Robbery suspect turns himself in

City police have a 23 year old man in custody in connection with an armed robbery on the city's south side. They say that the man turned himself into police Monday night. At around 4 am Monday police say a man wearing a mask and armed with a knife robbed the store of some cigarettes. No one was hurt.

Cops nab break in suspect

City police hope they have stopped the vehicle break in spree around the Fort William Gardens. They say that on Friday night they set up a surveillance operation in the area. A male was seen trying to enter several vehicles in a parking lot resulting in an arrest. During the investigation they found that several vehicles in the area were broken into.

Fort William First Nation votes in favour of settlement

It's a done deal as a majority of Fort William First Nation residents have voted in favour of a proposal that will see the reserve receive 3.5 million dollars.Band members voted in favour of the settlement for the Loch Lomond Pipeline claim.Chief Peter Collins says band members will now have to decide whether they want to use a portion of the money to pay back-taxes owing Thunder Bay for the AbitibiBowater sawmill property

There's hope for Big Thunder yet

Could the glory days of Big Thunder be on their way back? The world class ski jumps at the provincially owned facility have been sitting idle for years, but now comes word that the province has put out a call for interested parties to submit letters of intent to help develop the property. The park was once a hub of activity as it was on the world cup ski jumping circuit and it also hosted the World Nordic Championships in 1995.

Waterfront is overbudget

Thunder Bay city councillors have now voted to add 2.2 million dollars for phase one of the city's waterfront development. The money will come from phase two of the project, which has yet to get underway. However the approval did not come before councillors questioned waterfront manager Katherine Dugmore for hours about reasons for the over 5 million dollars in cost overruns.

Local singer blown away by video's popularity

The accolades are still pouring in for Thunder Bay's Jordan Burnell and his My Home Town video. It's already received 155 thousand views on You Tube. Burnell says he can't believe how the popularity has just exploded. Burnell says he's received reaction to the video from ex Thunder Bayites all over North America.

Modest increase in housing starts

The new year is starting out slowly for housing starts in Thunder Bay. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation reports there were four starts last month...that is up only slightly from the two at the same time last year. CMHC's Warren Philp admits its a modest start, but in keeping with the ten year average. Philp says the creation of some new subdivisions in the city holds promised for additional housing starts this year.

Weekend robbery concerns cabbies

Cab drivers in the city are on edge after a weekend robbery. Early Saturday morning police say a Roach's Taxi driver picked up two male passengers in the Westfort Area. The two sat in the back seat and they asked to be taken to the Limbrick street area. When they got there the driver had a sharped edged object placed at the back of his neck and was robbed of an undetermined amount of money. The driver was shaken but not hurt. The culprits ran away and are still at large.

My Home Town causes sensation

The good fortune continues for Thunder Bay's Jordan Burnell. His music video My Home Town remains an internet sensation. The rap song has garnered 140 thousand views since it was posted on Thursday. The song is about Burnell's pride in Thunder Bay and all the things the city is about and what it offers.

Waterfront project over budget

Waterfront manager Katherine Dugmore has now updated city councillors on the waterfront development. She says the project at Prince Arthur's Landing has run 5 million dollars over budget. 2.2 million of that will have to be taken from phase two of the project. Dugmore says it's too early to say what buget cuts will be necessary to make up for that 2.2 million dollar shortfall for phase two.

Police probe bat attack and armed robbery

One man is in custody and another is being sought after a baseball bat attack Sunday afternoon. Police say a male victim says he was assaulted and then pushed down some stairs. Then early Monday morning a male, his face covered with a balaclava, and carrying a knife entered a north May street convenience store and stole some items. No one was hurt.

Haitian relief dollars still coming in

Thunder Bay residents continue to give generously to the efforts for Haitian earthquake relief. Red Cross Spokesperson Rob Zuback says since the appeal went out over 150 thousand dollars has been collected through various means.
Zuback says that Thunder Bay residents have raised about 33 per cent of the total raised in northern Ontario.

PARO gets Trillium grant

Getting women more meaningful job placements is one of the goals of a local government funded project. The PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise has received a 330 thousand dollar grant from the Trillium Foundation. PARO's Executive Director Rosalind Lockyer says the various projects will be funded for three years with the goal of getting women their own businesses

Jobless rate drops in the city

Good news on the jobless front in the city. There were fewer people looking for work in Thunder Bay in January. The unemployment rate in the city was 7.6 per cent. Statistics Canada says that was a drop from 8.1 per cent in December. Across the country the rate dropped slightly to 8.3 per cent.

OPP Sergeant faces trial

The tragic traffic death of an 18 year old city girl will now be the subject of a criminal trial. Following a four day preliminary hearing OPP Sergeant Darryl Storey has been committed to stand trial in connection with the December 2008 death of Jasime Veneruzzo. The accident took place at the intersection of Highway 11/17 and Twin City Crossroads. Storey is facing charges of criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death. The trial will start June 1st.

Poor sales still plague charity raffle

Habitat for Humanity is still struggling to get people to purchase its Family Day lottery tickets. CEO Diane Mitchell says they have now sold just over 6 thousand tickets meaning they are over the halfway mark. Mitchell says tickets for the lottery will be available until just prior to draw time at the Sportsdome on Family Day. The grand prize is 100 thousand dollars.

L-R-C-A to close Cascades for three weeks

The Lakehead Region Conservation Authority is closing the Cascades Conservation Area for at least three weeks. Officials say its to clean up damage caused by last September's wind storm. The closure will take place starting February the 16th. The clean up will involve removing blown down trees and others which are in danger of falling.

Thunder Bay man has Oscar dreams

The students at Confederation Colleges' film class are buzzing these days. A graduate of that class is now basking in the light of an Academy Award nomination. Trent Opaloch was the cinematographer on the sci-fi flick District 9. The movie is up for best picture along with three other awards. The Thunder Bay born Opaloch is hoping it will open up new opportunities

Minister says health care spending is priority

Watch for health care spending to continue trumping many other provincial budget requests. That's essentially the suggestion from Finance Minister Dwight Duncan after he completed another set of pre-budget talks in Thunder Bay Thursday. In addition to health care, the forest industry and social spending were topics discussed behind closed doors with interested parties.