Student Consortium Testing New Bus Routes

The Northwest Student Services Consortium is making sure there are no service glitches this fall.

General Manager Judi Green says the closing of Lakewood School has created a number of concerns that need to be looked at.

Green says the tests will look at routes, timing, bus numbers.

She adds the test will take place during PA Day on June 7th with the full fleet of buses.

Parents are reminded that schools will be closed that day.

Morning Victories for Saints at NWOSSA

A good start for the Thomas Aquinas Saints soccer teams at the NWOSSA single "A" soccer championships.

The T.A boys ran away with a 3-0 win over Marathon in the morning game.

They will be back on the field at 2:00 for the second game.

The Saints girls were also victorious this morning earning a 1-0 win over Ecole Saint Josph.

Gilly Derouard scored the lone goal.

The girls are back on the pitch at 4:00.

Highway 17 East Re-Opened Near Redden's

Highway 17 at the east end of the Kenora By-Pass has been re-opened following a single vehicle accident.

Shortly after 8:00 this morning, a camper van flipped onto its side near the entrance to Longbow Lake Road.

Police have blocked off the highway, and are sending eastbound traffic back to the Jones Road as
a detour.

A number of police cruisers attended the scene along with the Long Bow Lake Volunteer Fire Department to clear the wreckage.

Four Killed in Ornge Helicopter Crash

CFB Trenton says four people are dead following an Ornge air ambulance helicopter crash in northern Ontario.
  
A spokesman at the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Trenton says the helicopter crash site near Moosonee was located this morning and all four people on board are confirmed dead.
  
The Ornge air ambulance service says two pilots and two paramedics were on board the aircraft, but no patients.
   
Ornge says it has notified the family members of those who were on board.
   
 Ornge said the Sikorsky S76 helicopter left its base in Moosonee en route to Attawapiskat at about midnight and contact was lost with the aircraft shortly after takeoff.
   
The Transportation Safety Board has been notified and will be
investigating.

Plane Crash Under Investigation in Red Lake

A provincial police dive unit will join the search this morning for two people missing following the crash of a float plane in Red Lake.

The OPP says the plane took off about 5:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon en route to a tourist camp north of the community.
   
Police say the plane went down soon after takeoff about 200
metres from shore in the Bruce Channel between Cochenour and
McKenzie Island.
   
A man and woman from the United States are believed to have been the only people on board but their identities have yet to be confirmed.
 
There is no word on what caused the crash, although it was cloudy and windy and the lake was choppy at the time.

The Transportation Safety Board is also sending two investigators to the accident scene.

Community Wellness Day at Beaver Brae

Beaver Brae students are being released from their classrooms today.

The second annual Community Wellness Day will be taking place all
day throughout the high school.

Jodi Hall is one of the organizers and says its an opportunity for the
students to try something different.

The Community Wellness Day will start with an assembly, and will include a break for a free lunch up in the cafeteria.

Campbell Reluctantly Supports Provincial Budget

The provincial budget has some room for improvement.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. spoke out on the budget this week in the Ontario Legislature and says there are things the cash-strapped Liberal government can do to
increase revenue.

She says the number one concern is tax loopholes that large corporations are taking advantage of.

Campbell is also urging the government to develop a better relationship with first nation communities in the region so that major projects such as the Ring of Fire and the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Kenora, can move forward without delay.

Saints Soccer Teams Play NWOSSA Finals Today

Thomas Aquinas soccer teams are hoping to book themselves a ticket to the All-Ontario Single A
championships today.

The Saints girls team is home for the best-of-three NWOSSA finals against Wawa.

Game one is this morning at 10:00, with game two slated for 4:00.

Meanwhile, the T.A. boys squad is in Marathon for a best-of-three series against the Falcons.

Game one is this morning.

Beaver Brae Honors It's Top Athletes

Beaver Brae has payed tribute to its best and brightest athletes.

The annual Bronco Athletics Banquet was held last night and Jodi Melillo,
a soccer and hockey stand out, took home honors as Female Athlete of the year.

Meanwhile the Male Athlete of the Year award was shared between David
Simpkin and Davin Iverson.