Rick Hansen Relay hits the Lakehead

The Rick Hansen Relay is in Thunder Bay for the next couple of days.  The team was welcomed with a ceremony at the Community Auditorium.  Prior to that,  relay member Joey Desjardins handed the Rick Hansen 25th anniversity medal to Thunder Bay's Adena Goral at the McDonalds on Red River Road.

Stabbing leaves one man in hospital

Thunder Bay police have a 16 year old boy in custody after a stabbing.  Officials say the boy stabbed a 24 year old man several times in the back last night in the North End.  The victim was taken to hospital and is in stable condition.  More details are expected to come later today. 

Temperature record set

We set a new record high temperature in Thunder Bay Friday.  It reached 4 degrees breaking the old record of 3.9 set in 1949.   The forecast calls for a cooler Saturday with the temperature hitting minus 7 which is considered normal for this time of year.

Taddeo hearing dates set

Police Service Act hearing dates are now set for City Police Inspector Dan Taddeo.   He is facing two counts of Misconduct.  It's in connection to the way he supervised Constable Toni Grann.  The 43 year old Grann is facing charges which police say involved falsified local records in the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.  Six days have been set aside for Taddeo's hearing, with three days in August and three in September.

No nukes for NAN

The Grand Chief of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation wants every community in northern Ontario to declare themselves Nuclear Waste Free Zones.   Stan Beardy's call comes in a statement saying NAN is against allowing lands to be used as dumping grounds for nuclear waste.  The government's Nuclear Waste Management Organization has started a process of finding a site to dispose of such waste, but says it will not impose a site on any community that doesn't want it.

Event Centre process moves on

You get to have your say on the next phase of the proposed Multi-Plex. City Manager Tim Commisso says there will be a public information session February 29th. He says the consultants will present an update on the Feasibility Study for the Event Centre. Commisso says they will bring some initial design concepts for the three sites short listed by councillors. A final report is expected to be presented to City Council in May.

Tib Lake property seen as promising

North American Palladium is on the verge of buying property at Tib Lake near its current mine north of Thunder Bay. Company president Bill Biggar says while the area has potential, it's too early to speculate on a possible mine.  He says a team of 20 company geologists in Thunder Bay will come up with a plan to explore the area over the next several years.  The company is purchasing the new property from Houston Lake Mining of Sudbury

Police search for robbery suspects

City Police are looking for two men in their mid teens to early twenties after another man was robbed in Westfort last night.  They say the 19 year old was accosted while walking in the area of Edward and Frederica Streets.  He tells police he was knocked to the ground and his backpack was stolen.   The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries and then released.

Appointment gets praise from bishop

The Vatican says Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins is among 22 new cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church named today by Pope Benedict. Thunder Bay Bishop Fred Colli calls Collins an excellent candidate for the position saying he's known him for many years having worked with him on committees in the Ontario Assembly of Bishops. Colli calls the appointment a great honour for Canada.

Jobs rate stays steady

Thunder Bay's unemployment rate stayed steady at seven percent last month.  That figure is from the latest StatsCan figures.  Nationally the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent.

Highway is open

A transport jack knifing caused Highway 17 near Terrace Bay to be closed for several hours last night.  Police say no one was hurt and the highway has since reopened.  It took crews five hours to clear the highway.

OPP Constable under house arrest

An OPP Constable is under six months of house arrest.  Constable Gregory Sutton was sentenced yesterday in a court case dealing with public mischief and intercepting private messages.  Sutton must be at his home from 10 in the evening until six in the morning.  He also faces a year of probation after his house arrest is over.

Tattoo Parlour Closed

Thunder Bay's Health Unit has closed an illegal tattoo parlour. The health unit says they never inspected the site and it poses a risk to the public. Anyone who got a tattoo from a home based location is asked to contact the health unit at 625-8318.

January thaw set for Friday

It looks like we could break a weather record in the city Friday. Meteorologist Peter Kimbell says it will feel more like spring than winter with the temperature forecast to hit plus 4.  He says the old record for January 6th is 3.9 set in 1949 and that we have a good chance at beating that. Kimbell says the temperatures won't be as warm on the weekend.

Thunder Bay not part of Target's initial launch

Thunder Bay is not mentioned as one of the first 24 Zellers stores in Ontario to be converted to Target locations. The American mega-retailer has released a list of the locations that will become Target stores next year.   It recently purchased almost 200 stores that are currently being operated by Zellers, with plans to open about 130 Target stores across Canada including the Intercity Shopping Centre location..

Attawapiskat housing update

Attawapiskat is laying the blame on the Federal Government.  They claim they won't be able to make its January payroll unless the federal government shows more flexibility.  The regional council says Ottawa has seized control of $1.5 million meant for essential services such as education.  Chief Theresa Spence officially requested that a government-appointed, third-party manager release the money so that she could ensure services and operations continue uninterrupted.  But she says she was rebuffed.

Seven figure job to fix the Saginaw

It'll be at least a "seven figure" job to repair the broken loading boom on the ship MV Saginaw.   It remains docked at Thunder Bay Terminals until it can be fixed.   The ship's owner is Lower Lakes Towing.  President Scott Bravener says they're investigating the cause,  which appears to have been a cable failure.  Bravener says the cable was installed on the ship just days before the incident.

Rick Hansen Relay Sunday

Thunder Bay is gearing up to play host to the Rick Hansen Relay this Sunday.  Spokesperson Doug Henry says everyone will have a chance to see the medal.  Formal festivities start at the Community Auditorium at 2 on Sunday.

RRSP season is upon us

RRSP's are continuing to stay a viable option despite economic troubles.  Local Investment Expert Blake Cameron of Scotia McLeod says RRSP's are a safe bet for your money.  The deadline to make RRSP contributions is February 29th.

Economic outlook for 2012 looks unstable

There is a lot of uncertainty when you look at the economy for this year in Northwestern Ontario.  That's the opinion of Lakehead University Economics Professor Livio Di Matteo.  He says there are a lot of variables that could affect our economy, such as the government, commodity prices, and the forestry sector.