Fort Frances Times Online Edition - September 21, 2017

Keep the beer steins and lederhosen ready just a little longer this fall.

The Friends of the Fort Frances Museum are planning “Novemberfest” for their annual fundraiser gala, which will take place Thursday, Nov. 2 at the museum.

The group made the decision during its meeting Tuesday evening.

The Rainy River District OPP is reminding motorists and cyclists that they have a responsibility to ensure they stop at crosswalks when pedestrians are present.

Crosswalks allow safe crossings for pedestrians at specific points on a roadway.

These points are identified with signs, as well as markings on the road.

Volunteer Kimmy Daley tried out some Oktoberfest props during the most recent Friends of the Museum meeting Tuesday evening. “Novemberfest” is the theme for the group's fall gala this year, which will be held there Nov. 2.

Tournament winners Wayne Howard and Dallas Mosbeck posed with their specially-crafted trophies afterwards.

Andrew Mueller of Mueller Roofing was hard at work stripping shingles from the roof of the Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau (old CN station) on Fourth Street this morning. The roof will be seeing much-needed upgrades over the next couple of weeks, including new shingles and some replacement of fascia, with care taken to preserve its historical value.

Grade 11 students at Fort Frances High School were treated to “The Sweet Life Road Show” on Tuesday morning.

OTTAWA—The head of the national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women and girls in Canada says government bureaucracy is smothering the inquiry's ability to do its work on time.

Marion Buller, the chief commissioner of the troubled inquiry, made the comments while speaking at a Senate committee about the committee's work yesterday evening in Ottawa.

A southern Ontario college says it will be the first to offer a post-secondary credential in the production of commercial cannabis.

Niagara College said the graduate certificate program will launch in the fall of 2018 and aims to prepare students to work in the licensed production of cannabis, which includes marijuana, hemp fibre, and hemp seed.

OTTAWA—NAFTA negotiators appear to have adopted the lament of the White Rabbit: “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

Battalions of negotiators for Canada, Mexico, and the United States have been working at a breakneck pace trying to reach agreement on a revamped North American free trade pact by the end of the year but so far have little to show for it.

OTTAWA—Controversial Conservative Sen. Lynn Beyak has been removed from all Senate committees following remarks about First Nations that have been widely condemned.

Beyak remains a member of the Conservative caucus but has lost her spots on the Senate's agriculture, defence, and transportation committees.

WALTON, Ont.—Ontario farmers and small businesses will receive support from the government as the province moves ahead with its plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Premier Kathleen Wynne said Tuesday.

But the premier offered no further details about what that support would look like or when it would be announced.

NEW YORK—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau intends to use his speech to the United Nations General Assembly today to tell a painful story about Canada's past, the struggles of its indigenous peoples, and the long road ahead in addressing them.

TORONTO—The union representing 2,500 striking workers at GM Canada's CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont. said it has invited management to get talks rolling again in hopes of reaching a settlement.

TORONTO—Careless drivers in Ontario causing death soon could be fined up to $50,000 as the government plans to introduce tougher penalties that also will crack down on distracted driving.

TORONTO—The Kansas City Royals were aggressive from the start last night and it paid off with one of their more lopsided wins of the season.

Swinging regularly at the first pitch against Brett Anderson, the Royals chased the Toronto starter early in a 15-5 rout of the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.—As the Minnesota Vikings plunged into a second week of uncertainty at their most important position, quarterback Sam Bradford offered reasons to believe he'll return swiftly from a left-knee injury.

That's the hope at team headquarters and among the fan base, at least, following Sunday's 26-9 loss at Pittsburgh with backup Case Keenum forced into action.

WINNIPEG—Pre-season or not, if they wanted validation for signing Jussi Jokinen, the Edmonton Oilers got it last night.

Jokinen had a goal and two assists as Edmonton beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 in pre-season action.

“He's a left-handed version of me," Mark Letestu said with a grin. ”He's good in the shootout, plays in all situations.

ATLANTA—All 30 players who made it to the Tour Championship this week have a mathematical shot at the FedEx Cup and its $10-million prize.

That includes Pat Perez, the No. 11 seed, who calculated his own odds of winning.

“All the top guys would have to play bad, which they haven't done all year,” Perez noted yesterday.

ATLANTA—Manager Dusty Baker was hardly surprised that the heart of the Nationals' order took so many pitches in the eighth inning.

“It's easy to be patient when they're not near the strike zone,” he reasoned.

“We capitalized on it," Baker added. "You're going to get hits after that.”

MEXICO CITY—A delicate effort to reach a young girl buried in the ruins of her school stretched into a new day today—a vigil broadcast across the nation as rescue workers struggled in rain and darkness to pick away unstable debris and reach her.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—Rescuers fanned out today to reach stunned victims after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, knocking out electricity to the entire island while triggering landslides and floods.