New CPR Program in Local High Schools

A new life saving initiative is now in 10 local high schools.

Sandra Clark is the Executive Director for the ACT Foundation and says they are offering a new CPR and defibrillator training program to students in the Keewatin Patricia, Kenora Catholic, and Rainy River School Boards.

Clark says phys.ed teachers are being qualified to teach the program and it will be offered to over 1,000 students in Northwestern Ontario every year.

Clark says the use of CPR and defibrillators can increase the chance of survival in a cardiac patient by 75 percent.

T.A. Hands Out Youth In Philanthropy Grants

The Youth in Philanthropy program at Thomas Aquinas High School has presented grants to 4 charitable organizations in Kenora.

The grants were presented to the Minto Parent Child Resources Centre, Kenora Fellowship Centre, It's A Dog's Life, and the Cat Shelter.

Robert Baker is a student in the YIP program and says it's been a real eye opener.

With the presentations the YIP program has now offered over 19 thousand dollars in grants with help by the Kenora and Lake of the Wood Regional Community Foundation.

Northwest LHIN's Appoints New Board Member

The local health authority is welcoming a new board member.

The North West LHIN's Board of Directors now has nine members with the addition of Cathy Farrel.

Farrell filled the last remaining vacancy on the LHIN board and her three year term started last month.

She's worked in a variety of settings in the child welfare realm.

Treaty Three Signs Agreement With Cancer Care Ontario

Cancer Care Ontario is helping to reduce cancer concerns in Treaty 3 communities.

Cancer Care and Grand Council Treaty 3 have signed a relationship protocol.

Director for the aboriginal control program Alethea Kewawyosh  says the agreement is aimed at patient care and education.

Kewawyosh says Treaty 3 also helped in developing the aboriginal cancer strategy in Ontario.

The protocol agreement was signed this week on the Whitefish Bay First Nation where Treaty Three is holding its annual national assembly.

Leadership Changes at KPDSB

A game of musical chairs at local schools by the Keewatin-Patricia
District School Board.

With Lakewood School slated for closure at the end of the school year, principal Lynn McAughey will be moving over to King George as their new principal.

She'll replace Shelley St. Hilaire, who becomes the public school board's Safe and Supportive Schools Administrator.

And Bob Kowal will be moving over from Thomas Aquinas to become the vice-principal of Beaver Brae's and Seven Generations Adult Education programs, which will be housed in Lakewood starting this fall.

Flood Situation Easing in Kasabonika

The flood situation on a remote northwestern Ontario First Nation has improved although Emergency Management Ontario says water levels are still high.

E.
M.O says critical infrastructure on Kasabonika Lake First Nation is back to normal.

About 150 residents of Kasabonika Lake First Nation had been evacuated as a precaution.

E.M.O says most of the evacuees are back in the First Nation or on their way there.

TA Athletes Medal at NWOSSA Track and Field

Four medals for Thomas Aquinas Athletes at the NWOSSA Track and Field
Championships in Thunder Bay.

Eric Sundmark won a silver medal in the shot put, while Lisle Compton
was second in the girls 15 hundred meter and three thousand meter races.

Compton also won bronze in the long jump.

T.A. is waiting to find out whether Sundmark and Compton will qualify for the OFSAA championships.

Bronco Girls Win NorWOSSA Gold

One gold medal and a silver for Beaver Brae Soccer teams at the NorWOSSA championships
yesterday in Dryden.

The Bronco girls edged the Eagles 1-0 on pentalty kicks to win gold.

The game went into overtime tied at 0-0, and Beaver Brae won in a six player shootout.

The Broncos will now advance to next week's All-Ontario AA championships in Tecumseh.

Meanwhile, the Bronco boys weren't as fortunate.

They were beaten 2-1 in the NorWOSSA final by Fort Frances.

Kodai Kuroda scored the lone goal for Beaver Brae.

KPDSB Names New Superintendent of Education

The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is welcoming a new Superintendent of Education.

Joan Kantola will take over the position on August 1st.

That's when Sean Monteith takes over as Director of Education.

Kantola is currently the Principal of Valleyview School in Kenora and she's been in the field for some 21-years.

She established the new French Immersion program at Valleyview and has been heavily involved in leadership planning.

Mental Health Symposium at Evergreen School

For the second year in a row, Evergreen School is hosting a Children's Mental Health symposium.

This year it's called Help Me, Help my Child.

