Unicycle Ride Ends prematurely

Derrick Ferguson's cross-province tour on a unicycle has ended a lot earlier than expected.

Ferguson set out from Kenora last weekend, but had to call off his marathon just 80 kilometers in.

Ferguson says he developed bursitis in both of his knees and was sent to hospital for treatment.

He had planned to ride his unicycle across Ontario in a month to raise money for the Rick Hanson

Foundation.

OPP Investigate Fatality in Keewatin

The OPP haven't released any details yet of a fatality in Keewatin over the weekend.

A body was found on the railway tracks near Portage Bay early Sunday morning.

The Northwest Mobile Command Unit was on site yesterday, along with a number of investigators.

More information is expected to be released later today.

Northwest CCAC Hiring more Nurses

The Northwest Community Care Centre is hiring 11 new mental health nurses.

CEO of the CCAC Tuija Puiras says the nurses will be working in area high schools.

The Provincial Government has provided the cash to the CCAC to offer the positions.

KDSB upset about double dipping

Child care centres will likely close!

That's the warning from the Kenora District Services Board.

The KDSB is growing more frustrated with paying rent to School Boards to operate child care facilities in Provincialy funded schools.

Chair Phil Vinet says it's a classic case of double and triple dipping and he's already expressed his concern with the Province.

Vinet says the KDSB will send a letter of concern as well to the respective School Board's.

Habitat Closes in on Fundraising Goal for Kenora Build

Habitat for Humanity is inching closer to its fundraising goal for its first ever build in Kenora.

Ralph Page is a member of the local committee and says they are 8 to 10 thousand dollars away.

He says they continue to get support from unexpected places as well.

Page says they still have a few fundraisers in the works and is hoping to turn sod on their project by the end of this month or early in June.

Mauro Raises concerns about NDP Auto Insurance Bill

Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro calls a private members bill from the NDP on auto insurance short sighted.

Mauro says the bill would drive up our premiums to subsidize the rates paid by Southern Ontario drivers.

Mauro is calling on Northern Ontario NDP MPP's to vote against the proposal and call for auto insurance reforms that will help all drivers in the province.

Mothers Day Road Race Results

Ideal weather conditions for the annual 10 K Mothers Day Run.

Cory Gallagher once again topped the field.

The Winnipeg Runner finished the loop in a time of 33 mintues 35 seconds.

Ben Gustafson was the top local male finisher, about seven mintues behind.

Janet Findlay topped the podium in the women's event, in a time of 41 mintues 53 seconds.

Saints Boys, Bronco Girls place Second in Weekend tournament

The Miles MacDonnell Buckeyes spoiled an otherwise splendid weekend for local high school soccer teams.

The Buckeyes won both the boys and girls divisions at the Broncos Invitational Soccer tournament over the weekend at the Tom Nabb Soccer Complex.

Miles Mac blanked the Thomas Aquinas Saints 1-0 in the boys final.

T.A. had a perfect 3-0 record heading into the final, including a 3-0 win over their cross-town rivals from Beaver Brae Sunday morning.

In the girls final, it was a battle between two undefeated teams as the Buckeyes prevailed 1-0 in overtime to beat the host Broncos.

The Thomas Aquinas girls squad finished with a 2-2 record in the tournament. 

 In the third place game on the boys side of the tournament, Dryden got by Springs Christian from Winnipeg 5-2, while Fort Frances won the 5th place game, with a 1-0 win over Beaver Brae.

Northwest Communities Flounder in Ultimate Fishing Town Contest

Northwestern Ontario communities have some work to do if they want to be declared Canada's Ultimate Fishing Town.

With 19 days left in the voting, only Ignace sits in the top ten.

Ignace has just over 18 hundred votes and sits in 9th.

Nestor Falls is a thousand votes back in 12th.

Kenora, Fort Frances and Sioux Narrows are all well back of the pack.

Voting ends on May 31st.

Winnipeg Man Arrested in Downtown Drug Bust

A 24 year old Winnipeg man has been arrested following a drug bust in downtown Kenora.

Last night around 11:30, the OPP Street Crimes Unit came across a suspect on Matheson Street who was believed to be involved in drug activity.

Police say they seized about 22 grams of cocaine.

Kevin Huber has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of property obtained by crime and failing to comply with a probation order.

