Fort Frances Times Online Edition - August 8, 2019

Dairy Queen co-owner Christin Thomson this morning held up two of the Miracle Treat Day Blizzards that will be distributed to over 15 local businesses today for the nation-wide fundraiser. All of the proceeds made from each Blizzard sale today (Aug. 8) will be donated to the Children's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba.

Collin Howarth, left, and Keifer McKinnon played with circuit boards during the Fort Frances Public Library's “Mad Science Day” yesterday on the facility's front lawn. The event featured a day of wacky and wild science experiments, along with a live show of demonstrations by real scientist, Connie Schwartz. -Sam Odrowski photo

Award-winning blues musician Suzie Vinnick played to an enthusiastic crowd at Cornell Farms last night. Vinnick is a 10-time winner of the Maple Blues Award and was the voice behind the “Always Fresh, Always Tim Hortons" jingle. The next barn concert at Cornell Farms is "Ragged Road” on Sept. 4.

Work is progressing well on the reconstruction of Second Street East from Portage Avenue to Victoria Avenue. The water main work in the Victoria Avenue intersection is now complete. Disinfection and testing still remain before these mains are put into service. Sanitary sewer and water mains and services are being installed, moving westerly. The job is being done by Bay City Contractors Inc.

CJ Contracting keeper Jacob Albright was able to leap higher than Connor Nelson of Manitou Forest Products to make a difficult save during the second half of his squad's 1-0 win in the first leg of the Borderland Soccer League's men's division semi-final last night at the St. Francis Sports Field. The second-and-deciding game is set to go tonight at 6:30 p.m. (weather permitting).

TORONTO—A British Columbia man accused of swimming naked in a shark tank at a Toronto aquarium is expected to plead guilty to mischief in that incident next month.

David Weaver, of Nelson, B.C., was arrested and charged in October of last year, four days after the alleged incident.

Fifteen people from across Ontario face a combined 195 charges after an investigation into an alleged drug trafficking network involving members and associates of motorcycle gangs, provincial police said yesterday.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has identified the fourth entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence off the coast of the Iles-de-la-Madeleine.

The whale has been identified as Number EG1226, an older male named “Snake Eyes” that was first seen in 1979.

Snake Eyes was last seen swimming freely in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on July 16.

WINNIPEG—A massive manhunt is over after two bodies believed to be British Columbia murder suspects were found in dense brush in northern Manitoba.

RCMP assistant commissioner Jane MacLatchy said the bodies were discovered yesterday morning near the shoreline of the Nelson River, within a kilometre from where several items linked to the two young men were found last week.

LANGLEY, B.C.—A manager with the Greater Vancouver Zoo says a two-year-old girl who was bitten by a bear somehow got past a locked gate to access an enclosure with three young black bears.

Menita Prasad, the zoo's animal care manager, says there is a combination of chain-link and wooden fencing around the enclosure and steel gates keeping the bears in and the public out.

TORONTO—A man who almost defrauded Revenue Canada of more than $40 million had his prison sentence increased yesterday but won't have to serve any more time.

In a written ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal said the 18-month term handed to Kevin Plange was far too little for the crime and upped it to three years.

PICTON, Ont.—Ontario Provincial Police are warning the public of an “emergency” scam that cost a mother from Picton, Ont., $6,000.

Police say the woman recently received a frantic phone call from a man claiming to be her son.

The man told her he was in jail after a serious motor vehicle collision.

TORONTO—Charges against one of seven students accused in alleged incidents of sexual assault and assault at a prestigious private school in Toronto were withdrawn yesterday after a prosecutor said a conviction was unlikely.

TILLSONBURG, Ont.—Provincial police are reminding the public about the proper use of 911 after officers were called to remove a bat from a home in Tillsonburg, Ont.

OPP say a homeowner in the community called 911 to report a bird flying around in their home as they tried to go to sleep.

Ottawa is going around the Manitoba government in order to give $5.4 million in carbon tax revenues to the province's schools in the latest carbon-tax battle between the federal Liberals and a provincial Conservative government.