Pam Cederwall is one of the organizers and says the forum is open to parents, teachers and education assistants.

The Mental Health Symposium will take place starting at 6:00 this evening.

Rain in Store for Kenora

Get ready for another dose of wet weather.

A Colorado low is heading our way and is expected to bring a lot of rain.

Geoff Coulson says even though temperatures are going to cool off but we won't see anymore snow

Coulson suggests some areas could get as much as 30 to 50 millimeters a day during the rain storm.

Harbourfest Announces Sunday Night Concert Line Up

Harbourfest is betting you won't be able to fight this feeling.

The concert line-up has been announced for Sunday night of the August Long weekend and it features REO Speedwagon, Starship and Honeymoon Suite.

Director of Entertainment Dave Blake says they hope to finalize Friday night's performers shortly.

Blake says tickets are selling well for Saturday night's concert featuring Theory of a Deadman.

Tickets for the Sunday night show will go on sale Friday afternoon.

Changes in Store for the City's Economic Development Commission

Everything old is new again for the Lake of the Woods Development Commission.

Kenora City council has stripped the budget of the commission and has
changed the reporting structure for its employees.

Mayor Dave Canfield says going forward, the city will now be responsible for
the Discovery Center and the Whitecap Pavilion.

Council made the move after agreeing to shell out 182 thousand dollars to cover cost over-runs by the Development Commission last year.

The budget deficit was largely due to the cost of operating the Discovery
Center and the Whitecap Pavilion.

Hockey Northwest Supports Ban on Body Checking

Hockey Northwestern Ontario believes the game is safer today then it was last week.

HNO is supporting a Canadian Hockey ruling to eliminate body checking from the Peewee level.

General Manager Trevor Hosanna says it will allow coaches to focus on the basics.

Hosanna says it will give kids more time to develop other hockey skills.

Kenora Area Author Wins Award

A former Kenora-area author has won a prestigious national award.

Richard Wagamese from the Wabaseemoong First Nation was named one of two winners of the Canada Council Molson Prize.

The prize is worth 50 thousand dollars and is handed out each year to Canadians who work in the arts and social sciences.

Wagamese is a newspaper columnist and the author of a number of books including his most recent novel "Iron Horse".

Flooding Easing on Kasabonika Lake

 Emergency Management Ontario says the flood situation on a remote northwestern Ontario First Nation is stabilizing.
   
However, the agency says water levels are still high and some flooding continues in Kasabonika Lake First Nation.
 
Leaders of the First Nation say critical infrastructure is returning to normal operations and they are conducting ongoing assessments of the situation.
 
EMO says 45 residents evacuated as a precaution to Greenstone and Hearst returned to Kasabonika yesterday.

NorWOSSA AA Finals in Dryden Today

Two more NorWOSSA Soccer Champions will be crowned today.

The NorWOSSA Double "a" play-offs are taking place in Dryden.

Beaver Brae's girls team has a bye into the final, after finishing
first in the regular season.

The Broncos will take on the winner of this morning's semi-final between
Dryden and Fort Fr
ances.

Meanwhile, the Bronco boys hit the field at 9:30 in a semi-final against the
host Eagles.

The winner will meet the Muskies in this afternoon's gold medal game.

OPP Release Name of Accident Victim

The OPP have released the name of a woman killed in a single vehicle accident
in downtown Kenora over the weekend.

She has been identified as 76 year old Wanda Delorme.

Police say a post
mortem conducted yesterday shows that she died as a result of
injuries she sustained after the vehicle she was driving ran into a concrete retaining wall
below the parking lot of the Shopper's Drug Mart.

The OPP says she was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the collision.

Coney Island Water Line Up and Running

It took longer than expected, but the Coney Island Water Line is back up and running.

The City of Kenora says its completed the necessary flushing and testing
of the summer water service and Coney residents can now connect to the line.

The city had hoped to have the water line up and running by the May Long Weekend, but parts of it were still frozen, after an unusually cold spring.

Outflows Being Increased from Norman Dam

Water levels on Lake of the Woods are rising more quickly than expected.

Over the past week, the lake has gone up about nine inches.

As a result, the Lake of the Woods Control Board has approved daily
increases in outflow from the Norman Dam into the Winnipeg River.

Yesterday, outflows were increased by 50 cubic meters per second, and
a similar increase is being planned later today.

More increases are planned this week, which will mean water levels on the Winnipeg River could  rise by as much as two feet below the Norman Dam.