Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
Police investigating Monday home invasion as possible abduction:
The story of an early morning home invasion on Monday took a bizarre turn Wednesday. Sudbury OPP are saying a woman who was reported missing Monday morning was actually forced from her home under duress in an apparent abduction from her Dill Township residence during that Aug. 21 home invasion. Sudbury OPP Const. André Taschereau couldn't provide much in the way of information to Sudbury.com regarding the incident. He said the woman, Lillian Russell, who lives on Secord Road in Dill Township, a remote area between Wanup and Estaire off Highway 69, was reported missing just after 8 a.m. on Aug. 21. Police confirmed she did not show up for work that day. Police wouldn't say where she works, nor would they say why her co-workers were concerned enough about her absence to phone police. Full story can be found here.
Sudbury has more docs than province says we need, but city continuing recruitment efforts:
Greater Sudbury has had great success attracting family doctors to the city in recent years, but city councillors are still reluctant to end the incentive program designed to attract them here. A motion by Ward 6 Coun. Rene Lapierre to slash the budget from $150,000 to $75,000 was eventually withdrawn at Tuesday's city council meeting. But Lapierre said the expenditure is a form of downloading, since health isn't a municipal responsibility. More on this story ca be found here.
Shot in Sudbury, Indian Horse given Cinéfest gala slot:
A Sudbury shot film — Indian Horse — fills one of the gala film slots at Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, which is coming up Sept. 16-24. Based on Canadian author Richard Wagamese's novel, the film is about seven-year-old Saul Indian Horse — played by Sladen Peltier of Wikwemikong — who is sent to residential school, but finds salvation in hockey. With a burgeoning film sector in the area, Cinéfest managing director Pat O'Hearn said the film festival has been able to give many films shot in Northern Ontario a gala slot in recent years. Check out the Cinéfest lineup here.
Police on the hunt for alleged shoplifter:
Greater Sudbury Police are on the hunt for a man who allegedly shoplifted from a Lasalle Boulevard department store. Police alleged that on March 28 at around 1:30 p.m., a man walked into the store and walked out with $1,000 in merchandise that he didn’t pay for. The public’s help is being sought to locate the man. Police allege he is Brandon Eedy, 25, of no fixed address, but who is a resident of the city. He is described as standing 6-0 and weighing 150 pounds, with light brown hair and blue eyes. Eedy was on court-ordered conditions at the time of the alleged incident. He is facing charges of theft under $5,000 and breach of probation. Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to Eedy’s arrest.
Fire chief still dealing with fallout from controversial fire optimization plan:
Amid persistent accusations that volunteer firefighter recruitment is being suppressed, Greater Sudbury Fire Chief Trevor Bain has agreed to appear at the Beaver Lake Fire station to answer questions. The state of the Walden-area station has been a regular issue for Ward 2 Coun. Michael Vagnini, who submitted five questions on the state of Beaver Lake to city Auditor General Ron Foster last spring. The questions included whether or not volunteers receive the required training, whether career firefighters were being called first to fires instead of volunteers, and why recruitment of volunteers been so unsuccessful. More on this story here.
Lalonde dealt to Guelph for d-man and picks:
The Sudbury Wolves traded their 2016 second overall pick Owen Lalonde to the Guelph Storm for Nolan Makkonen and a handful of draft picks. Along with Makkonen, the Wolves aquired four second round draft picks, and two third round selections. Last season in 64 games with the Sudbury Wolves Lalonde tallied two goals and 10 assists for 12 points and was a minus-30. He also had 12 penalty minutes. Full story can be found here.
Help these Sudbury sisters help girls live their hockey dreams:
In the eyes of sisters Tayler and Makenna Murphy, there is more to hockey than just hockey. A member of the national champion Sudbury Midget "AA" Lady Wolves team two years ago, Tayler and her teammates welcomed the chance to devote volunteer time to worthwhile causes and became involved heavily in campaigns that gave back to the community. Today, as she prepares to begin her OUA career with the York Lions, Tayler has followed up with an interesting initiative, partnering with her sister to launch "Dream to Be", a not-for-profit organization with a goal of providing an opportunity for young girls to play hockey, who may not enjoy the financial means to do so. Full story can be found here.
Downtown Sudbury Ribfest needs volunteers:
Volunteers are still needed for Downtown Sudbury Ribfest, happening Labour Day long weekend, Sept. 1-3, in the city’s core. Volunteers are needed for the following areas: event setup, event tear down, children’s area, green team/maintenance, site patrol, beverage sales and servers (Smart Serve certificate required) and the Car & Motorcycle Show. The festival, in support of the Red Cross, runs Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with set-up starting Thursday morning. Find out how you can get involved here.
Thursday weather:
Temperatures will slowly creep back towards seasonal norms on Thursday, as the forecast is calling for a mix of sun and cloud and a high near 18. Clear skies into the evening with the low dropping off to 7. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
