International Astronomy Day Today

Be on the lookout for telescopes and astronomers today as people interested in the wonders of the universe celebrate International Astronomy Day. Thunder Bay's Fort William Historical Park will be taking part in the celebrations tonight.

Public Transit Back To Normal Today

Public transit is up and running again today. City buses were shut down yesterday because of the poor weather conditions. Thunder Bay Police are also reporting that John St Road is open again following a closure yesterday due to downed power lines. 

Red Cross Uses Flood As Learning Experience

It's being described as the worst disaster to ever hit Thunder Bay but it has resulted in some positive changes for emergency groups. Last year, the Lakehead was hit with massive flooding and a price-tag to clean up at 15-million dollars. Mike Morton is the Director of Disaster Management for the Canadian Red Cross and he says they learned that they had to proactive in helping those affected. Morton says the Red Cross is currently looking at different means of helping victims including the use of social media and new technology.

Heritage Designation Requested

The United Nations is being asked to declare a portion of Northwestern Ontario as a world heritage area. Natural Resources Minister David Orazietti  says the land in question is 33 thousand square kilometres of boreal forest north of Kenora that straddles the Manitoba border. He says the designation will help to give the area world recognition. 

Breaking News>Marathon Bombing Suspect Captured

Police in Watertown, Massachusetts have their suspect.   They say that, 19 year old Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was taken into custody after being found in the backyard of a residential house hiding in a covered boat.

Buses Pulled Off The Street

All city buses are off the streets because of today's snowstorm. A city official says  the buses will resume normal operations a 6 o'clock tomorrow morning.

Trans Canada Highway Closed

A winter storm warning remains in effect.   The storm is causing white out conditions here in the city and outside the city.  OPP say that due to extremely icy conditions Highway 11/17 from Thunder Bay to Ignace is close as is Highway 102 .   In the city police say that John Street Road is closed between Community Hall Road and Mapleward Road because of downed power lines.   The Municipality of Neebing has pulled their plowing equipment off the roads until the weather improves.

Boston Is A "Ghost Town"

A former Dryden resident is stuck in a Boston hotel as the City is in lockdown mode. A massive manhunt is underway for a 19-year-old man involved in Monday's twin bombing attack at the Boston Marathon. Andrea Henderson is visiting the city and she says Boston has turned into a ghost town. Businesses and schools are closed and all public transit isn't running.

Police Release Robbery Video

Police are now releasing video of last night's Mac's Convenience Store robbery on Simpson Street.   It shows a man  with his face covered and carrying a knife and appearing to make demands.   The suspect made away with money and cigarettes.  No one was hurt.

Breaking News>Boston Under Lockdown

It's a fluid situation in Boston as police search for the 19 year old suspect in Monday's Boston Marathon bombing.   The city on lockdown as heavily armed officers search for the
man, who they say is a terrorist who is out to kill.  Stay tuned to the Magic 99.9  for any breaking developments on this story.

Summer Jobs Program Back On

The provincial government is setting up it's summer jobs program for students.  MPP Michael Gravelle says the highlight is a 2 dollar an hour hiring incentive for employers when they hire students aged 15- 30 years old. The deadline for employers to apply is April 30th.

Latest OLG Dividend Is 500 K

More casino cash for City Hall coffers.   The latest payment from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is 570 thousand dollars.  The money is a quarterly payout and is 5 per cent of the revenues from the slot machines in the facility.

LCBO Rally In Thunder Bay

Union employees of the LCBO are holding an information picket today during the lunch hour.  They'll be rallying outside the Fort William Road LCBO store in support of their bargaining team's negotiations with the Crown-owned company.  On April 9, LCBO workers voted 95 per cent in favour of strike action should contract talks break down.  The main issues in negotiations include wages and benefits, job security and improved health and safety standards.

Simpson Street Mac's Robbed

No one was hurt in an armed robbery last night at the Mac's Convenience Store on Simpson Street.  Police are looking for a man they say entered the store with his face covered and carrying a knife. The suspect made away with money and cigarettes.

Winter Storm Warning

There's a winter storm warning in effect for the City.  Environment Canada Meterologist Desjanelle Matthews says its going to be a messy day with blowing snow.  Matthews says at the Airport they reported the City getting 5 to 10 centimeters of snow last night.  We will have a snow free weekend but on Monday could see snow or rain. 

No Flood Concerns Inspite Of Snow

So far so good. The head of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority says there is no need to worry about flooding even with our snowy spring. Bill Bartley says temperatures are ideal for a spring melt with cool nights and warm days.  Bartley says with rain expected next week,  officials will keep an eye out for possible area flooding.

Birth Control Recall Leads To Legal Action

Thunder Bay Lawyer Chris Watkins is going up against pharmaceutical giant Apotex.  He is serving notice of a 800 million dollar class action lawsuit against the company who just issued a recall of the birth control pill Alysena.   Watkins is representing a local woman in the legal action, but says the suit is on behalf of all women who took the pill and could now be  facing an unwanted pregnancy or be fearing an unwanted pregnancy.  None of the claims have been proven in court.  There has been no response from the company to our request for a comment.

Noonan Accepts NDP Post

The new president of the Thunder Bay-Superior North provincial NDP Riding Association is David Noonan.  He says job one is to win a seat for candidate Andrew Foulds in the Ontario Legislature in an expected upcoming provincial election.Noonan also hopes to increase party membership in the riding.

Con College Gets Mostly Good Report Card

Confederation College is tooting its own horn.  They're celebrating mostly good marks in the Ontario Key Performance Indicators Report.  The report ranks Con College number one of all Ontario colleges for employer satisfaction.  The report also identified a decline in graduation rates from last year.

Tattoo Operation Shut Down

Thunder Bay's Health Unit is shutting down a local tattoo operation.  They've issued an order against Dale Doucet to stop providing uninspected home-based tattooing services.  The illegal tattoo services were offered at various home-based locations in the City.  It's not known how many people were tattooed by Doucet and if you were please contact the health unit.