Blue Green Makes the Scene

All this warm weather has caused prime conditions for the sprouting of the toxic blue green algae in a part of the Bay of Quinte.
The Hastings Prince Edward health unit has issued a warning. People should not bathe, or drink, water from the bay of quinte….around Myers Pier in Belleville.
Blue Green algae can cause headaches, fever, and diarrhea, among other ailments.
Municipal drinking water in Belleville, or elsewhere, is NOT effected by the algae.

Belleville Candidate

A downtown business owner in Belleville wants to give back to the community that’s given so much to him.
47 year old Richard Courneyea will run for a seat on Belleville City Council.
Courneyea owns the Richard Davis clothing store. He is a member of the Belleville Rotary Club, and has served on local council in Tweed.

Mills Golfs Tomorrow and Sunday

Belleville’s Jon Mills will likely be playing for money this weekend on the Nationwide Golf tour.
After 2 rounds at the Mylan Classic in Pennsylvania, Mills is tied for 23rd, at 2 under par.
The projected cut line is even par.

Plethora of Stop Work Orders

The Ministry of Labour has stepped in again in the on again..off again….demolition of a former church in downtown Picton.
The province has 8 separate “stop work” orders against the demolition company run by Jim Sinclair.
The orders include having a professional engineer on-site during the work, having trained personell working the job, and insuring proper communication between workers on the ground and those running heavy machinery.
The orders come following a scary incident Wednesday where a young worker was up in a tower while machinery was smashing down a wall. A Ministry of Labour rep rushed to get the young man out of the tower. The inexperienced worker quit his job on the spot.
There’ll be no work at the Main Street Picton site until the “stop work” orders are satisfied.

Picton church demolition on hold

Never a dull day at the church demolition site in Picton.

Ministry of Labour officials issued a stop worker order against Jim Sinclair of Be Green recycling today.

Sinclair’s company had knocked down most of the former Methodist-Episcopal church that was still left standing on Wednesday, more than three weeks after he had started the job. He was cleaning up the site yesterday, to clear room to do more demolition, when he began having equipment problems. The reason for the Ministry’s stop work order wasn’t immediately available.

Assault at late night Belleville business

A 30-year-old Ottawa woman has been charged with three counts of assault against her coworkers at a business in Belleville.

City police got a complaint about an incident that occured at a North Front Street address at two o’clock this morning.

A female employee was accused of physically confronting three other workers.. The woman will appear in court at a later date.

Man caught in ceiling of Belleville business

A Belleville man has been arrested in the ceiling of a business he had broken into. City police noticed a suspect get through a window in a building in the Front and Moira Streets area yesterday.. Officers surrounded the business and told the man to surrender, but he didn’t come out.. Police were forced to enter the business, and they arrested a 46-year-old man. He was charged with break and enter, and the investigation continues because the breakin could be connected to other recently reported break and enters.

Motorist with 20 year suspended licence in Belleville

Almost 50 motorists have a better idea of what the Belleville Police Service Traffic Management Unit does, including one who shouldn’t have been driving for 20 years..

The team set up on on Dundas Street West yesterday and issued 33 Provincial Offence Notices for traffic offences. The highest speed recorded during the two-and-a-half-hour blitz was 86 kilometres an hour in a 50 zone.

Officers also did traffic enforcement in the Foxboro area, and handed out 15 offence notices. Police stopped one motorist for speeding, resulting his arrest because he was prohibited from driving from a previous criminal conviction. His vehicle was impounded for 90 days and he was charged with Driving While Prohibited. The licence of another speeding motorist had been suspended since 1990 for unpaid fines, and he was given a summons to appear in court.

Threat Assessment protocol signed

It is being called a big step in improving the safety of school children in Northumberland and Peterborough Counties.

Police and community agency officials signed the Threat Assessment Protocol in Peterborough yesterday. The document and training provide an outline of how agencies should respond whenever schools receive information about a potential threat, like a student who may act violently toward classmates.

The director of the Canadian Centre of Threat Assessment and Trauma Response, Kevin Cameron, said the training focuses on one key element, that serious violence is an evolutionary process, and pupils who act violently often have previous behavioural problems.

Picton church demolition may continue today

Work at the site of the former Methodist-Espicopal church in Picton may continue this morning.

Demolition contractor Jim Sinclair is believed to have spent most of yesterday cleaning up debris from Wednesday when a good portion of the building was knocked down.

Prince Edward County officials are back at the scene this morning, and Sinclair is expected to also return to resume work.

Another step today on new dump ?

The Environment Ministry is expected to make a decision today about the terms of reference in advance of an environmental assessment for a new landfill north of Napanee.

The Ministry will either accept, reject or ask for more information about the terms from Waste Management Limited. The company wants to open a new, larger dump near the former Richmond landfill, to accept 400-thousand metric tons of waste a year.

M-O-E spokesperson Kate Jordan says input from public interest groups, ministry scientists, and all government agencies have been included in making the decision.

Belleville Fire Update

A Belleville man remains in hospital recovering from smoke inhalation after a fire last night at an apartment building.
Glen Allison’s condition is improving and it’s expected he’ll be released from hospital soon.
Belleville fire crews quickly put out the fire at 33 Holoway street, apartment B. The fire started in the kitchen. Damage is estimated at 40 thousand dollars.
Dave McMullan of the Belleville Fire Department says working smoke alarms are life savers, and a fire safety system may have save Glen Allison’s life.

A New Medical Building in Trenton

Construction will begin very soon for a Community Health Center in downtown Trenton.

The Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Center has announced that a temporary 6 thousand square foot building will be constructed on Murphy Street, behind the Post Office in Trenton. A bigger, permanent building will be built in the coming years. The Community Health Center should be open in mid November, employing 12 medical professionals and other staff.

A location for the Belleville Center has not been decided yet.

Another Mayoralty Candidate

It’s time for some working class representation on Belleville City Council.
That’s what 40 year old Lonnie Herrington intends to do. The contractor filed his nomination papers late yesterday, and he’s running for the Mayor’s job in Belleville.
Herrington says the city isn’t doing enough to help under privileged people. He’d also like to clean up the downtown core.