Local News from Across the Rainy River District
Last time on “As the Stomach Churns” . . . Fort Frances council, except for Mayor Glenn Witherspoon, who had declared a conflict of interest, emerged from a behind-closed-doors meeting to announce to any and all who cared that the town does not have, nor ever had, an exclusionary ice […]
Astute world watchers have said, “The future is unknown and unknowable.” Peter Drucker, a wise and practical teacher and writer, said, “You can’t really plan but the alternative is worse.” Though we may know a likelihood, we cannot accurately predict specific events. Witness earth quakes and volcanic eruptions. So what […]
We all need healing in our lives. Sometimes we need healing from unbearable grief and loneliness; at other times from broken bones or pulled muscles. Sometimes it’s simply the deep sadness of our souls that needs healing. Little scrapes and big bruises. It could be many things that come into […]
It’s been a long time since I first read about her–12 years to be exact. And I can’t help wondering where she is by now. Her age would be 89 now. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s still zipping down the highway in her red convertible! “She’s cruisin’ at […]
The signs of spring are everywhere. The mail box is full of seed catalogues. The TV is cluttered with ads for crop production chemicals. The male woodchucks are out of their dens scurrying from burrow to burrow, mauling and mating. At our place up in Blue, in anticipation of a […]
Speak first, think later. It’s a common trait. Politicians are great at it. As a matter of fact, they have their feet in their mouths so much, they’re barely intelligible. At least I think that’s the reason they don’t make much sense. Two of the most famous foot-in-mouthers belong to […]
This is “nannock” of the frozen north. Its home is on the ice, or on the shore near the ice.A totally Arctic animal, it is at home all around the North Pole–Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Russia, and Norway. In the very early days of exploration on this continent, they were sometimes […]
The abuse of children–physical, sexual, or otherwise–is a terrible wrong that cannot be tolerated by society. The problem certainly isn’t going away, as evidenced by the heart-wrenching stories that still pop up in the media from time to time. Stories too horrible to believe imaginable. And as is often the […]
It was a long time ago that I taught in Canada, and it’s hard to imagine that some of my high school students are now “retired.” But every now and then, I remember with nostalgia those four years. Fun-filled and frightening at the same time. Simply put, I felt too […]
No one should tolerate drunks behind the wheel, and no one is more adamant about the subject than Big Pye, Puddin’s cousin up in Rat Portage. “I don’t want to see you kids ever behind the wheel under the influence,” offered Big Pye on the occasion of a daughter obtaining […]
Each year, young children in Canada are at some risk of dying as a result of suffocating or choking. Almost 100 children die from these causes. Two-thirds of the children who die do so as a result of suffocation that has a mechanical causes, such as small object, or strangulation […]
Last week, I attended the launching meeting of a major long-term regional planning project. It was inspiring! Here are some key points from the main speakers. “First, economic growth within the region is vital for our success and the quality of life we lead. “Imagine if just 10 percent of […]
