Helen Proulx Sentenced to Six Months More in Jail Time

A 39 year old Grassy Narrows woman has been sentenced to 6 more months in jail for her part in a shooting incident in downtown Kenora last year.

Helen Proulx was found guilty of trying to assault an OPP officer last year with a knife and was shot as a result of the incident.

She was charged with Assaulting a Peace Officer with a weapon and and possesion of a weapon dangerous to the public.

Proulx's sentencing hearing took place yesterday afternoon in Kenora Court.

So far she has spent 134 days in custody and will be on probation for another 12 months probation once she's released.

This is Proulx's 3rd conviction of Assaulting a Peace Officer.

Gas Prices Up Again

Its going to costs a lot more to fill up your vehicle today.

Most service stations are selling a liter of unleaded gas today for 136.9 cents a liter.

That's up eight cents from earlier this week, when the price of gas was at 128 cents.

Kenora is far from the most expensive place to fill up.

Gas in Marathon is selling for a dollar 49 a liter.

Property Crimes dropping in Sioux Narrows

The OPP says the number of calls for service in the Township of Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls has been relatively stable over the past five years, but they have noticed a significant decline in the number of

crimes against property.

The Kenora OPP has released its 2010 statistics and it shows there were 239 calls for service last year, which is down slightly from the year before.

However, Inspector Dave Lucas says there were just 20 crimes against property, which has been steadily declining over the past five years.

Lucas adds that the clearance rate for property crimes has improved significantly, with 55 percent of the cases solved last year, up from just 14 percent the year before.

Health Unit releases Community Reports

Healthy eating and physical activity top the list of most commonly identified community health needs based a series of reports released by the Northwestern Health Unit.

The reports are the result of consultations in 12-communities last year.

Spokesperson Tanis Fretter explains the next step.

Recreational opportunities, drug and alcohol use and mental health were other priorities identified.

Cameron Appears on Talkback This morning

Candidates running in the May 2nd federal election have just four more days left to campaign.

This morning, CJRL news continues its coverage of the election with the fourth of five talk shows scheduled with the candidates.

Tania Cameron of the NDP is our scheduled guest this morning on the CJRL Open Line program Talkback today.

Talkback can be heard right after the 9:00 news.

NOMA Conference gets down to Business Today

Four Provincial Cabinet Ministers are attending the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association Conference in Thunder Bay.

Infrastructure Minister Bob Chiarelli will be the key note speaker at the conference.

NOMA president Ron Nelson says they're happy with the amount of Provincial representation.

The bear pit session on Friday will also see the Minister of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.

NOACC Holds Annual Spring Meeting in Kenora

The Northwestern Ontario Associated Chambers of Commerce will be holding its annual spring meeting in Kenora this week.

Chamber representitives from across the region will begin arriving in town tonight.

Andy Scribilo is the president-elect of NOACC and says they have decided to hold the conference Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this year.

Scribilo says chamber members from across the region will be voting on a number of resolutions this week to pass to the Ontario Chamber of Commerce later this year.

Advance Polls Busy in Kenora Riding

The Easter Holiday didn't seem to deter people from casting ballots during the advance polls.

The advance polls were held Good Friday, Saturday and Easter Monday, and over 28 hundred people took advantage in the Kenora Riding.

Returning Officer Gerry Oulette says that was 268 more than the last federal election.

He adds that Monday was the busiest day at the advance polls, with 13 hundred people showing up.

Artrepreneur conference takes place tomorrow

Networking, funding advice and marketing expertise will be the main topics of conversation at the Artpreneur Conference in Dryden.

The event is being held tomorrow and is sponsored by the Northwest Business Centre.

Spokesperson Mike Greaves says the first Artrepreneur conference two years ago in Kenora was a big success with more than 90 participants.

He says the goal is to provide artists an inside look into what it takes to create and grow a successful art business.

Conservatives on the Defensive over FedNOR

Opposition parties keep saying FedNor will be gutted if the Harper Conservatives are back in government.

Speaking in Thunder Bay, the minister responsible, Tony Clement repeated that the program is safe and says it's the local NDP members who seem to be sending mixed messages.

