Mobile home park fire not arson

Arson is now ruled out as the cause of a fire that destroyed three mobile homes in Gorham Township over the long weekend.  OPP say that at the time of the fire at the Country View Trailer Court on Canada Day, only one of the occupants was at home, and there were no injuries.

Bushie inquest set to resume

The inquest into the death of 15 year old Reggie Bushie is now set to get back on track .  The Regional Coroner's Office says it will resume with a pre-inquest hearing on July 21st.   The inquest is expected to result in jury recommendations aimed at preventing sudden deaths of First Nations high school students who attend school in Thunder Bay far away from their homes.

Stolen vehicle involved in north side mishap

Bizarre may be the only way to describe this accident. City police say that a stolen vehicle hitting a pedestrian was the start of a chain reaction accident at Camelot and Court streets early Tuesday afternoon. They say it appears that the stolen vehicle then ended up crushing a parked car in a grocery store lot after it rolled down an embankment and then landed upside down.

Family and friends concerned for missing man

A 69 year old Thunder Bay man is missing in the United States and his family and employer are concerned. Edward Spakowski works for Smith's RV as an occasional RV driver, but his boss Jason Johnstone says he hasn't been seen since he picked up a vehicle in Elkhart, Indiana on Thursday.  Johnstone says authorities in the States have been notified.

Macs store robbed...again

No one is hurt following an armed robbery at a Mac's convenience store on North May Street. City Police say it took place at around 3:30 this morning and involved a mask man and woman. They say the clerk was threatened with a knife and she gave them an undisclosed amount of cash

Thunder Bay gets its Law School

Northwestern Ontario is getting its law school.  The Provincial Government is helping set up the first law degree program at Lakehead University.  The new program will start in September 2013 with a strong focus in Aboriginal Law.  The school will be located at the old Port Arthur Collegiate building on Red River Road.

Franken and Rafferty chat

There was a brief discussion over the weekend on how to improve access across the Canada-U-S border. Thunder Bay-Rainy River M-P John Rafferty says his talk with Minnesota U-S Senator Al Franken in International Falls set the stage for a much broader discussions in the near future. Rafferty says Franken was well understanding of the issues, including the turn-back of American tourists with often decades old drunk driving charges.

First Nations Murder

A 26-year-old Lac Seul man has been charged with second degree murder in the death of a Constance Lake man.  Police were called Saturday afternoon to a Frenchman's Head home to investigate a stabbing.  Police say 34-year-old Simon Bunting was found dead at the scene.  OPP say 26-year-old Felix Wesley was arrested and he remains in custody.

New Osnaburgh Fire grows in size

The forest fire burning 9-kilometres away from New Osnaburgh First Nation has grown in size. The blaze is now over 78-thousand hectares in size and is not under control. However, crews are doing a good job keeping it away from the community. There were 4-new fires in the District yesterday. There are 17-active fires, 4 of which are not under control.

Tornado warnings in Fort Frances area

It was a wild and woolly evening across Northwestern Ontario last night.  A tornado warning was issued in several communities including Fort Frances, Emo, Rainy River and Kenora.  Severe winds hit the communities with severe damage reported across the board. Reports of a funnel cloud in the Fort Frances area last night prompted Environment Canada to issue tornado warnings. In Dryden, residents saw the tale end of the storm.  The wind knocked down tree branches and the storm dumped 16.2-millimetres, the most in the area.

Community Living workers picket today

Developmental Service Workers will hold information pickets at several locations across the province today to protest a stalemate in contract talks with the government..  Here in Thunder Bay, Community Living workers will be protesting at the County Boulevard starting at 4:45.  OP-SEU is calling on Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, to provide the funding the sector needs to provide good jobs.

Medical bill shocker in Dryden

An unexpected shocker for a Dryden man who has to routinely fly to Manitoba for medical treatment.  Randy Desautels just returned from his latest dialysis appointment and opened his mail box to find a 608-dollar bill from the Manitoba Government.  He was told that the move was a cost saving one and adds he hasn't been able to get any answers from OHIP.

Rotarians give away house

The winner of the 2011 Rotary House Lottery is from Thunder Bay. Gilbert Kerr of Grenville Avenue had his ticket pulled on Canada Day. Proceeds from the draw go to local charities.

Local officers to attend funeral

The funeral for a slain York Region Police officer takes place Tuesday in Thornhill and Thunder Bay's Police Association is sending two officers according to president Gregg Stephenson. He says they want to show their support to the slain officer's family and to the York Police

Furniture store pledges charity donations

The Dufresne Foundation has launched a 1-million dollar charity challenge in communities across Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba. CEO Mark Dufresne says they are donating 500-thousand dollars to various charities tied to children, women and health.The non-profit recipients will then raise an equivalent amount to equal the 1-million dollar commitment. For more information go to http://www.dufresne.ca/

Summer=Fewer council meetings

City councillors get a bit of a summer break.   During the months of July and August councillors don't meet every Monday like they do throughout the year.  There are only two meetings scheduled this month and two next month.

Trustees back Education Day

Lakehead Public School trustees are throwing their support behind Education Day in the province. Trustee Deborah Massaro says the board is endorsing a request from the provincial school boards association for a provincial all candidates forum that day.   Education Day is on September 20th.

Money for Cyclotron announced

A new health research centre is one step closer to reality.  Thunder Bay Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro announced almost 4 million dollars for the project Monday.  The new centre which houses a cyclotron and lab will create 194 construction jobs and fifty permanent jobs.

Shad Valley students return

The Shad Valley students are in the city for their yearly visit.   These young up and coming university students are some of the brightest young minds in the country who come here to help advance their education. It's the 12th year in a row that Lakehead University has hosted the Shad Valley visit

Mantis talks upcoming election

Thunder Bay Superior North has a new NDP candidate in place for the upcoming Provincial Election.  Steve Mantis will be carrying the party's banner and says he looks forward to working under Leader Andrea Horwath.  Mantis won the nomination last week.