LOCAL HEADLINES

A long-awaited new grocery option is officially on its way to Paris, with construction now underway for a FreshCo store at 10 Markel Drive, just off Rest Acres Road. The development comes as many residents express growing frustration over limited local grocery choices and increasing traffic congestion around routes to existing stores.

East Zorra-Tavistock (EZT) Township’s first attempt to sell its former office was unsuccessful, prompting the municipality to pay for a pair of studies at 90 Loveys St. in Hickson.

The Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF) presented its Vital Signs report to Wilmot council at the Nov. 24 meeting, showing the township is growing at a much-slower rate than the rest of the Region of Waterloo.

Updates have been scarce on the Region of Waterloo’s plan to acquire 770 acres for a future mega-industrial project, leading one opponent to accuse members of maintaining a troubling lack of transparency.

David Cripps wasn’t allowed to talk to the media as a vice chair and trustee of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), but the Ingersoll resident said nothing is holding him back now.

At a Citizen Recognition Event on November 17, the Town of Goderich celebrated 25 individuals who have made a significant contribution or positive impact to the community.

As the holiday season approaches, the Goderich community toy drives are once again reminding us of the power of generosity.

Local architect Robert Ritz wants the public to start thinking of the Grand Trunk building as the solution, not the problem.

In a letter to the editor published in the Times on Nov. 21, Ken Dodd called the recently distributed 360 litre recycling carts “ginormous” and “wrong on many levels.”

Tillsonburg Helping Hand Food Bank coordinator Samantha Hamilton is asking area residents to consider donating food when making seasonal giving decisions.

When Porter Huffman and Colton Lawrence first gathered loose Canadian Tire money from around their homes at age six, they never imagined a simple idea, “Let’s help other kids have a great Christmas,” would grow into a community tradition that would touch hundreds of families.

The St. Marys Firefighters U13 A Boys St. Marys Rock captured gold at the Collingwood Regional Silver Stick Nov. 13-16.

If holiday spirit could be bottled, downtown Paris uncorked it Friday night. After nine long months of construction, residents poured into Grand River Street North on November 21st for the unveiling of the refreshed streetscape and the 17th Annual Jingle Bell Night, an evening that sparkled with the same joyful energy you’d expect from a classic Christmas movie. It was pure magic from the moment the crowds began to gather. As families strolled down the wider sidewalks, many

Members of Oxford County Council recently had their first look at next year’s document, which comes in with an operating budget of $227.8 million and a capital portion of $127.9 million.

Stratford Festival actress Barbara Fulton took to the stage at the Stratford Perth Museum on Nov. 15 to read Linda Webster’s “To Flush or Not to Flush,” a story chronicling her mother’s act of private protest when the City of Stratford changed its water-usage fee sometime in 1992, charging property owners a flat rate.

Paris Jewellers has been robbed for the fifth time in recent years, according to the Stratford Police Service.

This year’s Remembrance Day ceremony at the Norfolk War Memorial marked the 100th year it was held at the Carillon Tower in Simcoe. Bigger wreaths with bigger poppies were used in honour of the 100th anniversary. “All of the wreaths that were placed (at Carillon Tower), they were not the traditional ones that you see at all the cenotaphs,” said James Christison, president of Royal Canadian Legion, Simcoe Branch 79.

Tillsonburg District Memorial Hospital and Alexandra Hospital Ingersoll are two of five health care facilities in the province being added to an innovate program to assist patients to transition from hospital to home.

The Ford government passed legislation that abruptly ended speed-camera programs across Ontario, but affected municipalities are being offered a pot of money to implement other traffic-calming measures.

Work is well underway in New Hamburg on a new Nithview long-term-care home, and going hand-in-hand with it is an outdoor development along the Nith River flats.