Ten Junior Lakers AAA teams took part in the Summer Showdown in Minneapolis last weekend, bringing home several top finishes. In the girls 14 U division, the U14 Junior Lakers AAA won the championship. Lakers forward Gianna Gushulak led the division in points, goals and assists. Goaltender Ava Burns led […]
Local Sports
West End Correspondent
2026 Olympic speed skater Anders Johnson shared his experiences with Cornerstone, Donald Young and J.W. Walker Schools on June 29. Although Anders was only home for one full day, he was very excited to meet with students from those three schools. Students from JK to Grade 8 listened and all […]
A local hotel is getting in on bass fishing action this year with a major sponsorship. The Mitaanjigamiing First Nation owned Studio 6 Extended Stay Hotel in Fort Frances announced yesterday that it will be sponsoring this year’s Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship (FFCBC) with $5,000. The Fort Frances Bass […]
abradbury@fortfrances.com
The bench staff that coached the Fort Frances Lakers to a regular season finish atop the division will return next season recharged and hungry to take a shot at winning it all. The Lakers announced on social media that Head Coach and General Manager Luke Judson will return to lead […]
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Kenora Miner & News
When Sophie English stepped onto the pool deck in Winnipeg earlier this year, she already knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish. For months, the 15-year-old Kenora para swimmer had been training with one race in mind: the 800-metre freestyle. By the end of the meet, she had become one […]
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
lneilson@fortfrances.com
This year’s Emo Walleye Classic went off without a hitch, bringing with it excitement and a gathering of anglers from across the district to the waters before a father-son duo hooked their first win in the competition. Last weekend marked the 25th anniversary of Emo’s premier fishing tournament along the […]
The 2026 racing season for the Emo Speedway is underway, with dozens of races taking place in multiple classes of racecar from now until the first week in October, the speed and noise can be a little overwhelming for the uninitiated. Here’s all you need to know about the point […]
After a winter that has only grudgingly refused to give up its grip on the region, golf season has finally returned to the Rainy River District. Both of the 18-hole courses nearest to Fort Frances—Heron Landing and Kitchen Creek—are open and booking tee times. After a late start and despite […]
Although he now lives in Thunder Bay, multi-time Emo Speedway champion A.J. Kellar will make the trip back whenever he can if it means racing on what he considers his home track. Kellar was the back-to-back lead competitor for WISSOTA Street Stock races on the Emo Speedway in 2025 and […]
abradbury@fortfrances.com
For years, the Emo Walleye Classic and the Rainy River Walleye Tournament have offered a ‘River Kings’ award, but sponsor stipulations have meant that the award wasn’t presented very often; that changes with a new sponsorship from Frequency Hearing Centre. Jackie McCormick is an audiologist and the owner of Frequency […]
With the 25th anniversary of the Emo Walleye Classic around the corner and will return as a fun but challenging competition in the district, expects Travis Rob, Fort Frances’ infrastructure and growth manager. The Emo Walley Classic is the township’s annual fishing tournament that’s been running since 2001. The competition […]
Staff writer
Originally published Wednesday, June 5, 2002
For some agonizing minutes, it looked like the 7.9 pounds of fish Harvey Cochrane and Oliver Gib- bons weighed in Saturday on the final day of the inaugural Emo Walleye Classic wouldn’t be enough to win. But then it was discovered three of the four fish brought in by Team […]







