News Headlines

Three deaths in three days; hospitalizations in double digits

Southwestern Public Health announced on Wednesday, Nov. 3, that an Elgin woman in her 70s who was confirmed as having COVID-19 had died. That’s the third death in three days in Elgin. An Aylmer man, 85, died Monday and an Elgin woman in her 80s Tuesday. The death toll for Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford…

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Herbert Hildebrandt trial, day one

The assault trial for Herbert Hildebrandt, of Malahide, began Friday, Oct. 22, with only one prosecution witness testifying before day’s end. Mr. Hildebrandt was charged with assault after allegedly pushing to the ground Jack Dykxhoorn, 84, of Malahide at the former Thompson family farm, across from the Church of God, at the north end of…

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Rising COVID counts bring warning

Southwestern Public Health Medical Officer of Health Dr. Joyce Lock issued a special appeal to area residents in the face of steadily rising COVID-19 case counts, Wednesday, Oct. 13. In a statement, she said local numbers “are rising at a time when the seven-day average number of cases in Ontario is declining. “Most active cases…

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Two crash death victims named

Peter Harder, 29, of Aylmer and Neil Banman, 26, of Chatham-Kent, died after a pickup truck went into a ditch on Richmond Road between Vienna Line and Calton Line, on the boundary between Malahide and Bayham, on Saturday night, Oct. 9, at about 8:53 p.m. A third person from that truck was also badly injured…

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Two dead after crash on Richmond Road

Two persons died and a third was seriously injured after a pickup truck left Richmond Road, entered a ditch and rolled over several times, ejecting the driver and a passenger, on Saturday, Oct. 9, about 8:53 p.m. Ontario Provincial Police Acting Sergeant Ed Sanchuk, in a statement, said that speed, alcohol and lack of use…

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Aylmer man, 75, dies of COVID-19

Southwestern Public Health reported the death of an Aylmer man, 75, related to COVID-19 on Tuesday morning, Oct. 5. He is the 87th resident of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford area to die so far in the pandemic. The region has seen a surge of confirmed cases in the last week. The number of ongoing…

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Aylmer and area now at 22 cases

The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Aylmer and area increased to 22 on Monday, Oct. 4, from 10 on Friday, Oct. 1. That’s the biggest increase of any municipality in the Southwestern Public Health region of Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford. The health unit on Monday was tracking 71 ongoing COVID-19 cases, up…

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Fireworks over Port Bruce

Spectators crowded the beach in Port Bruce to watch a fireworks display marking the end of summer on Saturday night, Sept. 25. The event was organized by Malahide volunteer firefighters. The display would have been put on earlier in the year, but COVID-19 restrictions prevented that until now. Hundreds attended. (AE/Rob Perry)

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SWPH cases continue to increase

The number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford is continuing to rise, with 34 new cases in two days, for a total number of ongoing cases of 85. Almost half those cases involve persons under 30 years old. Three SWPH area residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, two of them in…

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Southwestern case numbers on the rise

Southwestern Public Health was reporting 16 confirmed new cases of COVID-19 in Elgin, St. Thomas and Oxford on Thursday, Sept. 16, up from 10 on Wednesday. The number of ongoing cases being tracked by the health unit also rose, to 72 Wednesday from 60 Tuesday. Just under half of all ongoing cases involve those 29…

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