Fort Frances High School teachers Keith Gilbert, left, and Duane Roen joined their colleagues on the picket line in front of the school’s entrance off McIrvine Road early this morning.

The public will be able to get a look at designs for the future Rainy Lake Market Square here sometime next month.

“We’re now very close to having preliminary drawings. Very, very close,” Chief Building Official Travis Rob told the Times.

“What will happen once we get those drawings is they will be reviewed by the committee,” he noted.

The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s annual business and community expo was a smashing success this year.

Held Friday and Saturday at the Fort Frances Curling Club, the event drew more than 1,000 people over the two days—exceeding last year’s attendance, Chamber executive director Jennifer Soderholm said Monday.

Fort High students Tory Beaudry, left, and Emma Dykstra penned letters to the youth of Attawapiskat yesterday afternoon in the atrium. The remote First Nation community in Northern Ontario has experienced a suicide crisis in recent weeks, and a viral Facebook post has encouraged Canadians to send letters of support addressed to the youth there.

The “I am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” retreat for girls aged 11-16 will begin accepting registrations this Monday (May 2) for its fourth-annual event, which is scheduled for Sept. 22-25 at Sunny Cove Camp.

Retreat director Renée Martin-Brown said the “register here” link will appear on the website (www.i-am-awesome.ca) at 7 a.m.

Marnie Redford of the Hair & Body Care Shoppe in Emo cut the long locks of Aelise Lucas-Engberg, seven, who raised $2,100 for Tamarack House in this year’s “Cuts for Cancer.” Dax Laplante, seven, and Derek Horton had their heads shaved, raising $548 and $187, respectively.

The Riverside Foundation for Health Care’s annual spring luncheon Sunday afternoon was a big hit once again—raising $11,288.08 for local health care.

“It’s the best yet,” enthused Foundation director Samantha Manty, noting the amount surpassed last year’s total by more than $2,000.

With his trusty replica championship belt hanging over his shoulder, Roshen Jaswal roared his satisfaction after taking the Bill Salonen Cup from A.J. Rupert after the Fort Frances Lakers doubled the host Dryden GM Ice Dogs 4-2 in Game 6 of the SIJHL final Saturday night to mark the team’s third-straight league crown.

Aaron Bujold wouldn’t mind a little respect—not so much for him but the entire sport of badminton.

The Grade 10 member of the Muskie contingent repeated his result from a year ago—capturing the silver medal in senior boys’ singles play at the NWOSSAA championships last Wednesday in Dryden.

Fort Frances will be the site of OFSAA championships in two different sports in back-to-back years.

On the heels of the all-Ontario ‘A/AA’ boys’ hockey championship coming here next March, it was announced Thursday that the town will welcome the rest of the province for the 2018 OFSAA girls’ and boys’ curling playdowns.

Los Angeles police have identified the body of a woman found stabbed 150 times in 1969 near the site of the Manson family killings as a 19-year-old from Montreal, People magazine reported Wednesday.

Police have identified the woman as Reet Jurvetson, who moved to Los Angeles from Montreal the year she was killed, according to People.

NEW YORK — Sexualized violence, online harassment and gender-based discrimination all play a role in inhibiting press freedom according to a new book released by the Committee to Protect Journalists on Wednesday.

ST. LOUIS — Five years after the last NASA astronauts flew from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to the International Space Station, a new group is preparing for a trip, this time on a private spacecraft.

Ever since my parents came to England in 1972, my mum has had a wild love affair with roast chicken.

Town council on Monday night recognized deputy clerk Kathy Lawson for her excellent work.

With Administrative Professionals Day being April 27, Fort Frances CAO Mark McCaig said Lawson “serves the town with distinction every single day,” and he gets numerous comments from the public as to her courteous and professional manner.

Also at Monday’s meeting, council:

Fort Floral has a new employee who’s stopping downtown traffic.

“Lexi,” a sign-waving mannequin, started working this week after having moved here all the way from Arizona.

The mannequin is notable for her moving arms, which allow her to wave signs in an attention-getting circular motion.

One new fire was confirmed by yesterday afternoon in the region.

Dryden Fire #2, located near Dinorwic Lake, was listed as “being held” at 0.3 hectares at last report.

Meanwhile, two new fires were confirmed late Monday.

Once again, the Rainy River District OPP is reminding residents to beware of a telephone scam in which someone, claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, calls to say you owe the government money and that payment has to be made immediately.

Dylan Robertson may be in line for yet another honour after a standout season.

The Fort Frances Lakers’ captain was nominated for the CJHL player-of-the-year award yesterday after the 20-year-old from Atlanta led the local squad to its third-straight SIJHL crown.

The honour is given annually to the player who best combines on-ice performance with off-ice responsibility.

Only one of the two Fort Frances natives in the ECHL will be sticking around for another round.

The Utah Grizzlies, featuring goalie Ryan Faragher, will continue their push to the Kelly Cup after dumping the host Colorado Eagles 7-2 on Tuesday night to capture their best-of-seven quarter-final series 4-2.

Nathan Park’s latest adventure has been one to savour.

The former Fort Frances Lakers’ netminder has been chosen as one of the five finalists for the CJHL’s top goalie award after a standout campaign for the Portage Terriers (MJHL).

Park, a 20-year-old native of Edmonton, led the Lakers to the SIJHL title last year.

Maggie Jean, seen here slipping past Savannah Basaraba of the La Place Rendez-Vous Rage, netted a pair of goals in lifting the Wright Physiotherapy Rockettes to a 5-2 win in the Borderland Women’s Indoor Soccer League final last night at Fort High. The Fine Foods Fury claimed third place with a forfeit win over the Shear Serenity Strykers.

Jayce Gavel of the Jaguars, left, and Jakobe Kempf of the Lynx kept their eyes on the ball during the opening night of action for Fort Frances Youth Soccer at the St. Francis Sportsfields last night. The association had to wait two days longer to get underway as field conditions didn’t allow play to begin on Monday as originally scheduled.

Muskie Jyllian Westover (centre) high-stepped her way through the girls’ 100m hurdles at the second track-and-field meet of the season Tuesday at Falls High School. Westover finished in fifth place in a time of 21.71 seconds as the Muskie girls’ squad wound up third out of five schools with 38 points while the Muskie boys’ team ended up fifth out of five with 10.

MONTREAL—For decades, she simply was known as Jane Doe No. 59—an unidentified body dumped with 150 stab wounds in Los Angeles in 1969 near the site of several killings perpetrated by the notorious Manson family.

TORONTO—A South Sudanese student accused of passing himself off as a teenager so he could attend high school on a basketball scholarship likely will face a hearing on whether he should be kicked out of Canada, immigration officials said yesterday.

For the time being, however, Jonathan Nicola will remain behind bars after an immigration official ruled he cannot be trusted.

SUDBURY, Ont.—Charges in a byelection scandal in Sudbury, Ont. have been stayed against a veteran Liberal fundraiser, though a separate bribery investigation is ongoing.

Gerry Lougheed had been charged with one count of counselling an offence not committed and one count of unlawfully influencing or negotiating appointments.

By John Chidley-Hill THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO—Catcher Dioner Navarro was an asset for the Toronto Blue Jays last season behind the plate.

Now with the Chicago White Sox, he used that knowledge to pick apart his former team.

MOSCOW — Russia on Thursday successfully launched the first rocket from its new space facility after a last-minute delay the day before.

NEW YORK — An ancient stone sculpture of Buddha’s footprints that was smuggled into the United States and had been expected to sell for more than $1 million was returned to the government of Pakistan on Wednesday.

BEIJING — A revered Buddhist monk in China has been mummified and covered in gold leaf, a practice reserved for holy men in some areas with strong Buddhist traditions.

The monk, Fu Hou, who died in 2012 at age 94 after spending most of his life at the Chongfu Temple on a hill in the city of Quanzhou, in southeastern China, according to the temple’s abbot, Li Ren.

SANTIAGO, Chile — Victims of a secretive German colony in Chile hope that Germany’s decision to declassify documents will help shine light on human rights abuses committed there.

For three decades beginning in 1961, the enclave of Colonia Dignidad, or Dignity Colony, was the site of torture, slavery and child abuse.

SPOKANE, Wash. — The ancient skeleton known as Kennewick Man is related to modern Native American tribes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Wednesday, opening the process for returning to a tribe for burial one of the oldest and most complete set of bones ever found in North America.

Métis Nation of Ontario presidential candidate Margaret Froh and MNO citizen Kevin Marusyk discussed Métis harvesting rights among other issues at a meet-and-greet yesterday morning at La Place Rendez-Vous. Secretary-treasurer candidate Tim Pile also joined Froh on a tour of Region 1—with additional stops in Atikokan, Dryden, and Kenora.

Newfoundland traditional singer Matthew Byrne is coming to Fort Frances.

The winner of the 2015 Canadian Folk Music Award for Traditional Album of the Year will be playing at From The Grind Up next Wednesday (May 4) at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $15 (available at the door) but seating is limited.

Mathew Nowak, left, explained to Jarrod Ball the proper way to perform a knee surgery during “Co-op Display Day” for Semester II yesterday morning at Fort High. To help explain the process, Nowak wore the same outfit a surgeon would while performing the surgery.

The Canadian Mental Health Association’s 65th-annual Mental Health Week runs May 2-8.

And again this year, the CMHA is asking Canadians to “get loud” for mental health!

Getting loud means speaking up to stop the discrimination and the stigma that usually go hand-in-hand with mental illness.

Three new fires were confirmed in the region by late yesterday afternoon.

Thunder Bay Fire #2, located near Hawk Lake, has been declared “out” at 0.1 hectares in size.

But Kenora Fire #7, burning near Wabaseemoong First Nation, was listed as “not under control” at 0.5 ha at last report.

