorrow.

With strong winds also expected to pick up visibility will be reduced on area highways making for poor driving conditions.

Mill Start-up Expected in Ear Falls

EACOM Timber is planning on re-opening the Ear Falls Sawmill sooner rather than later.

Company Spokesperson Gwen Webster says the company's goal is to take advantage with what they believe will be a strong market for lumber in 2014.

Currently the company is testing existing equipment that has sat idle at the mill for nearly five years.

Fire Claims Local Business

The Kenora Fire and Emergency Services department have the fire at Kinger Fiberglass under control.

The blaze started early in the morning before 7:00.

Owner Don Kinger say reports indicate the blaze started in the furnace.

He confirms that he had been having issues with the furnace and that a scheduled repair was postponed during the holiday season.

Kinger says the biggest loss is the tools he's collected over the last 35 years.

It is the 3rd fire in the area in the last 3 days and 7th since later October.

Kinger said it was to early to discuss the idea of re-opening his shop.