Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Contract awarded for highway work

Pioneer Construction of Sudbury is the winner of a contract to make improvements to an 8 kilometre stretch of  Highway 11/17 near Thunder Bay.   The 3.2 million dollar contract will include repaving and new drainage and grading of the stretch located near Highway 587.   Work is expected to be completed in October. 

Grease fire sends one person to hospital

An elderly woman is being treated for smoke inhalation after a fire on Wednesday afternoon.  It took place in an apartment building on Walkover Street at around 2:30.   An official says it was a grease fire on a stove.   They say that after leaving the apartment, for some unknown reason, woman went back in.  That's when she inhaled some smoke and needed to be taken to the Health Sciences Centre for treatment.   There is minor damage to the apartment.

Go Electric

A Southern Ontario man is travelling across Canada on an electric bike. Art Burns left Dundas, Ontario at the end of May, and hopes to be in Langley, B.C. by June 22nd. Burns who was in Thunder Bay today says he's travelling across the nation to promote green transportation. Burns is driving a bike which is equipped with a small generator to charge its lithium batteries. Art will be in Dryden late Thursday night and in Kenora on Friday.

New Student Trustee for Public Board

There's a new Student Trustee on the Lakehead Public School Board. Stephanie Philp is a grade 10 student at Westgate Collegiate. She replaces outgoing Student Trustee Ann Paterson who happens to attend Westgate as well. Philp says she looks forward to the challenges and experiences that will come with the position.

Cats player selected in MLB draft

Border Cats third baseman/pitcher A.J. Schugel was selected Tuesday in the Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft. The 21 year old was chosen in the 25th round, 774th overall, by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. He just completed his sophomore season at Central Arizona College and is scheduled to transfer this fall to the University ofNew Mexico. Schugel is in his second season with the Border Cats. In 2009, he played in 63 games and batted .261 with four home runs and a team leading 33 runs batted in.

"Nude" protester at LUSH in mall

A Thunder Bay woman bared all during a protest at LUSH fresh Cosmetics at the Intercity Mall this morning. Megan Quinn is an employee of the company and decided to hand out leaflets about the hazardous impacts Alberta's tar sands have on the environment. Passerby's were greeted by Quinn and other staff members and asked to fill out a postcard to Prime Minister Harper demanding he put an end to the tar sands. Quinn says she wanted to raise awareness about the cause and adds if it takes getting naked, than she'll pose in a barrel semi nude.

Churchill students paired with the elderly

Some students from Churchill High School are more in tune with our seniors. They've just completed a program that paired them with seniors at Grandview Lodge. Student Tiffany Schebesch says it's taught her about responsibility.  She says it's good to give back to the community, noting that many teenagers think only of themselves.   The program included trips to concerts, a spa and a family dinner.  Pictured:   Student Jordan Lovis shown with his senior partner Nellie

Ice Edge stands alone in bid to buy NHL team

Ice Edge Holding is now the sole runner in the race to buy the Phoenix Coyotes. Ice Edge was given exclusive rights with the city of Glendale at Tuesday nights city council meeting. Anthony Leblanc says the next step is to come to a lease agreement and then purchase the team from the NHL.  Leblanc says moving the Coyote's farm team to Thunder Bay is still part of their plans for the franchise.

Highway collisions with animals are on the rise

Thunder Bay OPP are encouraging everyone to watch out for animals on the highways. Since May 1st, there has been almost 40 collisions reported involving deer, moose and bears in the area. The majority of the accidents involved deer. Officers remind drivers to watch closely in marked areas where animals are commonly sighted.

A Salty stuck in Thunder Bay

Delays of wheat shipments from the prairies has forced the ocean going ship Federal Danube, to sit and wait in the Thunder Bay Harbour. Officials at Lakehead shipping say wheat shipments bound for Italy are expected to arrive this weekend. The Federal Danube arrived in Thunder Bay last Monday.