Cyclotron building may be in jeopardy

Officials with the Regional Research Institute hope they don't have to scale back their plans for a new building on the hospital grounds. The proposed 25 million dollar facility would house a new cyclotron that would produce medical isotopes. Institute chair, Keith Jobbitt says federal funding for the project may not come through.  He says they may instead have to use an existing building like the Health Sciences Centre or the Munro Street facility.  Jobbitt says they will continue to pursue the funding from the feds.

Slain constable to receive another honour

The Current River Bridge on Highway 11-17 is going to be named after a police officer who died in the line of duty. Saturday officials will dedicate the bridge to the memory of City Police Constable John Kusznier. He died in a shooting in the parking lot of a north side hotel 30 years ago. The ceremony will take place at the Terry Fox Lookout at 11 am.

New study says school food program works

The Lakehead Public School Board is touting the success of a program aimed at helping Aboriginal students. The Neighbourhood Capacity Building Project helps make sure the students are fed and are exposed to native culture. Organizer Tammy Bobyk says a new study shows it's working and has an influence on student success which can be directly linked to academic success.

Fatal accident leads to charge

A Thunder Bay man is now facing a charge in connection to Wednesday's fatal traffic accident on Red River Road. Spokesperson Chris Adams says that's were a pick up and a motorbike collided resulting in the death of the motorcycle driver, 37 year old Darren Dolph.  Police have charged the 49 year old pick up truck driver with careless driving. Adams says no further charges are expected.

Cheques on the way for some northern residents

Some residents of Northern Ontario will soon qualify for a cheque to take the sting out of higher energy costs. Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle says the money will start coming after the law is passed.  The cheques will range from 130 dollars for individuals to 200 dollars for families. The credit is designed for low and middle income people and families.

Walk to help Easter Seals

On the charity beat, the Dawson Road Safeway store is hosting an Easter Seals fundraising walk Saturday morning. Rhonda Harrison of Easter Seals says there is no financial goal set because it's only the first year of the event. The walk starts at 11:30 until 12:30.  The cost to enter is 10 dollars

Fourth mayoralty candidate emerges

A city truck driver wants to be the next mayor of Thunder Bay. 53 year old Brian Kwasny is a life long resident of the city and understands he has a low profile, but he believes that can be an advantage because it will keep him open minded. Kwasny says the current city council has been doing things backwards. He becomes the 4th candidate in this mayors race. The other three are Lynn Peterson, Keith Hobbs and Jeff Irwin.

Rydholm seeking another council term

Linda Rydholm doesn't believe her work on city council is finished. The Neebing Ward councillor says she will be seeking another term in the October municipal election. She sites the Big Thunder Wind Farm as one of the issues she wants to tackle, saying the complexities of the project have to be resolved.  She is the second registered candidate in that ward, the other is former councillor Gary Shchepanik.

Lack of waterfall causes tourism concern

There's concern tourism will suffer in Kakabeka if the main attraction isn't there. The famous falls have been reduced to a trickle because of the lack of precipitation over the winter. The Past President of the Kakabeka Business Association, Marlis Dudzinski, says there will be a big impact. She says businesses may have to advertise more and feature other outdoor attractions like ATV and motorcycle trails.

Greenstone turns to online voting

In the same week Thunder Bay said no to online voting another local municipality is setting a precedent. Greenstone council voted to implement telephone and internet voting for the upcoming municipal elections. Mayor Michael Power says it will cost 40 thousand dollars which is cheaper than the old mail in ballot system.

National Day of Mourning draws more each year

The annual National Day of Mourning for workplace deaths continues to gain popularity in Thunder Bay. About 250 people showed up for Wednesdays ceremony outside the Labour Centre. Labour Council President Melanie Kelso says more and more people are realizing the importance of the day knowing that it could be them that could someday be killed or injured on the job.  Kelso says the day will continue to go recognized until workplace injuries and deaths stop.

New forest fire in the Thunder Bay District

Relief is still days away for the parched forests of Northwestern Ontario. Debbie MacLean of the Ministry of Natural Resources says that one new fire was reported in the Thunder Bay district 15 kilometres north of the city in the Surprise Lake area.  She says it's a 3 hectare blaze with nothing valuable threatened but they consider it a fire of concern and crews continue to attack it.  MacLean says the fire hazard remains high to extreme

Motorcycle collision leaves one man dead

One man is dead after a fatal collision in the North downtown. Spokesperson Chris Adams says it took place on Red River Road at the entrance to the Heart of the Harbour Parkade just before 7:30 between a Motorcycle and a pickup truck. The 37 year old driver of the motorbike died at the Health Sciences Centre. He is identified as Darren Dolph of Thunder Bay. Police closed a stretch of Red River Road for several hours, to gather evidence.

Multi-Plex meeting dates set

The dates have now been set for the two public meetings on the proposed multi-plex arena. City Manager Tim Commisso says that's where study results will be presented and the public will be allowed to comment. He says the meeting will be divided into three segments. The first will be the displays, the second a presentation from the city on the Phase One study and the third part will be an open forum for public comment. The meetings will take place May 6th at the Da Vinci Centre and May 13th at the Italian Hall on Algoma Street.

Get ready to Run N' Roll

The M-S Society of Thunder is back with its' annual Run N' Roll Half Marathon. Organizer Hal Lightwood says it will be taking place July 18th. Once again it will be held on Lakeshore Drive in the municipality of Shuniah and it's open to runners and inline skaters. Lightwood says they hope to attract 200 particpants with a goal of raising 14 thousand dollars.

Ride for Dad set for next month

The annual Bell Motorcycle Ride for Dad happens on June 19th. The proceeds from the event go towards the fight against prostate cancer. Organizer Tere McDonald feels the event has done quite a bit to raise awareness.   In the past 5 years men have become more open about discussing the disease. It's hoped that about 300 riders will take part. Pictured: Glenn Craig, Kerri Spooner and Tere McDonald.

Fundraising begins for Ronald McDonald House

McDonald's Restaurants in Thunder Bay and Northern Ontario are raising money for a new Ronald McDonald House in Toronto. Thunder Bay's Kathy Bukovy says that facility is important for northerners because families from here stay there when their children get cancer treatment.  She says one-third of those people who stay at Ronald McDonald House are from Northern Ontario. Bukovy says they hope to raise 1 million dollars for the cause through customer contributions and fundraisers.

ATV bylaw passes in Oliver-Paipoonge

Owners of All Terrain Vehicles in Oliver-Paipoonge can now legally do what they've been doing all along. Mayor Lucy Kloosterhuis says they can ride their vehicles on the community roads after council voted in favour of a new bylaw on the practice. Kloosterhuis says the law also sets out rules that ATV owners must follow in the rural township.

Tuchenhagen ponders his political future

McKellar Ward residents may not see Robert Tuchenhagens' name on the election ballot in October. The city councillor is seriously considering not running for another term. He says he's not happy with the current council.   He thinks it's time for the community to have an opportunity to vote for new people who won't be preoccupied with their re-election bids and be able to get some substantive work done.  Tuchenhagen plans to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.

AP program growing in the city

More and more students in Thunder Bay are being convinced to join the Advanced Placement program. The Ontario Director Lynda Robinson is visiting the city and says the program is growing slowly here. However she can't compare our particpation rate with the rest of the province.  She says some schools have only one AP program while others have seven, adding it's like comparing apples and oranges. Under the AP program,  high school exam results are recognized by all universities in Ontario.