LOCAL HEADLINES

Port Hope’s Art Festival is all set to make a splash downtown on Aug. 8 – but celebrations won’t be limited to just one day.

Port Hope trailblazer Rod Stewart continues to be recognized for his lifelong contribution to the preservation of historic plaster throughout North America and heritage revitalization efforts close to home.

After a successful, if frenetic, first year, the warming centre will be back next winter.

During the week of July 6 – July 11, high school students participated in the Discovery Healthcare Camp in Goderich.

Thick wildfire smoke drifting into southern Ontario from forest fires in northwestern Ontario forced the Township of Wilmot to postpone events, move programming indoors and adjust outdoor work schedules as air quality deteriorated between July 15 and 17.

Tillsonburg has a new policy to attract filmmakers to town.

The Royal Canadian Legion officially marked its 100th anniversary on July 17, with local celebrations continuing the following day as members of Branch 29 in Paris gathered with residents for cake and a community barbecue. The July 18 event coincided with the branch's regular summer weekend barbecue but also served as an opportunity to recognize a century of service, remembrance and advocacy for Canada's

An emotional presentation by two parents at Monday’s Ingersoll Town Council will allow a new baseball league for children with exceptional needs to enjoy the sport without paying diamond fees.

On July 13, at 6:30 p.m. in Market Square, protesters gathered by a tent covered in signs reading “THIS IS NOT SHELTER.” As a collective, they were doggedly asking for Stratford city council to do more for the city’s unhoused.

The Town of St. Marys has announced the West Quarry has reopened following the completion of the West Quarry Cleanup Project.

Bechthold Home Improvements hosted its 22nd annual Childhood Cancer BBQ on Thursday, July 9. Held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the annual fundraiser welcomed more than 700 visitors who enjoyed barbecued hamburgers, hotdogs, sausage on a bun and refreshments, with all proceeds supporting childhood cancer charities.

Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae met with Rural Ontario Development (ROD) program funding recipients at The Perth Farmhouse earlier this week.

Patrick Murphy, one of six athletes recently inducted by the Norfolk Sports Hall of Recognition, was unable to attend the official July 4th ceremony at the Delhi Hungarian Hall. But he got his much-deserved recognition at his Delhi home.

Investigation is continuing into an incident on Saturday in the area of Prospect Street that resulted in one individual sustaining life-threatening injuries and another facing aggravated assault and arson charges.

South Huron’s tire recycling program has come to a screeching halt in the wake of changes to provincial regulations. The municipal landfill, which usually handles about 1,000 tires a year, will no longer accept them. Alyssa Keller, South Huron’s manager of environmental services, said the tire recycling program was paused after the municipality couldn’t find haulers to pick up tires at the landfill.

The Zurich Country Fair will be back in town from July 24 to 26 for another weekend of classic festival fun. This year’s event marks the 162nd year in the long-running agricultural fair’s history, and Jenna Becker of the Zurich Agricultural Society said the fair has changed a great deal over those years.

A controversial plan to reshape part of downtown Paris moved one step closer to reality last Tuesday after County of Brant council approved a zoning bylaw amendment that will permit a five-storey mixed-use development and pave the way for a future municipal parking structure on lands south of Mechanic Street.

Environment Canada is forecasting a multi-day heat event starting Monday, July 13 and continuing into Wednesday, July 15 or Thursday, July 16.

A powerful storm that swept across southwestern Ontario on Canada Day left behind downed trees, power outages and scattered property damage in St. Marys and across the region, though the community’s Canada Day celebrations escaped unscathed.

The confusion surrounding the water situation in Wilmot Township and the Region of Waterloo didn’t improve following the release of what’s called a centre well field groundwater monitoring results report.