Emergency crews are at Sandpoint Beach this morning searching for a woman reported missing in the water.   Police, ambulance and the U-S Coast Guard are on scene.  They've been searching since about 4:30 and, so far, no sign of the woman.     Police say a man and a woman were swimming outside the roped off area when the woman disappeared.

CAW Local 444 President Rick Laporte announced he would not be running for the mayor of Windsor yesterday stating that he could not walk out on his local union or abandon his leadership role with the United Way.  President of the Windsor and District Labour Council, Dino Chiodo, says Laporte's decision was likely the right one.  CAW National President, Ken Lewenza, says at the moment Laporte's focus is on the union, not running for the Mayor's seat.  Laporte says he's been overwhelmed by the community support he has received and is pleased his "possible" candidacy sparked debate on the future of the City of Windsor.

Faced with reduced funding because of declining enrolment, the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board is taking action.  The board is forming an Enrolment Committee to explore ways to boost the number of students in the system.  Board Chair Fred Alexander says they want to make sure no stone is left unturned.  Alexander hopes to have a report from the committee in front of the board as soon as possible, preferably this fall.

The Ontario government is expanding its 'Pay for Results' program by 25 hospitals, bringing the total to 71.  The program provides funds for hospital emergency rooms throughout the province to reduce wait times.  100 million dollars is being injected into the program this year to help track patient flow and hire staff in high-volume emergency departments. Windsor Regional Hospital has been part of the program since 2008.  Hospital CEO, David Musyj, says funds received to date have gone straight to hiring extra staff.  Before the program Windsor Regional patients were waiting over nine hours for a complex cases, now they're waiting under eight hours.

   Fireworks night this year saw some changes in the way people took transit to see the show.  There was only one park and ride shuttle so those numbers went down...but East Windsor city busses carried about double the passengers as a result.

   Chatham Police have arrested and charged a man thought to be a serial break and enter criminal.  The 29-year-old was arrested after a breakin to a home yesterday.   Bryce Robert Bunker faces 32 break and enter charges.

   The opening of a new club in Windsor's core is seen as another indicator the downtown is rebounding.   "White Star" is located on Pitt Street inside the former Dean Martini's.   Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Area Executive Director Chris Edwards says the public and business owners are starting to believe. Edwards says this is an evolution away from the "kiddie bars" to more high end lounges.

City Solicitor George Wilkki says it's very unusual but not impossible to sue individul city councilors and the mayor.  The Ambassador Bridge Company is seeking 125-thousand dollars from each member of Windsor council and the mayor.  The bridge wants to build a second crossing but efforts have been stalled due to city by-laws preventing the demolition of several west-end homes.  A report will go to city council on August 9th detailing the legal options for councillors.

CAW Local 444 President Rick Laporte will not be running for Mayor.  Laporte had been mulling the idea over saying he has not been happy with the direction of Windsor since last summer's CUPE strike.  In the end Laporte decided his obligations to his union could not be set aside at this time.  Tune in to AM800 News for more.

Layoff notices will be going out to over 400 Ford workers at the Windsor Engine Plant.  The CAW says layoffs were expected, but until yesterday they never knew how many or when.  The date for the layoffs is November 1st when one shift will be cancelled.  Employees with as many as 18 years will be impacted.  There is some good news though, the Essex Engine Plant will be increasing staff, though the increase will not be enough to offset the layoffs.  About 150 workers will be offered work at the Essex plant. 

     The buzz of the Red Bull air races will not be heard over the Detroit River next year.  Race officials have announced they are cancelling the entire 2011 season.  A statement on the Red Bull web site says " for the future success and development of the sport, the World Championship will take a one-year break."  The statement goes on to say they'll use that time to further develop technological advancements to improve the race's already high levels of safety. Windsor has hosted the races twice on its own and once with the the city of Detroit.

     Opposition critics are calling on the Province to apologize to two women who received mistaken mastectomies at the hands of a Windsor surgeon. Tory Health Critic, Christine Elliott, says apologies can be made in Ontario without admitting liability so the Liberals should say they're sorry. She also wants to know why the government didn't move sooner to warn the public that other errors might have been made.

     Laurie Johnston of Leamington is suing her surgeon, pathologist and two hospitals over the mistaken surgery, which she claims has impeded her ability to work.  A second patient also sued. Her case was concluded in 2002.
 

      Will he or won't he? We find out today if CAW Local 444 President, Rick Laporte, is running for Mayor in the October election. He admits he's torn between civic duty and union loyalty but fears without serious contenders, the election will be a one-man show -- the Eddie Francis show. LaPorte is to announce his decision at 2 o'clock  this afternoon.

      Transit Windsor will be greener, soon. Six new hybrid busses are being added to the fleet at a cost of $3.7 million. Acting General Manager, Tony Houad, expects to see them in service next year.  The addition will boost the number of hybrid busses in the fleet to 24.