WASHINGTON—Alberta’s new premier began her campaign to rehabilitate the reputation of her province’s oilsands in the United States, where it was battered by the debate over the Keystone XL pipeline.

Rachel Notley walked a Washington audience through the climate-change measures taken by her new NDP government.

MONTREAL—Quebec beekeeper Jean-Marc Labonte said yesterday that he’s in a sticky situation after thieves buzzed off with about five million of his bees.

He said he noticed Wednesday that 180 hives were stolen from a field near Victoriaville, Que., about 150 km northeast of Montreal.

SHOAL LAKE, Ont.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hauled large jugs of drinking water and spoke with school children yesterday as he was immersed in the daily struggles of an isolated reserve that has been under a boil advisory for 19 years.

OTTAWA—Canada lacks a full picture of the issues related to bail, says a recent note drafted to brief Justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould on the state of the criminal justice system.

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press, suggested half of those in provincial jails are on remand and have not been convicted of anything.

The bail question troubles many people.

BOSTON—The Hawks overcame 50 years of sour playoff memories to get by a hobbled Boston team and into the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Their reward is rematch with “King James.”

WASHINGTON—T.J. Oshie raised his arms in celebration and looked at referee Dan O’Rourke.

Oshie was pretty sure he scored in overtime to complete a hat trick and one of the biggest games of his career.

PHOENIX — A stack of shipping containers sitting in a lot in an industrial section of Phoenix has some developers thinking inside the box.

The structures usually used to transport cargo have been transformed into eight apartments. Scuff marks, old serial numbers and shipping company logos remain, but a look inside each unit reveals a 740-square-foot modern home.

BOSTON — A dozen giant bronze animal heads representing the signs of the Chinese zodiac are stopping people in their tracks in downtown Boston and sparking conversations.

DETMOLD, Germany — A 94-year-old former SS sergeant admitted in court Friday that he had served as an Auschwitz death camp guard, apologizing to Nazi Holocaust survivors looking on in a German courtroom that even though he was aware Jews were being gassed and their corpses burned, he did nothing to try to stop it.

CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian government has blocked a Chinese-led consortium from buying the nation’s largest private land holding, a collection of Outback cattle ranches, for 371 million Australian dollars ($284 million).

INCHEON, Korea, Republic Of — For much of the world, North Korea is a Stalinist nightmare, an isolated enclave of prison camps, poverty and hunger.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—SpaceX is shooting for Mars.

Elon Musk, the company’s billionaire founder and chief executive, announced yesteday via Twitter that he plans to send a Dragon capsule to land on the red planet as early as 2018.

It would represent a big first step toward his ultimate goal of colonizing the red planet.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—Chalk up a moon for the icy dwarf planet Makemake.

The Hubble Space Telescope has detected a tiny, dark moon circling the dwarf planet on the frozen fringes of our solar system.

On Tuesday, scientists announced the discovery by some members of the team that spotted Pluto’s smaller moons years ago.

Makemake itself is just 870 miles wide.

It’s now smooth sailing around the north arm of Rainy Lake.

Al Boivin, of Rainy Lake Boat Taxi, said this morning that most of the ice is gone.

“I went out for a boat ride on Saturday morning, and there was a big chunk [of ice] located in the Crowe Island and Hopkins Bay area,” Boivin recalled.

A large crowd was on hand at the community barbecue for Thomas Chapais on Saturday evening at the Couchiching multi-use building. The meal consisted of bannock burgers, hotdogs, salads, chips, and a beverage, with a penny table and other prizes up for grabs. Funds raised will go to help with the youngster’s “Make A Wish” campaign to travel to Toronto to see the Blue Jays play.

What appeared to be a touching scene really was a self-defence reaction from Fort Frances Her-icanes’ Andrea Sweigard at second base as she tried to avoid an all-out collision with Kayla Windigo on a steal attempt during first-inning action yesterday at VanJura.

Evan Caul, left, Jillian Armstrong, and Maria Gilbert were among the cast members of Fort High’s production of “Ghost” busy rehearsing at the Townshend Theatre yesterday afternoon. The musical, based on the Oscar-winning film of the same name, will take to the stage this Wednesday through Saturday (May 4-7) at 7:30 p.m.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—An elephant carrying a performer holding an American flag kicked off the final elephant performance at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus yesterday as the show closes its own chapter on a practice that has entertained audiences in America for two centuries but has come under fire by animal rights’ activists.

TORONTO—George John Dryden, who spent years of his life trying to prove conclusively he was the love child of former Canadian prime minister John George Diefenbaker, died yesterday, a longtime friend said.

Dryden, 47, who had terminal pancreatic disease, suffered fatal injuries in a suicide attempt, Merry-Ellen Unan said.

He blamed decades of alcohol abuse for the illness.

MAYERTHORPE, Alta.—A firefighter who battled the flames that destroyed a railway trestle bridge northwest of Edmonton last week now has been charged with setting the fire, as well as others in and around his community.

OTTAWA—Call it the start of the government’s biggest big data push.

Today marks the start of mailings from Statistics Canada of census surveys, including the return of the mandatory, long-form questionnaire that was replaced with a voluntary survey five years ago.

NICKERSON, Neb. — Half-ton pickup trucks crowd the curb outside the One Horse Saloon, a neon Coors Light sign in the window and rib-eye steaks on the menu, but otherwise Nickerson, Nebraska, is nearly silent on a spring evening, with only rumbling freight trains interrupting bird songs.

CHICAGO — Playground concussions are on the rise, according to a new government study, and monkey bars and swings are most often involved.

Most injuries studied were mild, but all concussions are potentially serious and the researchers say the trend raises public health and safety concerns.

TALLADEGA, Ala.—Two cars went airborne, 35 were involved in an accident of some kind, and Danica Patrick had the wind knocked out of her in a vicious crash into the wall.

Just another demolition derby at Talladega Superspeedway.

Brad Keselowski won the crash-fest yesterday that was dominated by multiple wrecks that caused millions of dollars in damage to race teams.

DALLAS—David Backes gave the St. Louis Blues a big gift on his 32nd birthday—another overtime goal to go home even.

What a serenade of “Happy Birthday” for the Blues’ captain from his teammates after Backes scored off a rebound during a power play 10:58 into overtime of Game 2 last night for a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — A solar-powered airplane took off from California for Arizona early Monday to continue its journey around the world using only energy from the sun.

The Swiss-made Solar Impulse 2 flew from Mountain View south of San Francisco shortly after 5 a.m. Monday for an expected 16-hour trip to Phoenix.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — An elephant carrying a performer holding an American flag kicked off the final elephant performance at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Sunday, as the show closes its own chapter on a practice that has entertained audiences in America for two centuries but has come under fire by animal rights activists.

MIAMI — On a recent Saturday morning in South Florida, 50-year-old Edgar Ospina stood in a long line of immigrants to take the first step to become an American.

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Survivors of Indonesia’s anti-communist massacres in 1965 submitted a list of what they say are more than 100 mass graves to the government on Monday after the president called for an investigation into the killings.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The future of Asia’s largest, most-awaited film festival is in question as South Korean filmmakers threaten to boycott the red carpet over what they view as government interference.

In certain parts of the country, a good three-bean salad is almost always the anchor to a potluck or picnic, the kinds of gatherings where sturdy, crowd-pleasing, portable and frankly inexpensive food is wanted.

Bailey Langford (foreground) and Haley Keast served up some hotdogs during a mental health awareness barbecue yesterday afternoon hosted by Weechi-it-te-win Family Services here. The barbecue, which featured snacks, prizes, and a bouncy castle, kicked off a week of events for Children’s Mental Health Week.

The Métis Nation of Ontario saw a record turnout for its election yesterday, with results to be announced May 12.

Across the province, the average increase in voter turnout was nearly 50 percent.

In addition to the votes cast yesterday, regions from across Ontario mailed in ballots to the Ottawa office of the MNO.

These ballots will be counted early next week.

Students at Robert Moore School participated in a group yoga session yesterday afternoon in conjunction with both Mental Health Week and Education Week. Students were taught various yoga poses, such as the “downward dog” and the “chair pose.”

Three new fires were confirmed yesterday in the districts of Kenora and Thunder Bay.

Between April 30 and May 1, an additional seven new fires were confirmed in the districts of Kenora, Nipigon, Sioux Lookout, and Thunder Bay.

Most already have been declared “out.”

Oasis Millett-Tucker, left, helped spin the rope while Kara Scott and Ayanna Savage jumped during the “Jump Rope for Heart” yesterday afternoon at Robert Moore School. The annual event, which rasies money for heart disease and stroke research, was part of the activities planned for Education Week.

If you are a senior with a mental health issue, there are treatment options and strategies that can help:

The excitement of making it to the next stage of the post-season died off in less than four minutes for Ryan Faragher.

It was a nightmarish start to the second round of the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs for the 23-year-old Fort Frances native and the rest of the Utah Grizzlies, who trail the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Komets 2-0 after a pair of road losses to open the best-of-seven series.

Kayle Koval, a past winner of the Kiwanis Club’s “Trip of the Month” draw, read out the name of the winner for May yesterday at International Travel Services while Kiwanian Robin Wright looked on. Jack Drennan of Emo will be headed on a Canadian Rockies tour—a trip valued at $4,100. Next month’s trip is to Freeport, Bahamas ($4,500).

It’s hockey night tonight.

The Fort Frances Lakers hope the third time’s the charm as they open play at the 2016 Dudley Hewitt Cup against the host Kirkland Lake Gold Miners at 6:30 p.m. (CDT).

HARTLAND, Mich.—A mother duck has grown attached to a Michigan elementary school’s courtyard.

She returns each year to lay her eggs and then walks the hallways with her ducklings, with the help of students and staff, to safely get to a nearby pond.

