Fort Frances Times Online Edition - March 7, 2018

While figuring out their income tax may not be difficult for some, it can be stressful to others—especially if they can't afford to hire a service to do it for them.

Members of the “First Responders” group at Fort Frances High School recently had their emergency response skills put to the test.

While attending the international “E.M.S. Today” conference in Charlotte, N.C. in late February, they noticed someone experiencing a potentially-fatal asthma attack.

The Rainy River District School Board is looking for its 2018 Employee of the Year, Bus Driver of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Community Partner of the Year.

The Rainy River Girl Guides Unit 36 hosted its first enrolment ceremony last week.

During the ceremony, the 23 members (Sparks ages five-six, Brownies ages seven-eight, and Guides ages nine-12) received official enrolment and also received the badges they have been working towards.

The new Rainy Lake Square saw a flurry of activity Saturday afternoon as well over 200 people of all ages gathered there for “SnOasis 6: Your Winter Fix.”

Couchiching, Mitaanjigamiing, Naicatchewenin, and Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nations announced yesterday they have reached a final settlement with Canada and Ontario over legal claims related to the “Agency 1” Reserve located near Fort Frances.

“It took many years of collective effort to reach this point,” Couchiching Chief Brian Perrault said on behalf of the four First Nations.

John Glover (Atikokan) and Dan Dorie (Emo) won the $100 up for grabs on Feb. 28 and March 1, respectively, in the Rainy River District Mutual Aid Association's weekly cash calendar draw.

Nestor Falls was booming with fun activities from Friday to Sunday for its 36th-annual winter carnival.

Organizer Wayne Helliar said the three-day event was a success, with an increase in attendance from last year.

“Overall, everything went really well,” he enthused.

The Emo and District Hospital Auxiliary will be holding its annual Shamrock tea and bake sale next Friday (March 16) from 1:30-3:30 p.m. in the health centre cafeteria.

Admission is $3 and everyone is welcome!

In related news, the auxiliary will be voting on amendments to its constitution and bylaws at their meeting on April 12 at 1:30 p.m. in the health centre cafeteria.

The Fort Frances Fire & Rescue Service wants you to “push two buttons” to test all of your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in your home.

Push the buttons for 10 seconds. If the alarm doesn't sound, it's time to replace the batteries.

Replace the entire alarm if the it still doesn't sound after new batteries are installed.

Brian Perrault has been re-elected as chief of Couchiching First Nation.

“It's a very humbling experience to have the community want me to continue in this role,” Chief Perrault said yesterday.

“It's an honour to represent the community as a chief.”

More than 100 people gathered at the Millennium Hall in Stratton on Friday evening to recognize the work local 4-H members, their leaders, and volunteers have accomplished over the past year.

The 2018 Sioux Narrows Art Council is working to deliver another exhibition of fine arts and crafts, engaging demonstrations, creative activities, and original entertainment to showcase the talent and artistic spirit of Lake of the Woods and beyond.

A sure sign that spring is just around the corner is the turning of our clocks ahead one hour this weekend.

Although the change officially takes effect at 2 a.m. on Sunday, it's best to switch all your clocks before you go to bed on Saturday night in order to make sure you're not late for any events on Sunday.

With their first-round playoff showdown looming, the English River Miners exacted some revenge against the Fort Frances Lakers with a 5-2 victory Saturday night at the Ice For Kids Arena.

This came after the Lakers had beaten the Miners by scores of 6-1 and 5-1 in their previous two meetings.

The Muskie boys' hockey team came out a little flat in their 5-4 overtime loss to the Sioux Lookout Warriors in the opener of their best-of-three NorWOSSA final Thursday night at the Ice For Kids Arena—much to the chagrin of head coach Jordan Sinclair.

The Chiefs women's hockey team exacted some revenge on the Emo Misfits at its fourth-annual home tournament over the weekend.

The hosts fought back from a two-goal deficit after 40 minutes to pull out a 3-2 overtime victory Sunday afternoon in the championship game at “The Duke” (Couchiching Arena).

Both the Muskie boys' and girls' curling rinks will be heading into OFSAA here on a positive note.

Skipped by Chris Silver, the boys went 4-0 en route to capturing gold at the NWOSSAA championships held Sunday and Monday at the Fort Frances Curling Club.

Members of the Borderland Judo Club had an impressive day on the mat back on Feb. 24.

Five competitors earned gold-medal finishes in their respective divisions at the local organization's third-annual home meet held at the Couchiching multi-use facility.

The local Borderland Soccer League needs more players and volunteers in order to keep running.

That was the message delivered during the league's annual general meeting held Feb. 25 at La Place Rendez-Vous here.

To start 2018, the league had $8,992 in its bank account—a reduction of nearly $1,000 compared to 2017 due to a decrease in players.

It's becoming a regular theme for the Muskies to be the best there is in NorWOSSA girls' hockey play.

That was evident last week in Fort High's impressive two-game sweep of the Dryden Eagles in the league final.

Heather Durham, left, TD Bank manager of Customer Service, and branch manager Katie Trigg (middle left) posed with 4-H volunteer Ellen Chojko-Bolec, right, as she presented the 4-H Leadership Award to Alanna Gerula.

Samara Tucker, left, Lyndsey Peters, Tia Mainville, and Leni Fry helped to create a “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully" T-shirt during "Pink Shirt Day” activities held at St. Michael's School last Wednesday.

Kennedy Mosher and Kassandra Dobransky were among the members of the Rainy River Girl Guides Unit 36 who attended its first enrolment ceremony last week.

