Bronco Game Cancelled

Today's snow is playing havoc with the local football schedule.

Beaver Brae was supposed to be playing the St. Norbert Celtics this afternoon at Pete Fair Memorial Field.

The game has been cancelled and is going to be re-scheduled for

Monday, October 15th.

OPP issues Travel Advisory

The OPP has issued a travel advisory for Highway 17 west of Kenora.

Highways are slush covered.

Falcon Lake RCMP Detachment has reported multiple vehicle in the ditch along Highway 1.

They are reporting road conditions as ice packed, with slush and poor visibility.

Both east and westbound lanes on the number 1 are reported to be down to one lane in some areas.

Motorists are asked to avoid travel.

Council votes In Favour of a Casino

Kenora City council is saying yes to a casino.

But with some conditions.

Mayor Dave Canfield says they don't want a stand alone casino, but rather one with will incorporate a resort, hotel and conference center facilities.

Council voted 5-2 in favour of a casino this afternoon.

Only Rory McMillan and Sharon Smith voted against the motion.

Police Believe they have Located Body of Suspect

The OPP believe they have found the body of a man wanted in the alleged confinement of a 16-year-old boy in Nova Scotia.

Police say the body of a 30 year old man was recovered near a 2003 Hyundai Elantra that had been recovered on a logging road in northwestern Ontario.

Police say while the body has not been positively identified they believe it to be that of Wayne Alan Cunningham, who faced charges of sexual assault and forcible confinement after a boy alleged he was held captive by two men at a home last month.

They say the cause of death is under investigation, but foul play is not suspected.

The car was found Wednesday about 19 kilometres off the highway in Greenstone.

Winter Storm Warning Issued

Old man winter is expected to make an early appearance in the Kenora area today.

A winter storm warning has been issued from the Kenora, Sioux Narrows, Vermillion Bay, Dryden and Fort Frances.

Arnold Ashton from Environment Canada says we could see anywhere from 10 to 20 centimeters of snow today.

Ashton says the Red Lake area is already seeing some snow this morning.

The system is expected to last all day and all night an into tomorrow as well.

Council to Vote on Casino Proposal Today

A big decision for city council.

A special meeting has been called for this afternoon to decide on the casino issue once and for all.

Over the past month, the city has been gathering feedback from local residents through an on-line survey and through a couple of public meetings.

Just one item on today's agenda...to consider the establishment of a  casino development in Kenora.

The open meeting will take place at noon in council chambers.

Break and Enters on the Decline in Kenora

There's been a slight drop in the crime rate in Kenora.

The OPP have released monthly stats for the first seven months of the year.

Inspector Dave Lucas says they've notice a significant decrease in a couple of key areas.

Lucas credits the decrease in break-ins to the arrest of a number of people last year, who were involved in a local crime spree.

Dryden Officially Sells Off DMTS

The City of Dryden has approved the sale of Dryden Mobility and DMTS.

Council unanimously voted at last nights open meeting that Tbaytel will take over mobility and DMTS services will go to Bell Alliant.

Mayor Craig Nuttall says the equipment for Bell Alliant is already in place.

Tbaytel will claim full ownership of mobility services by October 22 and Bell will take over landline and internet services on January 1st.

Broncos slated to play in the Snow

Mother Nature could play a role in this afternoon's football game between Beaver Brae and St. Norbert.

Flurries are in the forecast for Pete Fair Memorial Field.

The Broncos are looking to get back to the .500 mark with a win, while St. Norbert has a 1-3 record so far this season.

Game time is 3:00 at Beaver Brae.

Goldcorp Donates $5 Million to Red Lake

A new medical clinic appears to be in the books for Red Lake.

Goldcorp has donated five million dollars to the municipality.

Mayor Phil Vinet says it's something that will be a great benefit to the community.

He adds the next phase is to come up with the design concept by next spring.

Fire Hazard Remains High in NWO

Still about a month left in the official fire season in northwestern Ontario, and crews continue to respond to small blazes across the region.

