The OKâlaKatiget Society would like to notify the public that there will be no IlinniaKatigennik Radio Contest today Tuesday, November 16, 2021.

We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause.

In the meantime, we are looking to record any stories that you remember of growing up in the November months; for example, stories about Advent or the first snowfall.

We are also interested in hearing different traditional recipes if anyone has any to share.

Any recordings are done in person or over the phone, and you will be compensated for your time of $50 for adults and promo for children.

This is for anyone along the North Coast and in the Canadian constituency.

For more information, you can contact Robyn Martin at (709) 922-2051 or email her at robyn.martin@nunatsiavut.com.

The Smart Ice here in Nain are busy getting ready for the winter season.

Rex Holwell Jr. is the Northern Production Lead.

Holwell Jr. says there will be a meeting and a workshop for the next few days starting today.

Click here to hear more Smart Ice Updates with Holwell Jr.

Today, Monday, November 15, Newfoundland and Labrador has two new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last public advisory. Contact tracing by Public Health is underway and anyone considered a close contact has been advised regarding quarantine according to current guidelines.

In the Central Health region:
· One under 20 years of age; and
· One between 60-69 years of age.

There is one female and one male. One is a contact of a previously known case and one is related to travel within Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador is reporting its seventeenth death from COVID-19. The individual, a male from the Central Health region, was 70 years of age and older. The department is sending its condolences to this individual’s family and asks everyone to respect the family’s privacy at this time.

There have been 11 new recoveries, three in the Eastern Health region and eight in the Central Health region and 1,972 people have recovered. There is one person in hospital because of COVID-19.

There are currently 31 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The regional breakdown of the active cases is as follows:
· Eastern Health – 1
· Central Health – 13
· Labrador-Grenfell Health – 0
· Western Health – 2

The number of tests that have been administered is not available at this time due to the ongoing IT outage.

OK Radio contacted Hayne’s General Store for an update for our listening audience.

Herman Webb is the Manager.

He says that most of the items in the store are on sale until the end of December.

Tune in to Labrador Memories to hear more from Webb on the Hayne’s Store.

The 25th Annual Jobe J Volleyball Tournament was held in Hopedale this past weekend.

We spoke with Ashley Abel who was in charge for the volleyball tournament.

She says she would like to thank the volunteers who helped throughout the weekend.

Here are the results:

In the Female’s Division:

Mom’s Squad came 3rd place, Mister’s Girls came 2nd, and Pringles came 1st.

The Most Sportsman Like Award went to Miley Benuen and MVP went to Grace Tuglavina.

In the Male’s Division:

Team Japan came 3rd place, Team Holy Moly came 2nd, and The Hitmen came 1st.

For the Most Sportsman Like award was a tie between Christian Jararuse and Tyron Rich and the MVP in the male’s division was Darrel Flowers.

Congratulations to the winner’s and to everyone who participated in the 25th Annual Jobe J Volleyball Tournament.

A privacy consultant says now that government has confirmed that employee information has been stolen in the cyberattack, there is an increased risk of identity theft.

While originally unconfirmed, Minister John Hogan announced late Friday that personal information has been taken by the attackers.

David Morgan, a Principal Consultant at Morgan Privacy Consulting, says the stolen data means that the confidentiality has been compromised as the hackers have seen it.

He says the biggest concern is if they can share that data publicly or sell it to people looking to use it for financial gain, such as applying for a credit card.

Morgan says this can increase the chances of identity theft; however, a significant factor is whether the data was encrypted or not.

The data is significantly more secure if encrypted, as without the decryption key it would just appear as “garbled nonsense.” He says without the decryption key, there’s not much the hackers could do with the information.

Eight new airports, including St. John’s International, are permitted to open to international travelers later this month, a move the CAA is applauding.

The United States is lifting restrictions on travel from a long list of countries including Mexico, Canada, and most of Europe.

New rules are in effect, allowing non-essential travel across America’s land borders for fully vaccinated visitors.

Canada is still requiring anyone coming back into the country to get a pricey COVID-19 test.

Steve Olmstead is Director of Public & Government Affairs with CAA Atlantic.

He says more options for travelers, no matter where they’re coming from, is massive for the industry.

He says giving travelers more options is a great sign, and as long as travel can be done safely, Olmstead calls the move a big step forward.

Olmstead expects a slow increase towards getting back to pre-pandemic travel levels.

He says as people grow more confident, and with steps being taken towards safety, they will grow with that and become more inclined to travel.

It will be a longer play, but Olmstead says there is lots to look forward to.

Construction on the north coast communities have winded down in Hopedale and Makkovik.

William Lucy is the TRHA coordinator.

He says Nunatsiavut Construction is working on the two new homes in Nain and are getting ready to be wired.

Also the duplex is ready for Drywall.

Lucy says in Rigolet the crew is working on one three-bedroom home.

TRHA is still waiting for a contractor for Postville, to see if he’ll be going there or not.

Click here when Lucy gives you more information.

Today, November 12, Newfoundland and Labrador has six new confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the last public advisory. Contact tracing by Public Health is underway and anyone considered a close contact has been advised regarding quarantine according to current guidelines.

In the Eastern Health region:
· One between 40-49 years of age.

The case is a female and is a contact of a previously known case.

In the Central Health region:
· One under 20 years of age;
· One between 20-39 years of age; and
· Three between 60-69 years of age.

There are four females and one male and all are contacts of previously known cases.

There have been seven new recoveries, six in the Eastern Health region and one in the Central Health region and 1,962 people have recovered. There is one person in hospital because of COVID-19.

There are currently 40 active cases of COVID-19 in the province. The regional breakdown of the active cases is as follows:
· Eastern Health – 19
· Central Health – 19
· Labrador-Grenfell Health – 0
· Western Health – 2

The number of tests that have been administered is not available at this time due to the ongoing IT outage.

A bit of a break at the gas pumps this morning.

The regulated price of gas is down by 1.6 cents per litre.

Diesel, furnace and stove oil are all down by just under a cent a litre, while propane is virtually unchanged down by 0.1 cents per litre.