Vehicle goes through ice on Lake of the Woods

The OPP are advising local residents to think twice before heading out on to the lake.

Yesterday afternoon around 5:00 a Toyota Sequoia SUV went through the ice near the Rat Portage First Nation.

Police say three Americans managed to get out of the vehicle before it eventually plunged into the water.

The vehicle was hauling a trailor with two snowmachines, which also ended up in the lake.

In another incident, police were contacted about a dog going through the ice on Lake of the Woods near Dairy Queen.

The woman walking the dog managed to get it safely out of the water.

Broncos win first game at OFSAA

Beaver Brae has its first win at the All-Ontario Girls high school hockey championships.

The Broncos earned a 2-1 win over Our Lady of Lourdes from Guelph this morning in their

first game of the round-robin.

Hannah Rose scored both goals for Beaver Brae, including the game winner with less

than two minutes left to play.

The Broncos next game is 1:00 this afternoon against St. Christopher from Sarnia.

Beaver Brae will also play two round robin games tomorrow with the play-offs taking place on Thursday.

Hospital Unsure how new Funding Foruma will affect it's finances

Its unclear how a patient-based funding formula will impact Lake of the Woods District Hospital.

The provincial government announced a funding change yesterday.

The hospital's Finance Manager Cindy Gasparini says they don't have many details about the funding forumla yet, so its too early to say if it will help them or not.

She says starting this year, hospitals will be paid for the care they provide patients, rather than a lump sum.

 She says 55 smaller hospitals won't be affected, but Lake of the Woods is just large enough that it will be a part of the new funding arrangement.

Fire Department Urges Caution with Spring Burning

Local residents are being urged to use caution when doing any daytime burning this month.

The rapid snow melt has left some very dry conditions in the Kenora area.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says at this point he's not planning to impose any burning restrictions.

Brinkman says last week local fire crews had to deal with a couple of large brush fires that were caused by local residents who left fires unattended.

Local Business man Lobbies for Slot Machines

A long-time proponant of slot machines is lobbying city council to help try to bring the gaming machines to northwestern Ontario.

The provinical government indicated last week its willing to expand the number of slot machines in Ontario.

Doug Stemkowski owns the Lakeshore Hotel in Keewatin and says slots would help out the struggling tourism sector in the region.

Stemkowski says municipalities receive about five percent of the revenue from slots and suggests its a good alternative to raising taxes.

Campbell Blames Province for Doctor Shortage

The MPP for Kenora-Rainy River is taking aim at the provincial Liberal riding association's claims the province has done much to improve access to health care in northwestern Ontario.

One of the initiatives is the creation of Family Health teams the Association says has brought over 25 new doctors to the region. 

The NDP's Sarah Campbell says it's those teams that are part of the problem.

Local Liberal president Anthony Leek admits more needs to be done, but the Ministry is working hard to improve access further.

OPP Investigate more Mischief Complaints

The OPP is looking into a couple of mischief complaints in the north end of town.

Police say several parked vehicles were damaged over the weekend.

In one instance, a van parked on Mascott Avenue had one of its rear windows smashed out.

The next night, two more vehicles on 3rd Street North had their tail lights broken.

More Weather Records Fall

The last day of winter in Kenora felt more like the first day of summer.

Temperatures soared to 23.8 yesterday, making it the warmest March day on record.

Bill Laidlaw from Signal Weather Services says things should start to feel more spring-like starting today.

Almost every community in northwestern Ontario set records yesterday, with Fort Frances the hot spot at 26 degrees.

Bronco Girls Hockey Team At OFSAA

Beaver Brae's girls hockey team will try to make its mark at the provincial championships today.

The Broncos are in Belleville for the A/AA OFSAA finals.

Beaver is ranked 10th out of 20 teams entered in the three day tournament.

Their first game is at 9:00 this morning against Our Lady of Lourdes from Guelph.

The Broncos also play at 1:00 this afternoon against St. Christopher from Sarnia.