The duck named “Vanessa” has appeared at Village Elementary School in Hartland for the past 13 years.

OTTAWA—People with serious criminal records and others using potentially phoney addresses are among those who managed to secure Canadian citizenship, thanks to a system that doesn’t do enough to root out fraud, the auditor general has found.

SAN FRANCISCO — Who is Satoshi Nakamoto? For many in the tech world, the identity of bitcoin’s elusive creator has been a long-running parlour game. And the speculation might not be over.

LONDON — Leicester City secured its first Premier League title without playing on Monday after second-place Tottenham drew 2-2 at Chelsea in one of the biggest-ever triumphs by an underdog in sports.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Past fireworks displays at Mount Rushmore National Memorial are the likely source of a pollutant found in water within the site in western South Dakota, according to a government report released Monday.

HARTLAND, Mich. — A mother duck has grown attached to a Michigan elementary school’s courtyard, returning each year to lay her eggs and then walk the hallways with her ducklings with the help of students and staff to safely get to a nearby pond.

Fort High mentor Anne Jean introduced herself to Grade 6 and 7 students from J.W. Walker during a presentation to kick-off “Grade 6/7 Day” at the high school on Friday. Jean, along with other high school mentors, spoke about her high school experiences and why the students should look forward to coming to Fort High this fall.

Plans for Canada Day activities here are taking shape, but the “Fun in the Sun” committee still needs the community’s support to make it as awesome a celebration as possible.

FITS chairperson Cynthia Donald said while there is money allocated for fireworks, the committee is trying to generate funds to pay for other activities on July 1.

Anne Jean (“Molly Jensen”) and Andrew Eldridge (“Sam Wheat”) sang “Here Right Now” during a rehearsal of “Ghost: The Musical,” which runs tonight through Saturday at the Townshend Theatre. Presented by Fort Frances High School, the musical gets underway at 7:30 p.m. each night.

You may remember them as “Sandy” and “Danny” from last year’s production of “Grease.”

Now Anne Jean and Andrew Eldridge are returning to the stage to star in Fort Frances High School’s rendition of “Ghost: The Musical,” which opens tonight and runs through Saturday at the Townshend Theatre here.

Grade 6 and 7 students at J.W. Walker School got a preview to what high school will be like when they move into Fort High this fall during a session held there Friday.

Bill Daley, System Principal/Transition Co-ordinator, indicated the activity day—planned by the FFHS student leadership council—is just one of the initiatives to help students with the transition to high school.

A large crowd was on hand at the community barbecue for Thomas Chapais on Saturday evening at the Couchiching multi-use building. The meal consisted of bannock burgers, hotdogs, salads, chips, and a beverage, with a penny table and other prizes up for grabs. Funds raised will go to help with the youngster’s “Make A Wish” campaign to travel to Toronto to see the Blue Jays play.

Emo singer/songwriter Maverick Judson released his latest single called “Stay,” and an accompanying music video, on Monday and he’s hoping local residents will enjoy it.

“It’s really fun and makes you feel good,” Judson said about the song he wrote about a year ago while tinkering away in his studio.

“It rides a bit on your emotions but not too much,” he clarified.

It may not be the same as taking over for Scotty Bowman or Al Arbour.

For starters, those coaches only won four championships in a row.

Chris Sinclair is trying to keep things in perspective as he heads into today’s NorWOSSA soccer regular-season opener here against the Kenora Broncos and Dryden Eagles as the new head coach of the Muskie boys’ team.

Caylee Woolsey of the Fort Frances Her-icanes showed some mid-season agility in escaping getting hit by this pitch from Sydney Jones of the Couchiching Lady Raiders during Sunday’s pre-season exhibition game at VanJura.

The old adage that you can’t tell the players without a scorecard may never ring more true than with this year’s Muskie girls’ soccer team.

Two dozen players will suit up for Fort High as it looks to win a third-straight NorWOSSA title and once again advance to the OFSAA championships June 2-4 in North Bay.

With the warmer weather finally here, golf courses around the district have opened for the season.

Kitchen Creek Golf Club was the first out of the blocks—welcoming golfers onto the course April 22.

Kitchen Creek general manager Glen Kellar said this is about the usual time of year for the course to open.

“Like everybody else, it depends on the weather,” he noted.

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler and Google will work together to more than double the size of Google’s self-driving vehicle fleet by adding 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

The companies announced the agreement on Tuesday, saying that Chrysler engineers would work with Google to install sensors and software so the vans can drive themselves.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Researchers believe the ship that legendary explorer Captain James Cook used to sail around the world is still submerged somewhere in Rhode Island’s Newport Harbor.

LONDON — A London auctioneer says a diamond the size of a tennis ball that is the largest discovered in more than a century could sell for more than $70 million.

Sotheby’s says it will offer the Lesedi la Rona diamond in London on June 29.

When we first encountered deep-fried, bourbon-soaked Twinkies, we were a little smitten. Until, that is, we realized we could do so much better.

Austin Arpin squished his hands into a concrete mold with the help of his mom, Sarah, yesterday evening at Belluz Concrete and Rentals. Creating the concrete handprints was part of a Mother’s Day fundraiser for the Fort Frances Community Chest.

Spring finally has arrived and that means it’s time to go cycling.

The OPP wants to remind all cyclists of bicycle safety for injury and crime prevention.

A bicycle is a vehicle as defined in the Highway Traffic Act and cyclists are responsible to follow the rules of the road.

That means obeying all traffic laws and regulations as other road users.

Only a few days remain before Fort Frances again welcomes Canadian fiddle champion Scott Woods’ “Love that Fiddle” show back to Knox United Church next Wednesday (May 11).

Knox has been getting very favourable comments regarding to its recently-completed renovations, which included the addition of an elevator lift and fully-accessible washrooms.

The Rainy River District OPP is seeking the public’s assistance in speaking with anyone who may have had dealings with a young male cyclist/pedestrian on Highway 11, about two km east of Emo, yesterday around 6 p.m.

Anybody having any such dealings is asked to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

Blase and Jasper Dennis of Fort Frances won the $100 up for grabs on April 30 in the Rainy River District Mutual Aid Association’s weekly cash calendar draw.

The OPP is pleased to support the 65th-annual Mental Health Week, advocated by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

This year’s theme is “Get Loud for Mental Health.”

“Getting loud” means speaking up to stop the discrimination and the stigma that often go hand-in-hand with mental illness.

On Tuesday around 7 a.m., members of the Kenora OPP received a complaint of several stolen vehicles from a business on Highway 658.

Police learned three all-terrain vehicles and two utility terrain vehicles were taken and entry was gained into the business.

Mental health is key to our well-being. We can’t be truly healthy without it.

It involves how we feel, think, act, and interact with the world around us.

Mental health is about realizing our potential, coping with the normal stresses of life, and making a contribution to our community.

It may be more helpful to think of good mental health as thriving.

On Sunday at 1:15 p.m., members of the Rainy River District OPP responded to a report of an assault in the west end of Fort Frances.

Local detachment members, assisted by members of the North West Region Emergency Response Team, Fort Frances Crime Unit, and K-9 Unit, attended to assist with the investigation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is sending staff to help fight the raging wildfire that has forced the evacuation of Fort McMurray, Alta.

More than 100 personnel will be deployed, 82 of which will leave tomorrow.

They include attack crews, agency representatives, and an incident management team, and will be there for at least two weeks.

The dragon boats will be hitting the water, and kick-starting a busy summer season for the local club, this Sunday (May 8) at 10 a.m.

Father-son runners Lorne and Rick Ricard hit the streets at the Winnipeg Police Service half-marathon on Sunday.

The elder Ricard showed he still can run at a solid pace—clocking in at 1:36.38 over the 21-km course to place second in the male age 60-65 category.

He was 73rd overall out of 1,290 runners.

“That’s a pretty good time for me,” Ricard noted.

Ryan Faragher is back in the AHL after being called up by the San Diego Gulls late last Friday.

The 23-year-old Fort Frances-based goalie had just finished getting shelled for three goals on six shots before being pulled just 3:23 into Game 1 of the Utah Grizzlies’ 6-4 loss to the host Fort Wayne Komets in the second round of the ECHL playoffs.

Once they shook off the rust, it was all systems go.

The Muskie girls’ and boys’ soccer teams opened the NorWOSSA regular season here yesterday with a pair of wins apiece achieved in similar fashion.

The girls needed a goal in the 70th minute from Maggie Jean to edge the Dryden Eagles 2-1 in their first game of the day.

Aaron Bujold will rejoin his Muskie boys’ soccer teammates next week.

He has a little “birdie” business to attend to first.

Bujold opened play this morning in the senior boys’ singles division at the OFSAA badminton championships in North Bay.

When the cards were on the table, Brayton Levesque came up aces.

The Fort Frances goalie backstopped the Windigo Ice Hawks to a 5-4 victory over the Nipigon Caribou in a shootout to capture first place in the Atom division of the 28th-annual All-Native Goodwill Hockey Tournament in Thunder Bay on Sunday.

Fun in the Sun committee members Cynthia Donald, Cathy Richards, Jennifer Pagnotta, Amber Hughes, and Shelly Manty stopped by The Chip Truck, owned by Darren Tetrault, on Friday to recognize the business as one of this year’s event sponsors. FITS would love to get more businesses, groups, and individuals on board. Check out their Facebook page: FITS Fort Frances.

Hailee Tucker decorated her wellness toolbox at Boston Pizza yesterday evening as part of Children’s Mental Health Day. The toolbox, which was given to kids along with free pizza and pop, included items such as earplugs, a stress ball, and lotion.

Jreydon Indian (“Subway Ghost”), left, explained to Andrew Eldridge (“Sam”) how to move objects now that he is a ghost during the opening-night performance of “Ghost: The musical” at the Townshend Theatre. The musical production by Fort High students will continue through Saturday, with the curtain rising nightly at 7:30 p.m.

