These are the stories that attracted the most attention in Week 10 of 2015:
5 Two arrested after police raid large marijuana grow-op
City police have taken down a marijuana grow operation and charged two people after investigating a home on the city's north side.
The Thunder Bay Police Service's drug unit and gangs and gun unit executed a warrant on the semi-rural home Wednesday.
An elaborate grow-op was discovered within a professionally constructed hidden area of the home.
Around 250 plants, more than 7,300 grams of dried marijuana and more than 1,340 grams of marijuana resin were seized.
The drugs are worth a total of $460,000 police say.
A 34-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman have been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and production of marijuana and marijuana resin.
4 Allegiant Air will nix flights from Duluth, cross-border travel options remain
Local travellers who head to Duluth for flights, specifically for Vegas trips, still have options, say officials with the Duluth airport.
Allegiant Air told the Duluth International Airport Wednesday it's getting out of the city, stopping its twice-weekly direct flights to Las Vegas as of May 18.
Many in Thunder Bay drive the 300 kilometres to Duluth to take advantage of lower airfare costs and travel time.
Duluth airport's communications and marketing director Natalie Peterson said the airline is shifting its focus to bigger markets, especially in the Northeastern part of the United States.
With that move. Allegiant hasn't increased its fleet or crew, pulling them out of places like Duluth. The airport had increased its marketing to try and get Allegiant to stay over the last year but Peterson said it wasn't enough.
"Quite frankly I don't know if anything would have changed their minds because of where their strategy is headed," she said.
3 Driver charged in connection with serious February crash
A 23-year-old woman has been charged in connection with a serious February motor vehicle crash.
Thunder Bay Police Service officers charged the woman with careless driving after an investigation into a Feb. 12 crash that sent three people to the hospital with serious injuries.
Two vehicles collided on Arthur Street near Mapleward.
The woman will appear in court next month.
2 Thunder Bay No. 1 place to buy real estate in Canada: MoneySense
According to a national magazine, this city is among the best in the country to purchase real estate.
MoneySense magazine examined 25 major Canadian cities to come up with the real estate rankings.
The rankings were based on a city’s average home price, the amount of time it takes to save up to buy a home, five year price appreciation and the average five-year rent increase.
It shows Thunder Bay has an average home price of around $208,705, with rental prices having increased 21 per cent. Compare that to last-ranked Sherbrooke at $224,222, 3.4 years, 1.5 per cent and ten per cent.
MoneySense says the city has been quietly rebuilding as a regional medical, commercial and government hub.
"The city’s average home price is just under $209,000 and the average household income is just over $78,000, so you have a population with plenty of disposable income and lots of cheap housing.
1 John Harry Tsekouras sentenced to nine-and-a-half years
The lawyer representing John Harry Tsekouras plans to appeal the conviction that led to his client being sentenced to nine-and-a-half years for trafficking cocaine and marijuana.
Tsekouras, 41, was given a total sentence of 11.5 years of jail time Friday at the Thunder Bay Courthouse, but was granted two years credit for time spent in custody pre-trial and for charter breaches related to a seized Blackberry.
The ruling came late Friday afternoon after 54 sitting days in court. On Thursday Tsekouras was found guilty of eight counts related to the trafficking case. He was convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine and marijuana and trafficking cocaine and marijuana. The other four counts were conditionally stayed.
The Crown had asked for a sentence of up to 16 years, but the defence argued Friday morning that a sentence of no more than 10 years should be imposed.
Defence lawyer Joseph Wilkinson said he believes the judge made the right decision not ceding to the Crown’s request, but he didn’t want to comment further on the decision based on the fact he will be filing an appeal.
