Hydro One Crews Still Working to Restore Power

Still a handful of Hydro One customers without power this morning.

About 100 cottages in the Clearwater Bay and Sioux Narrows area are still in the dark this morning after the electricity went off Sunday night.

Hydro One is mobilizing crews on boats to try to get to some of the more remote areas on the lake.

Sunday night's storm knocked trees onto powerlines affecting almost three thousand Hydro One customers.

Charges Laid in Weekend Boating Accident

Five people have been taken to hospital following an early morning boating accident on Lake of the Woods.

The OPP Marine Unit was called out around 4:00 Sunday morning after a 15 foot Bayliner sank, after it collided with another boat, while travelling between Kenora and Keewatin.

Police say the driver of the Bayliner and two passengers were taken to Lake of the Woods District Hospital for treatment, while two female passengers had to be airlifted to the Winnipeg Health Sciences Center.

25 year old Sean Goold of Kenora has been charged with two counts of impaired operation of a vehicle causing bodily harm.

Stingers Win Kenora Men's Soccer Tournament

The Stingers are back atop men's soccer in Kenora.

The Stingers won the A-Side final of the Kenora Men's Soccer Tournament over the weekend, with a 3-0 win over the Playaz.

They also claimed the first prize money of 15 hundred dollars.

The B-Side Final went to the Scorpions from Winnipeg, who got by Dryden, while Forza from Winnipeg, upended Marinos from Brandon in the C-Side final Sunday.

Sandy Lake Starts Evacuations

The forest fire situation has now forced 70 people from Sandy Lake First Nation from their homes.

Chief Bart Meekis has asked the city of Thunder Bay to serve as a host community.

Mayor Keith Hobbs has signed an emergency declaration for the city which has supported similar evacuations over the last few years and is prepared to support additional evacuees if needed.

Last year Thunder Bay hosted 350 evacuees and served as a transportation hub during the severe forest fire situation.

NTAB Looks at Mining Employment Needs

A research project is hoping to provide some help for the mining industry in the region.

The Northwest Training and Adjustment Board is teaming up with the Mining Industry Human Resources Council to forecast labour market needs.

The difficulty attracting younger workers, the under representation of Aboriginal Peoples and the looming retirement are all challenges for the growing industry.

Executive Director of the board Sonja Wainio will be getting a forecast in the Kenora and Rainy River Districts.

Once complete, the report will look at the 2, 5 and 10 year labor market needs of the mining industry in northwestern Ontario.

Weekend Rains Reduce Fire Hazard

There are 66 forest fires now burning here in the northwest district.

Officials with the Ministry of Natural Resources say 476 forest fires have started this year burning more than 69-thousand hectares of land.

Weekend rain has helped the situation in southern parts of the district.

The M.N.R. now says the fire hazard is "Low" for the entire region.

Canadian Blood Services Launches Partners for Life

If a single donor can save lives, imagine what your organization can do?!

That's the premise behind Canadian Blood Services' new "Partners For Life" program.

Spokesperson Harvey Heather says groups committ to donating so much blood a year and it helps them get a handle on how much blood they need to collect.

Heather says the program is being expanded into Northwestern Ontario after a successful run on a national level.

NAPS Probes Fatality in North Spirit Lake

Nishnawbe-Aski Police and the Ontario Provincial Police are now invesitgating the death of a North Spirit Lake First Nation community member.

The deceased has been identified as 38 year-old Paul Campbell of North Spirit Lake First Nation.

A post-mortem examination is scheduled for today.

Few details are being released by police.

Walk For Good Life Pays Tribute to Joe Morrison

An annual pilgrimage by native youth through the Kenora and Rainy River districts remember a well respected Kenora elder this year.

The 500 kilometre Walk for Good Life is aimed at inspiring youth.

Larissa Desrosiers of the group Good Life for Young People says this year it will also honour Elder Joseph Morrison.

The walk starts and end at Eagle Lake First Nation, began yesterday.

Kenora Anglers Enjoy Fort Frances Bass Championship

A Minnesota angling team are this year's winners of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Mark Raveling and Mike Luhman led all three days of fishing, combining for just over 55-pounds of bass.

