Fort Frances Times Online Edition - April 20, 2016

Students and staff at Fort High marched through the halls there last Wednesday during a parade celebrating “Day of Pink,” which is the international day against bullying, discrimination, homophobia, and transphobia in schools and communities. Many local businesses and agencies also celebrated the day by wearing pink, sharing pink-coloured goodies, and spreading the message of inclusivity.

Two construction firms responded to a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a firm to design and build a fenced, four-court multi-use tennis facility at the St. Francis Sports Field.

Court Surface Specialists Ltd. of Mississauga, Ont. said the job will cost $404,076.70, incl. HST but not including lighting.

“An elder once said: If you don’t think it’s a privilege to work with the community, then you’re in the wrong job.”

It’s one of the thoughts Sheila McMahon had while en route home from Toronto after receiving the June Callwood Outstanding Achievement Award for Volunteerism from the province last Thursday.

Spectators looked on as Jim Rogenrud of International Falls, above, demonstrated how to skin a beaver during the Rainy River District Trappers Council’s annual workshop Saturday at the Devlin Hall. The day included presentations, fur handling, a silent auction, and kids’ games.

The Right Relations Circle of Rainy River District, a group seeking to improve relationships between First Nations and the descendants of non-aboriginal settlers, with support from the United Church of Canada, is hosting a workshop next Wednesday (April 27) to share the historic and contemporary relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Canada.

Diane Noonan got a better look at the layout of the proposed townhome development on Front Street during Syncor open house here last Wednesday evening. The townhomes will have decks on the front and driveways and garages at the rear, off of Nelson Street.

Stepping inside the local campus of Confederation College, you used to be greeted by bare, grey walls.

Not anymore.

The foyer now is colourful and bright since a paper maché project—made by last year’s summer youth art camp here—was installed last month.

“It’s a very ambitious camp,” noted program officer Kathy Egan.

“They create, plan, and finish by Friday.”

Muskie Jenny Hammond opted for the diagonal approach to clear the bar during the girls’ long jump event at the Bronco Booster Invite in International Falls last Thursday. Hammond took second place after clearing four ft., six in.

Aaron Bujold’s latest smash hit was pure gold.

The Grade 10 member of the Muskie badminton team handily defended his senior boys’ singles crown by winning all four of his matches via two-game sweeps at the NorWOSSA finals last Wednesday in Atikokan.

The Muskie track-and-field team already has its rivals on the run.

The 17-member Fort High contingent captured 11 medals last Thursday at its first meet of the season—the Bronco Booster Invite in International Falls.

The host Broncos were the overall champs in both divisions, with the girls scoring 193 points and the boys racking up 160.

Facing the unseemly prospect of heading on the road down two games, the Fort Frances Lakers chose to partake in a little R&R on Sunday.

NEW YORK — McDonald’s is testing bigger and smaller versions of its Big Mac as the world’s biggest hamburger chain pushes to revive its business.

The company says it’s testing a “Grand Mac” and “Mac Jr.” in the Central Ohio and the Dallas areas, and will see how they do before deciding on a national rollout.

HYDERABAD, India — Weeks of sweltering temperatures have caused more than 160 deaths in southern and eastern India, officials said Tuesday, warning that any relief from monsoon rains was still likely weeks away.

NEW YORK — Front-runners Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton swept to resounding victories in the New York primary election, with Trump bouncing back from a difficult stretch in his Republican campaign and Clinton pushing tantalizingly close to locking up the Democratic nomination.

TORONTO—Cara Paiuk and her husband, Alex, sent thank-you cards following their engagement and wedding, but she candidly confesses she’s not a fan of the handwritten missives.

“Generally, I hate them. I don’t do them,” says the writer and photographer, who hails from Vancouver but now lives in West Hartford, Conn.

BRUSSELS — The first meeting of the NATO-Russia council in nearly two years failed to bridge differences between Moscow and the alliance, NATO’s chief said Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO — Thousands of people are expected to descend on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park to smoke pot for the annual 4/20 celebration, the unofficial marijuana holiday that some say has its roots in the Bay Area.

There are a surprising number of uses for the stalks, tops, ribs, fronds and stems of vegetables.

Andrea Buckett says they can add delicious flavour to home cooking and the most underused parts of vegetables are the leaves and tops of carrots, radishes, beets and cauliflower.