10. Rib Fest proved to be a hit yet again, with an estimated 35,000 people journeying to the downtown south core for a weekend of music, food and fun.
9. A fire that injured a man on Finlayson Street was deemed suspicious by Thunder Bay Fire Rescue. Crews on scene said they had difficulty entering the building because of a mass of material piled inside the doorway.
8. A cooling system bore the brunt of the blame when the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s computers went down. The 36-hour shutdown affected the hospital’s data centre, but officials say there was no impact on patients, though some services were a bit delayed.
7. Newly elected Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who beat out former chief Harvey Yesno earlier in the month, called for a medical examiner to be brought in any time a First Nations youth dies. Fiddler said it’s his belief the May 2014 death of Brody Meekis was preventable, hence his concern.
6. Guards at the Thunder Bay District Jail expressed disappointment that the province does not appear willing to set aside money to pay for a new corrections facility in the city. The guards say the antiquated jail, built in 1926, is too small, often housing 20 or more inmates beyond its capacity. City officials broached the subject with the corrections minister at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario meeting, but got no commitment.
5. Current River Coun. Andrew Foulds and Nipigon Mayor Richard Harvey announced they’d be taking leaves of absences sooner than expected as they campaigned for the NDP and Conservatives, respectively, in Thunder Bay-Superior North. The late-summer federal election call led to one of the longest campaigns in Canadian history.
4. Radio pioneer and highly respected newsman Rick Smith died on Aug. 16 at age 77. Smith, born and raised in Nova Scotia, was first heard on the city’s airwaves in 1969, where he hosted his highly popular Rick Smith Show for nearly four decades, fielding more than 20,000 phone calls.
3. Dougall Media president Fraser Dougall passed away after a lengthy illness at the age of 73. Dougall was remembered as a community leader and businessman who helped change the broadcast landscape in Northwestern Ontario. He presided over two television stations, three radio stations, tbneswatch.com and this newspaper during a career that spanned more than five decades.
2. An early-evening fire put the owners of Memorial Avenue’s Fresh Air and adjacent businesses on the street. Fire officials investigating on scene initially labeled the blaze suspicious, but the investigation remains open. Fresh Air’s owners found a temporary location on Balmoral Street.
1. A 44-year-old woman faces a charge of impaired driving after crashing her vehicle through a wall at Fort William Gardens, causing extensive damage.