OTTAWA—True or false: “Canada is on track to meet its climate change commitments under the Paris Accord.”

Your answer might depend on how you're getting your news, a new research project suggests.

TORONTO — A new poll suggests the majority of Canadians are ready to embrace more technology in health care, and it seems many would even trust a private company like Google or Apple with personal data if that meant 24-hour access to their doctor.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.—Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash was blunt after the Rays closed out a homestand against Miami and Toronto with a 3-2 record.

“Not good enough," Cash said after a 4-3 loss to the Blue Jays yesterday. "You've got to do better than that. Where we're at, we've got to find ways to win.”

EAGAN, Minn.—Acclimating to a new offence, the Minnesota Vikings are likely to be without at least one offensive starter in their preseason opener at New Orleans tomorrow night.

BERLIN—Vienna subway travellers have decided that they don't want their train rides to be scented.

The Austrian capital's transport authority tried out four scents, including hints of green tea, grapefruit, sandalwood and melon, in the ventilation systems of four trains on two of the network's five lines last month.

It asked subway users to deliver their verdict online.

LOS ANGELES—The longtime composer of “The Simpsons” has sued over his dismissal from the long-running series, saying he was discriminated against because of his age and a perceived disability.

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla.—A Florida woman says lightning destroyed her septic tank and caused a toilet in her house to explode.

Marylou Ward tells television station WINK News that the sole toilet in her Port Charlotte home was shattered into hundreds of pieces on Sunday.

Ward says the explosion was the loudest sound she's ever heard, and that she also smelled smoke.

Chicago isn't quite ready to say see you later, alligator.

The Chicago Sun Times reports that officers serving a search warrant at a northwest side house found a three-foot alligator along with some guns and drugs.

They turned the alligator over to animal control.

LOS ANGELES—What if alternative energy isn't all it's cracked up to be? That's the provocative question explored in the documentary “Planet of the Humans,” which is backed and promoted by filmmaker Michael Moore and directed by one of his longtime collaborators.

It premiered last week at his Traverse City Film Festival.

TORONTO—The Toronto International Film Festival is introducing a new director's prize, and the first recipient will be New Zealand filmmaker Taika Waititi.

Festival co-heads Joana Vicente and Cameron Bailey say the TIFF Ebert Director Award will be handed out at the inaugural Tribute Gala, which will also bestow an acting award to Meryl Streep.

WASHINGTON — On the ground, climate change is hitting us where it counts: the stomach ‚Äî not to mention the forests, plants and animals.

A new United Nations scientific report examines how global warming and land interact in a vicious cycle. Human-caused climate change is dramatically degrading the land, while the way people use the land is making global warming worse.

CAPITAN, N.M. — Smokey Bear, the icon of the longest-running public service campaign in the U.S., is set to turn 75 years old.

Birthday parties are scheduled to take place this week in honour of the bear used to promote forest fire prevention.

LOS ANGELES — What if alternative energy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be? That’s the provocative question explored in the documentary “Planet of the Humans,” which is backed and promoted by filmmaker Michael Moore and directed by one of his longtime collaborators. It premiered last week at his Traverse City Film Festival.

WARWICK, Que.—It took about 1,000 kilograms of cheese curds, but a small town in central Quebec believes it has broken the world record for the biggest poutine.

Tonight will be clear with a low of 10 C (50 F).

Tomorrow will be sunny and nice. Expect a high of 24 (75) and a low of 11 (52).

Saturday will be mostly cloudy. Expect a high of 26 (79) and a low of 13 (55).

The Honest Heart Collective will play their brand of passionate, spirited, feel-good, anthemic rock 'n' roll at the Rainy Lake Square on this evening (Aug. 8) from 6-8 p.m. Free concert hosted by Tour de Fort. Bring a chair.

“Step Down” will play at the Legion on Friday, Aug. 9 from 9 p.m.-2 a.m. A $5 cover charge for non-members. Attendance prizes. It's also 50/50 draw night.