     The City of Windsor is cracking down on mobile roadside signs.  Those on city property illegally are about to be removed at the owner's expense. It'll cost $200 to get back plus a $20 a day storage fee. There are an estimated 100 signs on city property illegally.

   Transit Windsor is suspending a program that began when Detroit played host to the Super Bowl in 2006. The manifest program allowed those riding the tunnel bus to book ahead of time and be pre-screened by U-S Customs. But new security rules and the cost is forcing the program to be suspended as of August 15th.

     A sombre day for GM workers in Windsor.  The last transmission rolled off the assembly line at the plant on Kildare Road this afternoon.  500 people are out of a job.  GM has been in Windsor for 90-years.

     The Ontario Civilian Police Commission has approved the OPP taking over from Leamington Police.  Chair of the Leamington Police Services Board Rob Schmidt says the ruling should help alleviate some fears about the quality of policing.  Police will switch over on December 3rd.

     It's pay day for workers at LaChaumiere Retirement home.  Employees received pay cheques last night.  The members of CAW local 24-58 hadn't been paid in two weeks and say the employer is constantly late with pay and is not funding a benefits package.  A meeting with the union and company will go tomorrow.

     OPP in Chatham-Kent have released the name of a drowning victim in Lake St. Clair.   On Saturday afternoon, three adults and five kids were on a boat near Lighthouse Cove.  One child appeared to be in distress so Aaron Wallace jumped in to help.  The child was saved but the 37-year old began to struggle and went underwater.  His body was recovered on Sunday

A Windsor doctor denies she was responsible for a misdiagnosis of cancer that led to a woman having her breast  removed unnecessarily.  Dr. Olive Williams is denying claims filed in a 2.2-million-dollar lawsuit launched by a former patient.  Laurie Johnston claims she suffered medical complications from the surgery.  None of the allegations in the lawsuit has been proven in court.   In a cross-claim, Williams is asking that her legal costs be paid by the two local hospitals where she worked.

Tecumseh Transit is making a few changes.  The 24-seat bus will now run every hour instead of every half hour and it will run along Lesperance Road south of County Road 22.    Director of Planning, Brian Hillman says the change will be safer for riders.  Service will also include Brighton Road in the town's east end.  The changes take effect August 16th.

The Deputy Mayor of Tecumseh is asking for answers.  Tom Burton says he's getting complaints about hydro interruptions and wants Hydro-One and Essex Power to come to council and explain themselves.  Burton is hoping to meet in about a month.

A solitary workers enters the GM Transmission Plant this morning, on the last day of the plants operation. The final transmission will role off the line this afternoon.  It has been known for some time the plant was closing, but CAW local 1973 President Bill Reeves says it's still a tough pill to swallow.  There are 500 people employed at the plant and GM has been in Windsor for 90 years.

   A four-thousand dollar fine has been handed down to a Lasalle man in a tire theft ring. Early last year, Provincial Police received a complaint about more than 500 tires being stolen from a Lakeshore business. Officers were able to recover more than 80-thousand dollars worth of tires. 47-year-old Wilfred Slater was found guilty of possession of stolen property over five-thousand dollars.

The cheque is in the mail for Leamington residents who applied for financial help following last months tornado.  211-thousand dollars in provincial funding will be split between 253 applicants.  Leamington Mayor John Adams hopes that work to restore the Leamington Marina will begin by September.  He adds the Tomato Festival will go ahead as planned. 

There will be a special guest in Windsor for the unveiling of the Dieppe Memorial Monument.  The Mayor of Dieppe will be in the city for the event along with war veterans. Project Manager Dave Woodall says the Windsor monument will have similar features to the one in France.  The monument is a six-thousand pound piece of black granite and will be unveiled at Dieppe Gardens on August 19th.   Below is a display that includes some rocks from Dieppe.

There will be familiar couple names on the ballot in Essex for the upcoming municipal election.   Councillor Randy Voakes is seeking re-election and has filed his nomination papers for ward one.  Also running in ward one is councillor Morley Bowman. Two candidates will be elected.

     The public gets a say today on plans by Bruce Power to ship radioactive waste across the Great Lakes.  A public meeting takes place in Owen Sound on a proposal that has raised environmental concerns, despite assurances the process is safe.     The company wants to ship 16 decommissioned steam generators from its plant on Lake Huron through Lakes Erie and Ontario enroute to Sweden for recycling.

     Windsor's MPP's are being asked to stop the closure of the Travel Information Centre on Huron Church Road.  It's moving up the 401 to the newly re-opened service centre at Tilbury. Councillor, Drew Dilkins, says the Tilbury centre won't be staffed but is simply a brochure stand.  He says the move does a disservice to travellers and Windsor and Essex County.

