Friday, November 1, 2013

Call For Unity


The Mayor and the Chief of Fort William First Nation are standing side by side and calling for unity in the wake of racist comments.   In a symbolic show of support the two held a joint news conference holding eagle feathers in Council Chambers. Several racist tweets and facebook messages were posted after the James Street bridge fire.

LU Maclean's Magazine Ranking

Rave reviews for Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.  Maclean’s magazine’s annual University Rankings places Lakehead in second place among Ontario’s primarily undergraduate universities.  When compared to all Canadian universities in this category, Lakehead climbed two spots from last year’s results to rank tenth overall. L-U finished first in social sciences and humanities grants, total research dollars and in library services.

Hep A Case In T.Bay

The Health Unit is investigating a case of Hepatitis A of a Wendy's employee.  The worker at the Red River Road location tested positive and anyone who consumed any food from that restaurant between Oct. 11th to 26th may have been exposed to the virus. People who consumed food from this restaurant during this period should watch for signs of illness and contact their health care provider if they experience any of the following: fever, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, pale stools or yellowing of the skin or eyes (jaundice). Symptoms can develop anywhere from 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus.

UA Changes Flight Time

There's a new departure time coming for flights to Chicago from Thunder Bay.   Airport officials say that starting December 19th the United Airlines flights will depart at 7:20 each morning.  Right now that flight leaves at 6 am.    There is no change to the time the flight from Chicago arrives in Thunder Bay.  It remains at 9:05 pm.

Trains Going Over James Street Bridge

Trains are now going over the James Street bridge following this week's fire. Lindsay Fedchyshyn of CN Rail says the damaged portion of the rail line was fixed by this morning, however vehicle traffic is still not being allowed to cross. Fedchyshyn says the consultant will prepare recommendations on what work needs to be done to the road portion of the bridge.

Golf Links Opening Soon


Golf Links Road should be back open to traffic in two weeks time.   City Engineering Manager Rick Harms says they're on schedule and are putting the finishing touches on the road.  Harms says weather permitting we could see Golf Links open the week of November 18th.

Needle Found In Candy

City Police say a needle was found in Halloween treats Thursday night.   A parent told officers her kids were trick or treating in the Kakabeka Falls Village when they came home and found the needle in their loot.   Police are encouraging parents to make sure all treats are carefully looked at and any questionable pieces should be thrown out.  This incident is being followed up by police to try to determine if it was intentional or accidental.

BB Gun Seized

Police are investigating a weapons incident from Tuesday that saw a 16 year old man sent to hospital.   A group of friends were at the John Kusznier Memorial Park area when a BB gun was fired and hit the youth in the face near his eye.  The weapon used in this incident has been seized by police and the investigation is continuing.

Movember

It's Movember, and local men will be growing their facial hair to raise awareness about Prostate Cancer. Movember Campaign Chair Jon Hendel says there's many ways residents can take part in the fundraising effort.  Last year's local Movember campaign raised almost 30-thousand dollars.For more information visit www.movembertbay.com and www.movember.com.

Fall Feast Away For People To Come Together

The City's 3rd annual Fall Feast is on today at the Lakehead Labour Centre.  The event is meant to bring both First Nation and non aboriginal residents together as a community.  Aboriginal Liaison Officer Ann Magiskan says it's important for the community to work together especially after offensive comments were made on social media sites about the James Street bridge fire.  The event runs until six tonight.

Two Morning Fires

City fire crews are on the scene of a major fire at Frankie and Johnny's Auto Body shop at 830 North Vickers Street.  Fire units arrived at the blaze at 6:40 this morning and a second alarm was called in immediately.  No injuries have been reported and North Vickers Street is closed between Forest Avenue and Northern Avenue.  Meanwhile, there was extensive damage to an upholstery store in the 400 block of North May Street following an early morning fire.  Four pumpers and an aerial platform truck were called to the scene around 3:40 this morning and battled the blaze for close to two hours. Fire investigators will be on the scene today to determine the cause.  There were no injuries.