As the world marks the first anniversary of the horrific terrorist attacks on the United States last Sept. 11, most people will remember the utter disbelief they felt while scenes of the destruction and chaos in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a field in Pennsylvania unfolded on their TV […]
Editorials
It’s often difficult to truly grasp what benefits a local service club provides unless the result is standing before you in living colour. Such was the case here Saturday night when first a young family from International Falls, and then a mother of four from Galveston, Texas, stood up to […]
The provincial government has been murmuring aloud of late, including Natural Resources minister Jerry Ouellette, about reinstating the spring bear hunt. Perhaps it’s just a trial balloon, a little pre-election ploy to gauge the level of support or opposition before the impending campaign. But a big voice weighed into the […]
If you spent a good part of June helplessly watching the rising lake flood your property, swamp your dock, or erode your shoreline, then chances are the International Joint Commission and its rule curves (last updated in 1999) were a convenient scapegoat. And much of that pent-up anger was unleashed […]
Five Hundred Volunteers. That’s the number of registered volunteers at the 8th Annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship. The success of the tournament rests on the collective shoulders of that army of people who once again showed the hospitality and warmth of the Rainy River District. From Friday preceding the […]
It’s hard to believe that another year has passed—and the eighth-annual Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship is now upon us. Especially with memories of Steve and Kent Ballan’s dramatic victory over Doug and Zach McBride last July still so fresh in our minds. But, yes, it has been a year, […]
Anyone who has an infamous “junk drawer” in their kitchen, or closets that spill their contents every which way each time you dare to open the door, knows all too well how hard it is to get rid of things. Still, the time always comes when you just have to […]
It’s almost laughable, really, that Fort Frances and International Falls, both of which are soon to celebrate their centennials, have decided—in 2002—to become “sister cities.” Obviously, it begs the question: What took so long? Of course, Fort Frances and International Falls have always enjoyed close ties over the decades. There […]
The abrupt loss of the “Blue Box” service here last week, though well-publicized for several months prior to June 30, still clearly hit a nerve among Fort Frances residents. On the plus side, that means more and more people are used to recycling—and have accepted programs like the “Blue Box” […]
You can’t blame district residents if they’re not in much of a party mood these days. Countless residents, farmers, and businesses are still cleaning up from the flood damage caused by torrential rains two weeks ago—while those with lakefront property continue to watch helplessly as Rainy Lake rises relentlessly to […]
It’s been said many times before, but deserves repeating: high school graduation is a time of great celebration—and anxiety. There’s exhilaration over accomplishing a goal; to grab that well-earned diploma and yell, ‘Look out world, here I come!’ Then there’s the thrill of going off to college or university, of […]
The torrential rains of this week demonstrate how vulnerable communities can become to the wrath of Mother Nature. With rain measurements falling anywhere from almost six to 10 inches (150-250 mm), the best planning by highway and bridge engineers to anticipate water flows from rivers and creeks in some cases […]