Yesterday, there were four new fires confirmed, two in the Kenora District.

One was a small, human caused fire on Lake of the Woods.

The MNR say it was likely caused by a campfire that was improperly extinguished.

The fire hazard is expected to remain in the high range for at least another day.

Federal Government Provides More Details on First Nation School Funding

The federal government has announced more details of a 175 million dollar First Nation Education plan.

The Federal Government is providing millions of dollars in funding to fix up schools in communities in Ontario and Manitoba.

Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development John Duncan says the money will be invested in the construction and renovation projects.

Duncan says part of the 175 million will go to begin work on schools in Fort Severn and Pikangikum, projects that were announced this summer.

Lake of the Woods Museum Garners another Award

Another honor for Lake of the Woods Museum.

The local museum has received an Award of Excellence from the Ontario Museum Association for special projects.

The honor was for a mobile tour, which uses i-pads to guide visitors through the museum's exhibits.

The mobile tour was launched this past June and features 5 and a half hours of audio and visual content.

The award will be handed out at the OMA's annual general meeting in Niagara Falls later this month.

Campbell Eager for Legislature get past Contempt Debate

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell says she's eager to see the Ontario Legislature get back to its regular business.

For the past week, politicians have been debating a contempt motion against Energy Minister Chris Bentley.

Campbell says while debate has been going on, they haven't been able to grill the McGuinty government on any other issues.

The opposition this morning voted to send the contempt motion to a legislative committee, despite the pleas of Premier Dalton McGuinty.

Broncos Split against Dryden

A split for Beaver Brae's court sport teams.

Both the Broncos junior and senior volleyball squads were blanked three sets to none by the Dryden Eagles up at the Beaver Brae Gym.

The Bronco senior girls won their second game in a row, they got by the Eagles 37-28.

Beaver Brae's junior girls also improved to 2-1 on the season with a convincing 48-24 win over Dryden.

Meanwhile, the Thomas Aquinas court sport teams are hitting the road today.

The Saints head to Ignace today and then Sioux Lookout and Pelican Falls tomorrow.

New Land Ambulence Base Open

The new land ambulence base on Barsky's Hill is now open for business.

The base, which is located beside the new Kenora fire hall on 14th Street North, cost about 2.8 million dollars to build.

It opened its doors a couple of weeks ago, and replaces the aging base on Tunnel Island near the hospital.

The new land ambulence base is getting good reviews from paramedics, who are enjoying the additional space and amentities of the building.

A grand-opening date hasn't been announced yet.

Prescribed Burns Called a Success

The Ministry of Natural Resources says its completed a prescribed burn down Lake of the Woods.

Over the weekend five fires were deliberately set on islands near the Auleneau Peninsula.

Pat Harvey from the Kenora Fire Center says this is something they've been trying in recent years to encourage new forest growth.

Harvey says while the fires have burned themselves out, people in the area still may notice smoke coming from the prescribed burns over the next few days.

MNR Lends Air Support to Minnesota

Even though the fire season is starting to wind down in northwestern Ontario, MNR crews continue to lend assistance out-of-province.

Yesterday, two CL-415 water bombers and a bird dog aircraft were sent to northwestern Minnesota to battle a large wild fire that had crossed the border into Manitoba.

That fire has grown to about 600 hectares in size.

OPP Investigating Weekend Thefts

The OPP are investigating a number of thefts over the weekend.

In one instance, a kayak was stolen from a dock on Trout Lake northwest of Kenora last Friday night.

The boat is described as a lime-green Mysto ocean kayak.

Three other break-ins were reported in to businesses in the 9th Street North area.

Police say an unknown quantity of cash and some cell-phone products were stolen.

Anyone with information about the break-ins is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

MNO Applauds Manitoba Metis Agreement

Manitoba Metis have signed a Harvesting Rights Agreement with the province.

It recognises rights for Metis harvesters without the legal requirements of purchasing a game tag.

MNO President Gary Lipinski says is similar to one signed in Ontario.

Lipinski says a lot of work still needs to be done to fully recognise Metis rights.