Missing Man

Police are asking for assistance as they search for a missing man from Windsor.  It's believed that 30-year-old Brandon Wheeler may be in the Dryden-Kenora area as reports say he may be travelling west to Alberta.  Windsor Police say Wheeler may be under distress and they are concerned about his safety. Wheeler is driving a green 2010 Jeep Wrangler, with Ontario plates ALPD512. Anyone with information is asked to contact local police or Crime Stoppers.

NOMA President Pans Road Plan

The President of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association is urging caution about any plan to hand winter road maintenance over to municipalities in the region.  Dave Canfield says it's an idea he's heard before, but thinks most councils would be hesitant to enter into such an agreement with the province. Ontario's Transportation Minister Glen Murray says it's one idea he wants to discuss further when he attends NOMA's meeting this week in Fort Frances.

Tbaytel Net Is Back

Tbaytel's high speed internet service is back to normal after 15 hours of downtime.  Officials say a significant increase in network traffic resulted in a capacity issue and caused malfunctions in various components.  They say everyone should be back to normal but any business customers who are still experiencing issues should contact their technical support.

Child Porn Charges Laid

Police are charging a 52 year old man with possessing child pornography.  It comes after a tip advised police that a local man was uploading improper images to Twitter.  A search warrant was conducted on Jeffrey Miro's home on Chilton Avenue and a number of electronic devices were seized.  Miro will appear in court on May 16th.

Airport Shows Record Figures

Thunder Bay International Airport is showing record numbers of passenger volumes for 2013, according to an annual report. Airport President and CEO Scott McFadden believes there is a correlation between these figures and our region's mining activity.  McFadden adds that a slow year for mining has lead to a decrease in passenger volumes for the early part of 2014.

Three Collisions In Minutes

Police are charging a 47 year old man with drinking and driving after a witness saw him get into three collisions minutes apart.  The Gorham Township man driving a grey ford pick-up was involved in a collision at the intersection of Picton Avenue and Red River Road. Shortly after the first crash the man proceeded onto Red River Road and rear ended a GMC pick-up truck twice.  Police are charging the man with failing to remain at the scene of a collision twice, failing to stop for a stop sign and driving while suspended.

South Side Robbery

Thunder Bay Police are looking for two males who robbed the Shell Gas Station on West Arthur Street.  Around 11:30 last night, the two thieves threatened the clerk with a hatchet and got away with an undisclosed amount of cash.  No one was injured.

Constables To Be Honoured

Five city police constables are getting the medal of bravery from the governor general on Thursday.   Chief J-P Levesque says  the five, Kevin Carroll, James Arthur Elvish, Clark McKever, Kenneth Ogima and Jason Rybak ,  rescued a woman when her car went into Lake Superior  back in May of 2010.   He says the force is proud of their accomplishment. Also being honoured in Thursday's ceremony will be  Daniel Morrison, for his actions as a Ministry of Natural Resources worker when he saved a woman from an attacking bear.

Nipigon Couple Die Of CO Poisoning

The community of Nipigon is in shock today following the death of two of its residents of carbon monoxide poisoning.  OPP say the couple, a 60 year old Yvan Gaujean and  45 year old  Claire Limag-Gaujean were found dead in their First Street home yesterday.   Their 8 year old son was also found, but he survived and is currently being treated in hospital.  The source of the deadly gas has not been determined.

LU Profs Get Award

Three Lakehead University Professors from the School of Nursing are being honoured. They picked up a Teaching Innovation Award for a mask-making project introduced to nursing students in September.

Nolalu Bridge To Be Repaired

The provincial government is putting 1.6 million dollars towards improving the road infrastructure near Nolalu. The construction contract will create 16 new jobs during the work planned for the Whitefish River Bridge. The work is expected to be complete by this fall.

Goldcorp Gives Up

Goldcorp is giving up on its bid for Osisko Mining.  The mining company says it will not raise its offer of 3.6-billion dollars that expires tonight.  Its decision comes on the heels of last week's announcement that Yamana Gold and Angico Eagle Mines are joining forces to acquire Osisko for 3.9-billion, creating a new company called New Osisko.

NOMA Bear Pit Line-Up Confirmed

The Premier and four members of her cabinet are now confirmed for the NOMA conference in Fort Frances.  Transportation Minister Glenn Murray, Municipal Affairs Minister Bill Mauro, Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle and Aboriginal Affairs Minister David Zimmer will answer questions from the region's municipal leaders during Friday's so-called Bearpit session.

Murder Trial On Hold

The Thunder Bay murder trial of 22 year old Sheldon Wabason is on hold for one year.  The trial was to have started in Superior Court today. His lawyer Delmar Doucette says it's because there aren't enough First Nations people represented on the local jury roll.  He calls it an important issue for everyone in the city. Wabason is charged with second degree murder in connection with the March 2011 death of 54 year old Robert Topping.

New LED Lighting At Tim Hortons

Your morning coffee at Tim Hortons may soon look at little brighter.  The coffee-chain is announcing plans to replace all of the lighting fixtures in its stores across Canada and the U.S. with energy-efficient LED lighting.  Manager of Sustainable Design John Macey says the new lighting will help restaurant owners. Macey says Tim Hortons restaurants in Thunder Bay will receive the new lighting once they renovate.

Shift New President

SHIFT Thunder Bay has a new President.  Peter Marchl has been named the new president of the Young Professionals Network and is taking over from former president Nathan Lawrence.  Marchl previously served as SHIFT's Vice-President.

Forestry Meeting This Week

Foresters, the Provincial Government, and First Nations are meeting in Thunder Bay this week. They're taking part in discussions at the 57th annual Ontario Professional Foresters Association. The conference gets underway at the Prince Arthur Hotel on Wednesday.

OFAH Wants More Info

The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters wants the Ministry of Natural Resources to do a more comprehensive study of moose populations in Ontario. The province is giving out fewer hunting tags this season because of population declines.  OFAH's Mark Ryckman says more needs to be done to explore all of the reasons for that decline. Ryckman says if hunting isn't the sole reason, the cut in moose tags isn't going to have much of an impact if other factors continue to go ignored.

Skittish Dog On The Loose

Members of the Paws for Love Dog Rescue are on the lookout for one of their missing animals. Cushion is a skittish dog from Sandy Lake who broke off his leash recently and is now on the loose in the City. He was last seen in the area of Christina and Mary Street East homes in Westfort.  They say he is very terrified of sounds, people and other dogs and if you spot him contact Animal Services.

Northern Raffle Winner

A Dryden woman is the grand prize winner of the Canadian Red Cross' Northern Raffle.  Jean Allan chose 25-thousand dollars rather than a new car because she's going to use the cash to renovate her kitchen. Proceeds from the raffle support programs such as disaster relief efforts, seniors’ transportation and housing support.