LU has a new president

The new president of Lakehead University is Brian Stevenson. He comes from the University of Winnipeg and officially takes over from Fred Gilbert on August the first. Stevenson has no illusions about what his biggest challenge will be, getting a handle on the budget.The 52 year old Stevenson becomes the sixth president in LU's history.

City tax increase a certainty

If the city budget stays the way it is, taxes for the average homeowner in Thunder Bay will go up about 45 dollars a year. The budget increase for this year is pegged at 2.7 per cent. Tuesday night several groups presented their funding requests to councillors. The Children's Aid Society is hoping for 65 thousand taxpayers dollars to help with its operations.

Huge parking worries for south core

Concerns about parking are still on the minds of south side merchants. The head of the Victoria Avenue Business Improvement Area, Bob Hupka, says that the new courthouse and social services buildings will eliminate a substational number of sparking spots. Hupka believes the parking issue could prove to be the death knell for some south downtown businesses.

A very short escape

It was a short lived escape for a prisoner along the north shore of Lake Superior this week. OPP say a prisoner in leg irons managed to escape custody from the detachment in Schrieber. It turns out he went to a nearby house and went into the garage where he was spotted by the homes owner. A short time later he was back in police custody.

Med school boost for the economy

A study commissioned by the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, not surprisingly, says the Med school has been a bonus for the north. The study shows the impact of the school makes on the northern economy to be in the range of 62 to 87 million dollars a year. It adds the benefits are spread to other communities, not just where the school campuses are located in Thunder Bay and Sudbury

Thunder Bay...one romantic city

Thunder Bay has made it as one of the top 20 romantic cities in the country number 13 to be exact right behind Ottawa at number 12. The number 1 romantic city in Canada is...Saskatoon. How did we make the on the top 20 list?Amazon.ca looked at sales of romance novels, books on sex and relationships -- and sales of Michael Buble albums.

Thunder Bay now on Google Street View

Talk about putting Thunder Bay on the map. Our city is now one of the 150 new Canadian communities that have now made it to Google Earth's Street View. It allows you to actually get a 360 degree ground level look at the street you live on as if you were walking along it. Up until now it was only the major Canadian cities that were a part of the service.

Councillors see new video sensation

The most talked about video in Thunder Bay made it to the floor of city council this week. Councillors got their own personal look at Jordan Burnell's My Home Town. It was played at the beginning of the meeting. None of the councillors commented on it. There have been almost 200 thousand views since it was posted on YouTube on Thursday.

Mining concerns raised

A First Nations mining blockade in northern Ontario could end as early as next week.They are hoping a new agreement is accepted by the Ontario government and the mining companies. Marten Falls First Nation Chief Elijah Moonias has now met with government and industry reps to complain . His concerns include speeding up construction of a new airport, and the end to the use of frozen lakes as landing strips.

Robbery suspect turns himself in

City police have a 23 year old man in custody in connection with an armed robbery on the city's south side. They say that the man turned himself into police Monday night. At around 4 am Monday police say a man wearing a mask and armed with a knife robbed the store of some cigarettes. No one was hurt.

Cops nab break in suspect

City police hope they have stopped the vehicle break in spree around the Fort William Gardens. They say that on Friday night they set up a surveillance operation in the area. A male was seen trying to enter several vehicles in a parking lot resulting in an arrest. During the investigation they found that several vehicles in the area were broken into.

Fort William First Nation votes in favour of deal

It's a done deal as a majority of Fort William First Nation residents have voted in favour of a proposal that will see the reserve receive 3.5 million dollars.Band members voted in favour of the settlement for the Loch Lomond Pipeline claim.Chief Peter Collins says band members will now have to decide whether they want to use a portion of the money to pay back-taxes owing Thunder Bay for the AbitibiBowater sawmill property

There's hope for Big Thunder yet

Could the glory days of Big Thunder be on their way back? The world class ski jumps at the provincially owned facility have been sitting idle for years, but now comes word that the province has put out a call for interested parties to submit letters of intent to help develop the property. The park was once a hub of activity as it was on the world cup ski jumping circuit and it also hosted the World Nordic Championships in 1995.

Waterfront is over budget

Thunder Bay city councillors have now voted to add 2.2 million dollars for phase one of the city's waterfront development. The money will come from phase two of the project, which has yet to get underway. However the approval did not come before councillors questioned waterfront manager Katherine Dugmore for hours about reasons for the over 5 million dollars in cost overruns.

Local singer blown away by video's popularity

The accolades are still pouring in for Thunder Bay's Jordan Burnell and his My Home Town video. It's already received 155 thousand views on You Tube. Burnell says he can't believe how the popularity has just exploded. Burnell says he's received reaction to the video from ex Thunder Bayites all over North America.

Modest increase in housing starts

The new year is starting out slowly for housing starts in Thunder Bay. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports there were four starts last month...that is up only slightly from the two at the same time last year. CMHC's Warren Philp admits its a modest start, but in keeping with the ten year average. Philp says the creation of some new subdivisions in the city holds promised for additional housing starts this year.

Weekend robbery concerns cabbies

Cab drivers in the city are on edge after a weekend robbery. Early Saturday morning police say a Roach's Taxi driver picked up two male passengers in the Westfort Area. The two sat in the back seat and they asked to be taken to the Limbrick street area. When they got there the driver had a sharped edged object placed at the back of his neck and was robbed of an undetermined amount of money. The driver was shaken but not hurt. The culprits ran away and are still at large.

My Home Town causes sensation

The good fortune continues for Thunder Bay's Jordan Burnell. His music video My Home Town remains an internet sensation. The rap song has garnered 140 thousand views since it was posted on Thursday. The song is about Burnell's pride in Thunder Bay and all the things the city is about and what it offers.

Police probe bat attack and armed robbery

One man is in custody and another is being sought after a baseball bat attack Sunday afternoon. Police say a male victim says he was assaulted and then pushed down some stairs. Then early Monday morning a male, his face covered with a balaclava, and carrying a knife entered a north May street convenience store and stole some items. No one was hurt.

Waterfront project over budget

Waterfront manager Katherine Dugmore has now updated city councillors on the waterfront development. She says the project at Prince Arthur's Landing has run 5 million dollars over budget. 2.2 million of that will have to be taken from phase two of the project. Dugmore says it's too early to say what buget cuts will be necessary to make up for that 2.2 million dollar shortfall for phase two.