Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Welcome news: Finally, after three weeks, Parry Sound 33 is no longer 'out of control':
Firefighters have succeeded in containing Parry Sound 33, the largest forest fire in central Ontario, to its current size for the past few days, and have upgraded its status. The status of the fire, which is approximately 11,362 hectares in size, has been changed from "not under control" to "being held." Being held means that thanks to the ongoing work of firefighters, with water bomber and helicopter bucketing support, the fire is expected to stay within the control boundaries that fire crews have established. "This is great news, and I know Ontarians share my gratitude and respect for the fire crews and support staff who are battling this fire and other fires across the province," Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Jeff Yurek said. "But their work isn't done. There are still more than 120 active forest fires in Ontario, and this week the government committed an additional $100 million so we can continue to fight these fires aggressively. This money will pay for continued fire response efforts, which includes supplies and equipment used to suppress the fire and the work of support personnel and MNRF fire rangers." As a result of progress on Parry Sound 33, Henvey Inlet First Nation residents have returned home, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is actively working with other communities and agency partners to determine when people can safely return to the area. Travel restrictions are still in place so the ministry asks that people stay alert and cooperate with emergency personnel.
Who makes the best burger in town?
This summer, Sudbury.com is on the hunt for the most delicious food our city has to offer in a video series called GrEATer Sudbury's Best. So far you have voted for GrEATer Sudbury's Best fries, best steak, best dessert and best smoothie, and now best burger. Make sure to tune into Sudbury.com today at noon to find out who was crowned king of the burgers in the Nickel City and see what's up next in our GrEATer Sudbury's Best series.
Laurentian out as much as $3M as diplomatic fight sends 130 Saudi students back home:
A diplomatic spat between Canada and Saudi Arabia is having an impact here in Sudbury. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia expelled Canada's ambassador, suspended diplomatic relations and slammed the door to new trade with Canada. It has since recalled thousands of Saudi students studying in Canada (there were 8,310 in the last term), moved to transfer any Saudi patients out of Canadian hospitals and barred the import of Canadian wheat. As of next week, the Saudi-owned airline will cease direct flights to and from Toronto and there is at least one report that the government has also ordered state-owned pension funds and banks to sell off the kingdom's Canadian assets. All of these actions were taken in response to a tweet on Sunday from Global Affairs Canada that criticized the Saudis for the arrest of female social activists. About 130 Saudi students were expected to attend Laurentian University in the fall, while a handful (less than 10) were expected at Cambrian College. Officials say no Saudi students currently attend Collège Boréal's campuses across the province.There are also no Saudi medical trainees or residents studying through the Northern Ontario School of Medicine. Health Sciences North also confirmed it is not treating any Saudi patients, nor hosting any medical residents who are Saudi nationals. More on this story can be found here.
Introducing Logan Stutz, the man who’ll helm Sudbury’s first pro basketball team:
Logan Stutz is young, driven and really, really tall. He’s also the inaugural head coach and general manager of the Sudbury Five, the Nickel City’s first professional basketball team, which starts playing in November. Stutz was introduced Thursday morning at a press conference at Sudbury Arena, a press conference that began, fittingly enough, at 11:05 a.m. The 6-9 recently retired ball player comes to Sudbury most recently following a stint with 3D Global Sports, a basketball program based out of Toronto that competes at international tournaments. Stutz, 30, hales from Blue Springs, Missouri and played college ball at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kansas for a season, before transiting to NCAA Division II ball at Washburn Univerity in Topeka. His pro career took him to Germany and Sweden, before coming back to this side of the pond to play for both the Niagara River Lions and the Windsor Express, both of the National Basketball League of Canada, playing both centre and power forward positions. Stutz was named the NBL Canada MVP in 2015-16 and captained both the Niagara River Lions and Express during his time with the teams. Married with two children, one of whom was born in Canada, Stutz promised Sudbury would soon be seeing some exciting basketball being played here.
Prisoner Justice Day commemoration today:
Friday, Aug. 10 is Prisoner Justice Day, a day when prisoners and their supporters remember the men and women who have died unnatural and violent deaths while incarcerated in prisons and penitentiaries. This annual day of remembrance began in Canada and is now commemorated around the world. Aug. 10 has been commemorated since 1975 to remember Eddie Nalon, a prisoner at Millhaven Penitentiary, bled to death in a solitary confinement cell, despite attempts to summon guards for assistance in August, 1974. In 1976, Bobby Launders died in the same solitary confinement unit at Millhaven as the call buttons had still not been reactivated. Prisoners at Millhaven then requested that other prisoners join them in commemorating prisoners’ deaths. Here in Sudbury, a ceremony will be held on the front lawn of the Sudbury Jail (181 Elm St.) at 10 a.m.
Banned Rainbow trustee plans to crash next school board meeting:
A Rainbow District School Board trustee barred from all school board meetings until his term is up at the end of the November said he will attempt to take his seat at the Aug. 28 board meeting anyway. Larry Killens, an outspoken, long-time trustee who represents the Manitoulin Island area, was barred from attending meetings by his fellow trustees last month for what the board says are code of conduct violations. Among the accusations against him are trying to facilitate litigations against the board, sharing confidential information and making disparaging comments about staff and members of the board. Killens, who claims the accusations are false, said he doesn't know what will happen when he tries to take his seat, but he does know what he wants to do. He said he'll try to ask his fellow trustees under what rule he's been barred from attending board meetings for five months. Full story here.
The 34th annual Beaton Classic goes this weekend:
The 34th annual Beaton Classic will take place on Sunday, Aug. 12 at Moonlight Beach. This Sudbury Fitness Challenge event starts at 9 a.m. and will run until around 1 p.m. with races for participants of all ages competing as either individuals or in teams of up to four. Most participants will take part in the quadrathalon (swim, bike, canoe, run), with kids trying their fitness ability at the triathlon. Food will be available for all participants, including pizza, fruit and more. Draw prizes available include a mountain bike courtesy of The Outside Store, a pair of Oakley sunglasses from Dr. Ben Smith (Smith & Smith Optometrists), and more. The event is expected to draw between 150 to 200 people.
Friday Weather:
A bit of a mixed bag in the Friday forecast. Sunny start to the day with some clouds and chance of showers by afternoon. Today's high will be 25, feeling like 28. Partly cloudy into the evening with a 30 per cent chance of showers and risk of a thunderstorm. Overnight low will be around 15. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
