Local Marathon Officials Ponder Security

Officials with Thunder Bay's annual marathon says it's too early to discuss security issues in the wake of the Boston Marathon explosions. Charla Robinson says they will be looking at the process and reviewing protocols, but they will watch to see
what unfolds in the Boston investigation.

"Horrible Feeling" Says Local Witness

The horror of yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings is still etched in the mind of Thunder Bay's Deb Frederickson.  She crossed the finish line two minutes before the two explosions and says after that it was pandemonium.  Frederickson says people were screaming and others were trying to herd people out of the area and there was lots of chaos. She calls it a horrible feeling.  As for other Thunder Bay marathon participants,  Marcia Migay says security at her Boston hotel was beefed up after the tragedy, Susan McDonald says her only concern was finding her son Ryan McDonald while Ryan admits he is still shaken up by the events.

Cause Of Crash Remains Mystery

Police still don't know what happened to cause a dump truck to slam into a mobile home on Chippewa Road yesterday.  They say they are still working to find out the cause.    A 71 year old woman who was injured in the incident at the Totem Trailer Park was treated and released from hospital.

New Policing Model Coming Soon

The local police force will be moving towards a new policing model in the fall.  Inspector Sylvie Hauth says they've divided up the City and Oliver Paipoonge into six zones.  Hauth says it means officers will go to work each day in the same part of the City and one side won't be more busy than another.  The new zone policing model starts in September and includes a 6 officer domestic violence unit.

Zone Watch Accepting Applications

Police are starting to accept applications for their new community based policing program called "Zone Watch".  The neighbourhood watch style program is internet based and is similar to Facebook but more secure.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says you can apply through their new website at www.thunderbaypolice.ca

Police Now On Twitter

Thunder Bay Police are going to start tweeting today.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says there will be plenty of information to be found on their three twitter feeds.  They will soon launch a traffic information twitter account, the Chief will have his own feed and they'll also tweet news releases from @tbpsmedia.

Rotary Exchange Underway

The Rotary Clubs of Thunder Bay are hosting a group of young professionals from Finland.   The Rotary's Jill Zachary says it's part of a yearly exercise where teams from one country stay with Rotary families in another.   The group will be visiting the district for the next five weeks.

Earthwise Is Now EarthCare

EarthWise Thunder Bay is now EarthCare.   City councillors have voted to accept the name change because the city environment group ran into a copyright issue with the original name.   Another group in southern Ontario already had rights to the moniker.

Philp Says Local Runners OK

It appears there are no Thunder Bay casualties in yesterday's explosion at the Boston Marathon.  Around 8 local residents were taking part in the run including Warren Philp.  Philp says the Thunder Bay contingent is safe and they hope to be able to catch their flights sometime today which might be hard given the heightened security.

Committee Hits Funding Snag

If the funding rules stay the same the city may not get the 2 for 1 funding from the province for disaster relief.   Chair Wayne Fletcher says the way the eligibility rules stand now we will only be getting 20 cents for every dollar raised, but he hopes that will change after talks with the province. Fletcher says as it stands now we will only be getting 300 thousand dollars from the province instead of 3 million