Fort Frances Times Online Edition - September 24, 2019

Coun. Douglas Judson publicly responded to Rainy River First Nations' (RRFN) concerns over the town's position about access to wood fibre during Monday evening's council meeting here.

“They suggest this could pose a threat to jobs at some of the existing businesses in the region or the viability of those businesses,” he explained.

On a stone residential school monument at Rainy River First Nations (RRFN) there are 154 names of band members who are survivors or have since deceased.

“We are all tied to the residential school era whether you want to admit or not,” said Marcel Medicine Horton, a RRFN Sixties Scoop survivor.

The 32nd-annual “Citizen of the Year” nomination period is fast approaching and Mayor June Caul is encouraging town residents to nominate individuals they feel deserving of the award.

The nomination period starts tomorrow (Sept. 26) and ends on Oct. 24.

The 2019 Rail Safety Week (Sept. 23-29) kicked off on Monday with CN Rail launching its safety awareness campaign across Canada and the United States.

Mayor Caul said during Monday night's council meeting it's a very special year because it marks CN's 100th anniversary.

Three local individuals were scammed out of $120,000 in the past three months no thanks to telephone and online fraud.

Coun. John McTaggart, who's a member of the local Police Services Board, is urging the public to be on high alert.

The clouds had only just begun to loom in the distance on Friday afternoon, but Renée Martin-Brown was still thankful for the weather.

“We're grateful for the sunshine. It has rained on us for years and years,” Martin-Brown shared.

Riverside Foundation for Health Care received a welcome donation in the amount of $5,859 from the Emo Thrift Shop and Food Bank to purchase a new chair for the chemotherapy department at La Verendrye General Hospital.

One of the Rainycrest residents attending dinner at La Place Rendez-Vous was incorrectly named in a photo on page A6 of last week's Fort Frances Times.

The woman identified as Greta Eide instead should have been identified as Mary Kolynchuk.

The Times apologizes for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Fort Frances town council was shocked to hear the news last Friday of International Falls mayor Bob Anderson's sudden passing.

Mayor Caul said during Monday night's council meeting she sent condolences to the Falls' city hall on behalf of the town and council earlier that day. Council also held a moment of silence in his honour.

“I know the community is shaken,” she remarked.

Youth who like to express themselves through drama and improv, or want to try something new will be able to through the fall and early winter.

Fort Frances Little Theatre is hosting a “Broadway Boot Camp” for kids age 6-16 where they'll develop skills in acting, singing, and dancing. from Sept. 28-Jan. 25, with a break in November and around Christmas.

Alyssa Pilon needed a job and was interested in farming.

She had recently moved from her home town of Timmins to the agricultural District of Rainy River in northwestern Ontario. She moved there with her boyfriend, Andrew Loney.

Pilon and Loney were graduates of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Program at Sault College.

A fire destroyed two roofed in pens at the Stratton sales barn on Monday afternoon but the sale is still set to run this Saturday (Sept. 28).

“We're still proceeding at this point we just have to scale it back,” said longtime sales barn volunteer and Rainy River Cattlemen's Association (RRCA) member Kim Jo Bliss.

If you looked out your window or were our for a walk in Emo on the evening of Sept. 17, you would of seen that front street was filled with flashing lights, multiple fire trucks and many firefighters running around.

There was a scheduled live training exercise involving the volunteer firefighters from Chapple North, Chapple South, Emo and La Vallee.

The defending champs looked every bit like their dominant selves from a year ago in their first match last Tuesday.

The Muskie junior boys' volleyball team dispatched the host Kenora Broncos with a 3-0 sweep in the NorWOSSA season-opener for both teams.

The SIJHL announced Monday that Fort Frances Lakers' goalie Alex Bugeja has been named its initial Play It Again Sports player-of-the-week for the 2019-20 season.

In two starts over the weekend, the 18-year-old West Vancouver, B.C., native backstopped the Lakers to a home-and-home sweep of the Thief River Falls Norskies.

Lloyd Stansell has had a long and distinguished career as an ice-maker and recently was in Fort Frances to lend his wealth of knowledge at the local curling club as they prepare to get the ice ready for another great season.

With the return of fall comes the return of the high school cross-country running season.

This year's edition of the Muskies has been hard work in preparation for the NorWOSSA season, which officially kicks off today with the SSSAA Time Trials in Thunder Bay.

As Canada's National Junior 'A' Championship prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary in May in Portage la Prairie, Man., Hockey Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Junior Hockey League, has announced that Canada's National Junior 'A' Championship will return to its original name—the Centennial Cup—starting in 2020.

The Muskie junior girls' basketball team played a ton of basketball last week and have been impressive to start the season.

After defeating the host Kenora Broncos 26-14 in the NorWOSSA season-opener last Tuesday (Sept. 17), the Muskies compiled a 2-2 record at a one-day tournament hosted by the Dryden Eagles on Friday.

You couldn't ask for a better start to the season.

The defending NorWOSSA champion Muskie senior girls' basketball team made an emphatic early statement as they cruised to a 52-17 rout of the Broncos in the season-opener last Tuesday in Kenora.

Muskie coach Gord McCabe said that the team's depth was a major key to the convincing victory.

While the weather may have been nasty on Friday, Christian Armstrong and Mark Nault were crafting their own perfect storm out on the waters of Rainy River over the weekend.

The Fort Frances Lakers lost a valued member of their hockey family this spring and it was almost as if her spirit was shining down on the team over the weekend.

On the back side of the residential school monument are the 154 names of Rainy River First Nations band members who attended Indian residential school, while the names that are faded out have since passed away.