Broncos host weekend soccer Tournament

Local high school soccer teams will be strutting their stuff this weekend at the Tom Nabb Complex.

A two day tournament will start tomorrow and wrap up Sunday afternoon.

A total of seven boys teams and five girls teams are entered.

In addition to squads from Beaver Brae, Thomas Aquinas, Dryden and Fort Frances, out of town teams will also be coming from Winnipeg and Brandon.

This is the fifth year in a row Beaver Brae has hosted the boys tournament, but the first time girls teams have also been invited.

Gravelle Says the Northwest can still benefit from the Ring of Fire

Understanding the bigger picture, that's what Natural Resources Minister Michael Gravelle is asking from northwestern Ontario aboriginal and municipal leaders.

Gravelle says he understands local residents are disappointed in a decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to locate a billion dollar smelter near Sudbury.

But he is reminding people that this project is massive, there will be jobs and money coming into Northwestern Ontario.

Gravelle adds that the entire project is worth 3-point-3 Billion Dollars and is expected to create more than 9-hundred jobs, along with further secondary jobs associated with the Ring of Fire Development project.

Emergency Preparedness Expo this Weekend

Emergency Preparedness week in Kenora is going to be wrapping up with a special event at the Kenora Fire Hall.

The first ever Emergency Expo will take place tomorrow.

Fire Chief Warren Brinkman says they want local residents to know what kinds of support there is in the community in the case of an emergency.

The Emergency Service Expo will take place from 10:00 to 2:00 at the new fire hall on Barsky's Hill and will also feature a charity barbeque.

Campbell Supports Changes to the Endangered Species Act

The Endangered Species Act is going under the microscope at Queen's Park.

An amendment has been proposed to soften the species at risk legislation.

Kenora-Rainy River M.P.P. Sarah Campbell supports the amendment saying the Act is causing more harm than good.

Campbell says the Act is so restrictive that it can put farmers and tourist outfitters out of work, if an endangered species is found on their property.

Local Consultants Launch new Company

A group of local consultants have teamed up to form a new company in Kenora.

Kenora Resource Consultants was formed earlier this year.

Kelli Saunders is one of the partners in the venture and says they hope to capitalize on some environmental and scientific research they hope will be carried out on Lake of the Woods through the International Joint Commission.

Saunders says their company is comprised of environmental consultants, GIS mapping specialists and  a fish and wildlife expert.

Mystery Shopper Scam Unveiled

Receiving money to become a mystery shopper?!

It sounds too good to be true and yes it is.

Provincial Police in Sioux Lookout are warning the public about fake cheques being sent to local residents to prospective shoppers.

The victim receives a cheque in the mail that appears to be legitimate and worth around 4-thousand dollars.

The victim is asked to complete a series of assignments to rate customer service at numerous retail outlets as well as security precautions taken by Western Union in relation to money transfers.

The scam is complete when the victim wires cash.

KDSB gets more funding for Social Housing

A pleasant surprise for the Kenora District Services Board.

The KDSB has been notified that it will receive an additional 156-thousand dollars over the next five years for housing.

Chief Administrative Officer Dan McNeill says they are pleased with the extra funding, but says

there is concern what will happen after the five years are up.

The money is provided jointly by the federal and provincial levels of government. 

NOMA Disappointed in Ring of Fire Decision

The President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is lending his voice to a decision by Cliffs Natural Resources to locate a their smelter in Sudbury.

NOMA President, Ron Nelson, says he is disappointed and that they supported bids to have it built anywhere west of Wawa.

Nelson says his organization will continue to pressure the government heavily in order to ensure they meet promises made associated with the Ring of Fire.

Harbortown Center Committee Continues to Meet

The Harbortown Committee will continue to meet regularly to deal with issues important to the downtown area of the city.

There had been some talk about disbanding the committee.

But chair Ralph Page feels they still have a role to play.

There had been concerns that there are too many committees in the City, and the that the Harbortown Committee's mandate overlaps with the Downtown BIZ.

Health Care Tour stops in Kenora next month

Kenora is one of the stops for an Ontario-wide tour talking about the future of Health Care.

The Ontario Health Coalition is putting on the meeting that will talk about the Provincial Government's plans to cut health care services.

The meeting is going to be held on Saturday, June 2nd at the Best Western Lakeside Inn.