NEWS

Local news in and around Aylmer and Elgin County

Vecchio wins in Elgin-Middlesex-London

October 19, 2015 | 0 Comments

Conservative candidate Karen Vecchio, middle, was greeted by her former employer and retiring Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Joe Preston, left, and her campaign manager Brian Clements as she arrived at her victory party at Boston Pizza in St. Thomas at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19 after she was declared the winner of the federal election for…

Wind park gets Central Elgin’s okay

October 19, 2015 | 0 Comments

Central Elgin councillors, at a special meeting on Friday morning, Oct. 16, gave the green light to a proposed small-scale wind-power project for the south end of the municipality. Andreas Schneider says his proposed Fairview Community Wind Park involving 17 landowners would be a financial boon to them and keep out “big wind” corporations such…

Juno nominee plays in front of a packed Aylmer crowd

October 18, 2015 | 0 Comments

Juno Award nominee and United Kingdom Songwriting Contest winner Alysha Brilla and her band played to a sold-out audience at Aylmer Old Town Hall Theatre on Saturday night, Oct. 17 in the latest Aylmer Performing Arts Council show. The critically-acclaimed Tanzanian-Canadian singer, songwriter and producer also plays guitar, piano and djembe (a West African hand…

Scouting showing appreciation

October 17, 2015 | 0 Comments

Beaver Ryder Jensen, 7, front left, and Cub Chris Westley, 8, greeted Ingersoll’s John Verhoeven as he entered the Aylmer No Frills grocery store on Saturday morning, Oct. 17, by asking him if he wanted an apple in exchange for a small donation. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts were at various locations in Aylmer on Friday…

Port Stanley Public School hosts meeting on Trudeau PS overcrowding Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:30 p.m.

October 14, 2015 | 0 Comments

A public meeting on overcrowding at Pierre Elliot Trudeau School in St. Thomas, and how that might affect Port Stanley Public School starting in September of 2016, will be held at the Port Stanley PS library on Thursdsay night, Oct. 15, starting at 6:30 p.m. Mayor David Marr told a Central Elgin council meeting Tuesday,…

Central Elgin special meeting on wind project Friday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m.

October 14, 2015 | 0 Comments

Central Elgin councillors will hold a special meeting this Friday morning, Oct. 16, at 9 a.m. to consider a small-scale windpower project proposed by Andreas Schneider. He told councillors Tuesday night, Oct. 13, that the project would return more revenue to landowners than a large-scale development, use smaller windmills and effectively “lock out” big corporations…

Father and child killed in crash northeast of St. Thomas

October 8, 2015 | 0 Comments

A four-month-old boy and later his father have died as a result of a two-vehicle crash northeast of St. Thomas on Wednesday night, Oct. 7. The driver of the other vehicle involved in the crash, a 68-year-old Malahide man, has been charged with several dangerous driving and criminal negligence causing death and bodily harm-related offences.…

Aylmer Library decision: lease now, build later

October 6, 2015 | 0 Comments

“Did you not get the memo that you lost the last election?” asked Councillor Ted McDonald of former mayor Jack Couckuyt at the Monday, Oct. 5 council meeting. Cr. McDonald tore into Mr. Counckuyt after his presentation to council in support of building a new downtown library. While mayor, Mr. Couckuyt failed to get enough…

Learning about the forest

October 6, 2015 | 0 Comments

Assumption Catholic Elementary School Grade 7 pupils got ready to make like Monarch butterflies at the Monarch Migration Madness station during the Carolinian Forest Festival at Springwater Conservation Area on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Over 500 London District Catholic School Board Grade 6 and 7 pupils visited Springwater on that day and the next for the annual…

Fairgrounds a ghoulish haunt until Halloween

October 4, 2015 | 0 Comments

A masked maniac with a crowbar and the “surgeon murder clown” are two of the scary characters awaiting those who brave the Aylmer Fair Haunted House in the old curling club building at the Aylmer Fairgrounds. The Haunted House continues each Friday and Saturday night from 7-9 p.m. during October including on Halloween night (Saturday,…

Care 2 Cycle benefits near and far

October 3, 2015 | 0 Comments

Rylee Peters, 7, navigated the “Rabbit Rodeo” course on her bicycle in the Immanuel Christian School parking lot on Saturday morning, Oct. 3 before groups of other cyclists took off for the Care 2 Cycle rides from the Aylmer school. The event, which involved 10-kilometre, 30 km and 50 km cycling rides, raised money for…

Wet sponges fly at McGregor PS to celebrate love of reading

October 2, 2015 | 0 Comments

McGregor Public School Principal Charlotte Wall, right, got ready to take a swing at a wet sponge thrown by pupil Ryan Penner, left, with Aylmer Old Town Hall Library assistant Mary Wiebe looking on Thursday, Oct. 1 during a celebration of the pupils at the Aylmer school helping to surpass the library’s Summer Reading Club…