Masson Normand of Saskatoon led students at St. Michael’s School through a “Pulse Retreat” yesterday morning as part of Catholic Education Week activities. Students were taught how to build their faith through music, prayer, scripture, and skits.

CALGARY — A new study by the Carbon Tracker Initiative shows the world’s biggest oil and gas companies can still make big profits in a carbon constrained world if they avoid high cost, high carbon projects like the oilsands.

CLEVELAND—Your shot, Warriors.

Dropping jumpers from every corner and angle, the Cleveland Cavaliers drained an NBA record 25 three-pointers—the most in any regular season or playoff game—during a 123-98 runaway win over the Atlanta Hawks last night in Game 2 of their second-round series.

TORONTO—One game into the Toronto Raptors’ playoff series against Miami, LeBron James and some news outlets already are looking ahead to a Cavaliers-Heat Eastern Conference final.

Raptors’ coach Dwane Casey was less than pleased, but not surprised.

“I saw that. Like I’ve said, nobody respects us, everybody has written us off, and that’s fine,” Casey remarked.

WASHINGTON — Getting stitched up by Dr. Robot may one day be reality: Scientists have created a robotic system that did just that in living animals without a real doctor pulling the strings.

NEW YORK — The victim washed ashore in Brooklyn, his body wrapped in plastic garbage bags, his head and hands covered in duct tape and his feet submerged in concrete fitted with a pair of fabled “cement shoes.”

MADRID — Officials say a hippopotamus that escaped from a visiting circus caused some traffic chaos and not a little diversion when he strolled easily along a street in the southwestern town of Palos de la Frontera.

A town spokesman said the animal escaped late Wednesday while being transferred from one pen to another, and then wandered out onto a town road.

TORONTO — Sarah Mulholland vividly remembers the first time her 13-month-old son called out “Mama.”

She was cooking about two months ago when little Conri began clamouring for her attention, clinging to her legs and whining until he suddenly uttered those two simple syllables that send mothers’ hearts fluttering.

Annie van Rozen of A.G.’s Produce put out fresh veggies to sell during “Market Thursday” yesterday on the 200 block of Scott Street. Local artisans, crafters, and food growers are urged to book a table at Betty’s or McTaggarts to promote their products downtown each Thursday throughout the summer.

Some people worry about asking for help because there can be stigma around mental health problems.

They may believe that asking for help means admitting something is wrong or some people worry about how others might see them.

Asking for help means you want to make changes or take steps towards your new health goals.

Jesse Homer, an Early Years student at Robert Moore School, enjoyed pancakes and sausages during a breakfast there yesterday morning held in conjunction with Education Week.

Pepper Hinrichs has brought her brand of “recycled art” to the Fine Line Art Gallery here as the newest part-time member of the local co-op.

Hinrichs, who moved to Alberton Township from London, Ont. with her husband, Rod, about 15 years ago, set up a wealth of her crafts at the Mowat Avenue gallery last week.

Aaron Bujold can’t afford any more mistakes—and played like it earlier today.

The Muskies’ lone representative at the OFSAA badminton championships in North Bay eliminated Aaron Trowhill of the Woodstock Red Devils in the first round of ‘C’ Flight action this morning.

Bujold then took on Augusta Li of the Sinclair Celtics (Whitby) this afternoon in the ‘C’ quarter-finals.

Jordan Larson and the Carleton Place Canadians control their own destiny.

The CCHL champion Canadians are tied for first with QJHL champion College Francais de Longeuil after Day 2 of the Fred Page Cup Eastern Canada Junior ‘A’ hockey championship in Woodstock, N.B.

The story of the first two days of the Dudley Hewitt Cup was lots of offence and not much defence from the Fort Frances Lakers.

They flipped the script in their final outing—but couldn’t change the outcome.

Future J.W. Walker School students Owen Gibson, left, and Parker Lake worked on their engineering skills at a building centre during the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) family night there yesterday evening. The packed gymnasium offered a variety of hands-on activities, including painting, math games, robots, and more.

INGOLF, Ont.—A small wildfire is burning in a forest near the boundary between Ontario and Manitoba.

The OPP said around 100 people are being evacuated from the community of Ingolf because of the fire.

The evacuation is voluntary, and residents in the Florence and Marion Lakes areas also are being asked to consider leaving the area until the threat has passed.

OTTAWA—Amid political pressure, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has sent a letter to the chief of Attawapiskat First Nation—the beleaguered Ontario community that has made headlines around the globe due to its suicide crisis—to offer a meeting in Ottawa.

FORT McMURRAY, Alta.—RCMP in Alberta have brought in special tactical teams to root out people who refuse to leave fire-ravaged Fort McMurray.

“We still have some people hanging around and we are trying to ensure everyone’s safety,” Sgt. Jack Poitras said yesterday.

MONTREAL — Resolute Forest Products is permanently shutting one of its U.S. newsprint machines even though demand is showing signs of stabilizing after years of dramatic decreases.

The Montreal-based pulp, paper and lumber producer said a machine at its mill in Augusta, Ga., isn’t competitive because of the high U.S. dollar. About 100 jobs will be affected by the closure.

TORONTO — Sonia Racco was about to start trying for her second child when she was dealt a surprise blow: breast cancer.

The 36-year-old had no family history of the disease and hadn’t even thought much about her breasts until she found a lump while nursing her daughter, Genna.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Doug O’Neill was all smiles after early 3-1 favourite Nyquist drew the No. 13 post for the 142nd Kentucky Derby tomorrow.

The number with an unlucky reputation didn’t faze the trainer.

In fact, it brought back good memories.

NASHVILLE—Mike Fisher ended his own personal playoff drought with his first overtime goal in 12 years—giving the exhausted Nashville Predators plenty to celebrate.

Fisher scored his second goal at 11:12 of the third overtime as the Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 early this morning in the longest game in franchise history.

TORONTO—The Toronto Blue Jays finally are looking like the team that mashed its way to a division title last season.

Edwin Encarnacion drove in six runs, including a three-run homer in a six-run third inning, as the Jays pasted the Texas Rangers 12-2 last night at Rogers Centre.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — For the second month in a row, the aerospace upstart SpaceX landed a rocket on an ocean platform early Friday, this time following the successful launch of a Japanese communications satellite.

TORONTO — Richard Yim was a teenager in Cambodia when he realized not all people live in near constant fear of being blown up by a landmine.

When he was eight years old, Yim’s aunt died after stepping on one of the millions of the devices that lie hidden on the country’s war-scarred landscape.

WASHINGTON — If there’s a War on Coal, it’s increasingly clear which side is winning.

The Yukon Gold potato’s waxy, moist, yellow-tinged flesh is prized by chefs and home cooks for its flavour and versatility ‚Äî ideal for boiling, baking and frying as well as grilling, pan frying and roasting. It retains its yellow colour when cooked.

Here are some recipes to try using the potato, which was developed 50 years ago in Guelph, Ont:GRILLED POTATO AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Amanda Stevens felt the wind rush through her hair as she test-drove a Ford Mustang convertible from Sunset Country Ford as part of the “Drive 4 Ur Community” event Saturday morning. A total of $1,680 was raised by 84 drivers here, which is going to both “Free the Children” and the Canadian Red Cross for relief efforts in fire-ravaged Fort McMurray, Alta.

The Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts will wrap up its 2016 event with the annual “highlights” concert tomorrow night (May 10).

Slated for 6:30 p.m. at the Townshend Theatre, the concert will feature some of this year’s star performances from the three weeks the festival ran last month.

Leading Air Cadet Logan Nugent, of the local 908 Rainy Lake squadron, served a meal to Jean Bolen on Saturday night at the Legion during the annual “Veterans’ Night” dinner. About 120 people attended this year’s event.

As dry conditions prevail and more fires are reported each day, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry declared a Restricted Fire Zone for Northwestern Ontario on Saturday morning to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires.

The RFZ will remain in effect until conditions improve.

Roger Nordlund, left, chatted with Dan Fraser about one of the many guns available for purchase during the annual Gun & Hobby Show held Saturday at the Fort Frances Curling Club. Nordlund, a hobby gun collector from Dryden, was one of the many vendors on hand for the show, which ran from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Jordan Larson will get one more shot at a storybook ending.

The Fort Frances native and the rest of the Carleton Place Canadians will head to Lloydminster, Alta./Sask. later this week after qualifying for the RBC Cup by capturing the Eastern Canadian regional title yesterday in Woodstock, N.B.

Local Grand Knight Dino Morelli is pleased to have his Council #2766 support the local Special Olympics participants.

Two local Olympians—Gerald Carrier and Ray Bedard—will be travelling to Guelph, Ont. for the provincial games May 26-29.

They will be competing in five-pin bowling.

MEDICINE HAT, Alta.—A seven-year-old Medicine Hat, Alta. boy is enjoying his 15 minutes of fame after catching the attention of Mad Magazine due to his marked resemblance to Alfred E. Neuman.

With his red hair, freckles, and missing front tooth, Thomas J Desjarlais was a deadringer for the iconic face of the satiric magazine when his mom Carly posted a picture of him in April.

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. — Cooler temperatures and light rain have officials optimistic they’ve reached a turning point on getting a handle on a massive wildfire that has devastated parts of Canada’s oil sands town of Fort McMurray.

LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The racing world wondered if there was a worthy successor to last year’s Triple Crown champion American Pharoah.

Enter Nyquist.

The bay colt who lacks any distinctive markings won the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/4 lengths on Saturday, improving to 8-0 in his career as the fourth-consecutive favourite to win the race.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—Canada won its third-straight game at the hockey world championship today, routing Belarus 8-0 with seven different players scoring.

