Severe Crime Drops In City

Deputy police chief Andy Hay says the latest stats showing a drop in severe crime in 2012 is helping to make us a safer city.  He credits the hard work of  police and community members especially the Crime Prevention Council.   Hay notes however there is a long way go since we still have high murder and domestic assault rates.

New Sports Honour Roll Announced

Two local hockey players and a medal winning paralympic swimmer head this years list of inductees into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.   Andrea Cole was the first female from the region to have won a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Sydney.  Katie Weatherston was the first female from northwestern Ontario and the first athlete from Thunder Bay to win a gold medal for Canada at the Olympic Games in Turin. Tony Hrkac is the only regional hockey player ever to have won the coveted Hobey Baker Award as the outstanding US College hockey player.

Red Lake Wildfire Eases

The Ministry of Natural Resources says a fire in the Red Lake area is now being held. The blaze, 50 km northwest of the community, started on July 3rd and was caused by a lightning strike. It  has burned more than 18-thousand hectares.

Safeway Deal Does't Affect NWO

Empire Company, which owns Sobeys stores in Canada, has struck a deal to sell some of its newly acquired Safeway properties in a sale-leaseback deal with property management company Crombie of Nova Scotia. None of the stores impacted are in northwestern Ontario.

New Gold Close To Goal

In the world of business,  the New Gold mining company says its planned take over of Rainy River Resources is one step closer to reality.  New Gold is giving shareholders of the mining exploration company until August 8th to accept the cash and stock offer .  New Gold says it's just a few percentage points away from its goal of acquiring 90 per cent of Rainy Rainy shares.

More Stanley Cup Info

The time and place are now set for presentation of the Stanley Cup in the city.  It will be at the Fort William Gardens on August 2nd from noon until 2:00.   Patrick Sharp of the NHL Champion Chicago Blackhawks will be on hand to show off the hardware

Dam Work Postponed

The swimming season can continue at Boulevard Lake. The city has decided to postpone work on the Current River Dam. Spokesperson Pat Mauro says they can't find any company to do the 3 million dollars worth of repairs adding the tenders came in higher than what City Hall had budgeted for. As a result of the decision water on Boulevard Lake will not be drained and the beaches will stay open.

Thirteen Year Old Charged In B & E

A 13 year old boy is facing charges after a Dawson Road lottery store was broke into  yesterday.  Cigarettes and bus passes were stolen.  A court appearance is scheduled for today.  

Dryden Losing Another Senior Staffer

The City of Dryden is losing another senior member. George Friesen has announced his resignation as Airport Manager effective September. Friesen says he's worked with some great staff for the past 23-No replacement has been named. Friesen is moving to Alberta to pursue other opportunities. The City is now without a full-time Economic Development Officer, City Manager, Library Manager and Recreation Manager, among other high level positions.

Still No Charges In Fatal Crash

There's still no word on any charges being laid in connection with this week's cycling tragedy near Red Rock.   Two cyclists from Cornwall were killed after being struck by a passing pick up truck on Tuesday afternoon.  They were part of a group of 25 cyclists travelling across the country.