     Lincoln Road residents, hoping for quick action on the removal of a methadone clinic in their neighbourhood, are out of luck. The City Planning Department is looking for ways to classify addiction treatment centers in the planning code but that's expected to take at least 6 months. Right now there is no separate designation.

   A Windsor man will be sentenced September 10th in a brutal case of animal abuse. 51-year-old Anjalo Abeywickrema has pleaded guilty to one count of an owner permitting unnecessary pain, injury or suffering to an animal. In May, a black lab named "Tyson" was found in the 700-block of Louis Avenue. It's genitals were so badly mutilated it had to be put down.

   Organizers of a popular festival in Essex County want to curb heavy drinking. Changes are being made ahead of this year's Shores of Erie International Wine Festival. An 8pm deadline is being set on bottle wine sales. Also, tokens must be purchased to buy a bottle or glass of wine during the festival. It runs September 9th to the 12th.

Despite mother's natures wrath this summer on Essex County, its having little impact on the amount of natural area coverage in the region.  Right now, Essex County has 7 and a half percent of natural coverage with 5 per cent of that as tree coverage.  But Director of Watershed Restoration at the Essex Region Conservation Authority Matthew Child says to have a significant impact on that, 6 to 7-thousand acres of trees would have to be lost.  He says the silver lining to the tornados is the emotional impact it has on the public to losing trees.

Pride Week in Windsor is just around the corner.  The annual parade will step off on August 8th.  The grand marshall has been announced and its Jeremy Dias of Sault Ste. Marie who founded a national organization that promotes equality and deals with issues such as bullying, discrimination and homophobia.

     A zero alcohol policy is being put in place for young Ontario drivers.  It goes into effect on Sunday.  The changes effect those 21 and under or drivers who have just received their licence.  Penalties include a licence suspension and a 500-dollar fine.

     One woman has been taken to the hospital following a two vehicle crash on Highway 3 in Tecumseh.   It happened around 11 o'clock this morning near Sexton Side Road.  The road was closed for about an hour.  The OPP say one vehicle going northbound was struck by an eastbound vehicle.  The woman's vehicle rolled over.  Her injuries are considered non-life threatening.  No word on any charges.

     Windsor's 2010 Parks and Recreation fall program guide can now be found on-line.    Programs range from fitness and skating to cooking and art. The complete listing is available at city windsor dot c-a.

   Still no word and no pay from the Toronto-based company that owns LaChaumiere Retirement Home in Emeryville.  Despite two-days of picketing last week, the home's 45 employees still haven't received a paycheque. Chief Union Steward, Lynn Pelletier, says they are now 5 days late. As AM800 News reported last week, employees haven't been paid on time or received benefits since February. There has been no comment from Liberty Assisted Living - the company that owns the home.

     The body of a 37-year old Dresden man has been recovered from Lake St. Clair.     Provincial Police say he was boating with two other adults and 5 children off Lighthouse Cove late Saturday afternoon. After jumping in the water for a swim, one of the children appeared to be in distress. The man jumped in to help but struggled and slipped beneath the surface. Everybody else made it back to the boat safely. The victim's body was recovered by OPP divers shortly before 3:30 yesterday afternoon. His name has not been released.

      Blurred vision is getting at least part of the blame for a series of diagnostic errors made by a Windsor pathologist.  An internal report by the Local Health Integration Network says cataracts blurred the vision of Dr. Olive Williams  The report, obtained by the Globe and Mail through the Freedom of Information Act, says the hospital caught 4 of the mistakes before any harm was done, but a 5th patient had an unnecessary colostomy because of an incorrect cancer diagnosis. A 6th patient  was given an incorrect lumpectomy.

     Williams is at the centre of an investigation into pathology tests she conducted at all three area hospitals. She was suspended from Hotel Dieu Grace in January. A report by the Ministry of Health is expected later this week

The search resumes Sunday for a Dresden man presumed drowned in Lake St. Clair.  He was boating with 2 friends and 5 children Saturday evening when he went overboard to rescue a struggling child during a swim off Lighthouse Cove.  The unidentified man jumped in the water without a life jacket, began to have difficulty and disappeared under water.  Everyone else is safe.  The missing man's name is being withheld for now.

It wasn't big but it was a tornado.  Environment Canada has confirmed an F-0 tornado did touchdown in the Amherstburg area Friday night causing damage to trees and buildings.  An F-0 is the weakest on the Fujita scale but it still brought winds of up to 110-kilometres an hour.  The path of destruction was about a kilometre long and about 100 feet wide.  Environment Canada also says damage to some homes and trees near Kingsville was caused by severe wind downbursts.

