Mount Evergreen Opens for the Season

It's time to bust out the ski's

Mount Evergreen General Manager Steve Simpson says the hill opens for the season tomorrow.

Simpson says they have moved the terrain park for a better view from the chateau.

He also says the hill will be open throughout the holiday season except for Christmas.

The hill is opening tomorrow night from 6:00-9:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00-4:00

Health Unit Searches For New MOH

The Northwestern Health Unit has started the process of hiring a new Medical Officer of Health.

Dr. Jim Arthurs announced he will be retiring next year.

Mark Perreault is the Health Unit's CEO and says they hope introduce their new MOH at a conference taking place in May.

Perreault says the are currently in the final stages of the hiring process for their new Medical Officer of Health.

Fire Officials Continue to Look Into Wednesday Morning Fire

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman has provided an update on yesterday mornings fire on Second Street South.

Brinkman says the fire started in the basement apartment of a multi-unit home.

He says it's a reminder for everyone to have the proper safety measures in place.

Brinkman says all 6 residents of the building made it out safely and they are working on temporary living arrangements.

He adds that the are close to confirming the cause of the blaze.

Penny Returned As Public School Board Chair

Ignace Trustee Dave Penny may want to look into getting a life time membership with the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board.

Penny has been re-elected Chair of the Board for an 11th consecutive year.

He will once again be joined by Cecile Marcino who ran unopposed for the Vice-Chair position.

The public board has appointed Shelly Boucha to the position of First Nations trustee.

School To Start After Labor Day in 2014?

If the Keewatin-Patricia District School Board has it's way, the new school year will begin after the Labor Day weekend in 2014.

The public school board approved the new school calendar this week.

Keewatin-Patricia decided to make the move after conducting an on-line survey of parents, students and staff.

It calls for classes to begin after the September long weekend, with classes to run a few days later in June.

While the KP Trustees have approved the new school calendar, it also needs to have the other board's
in the region approve it, in order to co-ordinate school bus service.

New Vision for Twin Rinks In Kenora

An alternate vision has been floated for a twin ice surface in Kenora.

Frank Bastone made a presentation to City Council this week, proposing
an all-new development on the lands currently occupied by Kenora Forest Products.

He says such as development would have a number of advantages over twinning the ice pad at the Rec. Center.

Bastone's vision includes a hotel complex next to the new arena facility and a marina.

He adds that he doesn't have any dollar figures attached to such a project, but wanted to
add it into the work being carried out by the Event Center committee.

Sudbury Area Man Fined For Illegal Moose Hunt

A hunting trip south of Lac Seul has ended up costing a northeastern Ontario man 1-thousand dollars.

Cory Bernas of Sundridge has been fined for illegal moose hunting.

Court heard that conservation officers approached a hunting party near Williams Bay in October and found that Bernas harvested a moose.

The man was more than 5-kilometres away from the member of his party who held the bull moose game seal.

In addition, he only had a moose calf game seal.

OPP Targeting Suspended Drivers

The OPP have a new tool at their disposal to keep suspended drivers off
the road.

The Enhanced Licence Plate Recognition program is a camera/computer system that automatically logs licence
plates.

Sergeant Brian Humber says it can tell within seconds if the driver is suspended.

The OPP say the LPR program now has access to the MTO database which contains a
list of all drivers in the province who are suspended.

Deep Freeze to Be With Us Through the Weekend

Our bitterly cold weather is going to stay with us into the weekend at least.

Environment Canada's Jeff Coulsen says not only will the temperatures remain well below normal, but there will be no break from the high wind chills.

Coulsen says we might see a break from the deep freeze early next week but expect another cold snap in the week leading up to Christmas.

The normal high for this time of year is -10, the normal low -19.

Winter Carnival Buttons Available

The Kenora Winter Carnival is still about three months away, but organizers
have kicked things off with the sale of carnival buttons.

This year, a couple of new organizations are taking part in the button
sale.

They include Women's Place Kenora, Aboriginal Head Start, Triple Play, and the Kenora Arts Project.

The buttons are two dollars each.

All four can be purchased at the Discovery Center, or you can buy individual buttons
at retail outlets throughout the city.

Winter Court Sport Season Launched At Beaver Brae

The winter court sport season is officially underway at Beaver Brae.

Yesterday, the Bronco boys basketball and girls volleyball teams entertained
the Dryden Eagles.

The lone win of the day came from Beaver Brae's junior boys, who ousted the
Eagles 62-42.

Dylan Andrews led the offense with 23 points.

In senior boys action, the Broncos dropped a 58-34 decision to Dryden.

In girls volleyball, the Beaver Brae junior squad lost in three straight sets, while
the Bronco senior team lost three sets to one.

Thistles Shut Down by Thrashers

The Kenora Triple "a" Midget Thistles have dropped back to the .500 mark on the season.

The Thistles were blanked 3-0 last night by the Winnipeg Thrashers at the Kenora Rec. Center.

The loss puts the Kenora Midgets record at 11 and 11.

The Thistles are back in action Friday night at home against the Southwest Cougars.