-Sam Odrowski photo

George Glowasky, above, stirred up a pot of baked beans getting ready to be shared, while below, all the play was pushed inside to this colouring table after the rain began to fall at the Alberton Fall Fun Day on Sunday. The event drew out a handful of people to socialize and share in the potluck dinner even as the rain put a damper on things outside of the covered.

Firefighters tackled a blaze in a cube van shortly after midnight yesterday. According to the OPP, officers were dispatched to the location of the fire on the 300 block of Second Street East. There were no fatalities related to the fire, but as a result of their investigation it was discovered that items had been stolen from the vehicle.

Girls attending the “I Am Awesome (And I Know It)” self-esteem retreat at Sunny Cove Camp last week got the chance to sit in this songwriting circle led by Reilly Scott on Friday.

Ag intern Alyssa Pilon cut hay behind the wheel of a 120 hp tractor during her internship this summer.

—Photos courtesy of Rainy River Elk Company

Harper Gunderson, left, and Mckenna McTavish had fun painting their own personalized paddles as a part of a visual arts workshop at the “I Am Awesome (And I Know It)" self-esteem retreat on Friday.

Conestoga College representative Jason Humphrey, left, spoke with SCAP Grade 12 student Katrina Klug, right, and her mother, Carmela, during the College Information Program held yesterday at Fort Frances High School. Representatives from more than a dozen colleges attended the event to provide prospective students the chance to learn more about the courses and campuses they offer.

Mary O'Connor, client services co-ordinator for the local Alzheimer Society, was at Safeway on Friday to provide information and distribute blue ribbons for “World Alzheimer Day.” She then went to the Shaw room at the Fort Frances Public Library to talk about the Alzheimer Society programs and services that are offered in Rainy River District followed by a presentation on the 10 warning signs o

This residential school monument was made to honour 154 Rainy River First Nations band members who attended Indian residential school. It is a tribute to the perseverance and courage of residential school survivors.

-Sam Odrowski photo

Sixties Scoop survivor Marcel Medicine Horton stood beside the welcome sign to the Indian Residential School Monument off of Hwy. 11 where the Orange Shirt Day Awareness Walk will start on Oct. 1. -Sam Odrowski photos

Pat Gibbins, left, and Oliver Gibbins tossed out some goodies to the spectators on hand for the top five boat parade on Saturday afternoon under the big tent at Hannam Park. The duo finished in sixth spot at this year's RRWT with a two-day total of 22.88 pounds.

Rick Thompson and Tracy Wahl stood up on the stage alongside RRWT emcee Vaughn Murray after their Day 2 haul of 12.77 pounds temporarily vaulted them into the lead and got them into the “hot seats” prior to the top five boat parade on Saturday afternoon. The duo settled for a third-place finish this year with a two-day total of 25.89 pounds.

Ben Hoefler of the Fort Frances Lakers got tripped up by a diving Thief River Falls Norskies' defender while teammate Nick Hahkala looked on during their squad's 8-2 romp in the SIJHL season-opener for both teams on Friday night at the Ice For Kids Arena.

Head director Richard Trenchard presented the trophy to Mark Nault and Christian Armstrong after the duo had claimed the title at the 21st-annual Rainy River Walleye Tournament on Saturday afternoon. The duo topped the 89-team field this year with a two-day total of 27.51 pounds.

Brent Adamson showed of his multitasking abilities as he answered a call on his cell phone and continued on with hosing the ice surface on Monday morning at the Fort Frances Curling Club.

Todd Moxham, left, Justin Lewtas, Brent Adamson, Lorne Jackson, Lloyd Stansell, and Ron Silver all were hard at work getting the ice prepared for an exciting curling season ahead at the Fort Frances Curling Club and posed for a photo on Monday morning.

Jeff Gustafson landed a fish during the Tenkiller Lake tournament this past weekend in Oklahoma.

Pictured here with the new chair are Riverside Foundation director Allison Cox, left, Emo Thrift Shop & Food Bank board of directors Nancy Flook, Eileen Bragg, Victor Gustafson, Charlene McTavish, Lincoln Dunn and Carol Hyatt, along with chemotherapy patient Cheryl Foster.

Boston Pizza here has come on as a sponsor for the Fort Frances Curling Club this season and had their logo painted onto one of the rings at the rink recently.

Jesse Jourdain tried to put his kill attempt past a pair of Kenora Broncos' defenders during the Muskie senior boys' volleyball team's 2-1 loss in the NorWOSSA season-opener for both teams last Tuesday in Kenora. All four Muskie court sport teams were slated to resume NorWOSSA action yesterday here against the Sioux Lookout Warriors, with the outcomes not known as of press time.

CHICAGO — Americans’ diets are a little less sweet and a little crunchier but there’s still too much sugar, white bread and artery-clogging fat, a study suggests.

Overall, the authors estimated there was a modest improvement over 16 years on the government’s healthy eating index, from estimated scores of 56 to 58. That’s hardly cause for celebration ‚Äî 100 is the top score.

LOS BANOS, Calif. — One of the most recent threats to California’s environment has webbed feet, white whiskers, shaggy fur and orange buck teeth that could be mistaken for carrots.

“Boy, they’re an ugly-looking thing,” said David Passadori, an almond and walnut grower in central California. “And the way they multiply, jeez.”

NEW YORK — Due to climate change, the world’s oceans are getting warmer, rising higher, losing oxygen and becoming more acidic at an ever-faster pace and melting even more ice and snow, a grim international science assessment concludes.

Tonight will be partly cloudy with a low of four C (39 F).

Tomorrow will be mostly cloudy all day, with a chance of showers beginning in the afternoon and lasting overnight. Expect a daytime high of 16 (61) and low of seven (45).

Friday will bring periods of cloud and sunshine and remain partly cloudy overnight. Expect to see a high of 13 (55) and a low of two (36).