Machin Fire Chief Resigns

The volunteer Fire Chief in Machin is calling it quits.

Rob Wisneski is retiring after 12-years of helping the community.

In an e-mail to our newsroom this week
, Wisneski says family and business have to come before any volunteer position.

Musuem Fined By Ministry of Labor

A hefty fine for the Lake of the Woods Museum,

The Ministry of Labor has slapped the museum with a 44 thousand dollar fine after a workplace injury back in 2012.

Kenora City Council however will not be taking the money out of the museums operating budget.

Instead it will be coverinf the cost through the municipal reserves.

The fine of 37 thousand dollars inlcuding a victim surchage fee of 7 thousand.

Supreme Court To Hear Grassy Narrows Appeal This Morning

Logging rights in the Whiskey Jack Forest near Grassy Narrows will be under the microscope tomorrow.

The Supreme Court will hear arguments about the legality of clear-cut logging in the Grassy Narrows Traditional Land Use Territory.

Grassy argues that the sustainable forest licence for the Whiskey Jack violate the rights of it's members to harvest wildlife, established under Treaty Three.

The court will decide whether the province has the right to take up lands for forestry and limit
the rights of Grassy Narrows residents to fish and trap.

A live webcast from the Supreme Court is scheduled to start at 8 A.M.

Highway 671 Open To One Lane Today

The Ministry of Transportation says Highway 671 to Grassy Narrows should be open to one lane today.

The road was washed out earlier this week due to high water levels.

The MTO says it will have to wait until water levels subside before they are able to repair the road and open it again to two lanes.

Meanwhile, Highway 605 about nine kilometers north of Dryden is closed at the second baily bridge due to high water levels.

Control Board Increasing Outflow From Norman Dam

For the second time this week, there will be an increase in outflow from the Norman Dam into the Winnipeg River.

The recent wet weather is playing havoc with water levels in the Lake of the Woods basin.

Executive Engineer at the Lake of the Woods Control Board Matt DeWolf  Winnipeg River residents can expect to see their waters rise.

DeWolf notes more increases are likely and is recommending residents keep an
on water levels as they are made.

City Insurance Premiums Going Down

Not often you can say this.

Insurance costs in the City of Kenora are going down.

The City has approved a bid from Lake of the Woods Insurance for it's
municipal insurance needs in 2014.

Councillor Ron Lunny says it was significant savings over last year.

The total insurance package will total almost 288 thousand dollars this year.

Coney Bridge To Be Removed Today

You should be able to circumnavigate Coney Island later today.

The city's Parks Supervisor Barb Manson says the bridge will be taken out later today.

The 15th is the target date every year to remove the bridge.

It will match last year as the lastest date for the bridge to be removed.

Green Party Releases Platform

The Green candidate in Kenora-Rainy River is supporting his party's platform.

There are nine main highlights of the plan including an emphasis on electricity.

Tim McKillop says he would like to see a move to clean energy.

McKillop says creating alternative, renewable sources of electricity to help northern Ontario is essential.

Hockey For Health Makes Donation To Event Center Project

Every little bit helps.

The City of Kenora is getting a three thousand dollar donation to help
twin the Rec. Center ice surface.

Jess Rheault is the organizer of the Hockey For Health Tournament and says
the money is a portion of the funds they raised last month.

The remainder of the funds raised will go to the Lake of the Woods
Hospital Foundation.

Thomas Aquinas Soccer Teams On A Roll

Thomas Aquinas soccer teams remain perfect to start the NorWOSSA Single "A" season.

The Saints boys and girls teams played a pair of games yesterday and won both.

The T.A. boys have yet to surrender a goal, as they blanked Red Lake 3-0 and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Sioux Lookout.

A similar story for the Saints girls, who shut out the Rams 3-0 and followed that up with a
2-1 win over the Warriors.

One more game for both teams today with the T.A. boys playing Red Lake at 1:00 and
the girls on the field at 3:00 to take on the Rams.