News
New mural unveiled
East Elgin Secondary School art students Capri Thiessen, left, Sky Mitton, Emma Monster, Joey Yaw, Gracie Huisman and Kristen Peters recently unveiled the mural they painted, with the help of others, to cover a utility box in Balmoral Park in Aylmer. Absent were Avery Heynen, Angela Kloosterman, Miranda Hew, Adriel Kuepfer, Keana Zacharias and Kris…
Read MoreTapping the keg…isn’t supposed to go this way
Beer gushed out of a ceremonial keg as Malahide Stellvertretender Bürgermeister (Deputy Mayor) Mark Widner, armed with a hammer, left, and Aylmer Bürgermeister (Mayor) Jack Couckuyt, holding a spigot, tried to tap it on Saturday night, Oct. 5 at Saxonia Hall Oktoberfest celebrations. Featured performer was Walter Ostanek and his band, and German food and…
Read MoreMayor scolds unnamed councillor, Desrosiers says it’s her
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt at the end of a town council meeting Wednesday, Oct. 2, sharply criticized an unnamed council member for what he asserted was support for a defamatory online remark. (Councillor Kathryn Desrosiers later in the week posted on Facebook that the mayor’s criticism was aimed at her.) “I thought a long time…
Read MoreDon’t resort to vigilantism, Aylmer Police warn
Aylmer Police want residents to report suspicious activity when they see it, but not to go beyond that and engage in what amounted to “online hate” against individuals. That is what allegedly led to a “violent assault” against an individual on Aug. 31 that is now under investigation. Police found no evidence to substantiate online…
Read MoreFree public skate for diversity
Jaydon Ball, 17, a Grade 12 student at East Elgin Secondary School, is hosting a free public skate at East Elgin Community Complex on Saturday, Oct. 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., and he wants everyone to come. Someone without skates doesn’t have to worry—skate rentals will also be free that night. The event…
Read MoreAylmer gets a slice of provincial infrastructure pie
Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt was all smiles on Sept. 18 as ministers of the Ontario government visited the region and announced $57.2 million in infrastructure funding that will expedite construction of some 40,000 new houses in Elgin and Middlesex counties. The mayor’s welcome news of a $4.5 million Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund grant that the…
Read MorePreserving 62 acres of Carolinian forest
Emotions were running high on Thursday Sept. 12 at the Grand Opening of the Deer Ridge Conservation Area and Hiking Trail, on Glengariff Drive, in Talbotville. The event acknowledged a donation of 61.58 acres of forest in perpetuity to Kettle Creek Conservation Authority (KCCA) by Ted and Duggie Gill, local horse farm owners in the…
Read MoreOPP investigating Archie Coulter altercation
Elgin Ontario Provincial Police are warning local residents to take care after an incident at Archie Coulter Conservation Area on Brouwers Line in Central Elgin that left one person with minor injuries on Wednesday, Sept. 11, about about 5:55 p.m. The injured person was walking along a trail, and was approached from behind. “Physical contact…
Read MoreCerna says: get shingles shot!
Malahide Councillor Rick Cerna is urging everyone to get vaccinated against shingles, after suffering a bout of the painful disease. At a township council meeting Thursday, Sept. 5, he said, “I don’t know what the Good Lord has against me, but I’ve been through a lot since 2017.” That included a heart operation, a stroke…
Read MoreTurkey vultures nesting in Aylmer trees
David Chalk of Aylmer took this picture of turkey vultures, who nest on St. Andrew Street, drying themselves out after early-morning thunderstorms on Saturday, Aug. 31. He noted that he had about 44 millimetres (or 1.75 inches) of precipitation in a rain gauge at his home as a result of the storms, and added, “Turkey…
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