UPDATE: Missing boater found safe

A boat that went missing on Lake Ontario yesterday has been located and its operator is safe.

CFB Search & Rescue was called some time between 10 and 11 o’clock last evening, after a boater didn’t arrive to shore when he said he would.

The boater was attempting, along with a second boater, to cross the lake from Oswego to Cobourg but the two got separated and one boat never arrived.

It turns out the missing boater had decided to stop and rest before heading to shore. He was located and taken to hospital to have an unrelated injury looked at.

Meanwhile, an update on that dropped call for help to CFB Search & Rescue from Owen Sound we told you about this morning.

That turned out to be a false alarm.

Crews determined the call was made by mistake to CFB from shore for a medical assist and no boat was actually in trouble.

The matter was turned over to emergency service workers in Owen Sound.

Search on for two missing boats

CFB Search and Rescue crews are out searching for a missing boat on Lake Ontario.

Some time between 10 and 11 p.m. last evening, CFB was called to help search for an overdue boater.

The boater was attempting, along with another boater, to cross the lake from Oswego to Cobourg.

The two boats got separated however, and one boat never arrived.

The missing watercraft is a 42-foot sailboat named “Wilson”.

Meanwhile, CFB crews are out searching Georgian Bay near Owen Sound after receiving a call for help.

The dispatcher was able to make out that a boater was in trouble but then the call was dropped and a connection could not be re-established.

Quiet night for RIDE check officers

Belleville city police were busy conducting RIDE checks overnight.

They stopped about 245 vehicles.

The stops led to one 51-year-old Belleville woman who was charged with driving with a blood alcohol level of over 80 mgs.

Her name is not yet being released.

She has an August court date.

Local blood donors needed

The need for blood is growing in the Quinte region.

Officials with Canadian Blood Services say they need 4,300 donors to catch up on the need.

Spokesperson Sue Harris says it’s crucial that support increases.

There’s a donor clinic Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. at Saint John’s United Church in Campbellford.

If you can’t make it, you can book an appointment by calling 1-888-2-donate.

Lawsuit against Intell employees settled

A $1.2m (million) dollar civil lawsuit filed against two editorial employees at the Intelligencer newspaper has been settled out of court.

The suit was filed by Trenton man, Gerald Brummell, in January of 2011.

The Statement of Claim alleged libel and invasion of privacy, among other things.

The Claim revolved around news coverage of a trial Gerald Brummell had been involved in regarding property charges laid against him by the OPP

The details of the settlement cannot be revealed by either side, but Brummell has agreed that the settlement does NOT imply guilt, and a lawyer for Sun Media says the agreement does NOT imply liability.

Both sides say they are happy with the settlement.

Gerald Brummell still has a $100m (million) lawsuit against the Crown and more than 30 OPP officers before the courts.

Two adults found dead in QW home

Quinte West OPP are investigating after a man and woman were found dead in their home.

The bodies of a 39-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman were discovered in their Carter Road residence about 4 p.m. Friday.

Both were both pronounced dead at the scene.

A postmortem exam was conducted yesterday to determine the cause of death. We’re waiting on the results.

Foul play is not suspected and police are certain there is no risk to public safety.

The names of the two individuals will not be released.

Survey shows Bay of Quinte tourism trends

A survey by the Bay of Quinte Tourist Council has highlighted some trends in the local tourism industry.

The survey, completed by members of Bay of Quinte Country, shows about half the tourists locally are Adventurers.

Adventurers are described as couples between 45-64 years old who have adult children and are well-off financially.

Other results showed most visitors were looking for restaurants in the Quinte region.

The survey also showed the best ways to reach customers were through internet websites and radio.

Local boy to play golf at national level

A Bay of Quinte boy has qualified to play golf at the national level.

Jamie Hough finished in the top 30 at the Provincial Junior Boys Golf Tournament in Markham.

He’ll play in the Canadian Junior Boys tournament in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, July 31st.

UPDATE: Fatal Hwy. 7 collision

Lots of fishing activity on Bay of Quinte

A Ministry of Natural Resources study on the Bay of Quinte continues and early results are showing plenty of activity.

Jim Hoyle of the Provincial MNR says surveyors calculated fishermen make 20 to 25-thousand trips on the bay each year and catch 30 to 40-thousand walleye each season.

Hoyle notes a lot of those fishermen are coming from outside of the “local” area.

The survey will continue until the fishing season ends at the end of November.

Overnight closure of Shannonville Road

The Tyendinaga Township roads department wants to alert the public of an overnight closure next week.

Shannonville Road will be closed from 9 p.m. on July 23rd until 6 a.m. on July 24th in order to test the signals at the train crossing.

Technicians will also test the crossing system for three tracks in the area.

The CN tracks are located on Shannonville Road between Old Highway 2 and the Airport Parkway.

