Dryden Police Warn of Another Scam

Once again, if it seems too good to be true...it probably is!

Police in Dryden say a local woman received a letter from the World Global Lotto Commission in Spain.

The letter stated that she had just won the Spanish Sweepstake Lottery and that her banking information is needed to transfer the funds.

Police remind residents to never divulge banking information to someone you don't know.

Saints Win, Broncos Lose at OFSAA Soccer

A big upset for Thomas Aquinas to start the All-Ontario Single A soccer championships in Windsor.

The Saints blanked the second ranked team in the tournament, the host team from Ecole Secondaire Lajeunesse 1-0 this morning in their first game.

Patrick Van Belleghem accounted for all the scoring and the defense did the rest to preserve the shut-out.

T.A. is back in action at 12:30 against Glengary District High School from Eastern Ontario.

Meanwhile, a tough loss for Beaver Brae's girls soccer team in St. Thomas.

The Broncos dropped a 1-0 decision to the top team in the tournament, St. Michael from Stratford.

Beaver Brae is back in action against Holy Trinity from Bradford.

Grassy Man Charged with Second Degree Murder

A 19 year old Grassy Narrows man faces second degree murder charges in connection to the death of his brother.

Toby Meeseewaypetung was arrested following an altercation at a home
on Grassy Narrows Monday afternoon. 

The OPP say they were called into investigate the death of 22 year old Kiefer Meeseewaypetung.

A post-mortem exam was done Tuesday at Lake of the Woods District Hospital but the cause of death has not been released.

Kiefer's brother Toby has been charged with second degree murder and assault with a weapon.

He's due to appear in Kenora Court tomorrow to answer the charges.

New Course for Thomas Aquinas

Coming to a high school near you, a new high performance class for athletes.

Thomas Aquinas is launching a Personal and Fitness Activities course this fall.

Clint Fenelon will be one of the teachers and says it takes phy-ed to a whole new level.

Fenelon says interest is already very high, with as many as 50 students ready to

sign up.

He says they will be offering the course for students from grade 9 to 12. 

Relay for Life gets a Boost

The Relay for Life in Kenora got a bit of a kick-start yesterday.

The Executive Director of the Lake of the Woods Hospital Foundation shaved her head as a fundraiser.

Jess Rheault promised to cut off her locks if she was able to raise at least 45 hundred dollars.

She's already topped that amount with 53 hundred dollars raised.

The Relay for Life gets underway tomorrow night at Lakewood School.

Fire situation starts to Heat Up

The forest fire hazard continues to rise in Northwestern Ontario.

Seven new fires sparked yesterday, and all were caused by lightning.

Six of the blazes were in the Sioux Lookout District and one was reported in the Fort Frances area.

The fire hazard is listed as "Extreme" in the Southwest portion of the region and "Moderate" in most other sectors.

Aboriginal Affairs Minister Promises to Meet with Grassy Residents

The provincial government is being urged to help residents of Whitedog and the Grassy Narrows First Nations still grappling with the effects of mercury poisoning.

A study released this week suggested that 59 percent of residents who were assessed in 2010 are still showing signs of mercury poisoning.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell adds that money set aside years ago isn't helping everyone who has been affected.

Aboriginal Affairs minister Kathleen Wynne has promised to meet with Grassy Residents, who have made the trek down to Toronto. 

OPP Release Name of Man Killed in Emo

The name of the man killed in a collision with a train Tuesday in Emo has been released.

20 year old Matthew Boven of Emo was killed when his vehicle was hit by a CN freight train.

A post mortem was scheduled to be conducted at Lake of the Woods district hospital yesterday.

Broncos, Saints play this morning at OFSAA Soccer Championships

Members of the Beaver Brae and Thomas Aquinas boys soccer teams are in Southwestern Ontario today for the All-Ontario championships.

The Broncos girls are playing in their fourth consecutive OFSAA Double A finals, this year in St. Thomas.

Beaver Brae's first game is this morning against the top ranked team in the tournament, St. Michael from Stratford at 7:30. 

Meanwhile, the Saints boys team are in Windsor for the Single A championships. 

They will take on the number two seed in their first game, Ecole Lajeunesse from Windsor at 8:00 this morning. 

Rec. Center Airs Game Four of Stanley Cup tonight

The Kenora Rec. Center will be awash in Silver, black and white tonight.

Stanley Cup fever takes over the Thistle Rink, where game Four will be broadcast live.

Meagan Derouard is helping organize tonight's festivities and says they
will have a large screen TV at their disposal.