Canada leads Group ‘B’ with nine points and has scored 20 goals in its three games, including a 5-1 win over the United States in its opener on Friday.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—James Hahn said the anxiety was creeping in after missing eight-straight cuts on the PGA Tour, causing him to wonder if he’d ever get his game straightened out.

But after a long talk with caddie Mark Urbanek last week, Hahn came to Quail Hollow Club with a renewed confidence and determination to end the streak.

He did that—and more.

PYONGYANG, Korea, Democratic People’s Republic Of — North Korea on Monday expelled a BBC journalist it had detained days earlier for allegedly “insulting the dignity” of the authoritarian country, while it continued to keep other foreign media away from the first-in-decades ruling party congress they had been invited to attend.

In Argentina, South Africa, Rwanda and elsewhere around the globe, there’s something that sticks out for Blake Mycoskie about the one-for-one shoe company, Toms, he started in his Venice, California, apartment 10 years ago.

While the idea was to give away one pair of his unique canvas slip-ons for every pair sold, another benefit emerged.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Mercury makes a relatively rare move across the sun Monday.

On the surface, ramps are a lovely harbinger of spring, wild leeks that are unable to be cultivated, hence part of their mystique (think truffles).

They also are one of the first vegetables to appear in farmers markets and on chefs’ menus after a winter of tubers and citrus.

Fort Frances Her-icanes’ second baseman Natalie Dal was getting in her cuts to kick off the Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League regular season last night at VanJura against the Big Island Wildcats. Dal and the ’Canes pounded out a 13-5 win—one of six games that ushered in the start of the new campaign.

Five new fires were confirmed in the region by yesterday evening, including one in Fort Frances District, two in Kenora District, and two in Red Lake District.

Immediate initial attack has meant most new fires were declared “under control” or “out” within 24 hours.

One fire of note is Kenora Fire #18, in the Ingolf area about 55 km west of Kenora.

Fort High mentors Kassidy LeDrew, left, Evan Caul, and McKenna Begin demonstrated the “We Day dance” to Grade 8 students as part of the opening presentation for “Grade 8 Day” there today. Mentors spoke to Grade 8 students about the extra-curricular opportunities offered at Fort High and also took them for a tour around the school.

FRANKFURT — A group of investigative journalists on Monday published the names of thousands of offshore companies at the heart of a massive trove of data on the finances of the rich and powerful that has become known as the Panama Papers.

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists made data on 200,000 entities available on its website at 1800 GMT (2 p.m. EDT) Monday.

Ryan Faragher is getting a front-row seat for what’s turning into a pretty good series.

The Fort Frances native currently is serving as the back-up goalie for the San Diego Gulls, who trail the Ontario Reign 2-1 in their best-of-seven AHL Calder Cup Pacific Division final.

OTTAWA—Canada is poised to embrace the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples—even as the federal government remains under fire for the dire conditions facing the troubled Attawapiskat First Nation.

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says his government is open to improving its controversial bill on medically-assisted dying but so far the Liberal-dominated committee examining the legislation is showing little appetite for amendments.

EDMONTON—An Alberta couple will mark their first wedding anniversary next month not as a couple but as a full family of six.

Bethani and Tim Webb of Hythe, 500 km northwest of Edmonton, became the parents of four identical baby girls on Friday.

Obstetric and neonatal specialists at an Edmonton hospital delivered the naturally-conceived quadruplets by Caesarean section.

FORT McMURRAY, Alta.—When several firefighters learned their own homes had burned to the ground in Fort McMurray, they didn’t drop their hoses and take time to grieve.

MIAMI—With no Jonas Valanciunas and virtually no DeMar DeRozan, the last thing the Toronto Raptors needed was to lose Kyle Lowry.

But Lowry had to watch from the bench after fouling out as the Raptors fell 94-87 to the Miami Heat in overtime last night that evened their Eastern Conference semi-final at 2-2.

TORONTO—Elections Ontario wants to introduce new technology for the 2018 election to speed up the process for voters, get faster results, and use fewer staff.

The agency says it successfully tested e-poll books and vote tabulators in the February byelection in Oshawa, with about 90 percent of electors and poll officials supporting the changes.

JACKSON, Miss. — The American Civil Liberties Union and a gay couple are suing the state of Mississippi over a law to allow workers to cite their own religious objections to same-sex marriage as a reason to deny people services.

House Bill 1523 , passed by the Republican-majority Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Phil Bryant, is set to become law July 1.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — A former North Korean military chief who Seoul had said was executed is actually alive and in possession of several new senior-level posts, the North’s state media said Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — In suing the state where she was born and raised for discriminating against transgender people, Attorney General Loretta Lynch invoked the defining civil rights struggles of the last century and made clear that the federal government sees its dispute with North Carolina as about far more than bathrooms and showers.

NEW YORK — A rare marble sculpture by Auguste Rodin sold for a record $20.4 million at Sotheby’s sale of impressionist and modern art.

CHICAGO — A new poll says more than 40 per cent of America’s baby boomers stayed with their employer for more than 20 years. But it’s unlikely that their children or grandchildren will experience the same job tenure.

Truth: What I knew about Ramadan and the foods that are eaten to break the fast previously could have fit in a grain of millet. But it’s never too late to learn, and nothing makes a culture more accessible than delving into its food.

Amanda Stevens, left, along with Candi Stevens, cruised around town in a Ford Mustang convertible during a test drive as part of the “Drive 4 Ur Community” event Satuday at Sunset Country Ford here. Ford Canada donated $1,680 to both “Free the Children” and the Canadian Red Cross for relief efforts in fire-ravaged Fort McMurray, Alta.

The tennis court project here has take another leap forward.

Town council approved Court Surface Specialists of Mississauga, Ont. to design and build an illuminated, fenced, four-court multi-use tennis facility at the St. Francis Sports Complex at a cost of $467,010 or less.

Weighing in on the hot-button issue of parking meters, the local Economic Development Advisory Committee formally has said it supports the town pursuing the project further.

Liz Allan admired the many guns on display at the annual Gun & Hobby Show held Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Fort Frances Curling Club. Along with the usual vendors at the show, visitors also could purchase an assortment of treats, such as locally-made fudge and crêpes.

Proposed amendments to the Animal Cruelty and Protection Act was a hot top at the North Western Ontario Tourism Association’s annual spring meeting last Thursday at the Emo Inn.

Laurie Marcil, executive director of Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario (NOTO), fears the way in which Bill C-246 is worded could cause problems down the road.

Mine Centre students connected with the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward for a virtual field trip of the zoo. The center used its animal ambassadors to demonstrate how survival looks in the animal kingdom.

Joshua Henry appears to have earned himself a spot to compete for the title of “Canada’s Greatest Explorer.”

As of this morning, Henry had collected 3,055 votes, which was good enough for ninth place among the field of 25 contestants.

People can continue to vote on www.woodsexplorer.ca, with voting closing at 5:59 p.m. (CDT) today.

To be a Muskie boys’ soccer player, one needs to have a good head for the game—such as shown here by Tyler VanUden in outjumping Zack Lugli of the Dryden Eagles during the first half of Fort High’s 2-1 win in the NorWOSSA regular-season opener here last Wednesday.

If Cole Kowalski feels the need to furnish his goal crease, he probably can start with a recliner.

Kowalski was given little to do thanks to the suffocating defence his team played in front of him as the Muskie boys’ soccer team opened the NorWOSSA regular season here last Wednesday.

Sarah Faragher said her team came out winners, no matter what the scoreboard read.

The head coach of the Muskie girls’ soccer team was treasuring last weekend’s chance to lock horns with different and mostly tougher opponents at the St. John’s/Ravenscourt Eagles tournament in Winnipeg than they normally face in NorWOSSA play.

Rebirths, renamings, new arrivals, and a new departure.

Change is the catchword when it comes to the Rainy River District Fastball League, which begins its 53rd season next Tuesday (May 17) at various diamonds around the district.

DALLAS — Two U.S. senators say one way to reduce long airport security lines this summer is for airlines to drop their fees on checking luggage.

It’s the latest suggestion for dealing with what could be a hellish summer at the nation’s airports. Airlines are already warning passengers to arrive at least two hours early to get through security and catch their flights.

DENVER — Charges by four female pilots that Frontier Airlines’ policies for pregnant women and new mothers are discriminatory could be seen as progress, an advocate says.

Decades ago, flight attendants were pushing just to keep their jobs after they became pregnant, said Phoebe Taubman, senior staff attorney with the advocacy group A Better Balance.

Lt.-Col. R.A. Evans, centre, inspected members of the 908 Rainy Lake Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron last night during its 13th-annual ceremonial review at the Memorial Sports Centre auditorium. The event included the presentation of awards and certificates, as well as a demonstration from the drill team and interactive displays.

Nexus Community Credit Union here got its new sign late Monday afternoon. The Thamesville Community Credit Union Ltd. and Northern Lights Credit Union Ltd. voted to merge back in November and commenced business under the new name back in January.

Margaret Froh of Barrie is the new president of the Métis Nation of Ontario.

Ballots from the May 2 election were tallied Tuesday and yesterday, with the official results announced last night.

Froh garnered 1,834 votes to beat Hank Rowlinson of Sudbury (1,469).

Gary Lipinski of Fort Frances did not seek re-election and is retiring from Métis politics.

Two fires burning along the Ontario-Manitoba boundary remain listed as “not under control” at last report late yesterday afternoon.

Kenora Fire #18, in the Ingolf area about 55 km west of Kenora, last was estimated at 5,800 hectares in size.

Cooler, damp weather over the next few days will assist ground crews to continue to make progress with suppression efforts.

Shawna Holmlund visited with her dad, Bruce, during a tea at Rainycrest yesterday afternoon. Hosted by the Rainycrest Auxiliary, the event featured a bake sale, penny table, sale table, a “Lucky Lotto,” and door prize.

