‘Coats4Kids’ big success
Again proving the local community’s generosity knows no bounds, the Knights of Columbus—Rainy Lake Council’s “Coats4Kids” 2016 campaign was a smashing success.
Campaign organizer Nathan Cousineau delivered nine dozen (108) winter jackets Monday to Kenora-Rainy River Districts Child and Family Services to distribute to at-risk youth in Fort Frances and the surrounding area.
Tons of toys
Salvation Army Lt. Ryan MacDonald, left, posed with a John Deere kids’ lawn tractor donated by Canadian Tire staff as Darcy Banman of The Bargain Shop, along with Carl Scott, Sharon Wiebe, and Ryann Scott of Carl’s Eatery, showed off a sample of the bounty of toys donated by the community this Christmas season.
Towns face big tax hit
Fort Frances is among Ontario municipalities having to pay back taxes to Canadian Tire.
The company reached a Memorandum of Understanding with the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. last week, which will see the values of the stores reduced.
Canadian Tire had been seeking to reduce the value of the land upon which stores are located.
7 Gens to build new centre here
The Seven Generations Education Institute will be saying goodbye to the old and hello to a new, state-of-the-art facility thanks to an $8.7-million investment from the federal government.
Coat drive
KRRDCFS staff Cheyenne Calder, left, Kelsey Trochimchuk, Betty-Anne Johnson, and Kari McLean graciously received a donation of nine dozen winter jackets from Knights of Columbus—Rainy Lake Council member Nathan Cousineau here Monday. The jackets were purchased with funds raised from the community.
Local airplane photos, stories sought
With Canada marking its 150th birthday in 2017, the Fort Frances Museum and a local group of volunteers are planning a “Canada 150” transportation exhibit focusing on modes of travel from local history—including aviation.
As such, volunteer John Myers is putting a call out to the public for photos taken here of airplanes or stories about local aviation.
Intense action
Muskies Samara Payne (9) and Ellie Petsnick put up an imposing blockade on Mandy Tourond of Dryden during Eagles’ 3-2 win in their NorWOSSA junior girls’ volleyball regular-season opener her last Tuesday. Meanwhile, both schools clashed twice for medals over the weekend as they entered split squads in the Eagles’ home tournament.
Still no word on refugee families’ arrival
Kathy Mueller has been trying to get some answers about when the two Iraqi refugee families the community is sponsoring will arrive here but keeps coming up empty-handed.
“We have looked into what’s going on and it just says they are in the process of doing background checks,” Mueller noted last week.
“And we can’t do anything to hurry up that process.
Singing ‘trees’
Students in Sherri Hay’s Early Years class sang “I’m the Happiest Christmas Tree” in the Sturgeon Creek School Christmas concert on Friday evening.
Lots of Christmas smiles in store
Santa’s workshop doesn’t have anything on the Salvation Army’s Citadel this year.
The Victoria Avenue location was brimming with more than $20,000 in dolls, bikes, puzzles, action figures, building blocks, stuffed animals, and much more after am extra-generous outpouring by the public this holiday season.
Ski club president excited for season
Another season of outdoor recreation is awaiting snow enthusiasts courtesy of the Rainy Lake Nordic Ski Club, which held its annual general meeting last Wednesday.
“We had new people out at the meeting with fresh ideas coming from around the table, and we appreciated that,” noted club president Jim Krag.
Resort owner graces covers
Making the cover of Sports Illustrated for many years has been mythically related to being jinxed in their next season of competition.
Mike Gate hopes that jinx doesn’t extend to one of America’s better-known fishing periodicals.
Lakers gain confidence entering break
The captain of the Fort Frances Lakers’ ship has seen his team navigate some treacherous waters so far this season.
But Dylan Kooner believes he has good reason to envision smoother seas ahead for the three-time defending SIJHL champs.
Navy scraps plan to dump job titles amid sailors’ complaints
WASHINGTON — The Navy is scrapping its decision to eliminate dozens of enlisted sailors’ job titles, including many that end in “man,” after hitting an onslaught of opposition from the force.
COOKING ON DEADLINE: Vietnamese Shrimp Salad
This is the time of year when food writers start lamenting about how much we’ve all indulged. We offer up lighter recipes as a way to make amends for our fourth-quarter behaviour. Mea culpa, and pass the bran flakes.