Catfish Creek Conservation Authority upgraded its warning about the possibility of flooding in the watershed early Thursday morning. CCCA Water Management Technician Peter Dragunas issued a “flood watch” at 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 20 which is a step closer to an official warning. “This is an assessment that a high probability exists for flooding of…
Grade 3 pupil Daniel Brannigan, left, wound up for a shot on net while McGregor Public School classmates Nolan Wiebe, Grade 4, and Bianca Giesbrecht, grade 3, watched, Friday, Feb. 14. McGregor spent the afternoon putting on its version of the Winter Olympics, with a variety of modified events and hot chocolate to stay warm.
Bayham on Thursday night, Feb. 13, stated that a historic gas well northwest of Port Burwell was leaking potentially dangerous hydrogen sulphide gas, and a state of emergency has been declared as a precaution. The gas was heavier than air and could be fatal close to the source. Public works employees and firefighters went door to…
Current Malahide councillor Mark Wales recently submitted his nomination to run again for the Ward 4 position in the Oct. 27, 2014 municipal election. He was acclaimed as the Ward 4 representative in the 2010 election as no other candidate ran against him. He joins current Mayor Dave Mennill and Deputy Mayor Jim Jenkins who…
Elgin County councillors on Tuesday, Feb. 11, unanimously approved a $62-million budget for 2014 that will increase the local property tax levy by four percent. Financial Services Director Jim Bundschuh said the average home might expect to pay an additional $32 in property tax to the county, though actual increases would vary depending on property…
Two cases of porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) were recently discovered at farrow-to-finish hog farms in Elgin County. The first diagnosis was confirmed on Feb. 4 and the second on Feb. 9. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food does not release the location of new cases of the outbreak, only the county in which a…
Malahide Councillor Mark Widner was clearly unhappy with his Mayor David Mennill and Deputy Mayor Jim Jenkins as well as Aylmer councillors at a township council meeting Thursday, Feb. 6. Malahide councillors had received formal notice that their Aylmer counterparts essentially tossed in the trash a township proposal to expand the town’s library by moving…
Jacob Rempel, 48, of Mount Salem died at London Health Sciences Centre on Sunday, Feb. 9, as a result of injuries he sustained in a head-on collision south of London the night before. London Police were still investigating the crash that took place at about 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8 on Highbury Ave. S.…
The number of medical calls answered by Malahide volunteer firefighters continues to increase each year. In his 2013 year-end report to township councillors Thursday, Feb. 6, Fire Chief Paul Groeneveld said 64 percent of all alarms answered by firefighters last year were medical-related. The only reason he could imagine for the increase was the ageing local…
The Family Central restaurant opened its doors for business on Monday, Feb. 3, in the refurbished former Central Hotel in downtown Aylmer. Renovations were so extensive it’s nearly impossible to recall the dimly lit bar that occupied the main floor for so many years. The restaurant, and the 1883 historic hotel building, are owned by a…
A St. Thomas woman, 19, has been charged with cruelty to animals after allegedly leaving a dog and two young cats without food or water for up to three weeks in a downtown apartment. St. Thomas Police reported police entered the apartment Monday, Feb. 3, after neighbours raised concerns about the welfare of the animals. The…
An operational review of East Elgin Community Complex that started in mid-September and was expected to be done by Christmas still hasn’t arrived, and no one here knows when it will. Aylmer Mayor Jack Couckuyt said the process has turned out to be “certainly longer than I would have hoped for.” The consultant chosen for…