Unifor is contributing $500,000 to Fort McMurray disaster relief.

Unifor Local 324, which includes Norbord employees in Barwick and Acadia Broadcasting employees in Fort Frances, donated $5,000, as well.

“Our members in Fort McMurray fled the fire zone with their families and little else,” noted Unifor national president Jerry Dias.

Fort High students will be “Hooping It Up” this Tuesday (May 17) at 11:30 a.m. to help students with special needs while raising money and awareness for their “Best Buddies” club.

“Hooping It Up” with Best Buddies Canada is a basketball free-throw competition and awareness event.

For a $2 entry fee, each participant tries to sink as many free throws as possible in one minute.

Rainy, chilly weather didn’t come close to cooling off the Muskie boys’ and girls’ soccer teams yesterday in Dryden.

Neither did the absence of both of their regular head coaches.

Both Muskie crews didn’t give up a goal, while each netting nine of their own, in sweeping their respective doubleheaders to improve to 4-0 on the NorWOSSA season and lock up first place.

Mira Donaldson performed “Always Do a Cannonball” by Gary Dunford during the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts’ annual “Highlights Concert” on Tuesday night at the Townshend Theatre. Winning several awards in the drama, instrumental, and piano divisions, Donaldson also was awarded the coveted Rose Bowl for drama.

OTTAWA—Health Canada said yesterday it will fund two additional mental health workers and a case manager for youth in Attawapiskat to assist with the Northern Ontario reserve’s suicide crisis.

It’s a move that comes after the federal government came under fire by the region’s MP and the community’s chief.

MONTREAL—An assistant professor of anthropology at McGill University is cautioning that the work of a Quebec teenager who possibly has discovered a “lost” Mayan city has not been peer-reviewed.

William Gadoury, 15, shot to fame earlier this week with reports he had stumbled on what he believes could be a Mayan settlement in an uninhabited part of Mexico.

MONTREAL—More children than ever are being exploited in the travel and tourism sector in Canada and around the world, according to a new report released today.

OTTAWA—The Trudeau government yesterday was accused of stacking the deck in the Liberal party’s favour as it finally made good on a promise to create a special parliamentary committee on electoral reform.

Democratic Institutions minister Maryam Monsef insisted the government remains open to considering any and all alternatives to the existing first-past-the-post voting system.

OTTAWA—The federal government no longer will be able to advertise policy measures that have not yet been adopted by Parliament under new rules designed to curb partisanship in taxpayer-funded ads.

EDMONTON—Fire evacuees from Fort McMurray have been offered meals, clothing, places to stay, and now an unusual gift—a free lap dance.

An Edmonton strip club is waiving its $9 entry fee and offering one $30 lap dance to any customers from the evacuated city in northern Alberta.

As demonstrated in the days since the fire, the oilsands capital is home to many families.

HALIFAX—An additional 30-40 pre-school children with autism spectrum disorder in Nova Scotia will receive treatment each year as a result of $3.6 million being included in the provincial budget.

A total of 180 children will be receiving treatment under the Early Intensive Behavioural Intervention treatment program.

DALLAS—The captain and the kid are going to the Western Conference final with the St. Louis Blues.

St. Louis did more than survive Game 7 this time. The Blues routed the top-seeded Dallas Stars 6-1 last night to advance to their first Western Conference final since 2001.

Hojorge Dominguez, a performer with the Khartum Shrine Circus, showed off some dog tricks with the help of his four-legged companions yesterday afternoon during the first of two shows at the Memorial Sports Centre. Along with seeing the circus acts, youngsters were able to get their faces painted and ride a pony.

Westyn DeGagne dressed up as a firefighter during the Fort Frances Nursery School’s visit to the local fire hall and OPP station earlier this month.

Perry Nastiuk showed off a bag full of yellow, black, and sponge morel mushrooms he picked recently within town limits. Nastiuk collected 13 pounds of the popular fungi last year and is aiming to double that amount this season.

Acclaimed educator Teepa Snow led an all-day workshop, “Positive Approach in Dementia Care,” yesterday at La Place Rendez-Vous.

OTTAWA—The opposition parties are making some political hay over media reports that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife wants extra staff to help manage her official duties.

EDMONTON—Cleaning up Fort McMurray’s wildfire will test the city’s ability to handle everything from asbestos to rotting food and leave a lasting legacy of higher costs and dangerous residue.

So says Tom Moore—and he should know. Moore manages the landfill at Slave Lake, where one-third of the town was gutted by a fire five years ago this month.

NEW YORK—A man offering “free hugs” in New York’s Times Square is accused of punching a Canadian tourist in the face after she refused to tip him for his hug and a photo.

Jermaine Himmelstein was arrested on robbery and fraudulent accosting charges shortly after the incident yesterday afternoon.

FORT McMURRAY, Alta.—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was scheduled to meet with first responders today as he got a first-hand look at the damage left by a raging wildfire that forced the evacuation of 80,000 in Fort McMurray, Alta. more than a week ago.

TORONTO—Premier Kathleen Wynne is leaving the door slightly open to changing the way the Ontario government implements its controversial new autism program.

LAC LA BICHE, Alta.—A videographer with CBC Radio-Canada is in hospital in critical condition after a crash yesterday near a northern Alberta community that has been housing Fort McMurray fire evacuees.

RCMP said they responded to an accident just outside Lac La Biche around 5:25 a.m.

VICTORIA—British Columbia’s health minister says he’s hopeful the rate of drug overdose deaths will start dropping this month as a result of action taken by the province to curb a disturbing spike in opioid-related fatalities.

LOS ANGELES—Clayton Kershaw is on a winning roll—and doing it ever so efficiently.

He tossed a three-hitter while Yasmani Grandal belted a three-run homer to help the L.A. Dodgers blank the N.Y. Mets 5-0 last night for a split of the four-game series.

“It was special,” said Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts.

“I definitely put my fan hat on.”

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.—One birdie led to two more before Jason Day even hit his stride, and his round kept getting better until the world’s No. 1 player was in the record book and in the lead yesterday at The Players Championship.

He putted for birdie on every hole. His longest putt for par was 30 inches.

Waste of all sorts have become a common sight on curbsides around town as Week 2 of the “Fight the Blight” campaign got underway today. Area 5 residents will be picked up today while Area 1 will be picked up tomorrow, Areas 2 and 3 on Wednesday, and Area 4 on Thursday. Residents who want their items picked up on their collection day should call the town at 274-5323.

At 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, the Ear Falls OPP responded to a single motor-vehicle collision involving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV).

Upon speaking to the driver, officers suspected alcohol was a factor and administered a roadside screening device.

Upon failing the device, the driver was arrested and taken to the Ear Falls detachment for further breath tests.

Past District Governor Anglea Sharbot spoke highly of the contributions made by the Fort Frances Lions Club to the community, as recorded on the dinner placemats, during the 52nd-annual Lions Charter Night at La Place Rendez-Vous on Saturday.

Emily Olson, left, and Benjamin Briere tried out some of the features on a fire truck Saturday during “Spring Safety Day” at Canadian Tire. The Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service wrapped up Emergency Preparedness Week by bringing out vehicles and equipment for the public to see, as well as safety information and other goodies to give away.

OTTAWA—The federal NDP has opted for an extended leadership race to replace Tom Mulcair, as it looks to name a new leader between September and October of 2017.

CALGARY—A trial was to begin today for a man charged after five young people were stabbed at a party where they were celebrating the end of the university school year.

Matthew de Grood, 24, faces five counts of first-degree murder in what police have said is Calgary’s worst mass killing.

He’s been in custody since shortly after the attack on April 15, 2014.

EDMONTON—Thousands of Fort McMurray evacuees will receive a phone call tonight.

CONCORD, N.H. — The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it will not hear Exxon Mobil’s appeal of a $236 million judgment for its use of a gasoline additive that contaminated groundwater in New Hampshire.

The court’s order leaves in place a jury verdict involving contamination by the chemical MTBE.

BOSTON—A cancer patient has received the first penis transplant in the U.S., a Boston hospital said today.

Massachusetts General Hospital has confirmed Thomas Manning of Halifax, Mass., received the transplanted penis in a 15-hour procedure last week.

The organ was transplanted from a deceased donor.

The New York Times first reported the transplant today.

BOSTON — A cancer patient has received the first penis transplant in the United States, a Boston hospital said Monday.

Massachusetts General Hospital has confirmed that Thomas Manning of Halifax, Massachusetts, received the transplanted penis in a 15-hour procedure last week. The organ was transplanted from a deceased donor.

ARLINGTON, Tex.—Jose Bautista slid hard into second base, stood up, and found himself face-to-face with Rougned Odor.

Next thing the Toronto slugger knew, he was rattled by a punch to the jaw that sent his batting helmet and sunglasses flying.

DOVER, Del.—Matt Kenseth held off Kyle Larson in a thrilling run down the stretch to win a wreck-filled race yesterday at Dover International Speedway.

Kenseth snapped a 17-race winless skid with his 37th career victory—and denied Larson his first win.

“I got digging the best I could and tried to hold him off,” Kenseth noted.

ST. LOUIS—Once again, Brian Elliott was the star of the show.

And his latest performance gave his St. Louis Blues’ teammates plenty of comfort knowing he had their back.

BATH, Maine — The U.S. Navy is ready to take ownership of the Zumwalt, its largest and most technologically sophisticated destroyer.

Sailors’ uniforms and personal effects, supplies and spare parts are being moved aboard the 610-foot warship in anticipation of crew members taking on their new charge, said Capt. James Kirk, the destroyer’s skipper.

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — South Korea, the United States and Japan will hold their first joint military training next month focused on co-operating to detect signs of missile launches from North Korea and trace missile trajectories, a Seoul defence official said Monday.