Raveling says it's been a great tournament to fish.

Kenora anglers also enjoyed some success over the weekend.

Jeff Gustafson and his partner John Peterson finished five pounds off the pace and were third overall, while Ted and Leo Heyens claimed fifth place.

Hydro Outages

About 25 hundred homes in the Kenora area are without power this morning.

A wicked thunderstorm last night knocked out electricity to homes in the Clearwater Bay, Longbow Lake and Sioux Narrows area.

Hydro One says crews are currently assessing the extent of the damage and making repairs.

Power isn't expected to be fully restored until around 4:00 this afternoon.

Fletcher Holds Round Table Discussion

Canada's Minister of State for Transport is touring western Canada getting feed back for a new federal infrastructure program.

Stephen Fletcher met with municipal, tourism and business leaders in Kenora Thursday.

He says the one comment he heard frequently is that the next program needs to flexible to reflect the needs of individual communities.

The current infrastructure program will run out in 2014, and Fletcher says most of the feedback he received yesterday suggests a new program should last for at least 10 years.

Zeller's closing its Doors in Kenora

The last Zellers standing in Northwestern Ontario is shutting its doors for good.

The Zellers store in the Kenora Shopper's Mall will be closing for good.

Hudson's Bay has announced it is closing most of its 64 remaining Zellers locations across the country.

Earlier this year, the company announced the Zellers store in Thunder Bay would close.

That location is being altered into a Target retailer.

The Kenora store is set to close by March 2013.

No future tenant has been confirmed.

OPP Launch Campaign to Reduce Break-Ins

The OPP in Kenora is working with local residents to reduce the number of break and enter and petty thefts.

Police say they've had to deal with dozens of break-ins to unlocked vehicles, garden sheds and garages each week.

Contable Dave Cain says these are crimes of opportunity and are preventable.

Cain says officers will be going door-to-door in the weeks ahead to talk to home owners about how to improve the security of their property.

Dryden Mill Workers Ratify Deal

Mill workers at Dryden's Domtar operation have a new deal.

500 Canadian Energy and Paper Union workers voted 70-percent in favour of a new five year contract last night.

Highlights of the deal for employees include a modest wage increase over the next two years, larger meal allowances and an additional 15-dollars per month being contributed to their pension.

Rain Helps out Fire Crews

Two days of rain is helping to dampen the forest fire number here in Northwestern Ontario.

Ministry of Natural Resources officials now say they are battling more than 60 forest fires in our region, that's down from 80 on Wednesday.

The M.N.R. is keeping an eye on the forecast, saying that the forest fire rating will rise again with sunshine and warm temperatures expected in the days ahead.

New Exhibit for the Museum

Lake of the Woods Museum is paying homage to some modern day explorers.

The museum's latest exhibit is called "By the Seat of your Pants", a history of bush flying.

Curator, Lori Nelson says the nature of the business has changed over the years.

The exhibit opened on Monday and will run until September 29th.

1st Day in the Books at the Fort France Bass Championship

A 19.73 pound bag of smallmounth bass has given the team of Mark Raveling and Mike Luhman the first day lead at the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship.

Last year's co-winners Glenn Leroux and Trevor Zimak sit over a pound back in second.

Jeff Gustafson and his partner John Peterson currently sit in 9th.

The second day of fishing is already underway.

Weigh-in resume at 3:30 this afternoon.

Men's Soccer Tournament Results

Three shutouts to start the Kenora Men's Soccer tournament.

The Centuries blanked the legends 3-0, while the Dynamo dropped a 2-0 decision to the Gunners, and the Stingers scored on a penalty shot to edge the Fury 1-0.

Action resumes this evening at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex with several out of town teams taking

to the field.

A total of 16 teams from across northwestern Ontario and Manitoba are entered in the four day tournament.

Five Sharks at Nationals in Calgary

Five members of the Kenora Sharks Swim Club are in Calgary this week for the National Age Group championships.

So far, 12 year old Winnie Boucha has qualitied for one final.

Boucha placed eighth in the 400 meter individual medley.

17 year old Michelle Belcaen and three 14 year olds, Bryce Jones, Kira Kuzemchuck and Alex Olson are also in the competition.