Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Nickel is the hottest metal in the world right now:
The price of nickel on international markets continued its dizzying climb Wednesday, breaking past US$8 a pound before settling in at US$8.17 late in the day. It's a surge Terry Ortslan, a nickel analyst at TSO and Associates in Montreal, saw coming in late 2018, when the metal was struggling to hit $5. A few factors were depressing prices at the time, Ortslan said, while predicting a rebound into 2019. “We all know batteries for electric vehicles are going to be very important new demand source of nickel, as much as stainless steel was 50 or 60 years ago," he said at the time. "So it's going to be slow times for the next couple of months, but it's a short-term issue. On Wednesday, Ortslan said fears of supply shortages – especially after Indonesia banned nickel exports – are driving prices right now. Get the full story here.
Fatal Northwestern Ontario bear attack involved a sow with two yearlings:
Ontario Provincial Police have identified the victim of a fatal mauling by a bear on an island on Rainy Lake. She was 62-year-old Catherine Sweatt-Mueller of Maple Plain, Minnesota. The incident happened Sunday evening on Red Pine Island, east of Fort Frances and just north of the Canada/U.S. border. Sweatt-Mueller had been staying at a family-owned camp with her elderly parents. According to OPP Constable Jim Davis, she went outside to investigate after her two dogs started barking. Both dogs came back to the cabin, one of them with an injury, but when their daughter failed to return, her parents called police. Davis said officers who travelled to the island by boat had some difficulty locating Sweatt-Mueller because of dense underbrush, but eventually found a yearling bear standing over her body. They shot the animal while a sow and another yearling remained nearby in the bush. Davis said the officers couldn't see the other bears as it was dark but they were exhibiting aggressive behaviour, making "woofing" noises with their mouths and stomping, In a statement Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry said conservation officers were conducting a search of the island to try to locate the two animals.
SIU clears police in Sturgeon Falls murder/suicide case from 2018:
Ontario's police watchdog have cleared the West Nipissing Police Service in connection with an August 2018 shooting incident in Sturgeon Falls that ended in a murder and suicide. Joseph Martino, interim director of the Special Investigations Unit, released the decision Thursday, said there was no evidence that officers fired their guns as the tragedy unfolded Aug. 28 last year. “A clear and compelling picture of the events in question emerges from the information gathered by the SIU in its investigation,” Martino writes. The tragedy unfolded just after 8 p.m. that day, when 911 calls were made to police reporting that a suspect had shot a woman and man. It emerged the woman who had been shot had been dating the suspect for a month and a half, and the man who had been shot was her son. Police later identified the deceased man as Jaime Boyd, 35. More on this story here.
What the heck is a Momonday? Let this brain injury survivor tell you a story:
Candice Kirkbride suffered a brain injury at the age of 15. She was walking with a group of friends when a drunk driver plowed into them, killing her boyfriend, 15-year-old A.J. Chaput. In the years since this life-changing incident, she's shared her story with many groups, speaking out against the perils of impaired driving. When she started doing a lot of public speaking, Kirkbride joined Toastmasters as a way to improve her speaking skills and aid in her ongoing brain injury recovery. The educational organization that operates clubs around the world has the purpose of promoting communication and public-speaking skills. Given the extensive time she's spent public speaking, Kirkbride said she decided recently she wanted to kick things up a notch. She floated the idea of doing a TED talk with her Toastmasters coach, but he said he didn't think she was quite ready for that. But in that conversation, he suggested she do a Momondays talk. Momondays — or motivational Mondays — is a Canadian public speaking series. It uses the slogan “real people, real stories, real motivation.” Kirkbride applied to speak at a Momondays event in Brampton, and was able to take the stage in the Southern Ontario city in April. Get the full story here.
Calling aspiring playwrights! Hone your script in The PlayMine (no experience required):
Sudbury Theatre Centre is once again inviting submissions from writers to take part in The PlayMine, an initiative for theatre artists living in, or writing about, Northern Ontario. A collaboration with Pat the Dog Theatre Creation, The PlayMine is a series of script readings taking place on three evenings throughout the season. This series will give writers vital development time, dramaturgical support and a chance to hear their work read aloud by professional actors in front of an audience. STC is thrilled to be bringing Northern Ontario theatre back into the building during its 2018-2019 season, said a press release. Deadline for submissions is Sept. 27. Selected playwrights will be contacted in October. Find out how to submit your script here.
Motorcycle driver arrested after attempting to flee from police:
A Stoufville man was arrested and charged on Aug. 31 after he attempted to flee Manitoulin OPP when they attempted to pull him over on Highway 17. On Aug. 31 at approximately 8:45 a.m., members of the Manitoulin Detachment of the OPP were stationary on Highway 17, east of Nairn Centre, in the City of Greater Sudbury when they observed an eastbound motorcycle travelling at a high rate of speed and driving erratically. The driver accelerated rapidly upon seeing the police vehicle and continued to drive dangerously as the officer tried to catch up to it. The officer lost sight of the motorcycle and requested assistance from officers of the Sudbury OPP detachment. Shortly thereafter, the motorcycle was observed turning onto a dead-end road off of Highway 17. The officer subsequently observed the motorcycle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the motorcycle failed to stop. The driver continued to flee, driving through the bush. When the bush became too dense, the driver stopped and fled on foot. Officers immediately conducted containment of the area. The OPP Canine Unit and OPP Emergency Response Team were deployed to assist. At 10:10 a.m., officers observed the suspect and he was arrested. The accused is scheduled to appear at the Otario Court of Justice in Sudbury on Oct. 9.
Two impaired drivers caught on Sudbury area roads:
On Aug. 20 at approximately 9:55 p.m., officers from the Sudbury Detachment of the OPP were patrolling Highway 17 in Greater Sudbury when they observed a pick-up truck weaving all over the road. Officers stopped the vehicle on Regional Road 55 in Lively. As a result of police investigation, a 55-year-old man from Walden was charged operation while impaired, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, drive with open container of liquor, among other charges. The driver is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury on Sept. 18. On Sept. 1 at approximately 10:40 p.m., members from the Atikameksheng Police were patrolling Reserve Road on Atikameksheng First Nation when they observed a vehicle drive into a parking lot at a high rate of speed. Officers stopped the vehicle and shortly thereafter, determined the driver had consumed alcohol. As the officer was placing the driver under arrest, he resisted but was eventually taken into custody. As a result of police investigation, a 27-year-old man from Atikameksheng First Nation was charged with Operation While Impaired - Alcohol, Operation While Impaired - Blood Alcohol Concentration (80 Plus) and Resist Peace Officer. The driver is scheduled to appear at the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury, Ontario on Oct. 2. Both of the accused motorists were issued a 90-day Automatic Driver's Licence Suspension and their vehicles were impounded for seven days.
Friday Weather:
A few showers to start the day, ending in the afternoon then mainly cloudy with 30 per cent chance of showers. Friday's high will only get up to around 18. Mainly cloudy skies overhead into the evening with a 30 per cent chance of rain. Overnight low will be sitting at 11. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
