Belated Christmas Gift For City Woman

A late Christmas gift for a city woman who had her car and gifts stolen last month while she left it idling.    Dave Allen from Gary's Towing says  his company has brought the car back from Edmonton where it was recovered by police, minus the gifts, at no cost to the woman.  Allen says he and his staff felt it was a good deed to do during the Christmas season.

Agate Bay Named One Of Top 7 Beaches

A travel website, Travel and Escape dot ca has named Northwestern Ontario's Agate Bay as one of the seven beaches in the world travellers need to visit in 2013. Tourism Manager Paul Pepe says the beach located in Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area was ranked fourth.  Pepe feels the mention might bring in more visitors to Northwestern Ontario.

Building Permits Almost At 220 Million

Thunder Bay's Chief Building Official says 2012 was a great year for selling building permits.  Almost 220 million dollars worth of building permits were taken out last year according to Desmond Stolz.  Stolz says the conversion of Zellers stores to Walmarts and the new court house helped boost their permit sales.  Stolz says this year we can expect another great year with the new waterfront hotel being built.

Fire Marshall Done At Valhalla

The Ontario Fire Marshall's Office is done it's on-site investigation of the Valhalla Inn restaurant fire.  The blaze last week damaged the Timbers restaurant and forced guests to be temporarily evacuated.  Fire Spokesperson Anthony Stokaluk says they're still waiting to find out the cause of the blaze. Stokaluk says the restaurant still needs to be repaired before it can reopen.

Record Breaking Warmth Possible

Get ready for some unseasonably warm weather this week.  Meteorologist Geoff Coulson of Environment Canada says we could even see some record breaking temperatures.  He says Thursday's forecast high of 5 degrees would break a 60 year old record.  Coulson says there is the possibility of some snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, but there isn't expected to be a large accumulation.

Police Nab Mac's Store Suspect

Facebook has helped local police nab a suspect in the January 4th robbery of a Mac's Convenience Store on Simpson Street.  Police followed up on information from a Facebook posting that said a 19 year old man had allegedly just committed a robbery at a Mac's store.  The investigation lead the officer's to get a search warrant for the suspects residence and seize some evidence.  Travis Loon turned himself in at the Thunder Bay Police Station just after 9:30 p.m. on January 6th and faces charges of robbery, possession of a prohibited weapon and breach of probation.

Hyer Has Tongue Tumour

MP Bruce Hyer says that he has cancer.  Hyer made the announcement yesterday afternoon that he has a tumour on his tongue and will have it removed this week in Ottawa. Hyer says the prognosis is good and he expects to be back to work as soon as possible.

Villa Street Man Still In Critical Condition

A 23 year old man is still listed in critical condition as a result of injuries sustained at a Villa Street residence last month.  Acting Detective Inspector Don Lewis says the home is still being held by police as they continue to investigate the death of 25 year old Desmond Mathews who was also found inside the residence.  Lewis says they still have not had a chance to speak with the 23 year old man who remains in hsopital.

T.Bay Lawyer Taking Part In Kenora Murder Trial

Kenora's first murder trial in several years starts this week.  43 year old Ed Wilson was found dismembered on the CPR train tracks in the community back in the spring of 2009.  39 year old Kenneth Ivall and 23 year old Angela Duchesne are charged with second degree murder in connection to the slaying.  Thunder Bay lawyer Chris Watkins is in Kenora for the next 8 weeks to represent Ivall.

Update On Aggravated Assault Victim

Investigators are still monitoring the condition of a man who was hospitalized on December 29th in the Brant Street area.   Inspector Detective Don Lewis says there has been no upgrade to his medical condition. The man's girlfriend is facing charges of aggravated assault.

Rafferty Talks EI Changes

Changes to Employment Insurance are now in effect.  The Federal Government announced their plans in the spring budget.  MP John Rafferty says people will be forced to take minimum wage jobs.  Rafferty is also concerned fewer people will be able to access the fund.

Oxycodone Seized

A Fort Hope First Nation man is being charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking after Nishnawbe-Aski police seized a number of Oxycodone pills. Police seized approximately almost $3,000 dollars worth of 5 milligram Oxycodone prescription pills and six hundred dollars worth of alcohol. The man is scheduled to appear in court on March 21st in Fort Hope.

New 20's Posing Problems

Vending machine operators are expressing frustration over the government's new 20 dollar bills. The polymer note is not being accepted by vending machines and President of R and B Vending, Vic Renouf says they're constantly having to upgrade their equipment just to stay in business. One local grocery store chain is also having difficulty with the new 20's not working in their self-checkout lanes.

Thunderwolves Weekend

All in all it was a positive weekend for Lakehead University sports teams. The men's and women's basketball teams swept Waterloo on the road while the women's volleyball team won both their games at home against the Warriors. The men's hockey team split a pair of games against the Gueph Gryphons.

Crime Of The Week

Crimestoppers is looking for your help in identifying the people responsible for a robbery of a youth on the McVicar Creek pathway near Algoma Street. On March 23rd of this year a 13 year old boy was walking home from his friend's house when he was approached by three other male youths. They took his Nike hoodie and his size 9 Nike shoes. The culprits continued to walk towards the HMCS Griffin. The three robbers are said to be native Canadian males. One was wearing a white sweatshirt and a backpack. Another was wearing a black sweatshirt and the third is described being heavier set with a grey sweatshirt and mustache. Crimestoppers is asking for your help in solving this robbery. If you have any information you can call 623-TIPS.