Murder Victim Was Sister Of Accused

A spokesperson for the Attorney Generals Ministry says a court ordered publication ban on the name of the murder victim in Richmond Hill last weekend has been lifted.  We  can now tell you that the victim was 38 year old Jeannine Ross of Thunder Bay.   Police identify her as the sister of the person who is charged with Second Degree Murder, 36 year old Jonathon Ross.   Her body was discovered in a condominium complex early Saturday morning. Police say the victim died as a result from blunt force trauma.    

MP Takes On New Challenge

A new role for the MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River.  John Rafferty is part of a new all-party Entrepreneur caucus in Ottawa.  It's aim is to support and foster discussion on entrepreneurship in Canada.  It held its inaugural meeting yesterday.

Wabasse Anniversary Remembered

The Nishnawbe Aski Nation is helping to prepare the families of seven youth who died under similar circumstances while attending High School in Thunder Bay over the span of 11 years.  Today marks the second anniversary of the disappearance of 15 year old Jordan Wabasse, whose body was later recovered from the Kaministiquia River.   Ontario's Chief Coroner announced a joint inquest into the seven deaths back in May of last year.

Local Jobless Rate Rises

Thunder Bay ranks fifth best for unemployment rates among major cities across the country. Last month the city's jobless rate rose by one-tenth of a percentage point to 5 five percent overall.  Thunder Bay's jobless rate continues to be well below the national average of 7 percent.

Fatal Snowmobile Accident

City police are saying the driver of a snowmobile was not wearing a helmet when a 22 year old man crashed his sled and died just before 6:00 o'clock last night.  Police say the snow machine went airborne before striking a tree on private property on Paquette Road yesterday.  The 22 year old and a 20 year old woman were rushed to hospital where the man died as a result of his injuries, the woman has since been released.

Hackner In The Hunt

Thunder Bay teams are right in the mix at the Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championships being held in Nipigon. Al Hackner won 2 of 3 yesterday and now sits at 3-1 alongside Trevor Bonot. Sault Ste. Marie's Brad Jacobs leads the way at 4-0. Bryan Burgess also has a wining record at 3-2, while Jeff Currie is 2-3. Three draws are scheduled today with the top three seeds advancing to the playoffs for the right to represent Northern Ontario at the Brier.

Thunderwolves Basketball Needs Wins At Home

The Lakehead University men's and women's basketball teams are back at home this weekend at the L.U. Thunderdome against Windsor, starting at 6:00 o'clock. The men's team is two wins behind Windsor for top spot in the division and control their own destiny for claiming top spot with a pair of wins at home. Head Coach Scott Morrison says L.U. and Windsor has developed into an intense rivalry in recent years. The women's volleyball team is also at home this weekend with a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 o'clock against Ottawa.

Crime Stoppers Charity Hockey Game Tonight

Crime Stoppers holds its 24th annual charity hockey game tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Fort William Gardens. The Police all-stars will be taking on former players from the former Thunder Bay Senators and Thunder Cats. Jason Disher, a former Senator and Thunder Cat is the spokesperson for Crime Stoppers and says fans will recognize some of the names making a return to the Gardens ice such as Llew NcWana, Vern Ray, Neal Purdon, Mike Figliomieni and Pat Szturm. Disher says kids are allowed in free, adults are asked for a nominal fee that will benefit Thunder Bay and District Crime Stoppers.

MPAC Anger Spawns Coalition

The City of Dryden is forming a coalition with Thunder Bay, Espanola and Fort Frances to fight the recent Municipal Property Assessment Corporation mill assessments.  Dryden Mayor Craig Nuttall says they are trying to arrange a meeting with the incoming Premier.  Nuttall says northern communities can't afford to cover the shortfall left by the dramatic drop in assessments.

United Way Reaches Goal

Once again the United Way is celebrating another successful fundraising campaign.  The 2012 campaign brought in over 2.6 million dollars.  Chair Carol Busch says the campaign was hard fought.  The exact amount of cash brought in is $2,619,567.  The United Way financially helps support 28 local agencies.

Dragon's Den Here Saturday

Calling all local entrepreneurs. CBC's Dragons Den is in the City Saturday holding auditions at Lakehead University. You need to be able to pitch your idea in less than five minutes. Auditions run from 10 until 5 Saturday.

No Change In Schools Situation

Safety procedures remain in place at two public schools.   The so called "Hold and Secure" mode at CD Howe and Kakabeka Falls schools has been in effect all week because of what police say was a threat made to a teacher.   School board officials are reviewing the situation daily.

Hovorka To Be Honoured Monday

City Hall will pay tribute to Shy-Anne Hovorka Monday night. The Thunder Bay resident is an award winning Aboriginal musician. She's set to receive the Citizens of Exceptional Achievement award.  Hovorka is being recognized for winning six Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards.

Hope Classic Set To Go

The 17th annual Bearskin Airlines Hope Classic charity curling bonspiel is all set for the Family Day weekend at the Fort William Curling Club.   Last year the event raised 177 thousand dollars and organizer Susan Childs is optimistic that it will be another huge fundraising success.

Charges Laid In Bus Assault

Thunder Bay Police are charging a 46 year old man with assault on a woman bus driver.  It's alleged the man was asked to pay for the bus ride which resulted in him assaulting the driver.  The man will appear in court on March 30th.

NW LHIN Releases Health Care Plan

The region's health authority is out with its health services plan for Northwestern Ontario.  Local Health Integration Network CEO Laura Kokocinski says one of their priorities is establishing an e-Health network.  Kokocinski says electronic medical records will soon be available for patients at many hospitals and health care settings in the region.  The LHIN's plan also aims to ease congestion at the Health Sciences Centre, provide more health care in the community and enhance chronic disease prevention.

Transit Union Calling For Increased Safety

A pair of incidents involving city bus drivers is prompting their union to call for increased safety protocols. Local Union President Sheila Kivisto says one verbal incident three weeks ago has resulted in one female being placed on a leave and on Tuesday, another female driver was physically assaulted. Kivisto says driver abuse numbers across the country and in Thunder Bay are on the rise and it's not just female drivers who are the targets.

Extra 10K Could Be Added To The Budget

City Council is considering putting 10 thousand dollars towards opening heated pools earlier in the year.  Councillor Rebecca Johnson says it's hard to know how they'll vote on that.  Johnson notes 10 thousand isn't much money but in the end it will have an impact on the budget.  City Hall is also holding another public input session on the budget February 13th.

Transport Accident Closes Highway

The Highway 20 kilometres west of White River is back open in both directions following an accident overnight involving one tractor trailor. Provincial police say the driver lost control and the big rig overturned and blocked the highway in both directions. Police say the accident happened after 11:30 p.m. and were able to clear the Highway at 4:30 this morning. Charges may be pending. No injuries are being reported.

Northern Tankard Results

Trevor Bonot's rink playing out of Thunder Bay is tied atop the standings with the 4-time defending champion, Brad Jacobs after the opening day of competition at the Northern Ontario Tankard in Nipigon. Bonot and Jacobs are both 2-0 in the regional men's curling championships. Al Hackner's team is 1-0 and had a bye last night. Jeff Currie and Bryan Burgess each went 1-1 on the opening day with three draws set for today, which determines the Brier rep for the region.