Two candidates vie for NDP nod in Kenora-RR

There's officially a race for the Provincial NDP in the Kenora-Rainy River Riding. Kenora's Robert Sinding has announced that he's seeking the nomination. He's the second person to announce an intention after Howard Hampton said he was retiring from politics

Evacuees could all be home today

If all goes as planned, the remaining forest fire evacuees in Northwestern Ontario could be home today.  About one-thousand people were still waiting to return as of yesterday afternoon. Officials hope to complete the task by the end of the day.

Our economy no longer relies soley on the US

Trade with China is keeping our economy from slipping backwards with our US neighbours.  Thunder Bay Market Expert Keith McCullough says our economy no longer relies on our southern neighbours but is surging ahead thanks to ties to China.  McCullough says our connections with China are helping post better unemployment numbers than the US. 

Tragic collision grips Thunder Bay family

A Thunder Bay family is trying to cope with an untimely loss of their little girl.  Police Spokesperson Chris Adams say the tragic irony is that a family member was behind the wheel of the SUV that ran over 2 year old Kylie McKay yesterday afternoon on North Vickers Street.  Adams says he drove home and was arrested but after further investigation it appears the driver didn't know he had hit Kylie.

ATV accident results in death

A 16 year old girl from Southern Ontario is dead following an ATV accident in Greenstone on the weekend. OPP Constable Shona Camirand says the girl was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident on Saturday evening and was unresponsive when police arrived.  The victim is identified as Arlynne Holyer of St. Catherines.  Police say she was thrown from the vehicle she was driving after it struck a fallen tree.

Hospital looking at wi-fi

The Regional Hospital says plans are in the works to have wi-fi set up by sometime in the fall.  However spokesperson Bruce Sutton says the decisions that need to be made are:  where should it be located and whether to charge for the service or not.

Accident claims life of young girl

City police say a young girl is dead after being hit by a vehicle on the 400 block of Vickers Street around 4 o'clock Tuesday afternoon.   They say a 45 year old man is in custody in connection with the incident.   Police say they can't release more information until the investigation is complete.  

Evacuee's home destroyed by fire

Its not what any family wants to come home to. The family of evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation that came home to find their house burned to the ground are trying to stay positive during this difficult time. The family of four, which includes a 10 year old boy and 5 year old girl, are staying with their grandparents for the time being. Chief Adam Fiddler says when all evacuees return home the community will pull together in support of the family. Chief Fiddler also says he hopes all evacuees from Sandy Lake First Nation will be returned home by Wednesday. Sandy Lake First Nation is accepting donations in support of all  forest fire evacuees.

Classic car show & shine

Your never too young to appreciate a classic! On August 6th from 1-3 pm Hilldale Gardens Retirement Living is hosting a Classic Car Show & Shine. The Show features a large display of classic cars from many different eras for the public to enjoy. Admission to this event is free of charge.

A warm and wet July in Thunder Bay

If you're thinking July was a wet month in Thunder Bay you are correct. Our meteorologist Bill Laidlaw says we got 20 millimetres more rain than what we normally get for the month.  He says however, that a huge amount of that rain came in a 4 day period which saw half of the months precipitation fall in one day.  Laidlaw says in fact we were unique in all of northwestern Ontario for the amount of precipitation we received.  Meantime the temperature for the month was about a degree and a half above normal.

Strong July for the Port of Thunder Bay

The total amount of cargo shipped from the Port of Thunder Bay for the month of July surpassed last year's totals.  Just under a million tons were sent last month which is up over 200 thousand tons from July of last year.  So far this year the port is running almost even with last year's 3.3 million tons of cargo sent by the end of July.

Somalia images spark donations

Red Cross officials in Thunder Bay are collecting money for famine relief in Somalia as the situation there remains critical. Spokesperson Rob Zuback says people in the city are starting to respond,  He says they are hearing about the famine and seeing the stark images of young children who are starving and malnourished.  Zuback says more donations started to come in when the Harper government announced it would match them dollar for dollar

Stabbing victims remains stable

A 53 year old man is facing a charge of aggravated assault after a long weekend stabbing. Police say a 19 year old man was taken to hospital and remains in stable condition after the incident on the 300 block of Morse Street. Police say the two people knew each other and that alcohol was involved.

Race starts to replace Hampton

A former Thunder Bay resident says she wants to replace Howard Hampton in the Ontario Legislature.   No sooner did the Kenora-Rainy River NDP MPP announce his retirement from politics than Sarah Campbell announced she is seeking the NDP nomination for the riding in this fall's provincial election.  The 29 year old has been a Hampton staffer in Dryden for almost a decade.

More forest fires reported

There is increased forest fire activity as the Ministry of Natural Resources reports 115 active fires in the Northwest Region, and both the Northwest and the Northeast Region are reporting new forest fires. This brings the number of active fires across the province to about 125.

Paddlers stay here overnight

A group of canoeists will be leaving Thunder Bay later today or tomorrow after spending the night at Marina Park.  They are paddling across the country to help raise funds for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

Stabbing on Morse street

City police are currently investigating a stabbing that occurred Sunday night on the 300 block of Morse street. A 19 year old male was brought into Thunder Bay Regional Hospital where he is reported to be in stable condition. A 53 year old male has been brought into police custody.

Hike turns hazardous

Thunder Bay firefighters had their hands full helping out a woman who injured herself while hiking. A crew was called to the scene just off of Feaver road where a woman who was hiking by herself injured her leg and could not continue on. Her isolated location made it extra difficult for firefighters; taking them over 5 hours to rescue the woman. She is currently in Thunder Bay Hospital with a knee injury.

Still working on it

Were not out of the woods yet! There is a lot of hard work with long days ahead before all of the fires are under control. The MNR is working closely with local resource managers, Emergency Management Ontario and First Nations communities in planning a safe and speedy return. On Friday, flights were scheduled to bring about 571 residents back to Sandy Lake and Cat Lake First Nations. To date, 882 evacuees are back in their home communities and approximately 2,700 residents have yet to return.

I don’t want a pickle...

The Victoria Inn parking lot on Arthur Street is now a home for scores of  Harleys with this weekend's Ontario H.O.G. rally in Thunder Bay.  Hundreds of Harley Davidson owners are in the city to show off their gleaming machines.  Saturday's highlight event is the parade of Harley Davidson motorcyles from the hotel starting at 10 am.