The Deputy Mayor of Lasalle is retiring.  Bill Varga says he won't run again in this fall's civic election paving the way for a new deputy.  Councillor Mark Carrick and banker Bob Lewis have filed their papers to run October 25th.  Lewis tried for a council seat in 2006 but lost by just 300 votes.  In Kingsville, Mayor Nelson Santos should announce in early August if he's seeking re-election.  Deputy Mayor Katherine Gunning, councillor Chris Lewis and retired OPP officer Jim Shean are seeking the Mayor's chair.  In Amherstburg, Mayor Wayne Hurst is expected to announce his intentions this week.  If Hurst runs again, he'll be facing councillor Rick Fryer in the Mayor's race.  Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Bob Sylvester hasn't decided yet if he'll run again.

A Windsor cement company has been fined 90-thousand dollars by the Ministry of Labour after a worker was killed.  In January of 2009, a rack weighing 635 kilograms fell on the worker on Kew Drive in Windsor.  Bravo Cement pleaded guilty to failing to secure the rack.

Environment Canada has confirmed damage suffered in the Amherstburg area Friday night was caused by an F-0 tornado...the weakest kind of tornado.  Wind blew through the area between 60 and 110-kilometres an hour knocking down several trees and power lines in the county.  The path of damage was about a kilometre long and about 100 feet wide.  Environment Canada also says damage to some houses and trees near Kingsville was caused by severe wind downbursts.  Amherstburg firefighter Rick Laframboise says trees were twisted and pulled out halfway up from the trunk, pieces of buildings were blown across the road and shingles were torn-off roofs.  Thankfully no one was hurt.  Hydro-One says power knocked out in the county Friday night will be restored by Saturday night.  (SEE PHOTO)

An Ohio man fishing near Walpole Island is dead.  An autopsy is being done Saturday but  t's suspected the 41-year-old was struck by lightning during Friday's storms.  Witnesses say they heard a loud crack and saw a bright flash and found the man unresponsive on his bass boat immediately after.

Holiday Beach in Amherstburg has been closed for the last 6 weeks due to high levels of e-coli bacteria and beach-goers are frustrated.  Councilor Bob Pillon says he understands why town residents are angry.  Swimming is not recommended at any area beach this weekend except Hillman Beach in Leamington.

There's a report of a possible tornado touching down in Amherstburg as part of this evening's strong thunderstorms.  A band of severe storms crossed the Windsor-Essex area at around 7 Friday evening.  Amherstburg firefighter Rick Laframboise is at Station 2 on County Road 10 between the 3rd and 4th concessions. Laframboise says the former Anderdon Police station suffered a bit of damage, shingles were torn off a roof and trees are twisted and pulled apart.  The path of damage is about a kilometre long and roughly 40-feet wide.  No injuries or other damage are reported.

Residents of Comber are under a boil water advisory.   Medical Officer of Health Dr. Allen Heimann says people who live in the area south of the 401 to County Road 46 are included. (includes municipal addresses 14402 to 3223) A low pressure event happened which could allow contaminants into the water system. Residents are only to use bottled water or water brought to a hard boil for a full minute.

     Appeal dismissed for a Windsor man found guilty of manslaughter in the death of a Windsor woman.  46 year old Dennis James Edgar was convicted back in 2001 in the stabbing death of Tracy Lynn Kelsh.  The couple had been drinking and doing cocaine in Kelsh's Hall Avenue apartment when Edgar repeatedly stabbed her in the bathroom in a violent struggle.  The fatal wound was a deep slit to the throat. She died in 1994.  Edgar was later declared a dangerous offender in 2003.  He appealed both the manslaughter conviction and designation but the Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled that the trial judge did not error in his instructions to the jury and there wasn't an abuse of process with the dangerous offender designation.

A 40-year-old Windsor man is charged in connection to a child pornography case.  The arrest follows an investigation by Windsor Police and the O-P-P.  Officers downloaded images of child sex abuse from the internet and were able to determine the computer they were accessing was in Windsor.  Yesterday, police seized a number of computers and storage devices along with marijuana from a city home. Gerald Dusa is charged with making available child pornography, possession of child pornography, and possession of a controlled substance.

A fight in downtown Windsor has landed a city man in trouble.  It happened around 11:30 last night at Park and Ouellette.  Two men got into an argument and one was punched in the face.  Police were on-scene within minutes and say it appears the men knew each other and the fight stemmed from an incident six months ago.  A 41-year-old is facing a charge of assault causing bodily harm.

E-bikes are growing in popularity in Windsor but the rules concerning their use seems to have some people confused.  E-bikes, or electric, or power-assisted bikes operate under the same rules as bicycles.  They have to ride on the side of the road, not on sidewalks, but they can also travel on trails such as the Riverfront trail or the Ganatchio trail.  E-bikes differ from scooters in that they can't go faster than 32 km/h and they have pedals.  E-bike riders must be at least 16 years old and must wear a helmet.

The conditions will be right all afternoon and evening for severe weather in Windsor-Essex.  Make sure to click on the weather icon at the left of the AM800 home page for the latest from Environment Canada.