Clement was in Thunder Bay campaigning with the two Conservative candidates in the Lakehead

Police Investigate Fire on Kasabonika

The Ontario Fire Marshall is expected to arrive in the remote Northern community of Kasabonika this week.

The Fire Marshall was called in after a large fire at the Northern Store last Friday afternoon.

The blaze gutted the building and left only 2-walls standing.

No injuries or deaths have been reported.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Small Quake confirmed in NWO last Month

Natural Resource Canada is confirming that a minor earthquake struck near Devlin last month.

The 1-point-9 magnitude quake happened around 2 in the morning on March 25th.

Seismic activity is not uncommon to northwestern Ontario, although most of the minor quakes over the past year have been around the Atikokan area.

Richards and Flyers move onto Round Two of NHL Play-Offs

The Philadelphia Flyers are off to the second round of the play-offs after a 5-2 victory over Buffalo last night.

Flyers captain Mike Richards had five assists in the series, including two last night, but says he just couldn't seem to score on Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.

The Flyers won the series 4-3 and will find out who they play in round two later today. 

Standing Room Only At All-Candidates Forum

It was a standing room only crowd for the final all-candidates forum in the Kenora Riding prior to the May 2nd federal election.

About 100 people crammed into the Days Inn last night to hear from the five candidates.

Most of the main party candidates stayed close to the message of their parties.

Conservative Greg Rickford touted the intiatives of the Harper Government over the past two and a half years.

Meanwhile, NDP Candidate Tania Cameron suggested its time for a change in Ottawa.

Independant Candidate Kelvin Chicago-Boucher added a touch of humour to the proceedings when asked about what he would do about the inflation rate.

Green Party Candidate Mike Schwindt and Liberal Roger Valley also took part in the all-candidates forum.

American Man charged with importing illegal Baitfish

An Iowa man has been fined for importing live baitfish into Ontario for a second time in less than a year.

This time Thaddeus Strecker was stopped on Lake of the Woods back in February.

Conservation officers found that the man also failed to maintain a clear and unobstructed view of a fishing line and hid several dozen live minows in a container in the snow.

He has been fined a total of 11-hundred dollars.

Tories looking for a breakthrough in NWO in Provincial Election

Tim Hudak appears confident about his party's chances in the upcoming Provincial Election.

The Progressive Conservative leader says getting solid candidates in the region will certainly help in getting Tories elected in Northwestern Ontario.

Hudak has his work cut out for him as the PC's haven't elected a member from northwestern Ontario since 1987, when Leo Bernier
represented the Kenora Riding.

Green Party Candidate Campaigns in Kenora

The Green Party Candidate in the Kenora Riding doesn't think remote communities in the far north will benefit from the construction of a new high voltage electrical line.

Mike Schwindt says even though most remote aboriginal communities in the riding rely on Diesel generators, it probably doesn't make a lot of sense to expand the transmission line into those reserves.

Schwindt feels a better solution is developing hydro, wind or solar power projects in remote communities to wean them off of costly diesel generators.

Kenora To Fly Fort Frances Town Flag

The Fort Frances' town flag will soon be flying high over the city of Kenora.

Mayor Roy Avis says its the outcome of a bet he made with Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield during the recent Allan Cup tournament.

Canfield bet Avis that the Thistles would be Fort Frances in the Quarter-finals of the Allan Cup earlier this month.

The Thunderhawks eliminated Kenora from the tournament with a 5-3 victory.

Fort Frances Man Remains in Jail

The man involved in a lengthy stand-off with O.P.P. in Fort Frances last November will be spending a little more time in custody.

Richard Edward Kabatay was sentenced to eight months in jail after being convicted last week on a charge of assault with a weapon.

An initial charge of attempted murder was dropped.

Another man was stabbed during the November 27th incident

Kabatay has been in Fort Frances jail since.

Sioux Narrows/Nestor Falls passes Municipal Budget

The average property owner in Sioux Narrows/ Nestor Falls can expect to pay almost 10 percent more in taxes this year than last year.

The town council passed the budget last week and it contained a minor increase of 0.6 percent in the mill rate.

Mayor Bill Thompson says while they have tried to hold the line on spending, the cost for social services and policing continues to go up.

Thompson says he's also concerns in the 8.9 percent increase in the town's overall property assessment, which is making it more difficult for people on a fixed income to make ends meet.