Here are the stories that had us reading in October:
1. A large blow tank exploded at the Terrace Bay Incorporated mill on Oct. 31, taking the life of Terrance Berthelot, 28.
Two other men, aged 52- and 53-years-old, both from Thunder Bay, were transported to the McCausland Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.
2. Michael Gravelle (Lib., Thunder Bay-Superior North) and Bill Mauro (Lib., Thunder Bay-Atikokan are re-elected in Thunder Bay ridings in the Oct. 6 provincial election. The Provincial results left the Liberals in power, but with one seat shy of majority status.
When the premier announced his new cabinet, he shifted Gravelle from the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry to the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Mauro was passed by for a cabinet seat for a third time.
3. A fatal hit and run at the intersection of Victoria and Leland Avenues takes the life of 60-year-old Joyce Ryan on Oct. 2.
An alleged stolen truck ran a stop sign and struck the passenger side of Ryan’s vehicle. The driver fled on foot. Police are still looking for the suspect. Ryan's husband Phil suffered extensive injuries and is still recovering at home with family.
4. An alleged assault became the city’s third homicide of the year after 21-year-old Jimmy Moonias was sent to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre on Oct. 29 after receiving a head injury.
He died the following evening.
Kyle Rae, 22, was charged with second-degree murder.
5. A man went on stabbing spree in the Andras Court apartment building on Oct. 8, injuring four people.
A 29-year old man faces 10 charges, including assault with a weapon, threat causing bodily harm and obstructing a peace officer. The court ordered a 30-day medical assessment to determine if the suspect could be held criminally responsible for the incident.
6. The Travelodge Hotel on Memorial Avenue was shut down for weeks after a fire caused extensive damage.
The kitchen area of the restaurant was destroyed and there was smoke damage throughout the building. A hotel official said the damage exceeded $1 million.
The fire occurred around 5 a.m. on Oct. 22 and guests were immediately evacuated. They waited out the fire on Thunder Bay Transit buses until being moved to the Arthur Street Travelodge location. The hotel partially re-opened in mid-November.
7. Thunder Bay Police met with Mac’s management in response to the high number of Mac’s robberies in the city. The two-day planning sessions, which occurred Oct. 25 and 26, had ideas from potential barriers between store employees and customers to a buzzer system.
Sean Sportun, manager of security and loss prevention for Mac’s, said they are doing everything they can to make sure employees and customers remain safe.
8. One of the worst forest fire seasons on record officially comes to an end. A record 600,000 hectares of forest were destroyed. The province spent more than $230 million putting out the more than 1,300 fires.
9. The construction on the Thunder Bay Expressway, originally scheduled to end last fall, will continue next spring, a Ministry of Transportation official confirmed on Oct. 3. Carillion Canada began work on the Thunder Bay Expressway in the summer of 2009. The work was supposed to be finished by the fall of 2010. The total cost for the project is about $21 million. The MTO had received numerous complaints from the public about how long the project was taking to complete.
10. Thunder Bay hosted its first Occupy Thunder Bay protest in Waverley Park in October.
The anti-greed and financial corruption protests, which began in the heart of New York’s financial district, spread around the world. While the protests drew large crowds around the world, chilly weather and lack of interest kept local turnout small.
