A meeting to end long meetings

City Councillors will be meeting soon to talk about how to shorten up their long meetings.   Last Monday's Council meeting ended around midnight which is unacceptable according to Councillor Rebecca Johnson. She hopes some sort of solution can be found to an issue which has been a pet peeve of hers. Johnson says the City Clerks office is trying to arrange for a special council meeting to address the problem.

T BAY man wins 75 grand

Thunder Bay's Keith MacMillan is 75 thousand dollars richer after playing THE OLG's Instant Pac Man game.  The 76 year old grandfather of 11 says he'll use the money to buy a new car.

Hiker unhurt after being lost

A 23 year old Thunder Bay woman is safe after being lost in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park overnight. OPP Sgt. Dan Peters says she was reported missing by her hiking companion around 9 o'clock Thursday night.  Police then called the Emergency Response Team into action and within several hours the woman was found on one of the hiking trails, cold but otherwise not hurt.

Chamber hands out scholarships

Three Thunder Bay teens will be sharing 500 dollars from the Chamber of Commerce.  The Chamber awarded the scholarships to Brooke Barritt, Kaitlyn Hindman and Kailey Trodd.

No AHL team for Thunder Bay...yet

Thunder Bay is out of the running to becoming the new home of the Manitoba Moose, at least for now.  True North Sports and Entertainment is announcing today that St Johns Newfoundland will be the new home of the AHL team for a 3 year trial period.  Officials with True North say after the three years the team will be re-evaluated.

Provincial Government doles out cash

The provincial government is doling out 431 thousand dollars to Northwestern Ontario community groups. The Big Thunder Nordic Ski Club is getting a share of the funds, as is Lakehead University and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Thunder Pride this weekend

CUPE Ontario's President is in Thunder Bay this weekend to celebrate the city's first ever "Thunder Pride" event.  Fred Hahn is showing his support for the gay and alternative lifestyle.  A variety of events are taking place across the City this weekend.

MEAGlow lab open at LU

Lakehead University's research reputation is getting another shot in the arm with the official opening of a new lab which will develop LED lights.  It's being made possible through a partnership with a company called MEAGlow.   Your federal and provincial tax dollars contributed almost 800 thousand dollars to make the lab a reality..

Unions Protest Hobbs' Comments

The National President of the Canadian Autoworkers Union is calling out Mayor Keith Hobbs.  Ken Lewenza took part in a protest in Thunder Bay Friday and says they're trying to remind the Mayor who helped get him elected.  The union is upset that the Mayor has said in the past the city could save money through job attrition.  CUPE also took part in the multi-union protest at the Valhalla Inn.

MNR continues to help Alberta

Ontario is playing an active role in the forest fire fight in Alberta.  The Province now has over 350 fire staff in the western Province, with about half representing Northwestern Ontario.  The Ministry of Natural Resources says there have been roughly 53-hundred person days of support provided, just over half the total support provided to B.C. for all of last year.  An Incident Management Team is slated to take over a 44-hundred square kilometre wildfire shortly, the largest wildfire Alberta has seen in 60-years.  The forest fire hazard locally is high in the Far North and in the Fort Frances District and moderate across the rest of the Region.

Jobless rate drops again

We aren't bucking the trend in job numbers.  Thunder Bay saw a drop in numbers last month going from 7.3 to 7.2 in May.  Thats puts us just under the national rate which fell to 7.4 percent.

Break in at Hillcrest

Thunder Bay police have arrested 2 people after an early morning break and enter.  Police say a 21 year old man and a 20 year old woman were arrested after a break in at the old Hillcrest High School just after 1 o'clock.

CAW holding conference in Thunder Bay

Delegates from the Canadian Autoworkers Union are calling for political mobilization at a weekend conference in the City.  Union members are learning how to become effective lobbyists during the lead up to the provincial election.  National CAW President Ken Lewenza will be speaking Friday.

Eric Brown excited about being drafted

Thunder Bay's Eric Brown is still pinching himself. The 22 year old pitcher is now a part of the Toronto Blue Jays organization after being drafted this week.  Brown expects to be playing for the Vancouver Canadians this year.

Confederation College goes "green"

Confederation College is trying to be more green.  Sustainability Intern Courtney Korbyck says they're going to start small with a student campaign.  Korbyck says they'll encourage students to recycle, use public transit and cut back on using paper products. The college launched its five year environmental action plan Thursday.

Postal pickets up on Alloy Dr.

Rotating strikes by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers are affecting Thunder Bay today. Local union boss Wendy Johnston says just over 200 CUP-W members are affected. She says they went out on the picket line at 11:30 on Wednesday night and will return to work at 11:30 Thursday. Pickets are set up outside the Canada Post building on Alloy Drive

I owe Michael Antcliffe 10 dollars

A 36 year old Thunder Bay man who is dying from Melanoma is raising awareness about his cancer through social networking sites. The Northern Cancer Fund will benefit from money raised through the "I owe Michael Antcliffe 10 dollars" Facebook page.  Antcliffe says he would like to have 100-thousand friends on facebook.  The hospital is hoping to use the money raised to rename a patient waiting room after Antcliffe.  Antcliffe is hoping to tour parts of Canada starting on the East Coast this July. 

Immigration? There's an app for that

Northwestern Ontario's Immigration website is getting an upgrade. Cathy Woodbeck is with the Multicultural Association and says the site now offers 15 languages and can be viewed on smart phones. Woodbeck says they take several phone calls from people seriously considering moving to the Northwest. The website has received over a thousand hits.

Horwath promising price cap on gas

Thunder Bay's high gas prices are getting the attention of NDP leader Andrea Horwath.   If elected premier, not only is she promising to cap prices in the province, she would take a look at transportation costs to Northwestern Ontario. Under Horwath's plan the Ontario Energy Board would be responsible for setting weekly price caps.

Former LU employee goes to jail

Guilty is the verdict against a former Lakehead University employee on charges of fraud and theft.   In court this week Toni Lynn Powers was sentenced to 9 months in jail in connection with the disappearance of nearly 150 thousand dollars from the university bookstore over an 8 year period.