Transport Driver Charged with leaving accident scene

A Quebec transport driver didn't get to far following a motor vehicle collision.

Ontario Provincial Police were notified of the crash on Highway 17, about 15-kilometres east of Ignace.

Police say the commercial vehicle left the scene and was later spotted in Dryden.

OPP say 59-year-old Tadeusz Nizio of Quebec has been charged with careless driving and failing to report damage to property.

KDSB Hands out Funding to local Agencies

Child care agencies are getting a financial shot in the arm from the Kenora District Services Board.

The Board is handing out a total of 153-thousand dollars under the National Child Benefit program.

Triple Play in Kenora is being promised 20 thousand dollars to help lower income families participate in local recreational programs.

Northland Supportive Housing will also be getting five thousand dollars in base funding.

The District Services Board is also planning to continue the Ontario Works Backpack Program, which

provides families vouchers to buy back to school supplies and clothing.

NorWOSSA Badminton Qualifier Today at Beaver Brae

There's a racket being made up at Beaver Brae's gym today.

The qualifier for the NorWOSSa Badminton championships is taking place today.

The top male and female singles, doubles and mixed teams will be looking to advance to next week's finals is taking place.

The NorWOSSA finals will be taking place in Dryden next Wednesday.

Rainy River Resources Inks Deal with local First Nations

A number of first nations are giving their seal of approval for a major gold mining project in northwestern Ontario.

Rainy River Resources says its signed a participation agreement six aboriginal communities in the area.

The agreement sets out a schedule of benefits including employment and business opportunities, funding to support skills development, occupational training and education.

The proposed mine is located about 80 kilomters south of Kenora and is expected to be in production by 2015.

Grassroots Group Demands Pension Protection

A grass-roots movement to protect the pensions of seniors is starting up in northwestern Ontario.

The group is called Seniors, Retirees Against Pension and Elder Abuse.

Allan Bedard says he's launching the initiative over concerns about the health of private and public penion funds.

Bedard says he initially got the movement started a couple of years ago over concern for the pensions of Abitibi workers after the company went through bankruptcy proceedings.

The group is meeting tonight in Fort Frances at 7:00 at the Sister Kennedy Center.

Museum Gets Green Light to Hire

Lake of the Woods Museum has been given approval to fill a job vacancy later this year.

City Council held a short special meeting yesterday to deal with the staffing request.

The museum wants to hire a community co-ordinator and wants to have someone in place by May to cross-train with an employee who is retiring.

Council approved the new position in its 2012 budget, but deferred the decision until some details about the job could be clarified.

Car Batteries Stolen on Lakeview Drive

Someone must have needed a big boost.

The OPP are investigating the theft of more than 200 car batteries from behind a business on Lakeview Drive.

Police say the batteries were stolen between Saturday night and Monday morning, when the theft was discovered.

Anyone with information about the stolen batteries is asked to contact the OPP or Crimestoppers.

Moose Hunters Fined

Two men from Devlin have been handed huge fines for not following party hunting rules while moose hunting.

The men were charged last October after the Ministry of Natural Resources received conflicting information over who actually shot the animal.

Court fined the men over 27-hundred dollars.

Their kill was also forfeited to the crown.

Bill to Kill the Far North Act fails

The Far North Act isn't going anywhere.

MPP's have voted in support of keeping the controversial Legislation.

Ontario PC Northern Development Critic Norm Miller says the bill has turned Northern Ontario into a virtual museum by banning forestry and mining opportunities.

Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell voted against the Private members bill, noting while the Act is flawed, scrapping it would delay development in the North.

Summer Company Deadline Looming

Looking to start up your own business this summer?

The Northwest Business Centre is helping young entrepreneurs with the launch of the 'Summer Company' program.

Spokesperson Stefanie Armstrong says they are open to all ideas.

Over the past 5-years the Kenora-Rainy River District has developed over 15-young entrepreneurs.

The application deadline is May 7th

Campbell Urges Government to Reconsider Closing Tourist Centers

The campaign to keep three tourist information centers in northwestern Ontario open is being brought to Queen's Park.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell appealed to the premier Dalton McGuinty reverse the government's decision to close them.

She calls the decision irresponsible and misguided. 

Tourism minister Michael Chan defending the decision saying visitor traffic to the tourism centers had decreased by 50 percent, and the government was simply making a wise business decision.

OPP Cruisin' for a Cure

OPP are Cruisin' for a Cure.

Sixty officers and their families from the northwest region will be taking part in the Winnipeg Police's Cops for Cancer run in May.

Constable Anne McCoy says she's running to help bring more public awareness to the disease. 

Runners will participate in the half marathon and the 2 person relay half marathon.

Blood Donor Clinic has good first day

Canadian Blood Services says it was happy with the turn-out on day one of its blood donor clinic in Kenora.

Yesterday, 151 people showed up to give the gift of life.

A total of 127 units of blood was collected.

The goal after the first day was 134 units with a two day total of 220 pints of blood.

The blood donor clinic will wrap up at 12:30 this afternoon at the Thomas Aquinas gym.

Local Tourism Officials Looking to Save Tourist Info Centers

Area tourism officials hope to meet with the Ministry of Tourism this week to discuss the pending closure of the Tourist Information Centres in the Kenora-Rainy River districts.

Tom Pearson, president of the Ontario Sunset Country Travel Association, says the closures are bad for business.

The tourism center at the Manitoba border and Rainy River won't open at all this summer, while the Tourist Bureau in Fort Frances will close permanently on April 30th.

Campbell Seeking Input on the Provincial Budget

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell says she's still not sure if she'll support last week's provincial budget.

She says there's a lot in the budget that she doesn't like, and will find it hard to vote in favour of.

Campbell says she wants her constituents to weigh in on the budget.

She says that input will help her decide whether to support it or not.

Expensive Wolf Hunt

A hunting trip north of of Dryden has cost three Southern Ontario men over 47 hundred dollars.

Court heard that Douglas McDonald shot two wolves while hunting near Thaddeus Lake.

Craig England attached his tag to one wolf and Paul England's tag was attached to the other animal.

Violations include possessing illegally killed wildlife, tagging a wolf killed by another person and attaching a tag to a wolf killed by another person.

OPP Investigate mischief and theft complaints

The OPP are investigating a rash of mishief complaints over the weekend.

There were a number of incidents of rocks being thrown through windows.

The Beer Store on Park Street, the Subway in Market Square, a car parked on Tunnel Island, and a home on Minto Avenue, all had windows broken.

Police are also investigating the theft of an all-terrain vehicle from a Bayridge Road residence.

The OPP say the 1989 Honda quad was taken from the garage.

The keys were in the vehicle at the time.

NAPS gets a new Deputy Chief

The Nishinabe Aski Police Service has a new deputy chief.

Former Thunder Bay Police Chief, Bob Herman is taking up the duties on an interim basis.

NAPS Sgt. Jackie George says he will be helping the force for the next year to navigate through expected funding cuts.

Herman begins his new duties on April 16th.

Hoppe Rink places fourth at the Dominion

Kenora's Lori Hoppe rink finished with a 2-3 record at the Dominion provincial championships over the weekend in New Liskeard.

Her record was good enough for fourth place overall.

Geralton won the playdowns with a 6-1 record.

Two arrested in connection to Coney Island Break-ins

The OPP have arrested two men in connection to a rash of break-ins on Coney Island.

Over the weekend a number of camps were entered.

18 year old Paul Letander and 21 year old Roderick Land of Kenora have been charged with seven counts of Break and Enter.

They also face two counts of Mischief and one count of Theft, and possessions of property obtained by crime as well as breach of probation.