Monday, July 22, 2013

Youth Centre Proposed

Officials of the Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre want the city's help to build a new youth centre.   Executive director Bernice Dubec made the pitch to city lawmakers last night saying the centre is needed so they can help a wider variety of young people.  They are requesting 2 and a half million dollars to purchase and renovate the Prosvita Hall on High Street and 300 thousand dollars a year for operating costs.  City Hall staff will now work with the Centre to come up with a game plan for the new facility.

Union Boss Pitches Bus Museum

The head of the city transit union is spearheading a move to open a transit museum.  Charlie Brown announced his campaign at City Hall  this evening as part of his efforts to find a home for some refurbished local Brill trolley buses. He is asking the community for support and ideas.  Brown says his organization is also asking for donations to make the dream a reality.

It's A Boy For William And Kate

It's a boy.  Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge has given birth to a 8 pound 6 ounce boy who automatically becomes the Prince of Cambridge.   The royal birth was announced this afternoon after the birth at St. Mary's Hospital in London.  No name as been announced.

Fire Victims Identified

The cause of a fatal fire on the weekend west of Nipigon remains unknown.   Police say that 66 year old  Fern Marquardt died in her Lyon Township home  Friday night .  Her cause of death is still being determined as is the cause of the blaze itself.

No Leads In Murder Case

If city police are making any progress on the city's second murder of the year, they aren't saying.  Spokesperson Chris Adams says that so far there is no new information to report and that there have been no leads called in from the public in the case.  Thirty year old Shannon Hogan died last week after being found seriously injured behind a Lake Street house.

Fire Hazard Expected To Drop

The forest fire hazard is expected to drop because rain is forecast for much of the Northwest Region.  There are no fires reported in the Thunder Bay District but there were 3 new fires reported yesterday in the Kenora and Sioux Lookout areas.  Meantime crews from the Northwest  are helping fight blazes in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Quebec.

Tall Ship Attracts Hundreds

The Norwegian tall ship  Sorlandet is still in port at the Pool 6 dock next to the marina.   It will be open for public tours again today from 10 until 4.  Yesterday hundreds turned out to get a tour of the ship which arrived here on the weekend to help celebrate Lake Superior Day.

Dryden Clean Up Continues

Clean up efforts continue in Dryden following last weeks major storm. A city official says  trees in the cemetery and around city hall were ripped right out of the ground Thursday night. Crews hope to have everything looking back to normal sometime this week.

Survey Shows Happy Citizens

It appears Thunder Bay citizens are more than satisfied with how city services are provided.   The latest citizen survey shows that almost 90 per cent of us are happy with the way we are served by the city.  That's up slightly from the survey in 2011.   The number one issue facing citizens is roads followed by the economy and crime.   Ninety two per cent say quality of life is good or very good.   Some of the top reasons are the size of the city, safety and cost of living.

Councillors To Hear Request For Youth Centre

 The Thunder Bay Indian Friendship Centre is looking for a new home.    Officials are coming to City Hall tonight to plead their case for a new building to house a proposed youth centre.  Also tonight, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery's bid to move to a new waterfront location is expected to take another step forward tonight. The next phase of a process will likely be given approval by city lawmakers.  As well, councillors are being asked how they would like to see the Katherine Dugmore remembered.   She managed the waterfront development until she died from cancer.