LONDON — Presidential candidate Donald Trump says he may have a poor relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron in light of his criticism of Trump’s call for all Muslims to be temporarily banned from entering the United States.

STOCKHOLM — A Swedish citizen originally from Rwanda was sentenced to life in prison Monday for his role in the 1994 genocide in the African country.

Claver Berinkindi was found guilty of genocide and gross violation of international law.

Some 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed by Hutu extremists during the Rwandan genocide, according to the U.N.

Here are five things to know about the haskap berry:WHERE ARE THEY FROM: Dark blue haskap berries are native to Russia and northern Japan and are found in the wild in Canada. Because they grow on the edge of swamps during mosquito season, they are not well known in this country, says Bob Bors, head of the fruit program at the University of Saskatchewan.

The first time I ate fresh soybeans was, naturally enough, at a Japanese restaurant. Known as edamame, the dish is a staple of Japanese restaurant menus.

Prospective members of this fall’s Muskie football team stretched themselves to the limit on the first day of the black-and-gold’s spring camp at Fort High yesterday evening. The camp, which runs weekdays from 6-8 p.m. until June 3, is open to players in Grade 8 and up.

Emo Renegades’ second baseman Sam Jibb had thoughts about slapping a tag on Fort Frances Angels’ runner Rylee Redford but decided instead to take the easier out at first during her team’s 16-11 win in Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League action yesterday evening at the St. Francis Sports Field.

With temperatures finally getting more spring-like, Fort Frances Youth Soccer action heated up yesterday evening at the St. Francis Sports Field. This Division 1 matchup featured the Panthers (left) taking on the Wildcats.

OTTAWA—Indigenous children in Canada are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than non-aboriginal kids, according to new findings released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

OTTAWA—The federal government has introduced legislation to extend human rights protections to transgender Canadians.

If passed, the legislation would make it illegal to prevent someone from getting a job or to discriminate in the workplace on the basis of gender identity or expression.

FORT McMURRAY, Alta.—Officials say the concern with northern Alberta wildfires has shifted from the city of Fort McMurray to the oil industry in the surrounding area.

Late last night, about 8,000 people at work camps north of Fort McMurray were ordered out in a mandatory evacuation.

TORONTO—Ontario’s environment minister insists the province won’t eliminate natural gas for home heating as part of a soon-to-be-released plan to fight climate change.

SYDNEY, Australia — Australian athletes at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be supplied with condoms which manufacturers say will offer “near complete” antiviral protection against the Zika virus.

WASHINGTON — Grandma’s cholesterol is OK, but maybe the doctor should be asking about her social life, too.

Think about health during the senior years, and a list of common ailments pops to mind. But that’s not the whole story. New research suggests factors such as loneliness and whether they’ve broken any bones since middle age also play a role in the well-being of older adults.

CHICAGO — Add one remarkable case to the 30,000-plus organ transplants expected to be performed nationwide this year: A cancer patient who received a donor penis.

OAKLAND, Calif.—Outside his locker-room, first-year Oklahoma City coach Billy Donovan received a round of handshakes and hugs for pulling off something no other team has this post-season.

The Thunder beat the defending champs at Oracle Arena.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—The United States advanced to the quarter-finals of the hockey world championship today despite a 3-2 overtime loss to Slovakia.

Slovakia would have qualified instead of the Americans with a win in regulation time, but the U.S. earned a point for forcing overtime—enough to secure fourth place in Group ‘B.’

WASHINGTON — In-house newsletters from the clandestine National Security Agency have been released by an online news site part of the mountain of documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

ALBANY, N.Y. — When Gary Lovett was studying the effect of acid rain in New York’s Catskill Mountains 20 years ago, he ended the experiment early because so many trees in the test plots were dying not from acid rain, but from insect attacks.

Brianna Eldridge (piano), left, Katelyn Bruyere (instrumental), Mira Donaldson (drama), and Anne Jean (vocal) were presented with Rose Bowls for their excellent performances in this year’s Rainy River District Festival of the Perfoming Arts. The Rose Bowls, along with many other plaques and awards, were handed out during last Tuesday’s annual “highlights” concert at the Townshend Theatre.

While it wasn’t an Oscar, Julia McManaman’s passion for having “the perfect movie night,” did land her some hardware.

The Grade 8 student at Robert Moore School took home the top prize among the 10 students competing in the Rainy River District School Board’s annual speech contest last Wednesday.

“I was nervous,” McManaman admitted after receiving her award.

The Town of Fort Frances is gearing up for the start of tourism season here.

For instance, the Fort Frances Tourist Information Centre opens its doors for the season this Friday (May 20).

Dante Novelli was all smiles as he rode a pony during the intermission of the Khartum Shrine Circus at the Ice For Kids Arena here last Thursday. The circus performed an afternoon and evening show, which featured acts such as quick-change artists and acrobats.

For the very first time, local performers from the Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts have qualified for the provincial competition in Manitoba later this month.

Educator Teepa Snow kept attendees engaged during an all-day workshop, “Positive Approach in Dementia Care,” last Thursday at La Place Rendez-Vous.

The top performers from this year’s Rainy River District Festival of the Performing Arts took to the stage last Tuesday evening at the Townshend Theatre to showcase their talents during the annual “highlights” concert.

The 908 Rainy Lake Air Cadets held their 13th-annual ceremonial review last Wednesday night at the Memorial Sports Centre auditorium, handing out a number of awards while recognizing the squadron’s achievements of the past year.

“What a fantastic demonstration of drill and dress this evening,” enthused Lt.-Col. Rebecca Evans, the reviewing officer for the event.

The Panthers and the Wildcats were clawing for every inch of space they could get during their Division 1 showdown in Fort Frances Youth Soccer action Monday evening at the St. Francis Sports Field. Everyone certainly welcomed the warmer days that arrived this week after a rather chilly start to the 2016 season.

The weather wasn’t ideal but the scenario certainly was for Chris Sinclair.

With a number of players absent due to the FFHS Travel Club’s trip to Italy, the head coach of the Muskie boys’ soccer team seized the opportunity to give significant minutes to several of his non-starters during a pair of weekend exhibition games in Kenora.

The Muskie girls’ soccer team moved one big step closer to a third-straight NorWOSSA title, then stubbed its toe.

Fort High blanked the Kenora Broncos 5-0 and the host Dryden Eagles 4-0 last Wednesday to improve to 4-0 and lock up first place.

That means a bye to the NorWOSSA final May 25 in Dryden against the semi-final winner between the Eagles and Broncos.

The coach-to-player ratio was a little higher than Mike Cuzzolino would have liked, but he’s counting on it being the first step of a long and hopefully successful journey.

Only 15 players made it out Monday for the first evening of what will be a three-week Muskie spring football camp at Fort High.

NEW YORK — Three out of every 10 gay or bisexual men in several cities in the U.S. South have been diagnosed with the AIDS virus, three times the national rate, according to a study about how common HIV infections are in metro areas.

CHICAGO — Almost half of all heart attacks cause no obvious symptoms, yet they can still be life-threatening, according to research on more than 9,000 middle-aged men and women.

It’s one of the biggest studies to examine so-called silent heart attacks, and to also explore them across racial and gender groups.

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is expected to dive deeper into virtual reality and artificial intelligence Wednesday during an annual conference that serves as a launching pad for its latest products and innovations.

BOSTON — Nearly six decades after 46 people died when the Andrea Doria sank to the sea floor following a violent collision with another ocean liner south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, explorers are preparing to do what 16 people have lost their lives attempting: get a good look at the wreckage.

BOGOTA — Colombia’s government is giving pharmaceutical giant Novartis a few weeks to lower prices on a popular cancer drug or see its monopoly on production of the medicine broken and competition thrown open to generic rivals.

Florida alligators are known for eating many things: turtles, birds, the occasional human limb.

But one large gator with an apparent sweet tooth was recently photographed sliding into a canal with a whole watermelon clamped in its jaws.

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine’s highest court has upheld the escape conviction of a woman who tried to avoid arrest by telling police that she needed to put on a bra before going to jail.

Margaret Koles held a monarch butterfly in her hand Tuesday morning at Rainycrest. The butterflies grew from small caterpillars at Rainycrest throughout the past few weeks and now that the weather has warmed up, they were able to be released into the wild.

Anthony Yerxa was getting down the basic fundamentals of Canada’s “other” national sport on Tuesday at the ’52 Canadians Arena during the first day of the United Native Friendship Centre’s youth lacrosse program. A total of 48 youngsters came out for what will be a weekly session there every Tuesday.

Officers from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (Big Trout Lake) detachment of the OPP were dispatched to the scene of a fatal motor-vehicle collision involving a truck and a pedestrian around 9:20 p.m. yesterday on Sakeetawanakak Road.

The pedestrian, a two-and-a-half year-old boy, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rainy River District OPP has received funding from the Ministry of Children and Youth Services to hire two students for the Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI).

Successful applicants will assist the community services officer with delivery of public safety programs within the district.

The students also will be seen as ambassadors for the OPP and the Town of Fort Frances.

TAMPA, Fla.—Sidney Crosby and Co. kept pressing and shooting until the Pittsburgh Penguins finally imposed their will.

Crosby, Phil Kessel, and Chris Kunitz scored third-period goals to help the Penguins beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference final last night.

OTTAWA—A contrite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized yet again today for a physical encounter with two opposition MPs that touched off an unprecedented fracas on the floor of the House of Commons.

TORONTO—Ontario’s auditor general opened the education ministry’s books to examine $3.8 million in payments to unions, but was “surprised” to find an additional $80 million in funding—about a quarter of that with “no strings attached.”

CAIRO—An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo, with 66 passengers and crew on board, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the Greek island of Crete early this morning, Egyptian and Greek officials said.

Egypt’s aviation minister said the crash was more likely caused by a terror attack than technical problems.

