World Juniors roundup

Yesterday, Canada lost 3-0 to Cuba in a tight match. The US won 4-2 against Australia. Chinese Taipei dominated France winning 11-1. Italy won 6-5 against Venezuela in eleven innings. The Czech Republic came back from an early deficit against Panama, but still lost 7-5. South Korea won a lopsided victory against the Netherlands 10-0.

Canada loses against Cuba 3-0

There was nothing on the scoreboard for either side until the top of the eighth when Cuba's Andy Ibanez batted in two runs. Cuba went on to edge out Canada 3-0. Both sides were strong defensively, giving up few hits throughout the game. Tom Robson pitched a solid six innings for Canada before he was relieved by Evan Grills. Cuba's Omar Luis pitched all nine innings and struck out 10 batters.  

Italy wins against Venezuela

Italy beat Venezuela 6-5 yesterday. Venezuela started strong, scoring two runs in the first inning. The game quickly turned into a stalemate with either side refusing to budge. Italy eventually got the runs needed to send the game into extra innings and won in the eleventh. Italy faces the US today. Coach Gianguido Poma is looking forward to the game against the strong American team. "I know they're better than us, but you start from zero to zero and we just want to play a good game," said Poma.

Reason for Venezuela's delay still unknown

Ian Young of the IBAF says the organization isn't yet clear on the reason for Team Venezuela's late arrival to the World Junior Baseball Championship. Some Venezuelan players were arriving directly from the airport minutes before their game against Italy yesterday. The IBAF is investigating the issue and will make a statement once more is known.

Venezuela back in

Team Venezuela is on the ground in Thunder Bay, and back in the World Junior Baseball Championship. They will play Italy today at Baseball Central with a 4:00 start time.

Team Canada starts strong

Brandon Dailey's three run homer in the second inning got Canada off to a great start against the Netherlands. Team Canada went on to win the game 9-2 last night. Cuba beat Panama 10-0 yesterday morning. There will be games going all day at the two tournament locations. Canada and Cuba meet up tonight at Port Arthur Stadium.

Thunder Bay welcomes the world

The eleven teams that make up the World Junior Baseball Championship marched onto the field at Port Arthur Stadium as part of the opening ceremonies Friday night. The loudest cheers were, of course, for Team Canada who played the Netherlands immediately following the formalities.

23 year old man robbed in front of his house

A 23 year old man was robbed outside his home on Sherrington Drive yesterday. The victim was going to his car when he was confronted by a man and woman who had allegedly broken into his vehicle. Police believe the man hit the victim and then fled the scene.

Tory nomination now a two person race

Richard Longtin is trying to inject a bit of youth into the local Conservative Party. He is seeking the federal Tory nomination for Thunder Bay Superior North. The 26 year old Longtin says he wants to help the riding grow. The only other contender at this time is Richard Harvey. No date has been set for the nomination.

Fort Frances area mill workers vote for strike action

Unionized workers at the Ainsworth OSB Mill in Barwick have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to back contract demands.  The strike vote came after the 130 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union voted 97 per cent against the company's latest offer.  CEP National Rep Steven Boon says the union will continue work towards a deal before the mid-August strike deadline.  Boon says many of the outstanding issues centre around non-monetary things such as contract language, contracting out, seniority and scheduling changes.

MNR blitz catches illegal activity

The Minstry of Natural Resources laid 98-charges and issued 321-warnings during a recent 7-day enforcement blitz across Northwestern Ontario. Conservation officers checked nearly 23-hundred anglers. Charges were issued for fishing without a licence, over-limit of walleye, trespassing, illegally transporting fish, importing live baitfish, obstructing an officer and camping on crown land without a permit. Several liquor related violations and not having appropriate safety equipment were also reported.

NDP MP John Rafferty weighs in on census decision

Another politician is weighing in on the Federal Government's decision to scrap the mandated long-form census.  NDP MP John Rafferty says the Harper government has made a mistake and should shelve their hair brained census reform plan.  Meanwhile, Kenora MP Greg Rickford defends the decision saying the mandatory census is an invasion of people's privacy.

MNR Fire Update

Despite significant rainfall, a good sized forest fire sparked in the Sioux Lookout District. A 300-hectare blaze is burning just northeast of Sachogo Lake First Nation. Aircraft will monitor the fire today to determine the next course of action. There are 14-fires burning in Northwestern Ontario, none of which are considered serious.

Let's play ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The World Junior Baseball Championship is underway in Thunder Bay. Cuba and Panama started things off this morning at Port Arthur Stadium after a short rain delay. Opening ceremonies take place tonight at 6:15 followed by Canada and the Netherlands.

Team Italy is finding a lot of support

Team Italy is feeling right at home in Thunder Bay. Its Junior Baseball team received quite the welcome at the Airport when they arrived Wednesday. Coach Gianguido Poma says a large group of people met them at the airport with flags and signs. He says the extra support will give his players a big boost. Italy plays its first game Sunday against the US. They will be taking the field tomorrow morning and fans will get a chance to interact with the team.

Thunder Bay Power outage

Around 600 businesses and homes were without power this morning.  Thunder Bay Hydro had a key piece of equipment break at around 7 this morning on Park Avenue.  The power outage was from the Casino to Waverly road.

Venezuela not coming to World Junior Baseball Championships

The World Junior Baseball Championships kick off today and it'll start down one team. Organizers announced yesterday Venezuela will not attending the tournament. Warren Philp says teams scheduled to face Venezuela will show up and practice and interact with fans. International Baseball Federation officials say it appears Visa and Passport problems are the reason Venezuela is a no show. In Accordance with IBAF rules teams scheduled to face the team will automatically earn a 9-0 win.

Shelter House still needs food

Once again Shelter House needs your help.   Officials with the homeless facility say there's still a need for food donations.    They say priority items remain canned and dry goods.    Shelter House normally experiences a lull in donations during the summer months.

Bear frees itself from plastic trap

Thunder Bay's Rob Paterson is relieved it's over. Paterson helped to bring the publics attention to the plight of the bear with the plastic jug on his head on Lambert Island. The Ministry of Natural Resources is confirming that a jug found floating in Lake Superior, near the island, Wednesday night by canoeists, was indeed the one the bear was wearing. His fate is not known.   Paterson says that the bruins plight attracted international attention with the BBC picking up the story.

The Shad kids say goodbye

Another Shad Valley program at Lakehead University has come and gone. Students from across Canada are leaving after spending the last month in the program. Anika Smithson says she's going back to Orangeville a changed person.  She says it opened her eyes to new ideas and taught her how much stress she's able to cope with.  Smithson adds it gave her an idea of which direction she wants to take in university.  This years program attracted 65 students