CBC is also planning to have a camera in the House as local residents
show their support for hometown hero Mike Richards. 

Doors open at 6:00 with the game set to start at 7:00.

Admission is 5 dollars for adults. 

Former Paramedic Raises Concerns About ORNGE

A former Ornge paramedic says no one would listen to his
complaints about the air ambulance service because of what he called its ``Mother Teresa'' image.

Trevor Kidd says he quit Ornge in 2009 after the death of a
teenager from northwestern Ontario.

Kidd told a legislature committee Ornge ``robbed'' her of any
chance of surviving by not properly staffing their aircraft or
sending them in a timely manner.

He says he raised red flags about Ornge with journalists and others, but to no avail.

More unlocked Vehicles Broken into

Its a simple message, but one many local residents are ignoring.

The OPP say they have been more reports of unlocked vehicles
being entered and personal property being stolen.

Last night, two homeowners in the Minto and Nairn Avenue area of
town complained their vehicles were entered.

The OPP say they have also had several recent reports of sheds,
garages and other outbuildings being entered. 

RCMP Investigating Assaults in West Hawk Lake

(Police Searching for identity of these suspects)

The RCMP are investigating an assault that took place in West Hawk Lake over the weekend.

Police say five men were walking to their rented cottage from the West Hawk Bar
when they were attacked by four people.

All five required medical attention and three had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

The RCMP says upon further investigation is was determined that all involved had been at the West Hawk Bar earlier in the evening, where minor altercations between the two groups broke out.

Anyone with information about the assaults is asked to contact Manitoba Crimestoppers or the Falcon Beach RCMP.

Another Good Year for the Hospital Foundation

Lake of the Woods District Hospital is 443 thousand dollars richer
thanks to the Hospital Foundation.

The Foundation held its 20th annual general meeting last night and announced the transfer.

Donna Wallace is the past chairperson of the board and says they had an extremely good fundraising year, topping last year's efforts by about 80 thousand dollars.

Wallace says the big push right now is the purchase of a digital mammography unit.

So far the Foundation has raised about 30 percent of the one million dollar price tag. 

Salvation Army Ramps Up efforts in Thunder Bay

The Red Cross is ramping up it's presence in Thunder Bay's East End.  

Spokesperson David St. Georges says they are starting to take over operations at St. Peter's Church and plan some expansion of their help

In other flood related news city officials want to get in touch with flood victims who have asked for help, but have disappeared.

Fatal Accident in Emo

Tragedy in Emo.

Provincial Police say a vehicle was struck by a CN freight train just before noon yesterday.

The crash occurred at a controlled railway crossing.

A lone male driver was pulled from the vehicle and transfered to Hospital.
He later succumbed to his injuries.
The name of the victim will be released pending notification of next of kin.
OPP and CN Railway Police are investigating but note that the lights at the crossing were working properly.

Fire Crews Returning from Northeastern Ontario

Seventy percent of our firefighters, equipment and aircraft are back home after spending several weeks fighting forest fires in Northeastern Ontario.

Ministry of Natural Resources Information Officer Debbie MacLean says the return of crews is a good thing because the fire hazard is starting to inch up locally.

She says the recent spell of warm weather is really starting to dry out our forests. 

MacLean says the hazard is high in the southwest portion of the region.

Scientists Oppose Closure of ELA

Scientists from around the world are sending an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper in which they protest Ottawa's decision to cut funding for the Experimental Lake Area

The unique open air laboratory is made up of 58 lakes just east of Kenora.

The Harper government has announced it will no longer fund the program and is trying to shift the research to universities or other groups.

Without further funding, the program is scheduled to shut down next March.

Impaired Driving Charges up In 2012

Two more people have been charged with drinking and driving in Kenora.

That brings the number of impaired driving charges to 34 so far this year, an increase from 27 during the same time period the year before.

Inspector Dave Lucas of the Kenora Detachment says that leaves them no choice but to increase enforcement.

The OPP say in one incident over the weekend, they pulled over a vehicle in the Park Street area because the car looked like it had been in an accident.

Saints Honor their Top Athletes

A big night for a grade 10 student from Thomas Aquinas.

Patrick Van Belleghem took home a number of awards from the annual Saints Sports Banquet, including senior male Athlete of the year.

Erica Lindquist and Emily Bernie shared the honors at Senior Female Athletes of the year.

Sandy Davidson Hunt was the male junior athlete of the year, while Jilly Derouard was named the top junior female athlete.