Friday, August 30, 2013

Water Rescue On Superior

 A water rescue on Lake Superior.    A spokesperson at the rescue coordination centre in Trenton says that a 26 foot Bayliner boat started taking on water Friday about a mile south of the city and the two people in there called for help.   A rescue unit from Thunder Bay picked them up and brought them to the yacht club unharmed.

Poverty Free T.Bay To Rally


Poverty Free Thunder Bay plans to rally at MPP Michael Gravelle's nomination meeting Tuesday night. Chair Terri Carter believes Premier Wynne will be in attendance and she wants to greet her with three demands.  Carter is looking for the Premier to demonstrate a commitment to reducing poverty.

NOHFC Programs Under Review


The Provincial Government is conducting a review of the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation.  It means new programs will be created and launched at the end of October.  Applications for funding through the old program will be accepted up until September 30th.  The changes are being made to reflect the priorities set out in the Northern Ontario Growth Plan.

Hospital Family Rooms To Become Patient Rooms

The overcrowding problem at the Health Sciences Centre is at a new level.  The hospital is now renovating family lounges to make more room for patients.  The fire department told the hospital they could no longer house patients in hallways which spurred the decision.  CEO Andree Robichaud says the rooms only need a little tinkering.  The decision will mean 14 patient spots, which is two more than what the hallways were providing.  Robichaud hopes to have the new patient rooms ready by mid-October.

Baby Boomers Not Ready For Retirement


More and more seniors in Northwestern Ontario are digging deep to make ends meet.  Recent studies show that debt levels are on the rise across the country, especially for the elderly.  Frank Fabiano is a local trustee in bankruptcy, and says many seniors depend on their old age security or pension plans.  At the same time, Fabiano says baby-boomers are also feeling the crunch, as many of those born between 1945 and 1964 say they haven't saved enough for retirement.

Transit Still Experiencing Problems

Thunder Bay's Transit Service is still having technical difficulties with their scheduled arrival time phone line isn't working.  Bus riders are being asked to use the paper schedules, the transit website and Nextbus dot com.

NOSM Gets Award

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is on the receiving end of an award that recognizes good work in medical education.  The ASPIRE award was given to NOSM at a medical conference in Prague.

Victim Fleeced For 25K


Police in northwestern Ontario are releasing details about a scam that has left one resident owing 25-thousand-dollars. The victim was told to cash a cheque for the scammer without realizing it was a trick designed to leave her on the hook for the entire amount. Police say the sender of the cheque had befriended the victim over several months, gaining her trust.

Police On School Buses

Kids of all ages will be heading back to school Wednesday. City Police are reminding motorists to pay close attention to students crossing streets and getting off buses. Sgt. Glenn Porter says they'll be on area school buses looking for bad drivers.  Porter reminds college and university students that they'll be staging RIDE checks as well to look for drunk drivers.

Man Gets 60 Days For Breach

A 32 year old Murillo man is  serving time for disobeying a Manitoba court order not to be in the company of anyone under 18.    In a Thunder Bay court this week Tony Barnes was given a sentence of 60 days in jail and a years probation on the charge.  Barnes was also given credit for the time served since he was taken into custody in late April.

LU Prof Says Syrian Attack Certain

A Lakehead University Professor says it's  almost certain that Syria will be attacked.  Laure Paquette, who sometimes does research for the U-S military,  says that the only question is how the United States will lead the attack and when. She believes it will come in the form of a drone or stealth  attack.   Paquette says there is no other option but for the world to react to a chemical weapons attack.