Kenora

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Lake of the Woods District Hospital has been declared over.

This outbreak had been in place since May 5, when two cases of the virus were found after asymptomatic testing of patients. The announcement of the outbreak came just one day (May 4) after the hospital announced its previous COVID-19 outbreak had ended. 

The level of Lake of the Woods is now above the 2014 peak, according to the Lake of the Woods Control Board (LWCB).

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 323.79 m (1062.3 ft), which is over 95th percentile level for this time of year.

In 2014, Lake of the Woods reached 323.78 m (1062.29 ft).

The lake does remain below the record level of 324.31 m (1064.0 ft) which was set in 1950.

The LWCB says, record lake levels are possible and will depend on rainfall across the watershed in the next couple of weeks.

Quinton Land Jr., of Pawitik, Ontario passed away on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Quinton was born May 19, 2022 in Kenora, Ontario. 

Quinton is survived by his parents Josephine Paypompee and Quinton Land, as well as many other family members too numerous to mention.

Wake service will be held on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 beginning at 2:00 pm.  Traditional Funeral Service will be held on Thursday, May 26, 2022 with burial to follow in Whitefish Bay First Nation.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownfuneralhomekenora.com for the Land Jr. family.

Hannelore Strecker

Once upon a time, there was a German girl who dreamed of exploring the wilds. As fate would have it, war blew up her world and ironically propelled her into realizing that dream. It came in the form of a handsome young Canadian soldier. 

Born in Hamburg, Germany on October 11, 1927, Hannelore Margarethe Thoss was wooed and spirited away to Kenora in June 1948 by the love of her life, John Strecker. Together, they raised six children and operated a thriving dairy farm.

Kabiitamshaquat Makwa Aamshkwebowet Waabshke maaiingan Maashinshmakwa – Atik Dootem
November 4, 1958 – May 19, 2022

Our beloved father, papa and husband, surrounded by his wife and children, began his spirit journey morning of May 19, 2022.

A number of lakes were added to the list of closures Tuesday in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

A local state of emergency was declared on May 20th for Whiteshell Provincial Park due to rising water levels within the park. All developed areas at Betula Lake were closed on May 21st. This closure area was expanded on Tuesday to include Sylvia Lake, Otter Falls, Dorothy Lake, Barrier Bay and Nutimik Lake areas. No person should reside or enter the closed area.

Disclaimer: This article is the first part of a four-part series. This series will discuss sensitive matters pertaining to the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

As the bombs began to fall on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, one Kenora paramedic felt an overwhelming need to help.  

Residents north of the Kenora by-pass have been hit hard in the last few weeks as they have dealt with washed-out roads, and severely high water levels, which has caused overland flooding in some low-lying areas.

These treacherous conditions, therefore, caused many residents to evacuate their homes and properties, as the worry of being stranded and cut off from emergency services, and the rest of the community became more of a reality.

Over a week ago the Kenora Recreation Centre was turned into an evacuation facility, for those that left their homes north of the by-pass, following the city issuing an Evacuation Order for areas east of Black Sturgeon Lake on May 13, 2022. 

As of May 24, 2022, Coker road evacuee Aimee Baldwin has been the only one that has used the rec centre since it became an evacuation centre, back on May 13, 2022.

The Dryden Detachment of the OPP is reminding area residents to follow safe Internet practices after a report of a sextortion scam. 

Sextortion is a form of extortion where an online blackmailer uses the threat of publishing or sending intimate images or videos to contacts unless the victim meets their demands.