Below is a collection of some of the most clicked-on stories on KenoraOnline and DrydenNow in the month of July 2022.
Fire Chief: Hungry Pug ‘a total loss’, investigation underway
A local restaurant and a few apartment buildings above it have burnt down in Kenora, leaving now another space to fill in the downtown core.
Deputy Fire Chief Dave Pratt says all local firefighters were called to the scene shortly after 2 a.m.
“It actually came in as a dumpster fire at approximately 2:10 a.m. When crews arrived, about halfway down the laneway between this building and the Island Girl building, crews discovered a fire that was travelling up the building.”
Read more here.
Kenora man charged following multiple fires and acts of mischief
The Kenora Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police and the Kenora Crime Unit shared that they have caught and charged a person in connection with the multiple fires and acts of mischief that took place on June 28, 2022.
Fires included the Hungry Pug Cafe, a business on Second Street South, a newspaper box on Fifth Street South and two vehicles near the Kenora Jail. 43-year-old Kyle Leahy of Kenora was charged.
Ex-Kenora cop sentenced to 10 years in U.S. prison
A former member of the Kenora OPP has been sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release after a sexual abuse of two minors case in Minnesota.
Court documents state that on June 22, 2018, 33-year-old Canadian Brady John Hillis, now 37, was at the Fortune Bay Resort and Casino on the Bois Forte Indian Reservation when he was captured on security video engaging in sexual contact with two victims who were under the age of 12. Hillis plead guilty to the offence on January 18, 2022.
NWHU looking for feedback about supervised consumption sites
The Northwestern Health Unit is looking into the possibility of creating safe injection sites across the region to help prevent opioid-related overdose deaths and the spread of infectious disease within our communities, as well as to increase access to social supports and treatments for individuals in need.
In 2020, the Ontario government reported a total of 17 opioid deaths in northwestern Ontario, which based on early data, almost doubled to 32 deaths by the end of 2021.
Poirier announces bid for Mayoral race, LaBelle to try for a spot on Council
The mayoral race has officially begun in Kenora with the first candidate submitting his papers yesterday. Current Kenora City Councilor Andrew Poirier filed his nomination papers yesterday to be the next Mayor of Kenora.
Poirier is well seasoned in public administration, having over 30 years of experience. Before this current term, he held a seat on Council from 2003 – 2009.