S.I.U. Called To Investigate Kenora Fatal

Ontario's police watchdog has been called in after a 42-year-old woman was killed in a collision while being transported by provincial police in Kenora.

The Special Investigations Unit says officers were transporting a woman in custody to the Kenora detachment early Sunday morning when their cruiser collided with a tractor trailer unit.

The officers and the driver of the transport did not suffer serious injuries.

Court Rules Against Extradition

Ontario's top court has ruled a man from Rainy River First Nations facing drug charges in the United States should not be extradited because of his aboriginal status.

Zachary Leonard was arrested with four others in 2006 after trying to cross the border at International Falls in a van containing 46-hundred ecstasy tablets.

After escaping from a Falls halfway house to Canada, an Ontario Superior Court judge committed him for extradition.

But the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled the justice minister didn't properly take into account a legal principle that says different considerations must be made when sentencing aboriginal offenders.

The Appeal Court says Leonard could be prosecuted in Canada.

OPP Getting It Done In Fort Frances

OPP in Fort Frances are above the provincial and national averages when it comes to solving crimes.

OPP closed the books on 67 per cent all crimes investigated in the town in 2011, 89 per cent of all violent crime and 26 per cent of all property crime.

Detachment Commander Inspector Steve Shouldice says the figure for property crime clearance is low because of the difficulty in solving such incidents.

Beef Recall Hits Area Consumers

A nation-wide recall of beef has hit the region.

The Northwestern Health Unit is advising the public not eat any ground beef with a best before date on or before September 26, due to a possible e-coli contamination at an Edmonton plant.

Health officials says the recall impacts both beef sold at supermarkets and unlabelled ground beef products that may have been shipped to small retailers, local meat markets and butcher shops.

Public Input Welcome

The public will get its say into the 2013 budget for the town of Fort Frances tonight.

A public meeting will be held during tonight's council meeting to solicit input.

The final budget could be complete by the middle of May.

Tonight's meeting will happen 6:20 p.m.

Candidates Forum For Falls Area Candidates

The International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce is setting up a candidates' forum for those running in local elections in November.

It's to take place October 16 at Rainy River Community College.

Candidates running for positions on the International Falls City Council, Ranier City Council, Koochiching County Board and District 361 School Board have been invited to participate.

They'll face questions being developed by the College's Student Senate and students from Falls High School and Indus High School.

Schools Raise Funds For Terry Fox Foundation

Two elementary schools have added to the coffers of the Terry Fox Foundation.

Students at Donald Young School in Emo raised $2941.00 during its Terry Fox school run Friday.


Students at Sturgeon Creek School in Barwick collected more than $27-hundred in their run on Friday.

Other area schools will hold their runs and walks this Thursday.

Revco Introduces Hot Tubs To Local Market

A venture into a new product for a Fort Frances flooring business.

Revco Flooring has introduced a line of Beachcomber hot tubs to area residents.

General Manager Guy Donaldson believes there a strong market for the tubs

As the dealer for the entire northwestern Ontario, Donaldson says they're already getting interest from people in Red Lake and Sioux Lookout/

Donaldson says hot tubbing can also bring many health benefits.

Fort Frances BIA Chair Steps Down

The chair of the Fort Frances Downtown Business Improvement Association has stepped down.

Connie Cuthbertson has informed Fort Frances town council of her resignation from the board in a letter, citing health reasons.

A new chair has not been selected.

Boundary Changes Hearing Approaching

Area residents have a week left to register if they want to make comment to the agency proposal changes to the federal riding in our region.

The Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission in Ontario is proposing Lake of the Woods township be removed from the Thunder Bay-Rainy River Riding and added to the Kenora riding.

A public hearing takes place in Kenora October 9.

Anyone wishing to comment must contact the Commission by October 1st.

Absentee Voting Underway In Minnesota

Absentee voting is underway for Minnesota voters who can't make it to the polls on Election Day in November.

Absentee voting is available in person at county auditors' and some municipal clerks' offices up until November 5th, the day before the election.

Mail-in votes will also be accepted, but voters must submit an application and get the absentee ballot back to local election officials by Election Day.

Nuinsco Sells Royalty

Nuinsco Resources is selling off a royalty it has on a exploration project in the Nestor Falls area.

The 3 per cent royalty on Coventry Resources' Cameron Gold Project will be handed off to an unnamed third party for $5.1 million.

Nuinsico earned the royalty as part of a sale of the project to Conventy two years ago.

Medical School Fundraiser

The Northern Ontario School of Medicine is embarking on a new fundraising campaign.  

Officials are hoping to raise $120-thousand with the sale of so called virtual chairs.

Organizer Jackie Dojack says the money will help offset students expenses.

The cost of each chair is 60 dollars with 2-thousand being made available.

Falls Senior Facility Progressing

Work on a new home for the Good Samaritan Society in International Falls is well underway.

The $18-million, 54 bed project, will replace the Society's existing facility and is scheduled to open sometime next fall.

Community Relations director Barb Owen-Boerger says residents can expected to see walls go up early next month.

Owen-Boerger says fundraising for the project also continues with about half of their one-million dollar goal raised.

FireRangers Replaced

The Ministry of Natural Resources continues to provide forest fire fighting assistance to Minnesota.

Four forests firefighters from the MNR's Fort Frances fire district have been working in Ely and Roseau since the beginning of the month.

They're came home Friday, but replaced by four others.

Question of the Week

Most respondents to a 93.1theborder.ca poll don't think students were justified in walking out of class last week

Just 29 per cent feel the students were right in staging walk-outs, they said supported teachers opposition to a legislated contract.

Our question this week, should motorists being paying in advance before filling up at the pumps?