Plane crash victim names have been released

OPP have released the names of the people who died in the tragic plane crash at North Spirit Lake.  The 4 who died are the Pilot 41 year old Fariborz Abasabady, 38 year old Martha Campbell and 39 year old Colette Eisinger of Winnipeg, and 62 year old Ben Van Hoek of Carmen Manitoba.  36 year old Brian Shead of Winnipeg is the only survivor. 

No murder evidence in victim's car

The Michael Kelly murder trial in Thunder Bay is into it's third day of testimony at the Superior Court of Justice.  The city police identification officer who examined Judie Thibault's abandoned car in November of 2000 testified that there was no evidence to suggest Thibault was shot and killed in the car.   Constable Chris Rasmussen also told the jury that there were no blood stains of any sort in the vehicle.  Kelly is facing a First Degree Murder charge in Thibault's death last decade.

Missing teen

Thunder Bay Police are looking to the public for help in finding a missing 15 year old boy.   Jordan Connell hasn't been seen since Sunday when he left his house.  He's described as 5 foot 5, thin, with medium length brown wavy hair and blue eyes.  

Purse snatching case comes to close

The young man who robbed a 90 year old woman in front of the OLG Casino is getting 18 months of probation.  The teen was in court on Monday and plead guilty to a charge of theft in relation to the September 2011 incident.

OPP seize drugs near Manitouwadge

OPP are charging four men with a number of drug related offences after a routine RIDE check near Manitouwadge. Police stopped a vehicle and noticed one of the passengers was in contravention of his release conditions and the other had outstanding warrants from Thunder Bay.  5-thousand dollars in marihuana and cocaine was seized.  The men face possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

Work begins on Country Club condo unit

Construction has started on the Country Club's new condo units and club house.  Demolition began on the curling club this morning.  The project is on target and is set to be complete in May 2013.

K-NET fundraiser for North Spirit Lake

A fundraising drive us underway up to help a remote northwestern Ontario devastated by a plane crash this week.  K-Net is accepting cash donations for North Spirit Lake.  Brian Walmark is a spokesperson and says the will help defray a number of unexpected costs for the community.  Martha Campbell from North Spirit Lake was one of the people killed in Tuesday morning's crash.

Brown wants HST hike

While most want it decrease, Atikokan town council is advocating a on per cent hike in the HST.  The town says the revenue could be earmarked for municipalities for infrastructure improvements.  Mayor Dennis Brown says it may be the only really option to covering the high cost of that work.  Brown says under their proposal, his community would receive more than 850-thousand dollars.

T.Bay economy lookin' good

Thunder Bay's economy is looking good according to the Conference Board of Canada.  They released their 2012 outlook for major Canadian cities and Thunder Bay's economy is expected to rise 1.7 percent.

Accident claims life of transport driver

Provincial police are investigating a multi-vehicle crash on Highway 17 east of Kenora that left a transport driver dead.  Yesterday's collision resulted in the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway for several hours.  Police say a westbound tractor-trailer unit jackknifed near Dogtooth Lake and was struck by an eastbound transport.  Highway 17 was reopened to one lane of traffic at about noon yesterday.

Fire at Northern Wood Preservers Property

Fire crews easily put out an overnight fire at the Northern Wood Preservers property on Maureen Street.  The building was in the process of having machinery salvaged. The cause of the 2nd floor fire is believed to be dismantling torches.

Failed robbery at Dairy Queen

A 19 year old man is in bail court this morning after he was charged with robbing the Dairy Queen on Cumberland Street.  Police say a man brandishing a knife demanded money and when he didn't get it tried to snatch it from the till.  The man fled and was picked up by police further down the road.  The teen is also charged with assault with a weapon.

NAN calls for upgrades in light of crash

The Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation say a deadly plane crash has highlighted the dire need to upgrade aviation standards and weather equipment in remote communities.  Four people were killed on Tuesday when a Keystone Air charter flight crashed at the North Spirit Lake reserve while trying to land in a blizzard.  Only one of the five people on board survived.