Louis Bujold presented Malena Flatt with the highest-grading market steer with a Hereford influence award at Friday night's banquet.

Children lined up to play the “Frosty Toss" game during "SnOasis 6” at the Rainy Lake Square. Kids got plenty of chances to burn off energy with all of the games offered at the free family event.

Joelle Bruyere painted a lovely butterfly on Hope Redmon's face inside the museum during “SnOasis 6” activities Saturday afternoon. Volunteers were kept busy as the demand for face-painting was nearly non-stop.

Sophia Black, left, and Piper Lidkea performed in the Broadway play, “A Year with Frog and Toad,” last Thursday evening at the Townshend Theatre. The cast, made up of J.W. Walker's students from Grades 4-6, had been rehearsing for the production since early January.

Garett Rudolph skillfully made his way through the obstacle course set up behind the Rainy Lake Square during “SnOasis 6” on Saturday afternoon.

Kyley Shebagegit (left) and Walter Lloyd were among the 16 teams that faced off against each other for the cribbage tournament held at the Nestor Falls community hall.

Olivia Allen putted through the mini-golf course set up near the stage at the Rainy Lake Square during “SnOasis 6” there Saturday.

Serena Thomopolous, right, fished a rubber snake out of the snow much to the delight of Liam Sandelovich, left, while they both played the “Ice Fishing" treasure hunt game Saturday during "SnOasis 6.”

Lillian Krukoski was hugged by her mom, Dianna, after getting her face painted by “Ralphie the Clown” as part of Nestor Falls Winter Carnival activities.

Meghan Spooner led a group of young children during a “Storytime" yoga session held inside the museum during "SnOasis 6” on Saturday afternoon. The kids were urged to follow Spooner's various stretches and movements.

Charlie Rydoell worked on picking up a spare while playing the bowling game during “SnOasis 6” at the Rainy Lake Square on Saturday afternoon.

Amara Cox set her hook on Sabaskong Bay during Saturday's fish derby held in conjunction with the 36th-annual Nestor Falls Winter Carnival.

Ava Pratt chowed down on a tasty “auger dog" during "SnOasis 6” on Saturday afternoon. The Friends of the Museum reported cooking up and giving away about 215 of the spiral-cut hotdogs.

“Madame de la Grande Bouche," left, played by Adrianna McCoy, looked on as "Beast" (Kaiden Kelly) danced with "Belle" (Maya Davis) during a scene from "Beauty and the Beast Jr." last Wednesday evening at Robert Moore School. The Thursday evening performance saw Emma Bone and Brayden Beazley play the roles of "Beauty" and "Beast.”

Natasha Gaudio admired the detail of the painting, “Max," on Thursday evening at the Fort Frances Museum during an opening reception for "Reflections of Realism,” a new exhibit by Cher Pruys. She had finished this painting, which depicts local youngster Max Moen with an all-day lollipop at the Emo Fair, just in time for the opening.

Jan Anderson, right, presented the “Degagne Award” to Andrea Schram at Friday night's 4-H awards banquet in Stratton. The award is presented to the beef club member who accumulates the greatest number of points over the last three years.

Dryden Eagles' defender Lindy Leclerc tripped up Muskie captain Annalise (CC) Hayes on her attempt to cut towards the Dryden goal during Fort High's 4-1 victory in the NorWOSSA girls' hockey final opener last Wednesday night at the Ice For Kids Arena. The black-and-gold then skated to a 5-1 win Friday night in Dryden to sweep the series 2-0 and claim their fifth-straight league crown.

Muskie Avery Cates was all tied up by Dryden Eagles' forward Lauryn Loyer during the second period of Fort High's 4-1 victory in the NorWOSSA girls' hockey final opener last Wednesday night at the Ice For Kids Arena. Fort High then beat the Eagles 5-1 on Friday night in Dryden to sweep the series 2-0 and advance to the all-Ontarios set for March 21-23 in Timmins.

Jeff Gustafson with his personal best spotted bass he caught this past week in Georgia. They will be the main target of most anglers on Lake Lanier this week.

Muskie boys' skip Chris Silver watched his shot intently as Owen Riches and Jason Bazylewski started to sweep during the rink's 5-2 win over the Atikokan Voyageurs on Sunday afternoon in the opener of the NWOSSAA championships at the Fort Frances Curling Club. The squad went a perfect 4-0 to nab the gold medal.

English River Miners' goalie Michael Lenko kicked a shot to the corner during his team's 5-2 win Saturday night at the Ice For Kids Arena. Lenko stopped 28 shots to earn the win and send the Fort Frances Lakers to their second-straight loss. The Lakers will host the Miners again tonight 7:30 p.m. at the Ice For Kids Arena.

Sioux Lookout Warriors' goalie Jayden Marshall made an emphatic glove save on Muskie forward Jon Busch during his team's 5-4 overtime win Thursday night in the opener of the NorWOSSA boys' hockey final at the Ice For Kids Arena.

The Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association held its annual IP Jamboree on Saturday at the Ice For Kids Arena. A total of 11 teams took part in the event, which places all the emphasis on having fun and none on the scoreboard.

Katrina Slomke and Ashley Payne were ready to sweep as Andrea Schram released a shot during the Muskies' 11-8 loss to Mackenzie Jolicouer and the Rainy River Owls on Sunday afternoon in the opener of the NWOSSAA finals at the Fort Frances Curling Club.

English River Miners' forward Spencer Milne looked to get himself turned around for a scoring chance on Fort Frances Lakers' goalie Ismael Ralsten during his team's 5-2 win Saturday night at the Ice For Kids Arena. Milne notched a goal and added a helper to pace the visitors to victory.