NEW YORK — Two-thirds of Americans would have difficulty coming up with the money to cover a $1,000 emergency, according to an exclusive poll released Thursday, a signal that despite years of recovery from the Great Recession, Americans’ financial conditions remain precarious as ever.

CHICAGO — A new kind of drug for the deadliest form of skin cancer helped some patients survive for at least three years, a study shows. It’s a remarkable advance for patients who until recently faced dismal chances of living for more than a few months.

CHICAGO — A new kind of drug for the deadliest form of skin cancer helped some patients survive for at least three years, a study shows. It’s a remarkable advance for patients who until recently faced dismal chances of living for more than a few months.

TORONTO—Two blowout losses, a series sweep, and a losing streak that’s showing no signs of ending.

The Blue Jays left Toronto after another loss to Tampa Bay last night searching for answers and hoping a return to the road will help them end a nasty funk.

R.A. Dickey gave up three home runs as the Rays doubled the Jays 6-3, handing them their fifth-straight loss.

LOWELL, Mass. — Four sister robots built by NASA could be pioneers in the colonization of Mars, part of an advance construction team that sets up a habitat for more fragile human explorers. But first they’re finding new homes on Earth and engineers to hone their skills.

CAIRO — An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew on board crashed in the Mediterranean Sea off the Greek island of Crete early Thursday morning, Egyptian and Greek officials said.

Greek defence minister Panos Kammenos said EgyptAir flight 804 made abrupt turns and suddenly lost altitude just before vanishing from radar at around 2.45 a.m. Egyptian time.

GENEVA — The ‘Oppenheimer Blue’ has sold for a hammer price of 50.6 million Swiss francs ($51.3 million), setting a new record for a diamond sold at auction.

The 14.62-carat stone, billed as the largest Vivid Blue diamond ever put up for auction, obliterated Christie’s pre-sale estimate range of between 38 million and 45 million Swiss francs.

Can’t get airborne with an aviation cocktail? You need a layover.

Picnicking has long been a tradition for my family, generations ago on the shores of the Arabian Sea, then on the banks of Nile. When they moved to England, they picnicked at seaside at Cleethorpes — still in their saris, stoic in the face of the cold weather, wearing three sweaters each.

Harleigh Brow-Rose, left, Sarah Rittau, and Cayla Leimenstoll tore up the track for the Muskie track and field team during the Harry McMaster Memorial Track Meet yesterday hosted by the Dryden Eagles. Results from the event were unavailable at press time, with the Muskies now preparing for the NWOSSAA championships this Tuesday (May 24) in Thunder Bay.

Sgt. Greg Beazley, right, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) leader here in Fort Frances, showed off a rubber bullet to Randy Cameron yesterday afternoon at Canadian Tire. The display of equipment used by the ERT was part of a promotion for “Police Week,” which also included an appearance by the local K-9 unit.

An Atikokan man is facing impaired driving charges following an incident around 2:15 a.m. today.

Rainy River District OPP officers on patrol located a motor vehicle in the ditch of Highway 11B, near Highway 622, within the Township of Atikokan.

A 36-year-old male was arrested at the scene and taken to the OPP detachment for breath tests.

Three new fires were confirmed yesterday in the Northwest Region.

Fort Frances Fire #5 was reported as “being held” at 0.9 hectares in size.

The human-caused blaze is located just west of Sakwite Lake.

Kenora Fire #30, meanwhile, is a .01-ha blaze currently listed as “not under control”

Thunder Bay Fire #17, a human-caused blaze, is now “out” at 0.5 ha.

Neala Reinhardt, nine, was the winner of a new bike raffled off during Spring Safety Day here last Saturday. Fire prevention captain Wayne Riches, with the Fort Frances Fire and Rescue Service, and local Canadian Tire store manager Jordan Marsh were on hand yesterday to present the new bike. Jack McCafferty, four, and Leaf Wallace, three, each won safety prize packs.

There was no room for error and the Carleton Place Canadians suffered for it.

The Canadians, captained by Fort Frances native Jordan Larson, had a mighty task in front of them yesterday if they hoped to make it to the playoff round at the RBC Cup in Lloydminster.

OTTAWA—Charges of fraud and breach of trust have been dropped against former senator Mac Harb, a Liberal appointee and central figure in the Senate expense scandal whose housing expenses were deemed unjustifiable by the upper chamber.

NEW YORK—During a visit last Friday with a frail Morley Safer, Tom Brokaw exchanged memories with him about fellow journalists Ben Bradlee, Don Hewitt, and others who had died.

“All the great ones are gone,” Safer said quietly to Brokaw, the veteran NBC newsman recalled.

“I said, ‘No, Morley, you’re still with us.’”

Yesterday, Safer’s death at age 84 swelled the loss.

OTTAWA—The fate of the government’s controversial assisted death legislation, and whether it can pass through Parliament by the Supreme Court’s deadline of June 6, now is very much in question.

In fact, it might be mathematically impossible—a circumstance Liberal cabinet ministers refused to acknowledge yesterday.

VANCOUVER — Canada’s National Energy Board has recommended the government approve a US$5.9 billion (CA$6.8-billion) Trans Mountain pipeline expansion pending 157 conditions are met.

NEW YORK — The number of pregnant women in the United States infected with Zika virus is suddenly tripling, due to a change in how the government is reporting cases.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Amid a massive frozen foods recall involving millions of packages of fruits and vegetables that were shipped to all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Mexico, authorities who want to stem the listeria-linked illnesses and deaths worry it’ll be difficult to get consumers to dig through their freezers and check for products they may have bought as far back as 2014.

CLEVELAND—With two-and-a-half minutes to go in the first half last night, Toronto’s all-star guard Kyle Lowry beat a hasty exit for the locker-room.

He’d just missed a pair of three-pointers and wanted to “decompress” for the second half.

Turned out, the second half was too late. It would be game over for Toronto by then.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia—Canada kept its title defence alive at the world hockey championship with a 6-0 quarter-final win over Sweden yesterday.

Mark Scheifele and Mark Stone each had a goal and two assists as Canadians rebounded from a 4-0 shutout loss in their round-robin finale against Finland on Tuesday.

LAGOS, Nigeria — Aid workers and parents of the girls who were kidnapped from a school in 2014 lashed out at the Nigerian government and military Thursday for their handling of the first of the so-called Chibok girls to escape the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram.

KOCHVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A Michigan man is facing charges after a stripper was paid with a counterfeit $100 bill following a lap dance.

Stephen Gidcumb is charged with intentionally passing counterfeit notes. Police tell The Detroit News that fake bills were mixed in with real $100 bills.

HONOLULU — The last 50 wild donkeys on Hawaii’s Big Island will be rounded up to mark the final step in a six-year effort to get them in adoptive homes.

The donkeys are the last of more than 500 who were cast-offs from the early days of Hawaii coffee and agricultural plantations.

DEVADI VILLAGE, India — For two years the farmer was hopeful. He borrowed hundreds of thousands of rupees (thousands of dollars) to build a pipeline that connected a local dam to his fields of cotton and sugarcane. Two years ago the water stopped. The debts kept growing.

CAIRO — An Egyptian army spokesman says plane wreckage has been found 290 kilometres from Alexandria.

EgyptAir flight 804 disappeared from the radar early Thursday while carrying 66 passengers and crew from Paris to Cairo. The passengers included two unidentified Canadians.

WARSAW, Poland — A spokesman for the Auschwitz Museum says a Polish-made golden ring and chain have been found hidden under the false base of an enameled mug that must have belonged to a victim of the Nazis’ death camp.

NEW YORK — When Eric Ripert turned 18, he had a crisis of confidence. He was working in Paris at the famed La Tour D’Argent, a grueling first step on the journey from his childhood in the mountains of Andorra to where he is now one of the most admired chefs in the world, leading Manhattan’s elegant Le Bernardin for more than 20 years.

NEW YORK — Phil Mickelson paid off a debt to a professional gambler with nearly $1 million that was unfairly reaped from an insider trading scheme, according to a federal investigation that led to two arrests but spared the golf great from criminal charges.

Nicole LePine tried to look eye-to-eye with the taxidermied moose at the local tourist information centre on Friday. Visitors to the centre can borrow a “selfie” stick to snap a picture with the moose, as well as check out the two taxidermied owls on display there.

Plans are underway for Fort Frances to host the 69th-annual OFSAA boys’ hockey championships next March, and the town officially has been asked to be a sponsor.

Sgt. Greg Beazley, centre, the Emergency Response Team (ERT) leader here in Fort Frances, flanked by canine handlers Cst. Jeff Poperechny (left) and Cst. Chris Halverson, along with their partners, “Jax” and “Briggs,” demonstrated some of their equipment last Thursday at Canadian Tire in conjunction with Police Week.

While the numbers still are being crunched as to how much extra waste was brought in to the local landfill over the past two weeks, there’s no question the town’s “Fight the Blight” campaign was a bona fide success.

With their bellies filled with pizza, pasta, and gelato, members of the Fort Frances High School Travel Club returned late Friday night from their nine-day trip to Italy.

A total of 33 students, along with four teachers serving as chaperones, travelled overseas to visit the European country.

Steve Jourdain, along with his wife, Iris, above left, soaked up the warm weather Friday while enjoying a meal at the Rainy River First Nations’ 46th-annual fish fry at the pow-wow grounds.

Paul Morrison was shocked last week when he was visiting the park near Phair Avenue and Sixth Street East with his family and discovered a baggie filled with used needles in the bush.

His Facebook post to alert people in the area about his discovery quickly went viral—igniting a discussion about needle safety.

Piper Felix didn’t mind mixing it up with the boys as she showcased her skills during the first day of the United Native Friendship Centre’s youth lacrosse program at the ’52 Canadians Arena here last Tuesday.