Kick off for new cultural plan this month

The city is developing a cultural plan and very soon you'll have a chance to have your say. A community open house is planned later this month. It's being organized by Leah Bayly the supervisor of cultural services. She says the plan will be all encompassing and a final report will be presented to city council in January or February. The open house takes place March 29th at the Community Auditorium from 6:30-9 pm.

Renown Metis author speaks to students at Ogden School

Students at Ogden School heard from a renowned Metis Author this morning. David Bouchard spoke to students about the importance of reading as part of the schools Indigo Love of Reading Grant. Bouchard says reading is vital for future success because it gives you better communication skills and freedom to travel the world at anytime. Ogden school was given a grant of 150 thousand dollars to buy books and to host literacy programs over the last three years.

Lakehead Men's Basketball team goes for CIS championship berth in Ottawa

The Thunderwolves men's basketball team won't be taking home an OUA championship this weekend but they still have a chance to make it to the CIS championships.  The Wolves visit Ottawa tomorrow to battle the Gee Gees with the winner earning a spot at the nationals.  Lakehead lost in the OUA west final last week to Windsor but since the OUA gets three teams at the nationals, the T-Wolves have one more chance to advance.

Donald street could be the location for a temporary south core bus terminal

Donald street is likely the new temporary location for a South Core Bus Terminal. Council will be given a recommendation to adopt a portion of Donald street for use as the south terminal effective March 30th. The Brodie location will be permanently closed March 29th to make room for the new Consolidated court house. A permanent location will be chosen after the completion of a major study being done on the city's bus routes.

Thunderwolves host McGill for OUA championship

One more day to go until the Thunderwolves faceoff against the McGill Redmen for the Queens Cup. The Wolves host the Redmen tomorrow night at the Gardens for the second time for the OUA championship. Its a rematch from the 2006 final were the Thunderwolves beat McGill 4-0. Thunderwolves Head Coach Joel Scherban says there are a lot of similarities between the two teams but says playing in front of the home crowd definitely is an advantage. Game time is 730 Saturday night at the Fort William Gardens.

Border Cats games to start earlier

The Thunder Bay Border Cats games will be starting earlier this year. The baseball club says that evening games Monday thru Saturday will now begin at 6:35 pm. The first pitch for all Sunday games will be at 5:05 pm. The Cats home opener takes place on June 2nd against the Duluth Huskies.

Outbreak at St. Joe's over

The illness outbreak at St. Joseph's Hospital is now over. The Health Unit says it had taken place on the inpatient unit on 5 south of the Algoma Street facility. To help prevent further outbreaks health officials urge people who have been sick or aren't feeling well to stay away until they recover.

TBRHSC probing possible assault

Officials at the Regional Health Sciences Centre have a confusing staff and security situation to deal with. Human Resources officer Don Halpert says they recently received a report from a staff member who claims she was assaulted. While they determined it wasn't serious, police were called anyway. Halpert says they are still trying to verify the facts of the case. He adds they're reminding staff that security is available if they wish.

United Way launches Pennies from Heaven

The United Way is back to give some worth to the lowly penny. It's launched the 15th annual Pennies from Heaven campaign. The goal this year is to raise 20 thousand dollars which will go towards the overall 2010 campaign objective. As in past years there will be collection cartons sent to every home in the city. They can be used to collect pennies, and when full, can be dropped off at various city locations.

NOSTA President steps down

There will be a change at the top of the North of Superior Tourism Association. President Lori Paras has stepped down from her position. The move comes after months of turmoil within the organization the including infighting during the annual general meeting in December.

NWO agencies get upgrade cash

The McGuinty government has provided some northwestern Ontario social service agencies with money for repairs and upgrades. About 110 thousand dollars will be used to fund 29 projects including a new furnace and air conditioning system at the Thunder Bay branch of the Ontario March of Dimes.

Drug bust at the Thunder Bay Airport

A 22 year old Thunder Bay man is facing a trafficking charge after being arrested at the Thunder Bay Airport. He was apprehended after he recently arrived on a flight from Toronto. Police say he had a quantity of Oxycodone and Percocet pills with a street value of about 10 thousand dollars.

Thunder Bay arrest in kiddie porn probe

A Thunder Bay man is one of 35 people across the province charged in connection with a child pornography investigation. City police Detective Inspector Phil Levesque says the man was arrested Tuesday at his home and a personal computer was seized.   Charged with accessing child pornography is 61 year old Michael Daniel Bewcyk. He appears in court March 22nd.

Youth Action Council wants to make a difference

Young people in Thunder Bay now have a new organization to represent them. The Youth Action Council aims to bring together a vast range of groups to form one unit. Spokesperson Matthew DeGagne says they want to be a youth voice for the community. He says they'd like to work with city council and other adult organizations in the city. DeGagne says it would be nice to have input on decisions made that affect youth.

Youthscape kids shine

The kids from Youthscape Thunder Bay are pretty proud these days. Over the last two years the program been responsible for some 30 projects at a cost of 180 thousand dollars.  Sandra Albertson is with the United Way, which helped with the funding, and calls the final results amazing. In some cases the projects were organized by, or designed to help, disadvantaged youth within the community. They were put on display at the Prince Arthur Hotel on Wednesday.

Rotary Club back with it's house lottery

The Fort William Rotary Club is back with its' annual house lottery. Tickets are 100 dollars each and chair Bob Hookham says proceeds go towards several local charity organizations.   He says those charities include the Regional Food Distribution Association, the George Jeffery Children's Treatment Centre and the Dew Drop Inn.   The draw is taking place July first.   Photo:  Bob Hookham, Jill Zachary, Mayor Lynn Peterson, Ajoy Chatterjee

Rugby Olympics come to LU Hanger

Teams from a number of Lakehead Public Schools celebrated Rugby's inclusion into the 2012 Sumer Olympics with a tournament. Teams dressed up and took part in an Olympic style parade and played flag Rugby matches at the Lakehead University Hanger. This is the third year the tournament has been held.

Thuner Bay hosts zone 1 meeting of the OAPSB and OACP

Issues facing policing in Northern Ontario is taking centre stage in Thunder Bay at the Zone one of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police meetings. Chief Bob Herman and his Northern Counter Parts along with Police Services board members met yesterday and today for an joint meeting.  Herman says some of the big issues discussed include the need for a provincial crime prevention strategy and an update to the police services act.  Herman says having all the Chiefs and Board members on the same page is vital when working with the Government.

School board says eight is enough

There will be no change to the number of trustees on the Lakehead Public School Board. Trustees have voted to keep their number at 8 even though public schools in Armstrong and Collins were added to the boards' jurisdication. Chair Deborah Massaro says the decision had to do with student numbers, adding there wasn't enough of an increase to justify another trustee to represent their interests. The board had until March 15th to decide on adding the extra trustee

Hyer says the message is the medium

When you're in opposition the message is more important than the result. That's how MP Bruce Hyer describes the failure of the NDP motion to cancel funding for the Harmonized Sales Tax. Hyer says as long as attention was drawn to the subject their job is done.   The Liberals sided with the Conservatives in voting down the NDP motion