Post Stanley Terminal Rail (PSTR) has confirmed that its temporary suspension of all operations is due to the discovery of “serious erosion” under the south abutment of the historic railway bridge across Kettle Creek in Port Stanley. A preliminary estimate of the cost to repair the damaged bridge is $500,000, PSTR President Dan Vernackt said…
Abe Knelsen of St. Thomas and sons Lucas, 10, and Sam, 12, recently took advantage of frigid temperatures to build a creatively colourful igloo in their front yard. Abe, a realtor, said he and his wife Elissa have lived in their home for 13 years, with both sons growing up there. “I don’t think you…
Following a plea from a resident Thursday, Feb. 5, Bayham councillors went against staff advice and approved backyard chickens in the municipality. Kristen Young spoke during the two-minute open forum at the start of the meeting before Bylaw Enforcement Officer Mark Russell presented his report recommending not proceeding with backyard chickens. She suggested a time-limited…
Frigid winter weather conditions in St. Thomas have put local support services to the test. The homeless and transient populations are seeking shelter at warming stations at the Joe Thornton Community Centre, 75 Caso Crossing, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., as well as 24/7 emergency shelter at The Inn St Thomas-Elgin, 10 Princess Avenue. Both…
After consulting with St. Thomas Sally, the mural groundhog, Mayor Joe Preston announced Monday, Feb. 2, that there would be six more weeks of winter. The third annual Groundhog Day ceremony attracted a dozen spectators for the 7:30 a.m. prognostication. It was held at Westlake Evan Park beside the St. Thomas Library. (AE/contributed by Brian Wilsdon)
A demolition crew made quick work of tearing down a historic house at 50 Centre St. in Aylmer on Monday, Jan. 26. A more modern house north of it was also demolished. The property belongs to Cherry Street, which plans to relace the home with nonprofit housing. Some neighbours objected to the demolition, citing the…
Elgin-Middlesex-London MPP Rob Flack on Thursday, January 22, announced huge investments in funding, over $61-million across Elgin County, for municipal water and sewage improvement projects. Aylmer will receive $7.2-million toward installation of headworks and a “fixed bed biological media system” for the town sewage lagoon in Malahide. And Malahide, which administers the Port Burwell Secondary…
Six people, including three pedestrians, were injured after a serious collision on Imperial Road in the Township of Malahide. Elgin Ontario Provincial Police Const. Jeff Beaumaster reported that on Thursday, January 22, at 1:18 a.m., OPP officers, along with Malahide Fire and Elgin paramedics, responded to a three-vehicle collision involving a minivan and two sedans…
Aylmer Police have charged three teen boys in connection with a shot fired into a home in town on Tuesday, Jan. 20, just after 3 p.m. Police were called to a house after a resident believed a projectile had struck a window. An investigation quickly determined that a bullet fired from outside had struck a…
Malahide council members on Thursday, Jan. 15, decided to offer Catfish Creek Conservation Authority a 10 percent increase in its annual levy on the township, not the 20 percent CCCA had sought. The original allocation in the proposed 2026 Malahide budget had been just 2.4 percent. Mayor Dominique Giguère said after the budget and CCCA’s…
While clearing snow from laneways in Aylmer, James flashes a begloved shaka (the Hawaiian “hang loose” greeting) from a riding snowblower last week, adding a warm gesture on a cold day. A significant snowfall kept snow removal crews, push blowers and especially shovellers busy across the community. (AE/Contributed by Shirley Goddeeris)
Years of neglect have caught up to North America’s oldest locomotive repair shop and the St. Thomas Railworks Coalition has opted to “temporarily suspend operations” at the historic building housing Elgin County Railway Museum’s inventory of vintage rolling stock and railway relics. With “no confirmed reopening date,” the decision comes on the heels of the…