Charges for Belleville man include child porn

An 18-year-old Belleville man is facing a number of charges after allegedly making threats over a cell phone.

After an investigation, Belleville police arrested the suspect yesterday.

His charges include uttering death threats, assault, criminal harassment, sexual assault and distributing child pornography.

He will attend a bail hearing today.

To protect the identity of the victim, a name will not be released.

Brighton grass fire quickly doused

It took Brighton firefighters about ten minutes to put out a grass fire that started near the 401 yesterday afternoon.

A police officer saw smoke and flames at a highway on-ramp near Brighton and called the Brighton fire department.

Fire Chief Lloyd Hutchinson says the fire quickly grew in size due to the dry weather, but firefighters soon calmed the blaze.

No damages except for some burned patches of grass.

No word on the cause.

Voting time almost over for THS track

Voting hours are almost over for the Kraft Celebration Tour contest.

The Trenton High School Track Quest is up against a project from Lindsay as they compete for online votes with the winner being awarded $25,000 and a live broadcast on TSN’s SportsCentre.

To cast your vote, click here.

Voting closes at noon today.

Lots going on in Trenton today

The Downtown Trenton Festival on the Bay is in full swing with a lot of events, entertainment and street vendors.

The Quinte West Chamber of Commerce is hosting Quinte Boat Cruises at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. today. Cruises board at the Fraser Park Marina.

The weekend ends tomorrow with the Big Band Festival at 1 p.m. at Centennial Park.

For more information about events and tickets, call 613-392-7635.

Celebrate Madoc’s heritage

This Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., you’re invited to the O’Hara Mill Homestead in Madoc for Heritage Day.

All homestead buildings will be open with guided tours and demonstrations.

Onstage entertainment during Heritage Day in Madoc includes Bluegrass and Celtic Music by The Whaley Boys and Fabulous Fiddling and Stepdancing by Lynzi Couch.

Admission is only $3 for adults and $1 for children.

For more information, click here.

B&E while homeowners out of town

Belleville police are investigating a break and enter to a residence on Thorncliffe Drive.

Police received a complaint yesterday that the home had been entered and numerous items were taken.

The owners had been away for some time.

Anyone with information should call Belleville Police or Crimestoppers.

Sexual assault charges after Colborne party

A Whitby man is facing charges after allegedly sexually assaulting two females last Saturday.

Police were told the assaults happened at a party in Colborne.

Charged with two counts of sexual assault is 23-year old Dylan Evely.

He was also charged with two counts of breach of undertaking.

He had a bail hearing yesterday but no details yet on the outcome.

Section of Hwy 7 closed after fatal crash

One person has died and two others are in hospital after a crash that has kept a section of Highway 7 closed all afternoon.

An O-P-P report says a Ford Escape collided with a Motorcycle on Highway 7 west of Tippen Road, near Marmora at 11:40 this morning.

One person was pronounced dead at the scene while two others were taken to Campbellford Memorial Hospital.

The severity of injuries to the survivors is unknown.

Highway 7 remains closed and will be for the next few hours.

Motorists in the area are asked to follow the detours that are in place.

Distribution Centre coming to Quinte West

The new industrial building coming to Quinte West will be a large distribution centre and bring a good number of jobs, according to site plans.

Documents at city hall show Cooper Construction of Toronto is expected to do the work on the proposed 520,000 square foot facility in the industrial park.

Cooper has worked on a number of major projects, including the CTV Building in Toronto as well as an office building for innovation company 3M.

A spokesperson at Cooper said more information about the facility could come within a few weeks.

Drowning Prevention Week starts Saturday

Saturday marks the start of Drowning Prevention Week across the country and the Hastings Prince Edward Health Unit says most drowning incidents can be prevented.

Public Health Nurse Cindy Kirkpatrick says staying safe around the water is as simple as keeping kids supervised, teaching them how to swim, or wearing a life jacket if needed.

While at home, people with swimming pools and young children are advised to fence-in their pools to avoid unsupervised mishaps.

At the beach, you should pay attention to posted warning flags which warn about current water conditions.

Drowning prevention week runs until July 29.

Deseronto Road grass fire caused by spark

It didn’t take much to start a large grass fire in a brush field on Deseronto Road north of County Road 12 yesterday.

Greater Napanee Fire Chief Terry Gervais says the brush caught fire when a lawn mower hit a rock, causing a spark.

The fire quickly jumped Deseronto Road and crews from Tyendinega, Stone Mills and Loyalist Fire Departments were all called in to help,  as was The Mohawk Fire Department who provided a brush truck and an ATV.

In total it took 11 vehicles and 30 firefighters about two and a half hours to quell the blaze.

Crews then stayed on scene another four hours to extinguish some hot spots.

Qunite Conservation hires summer staff

Quinte Conservation is doubling it’s staff for up to sixteen weeks,  thanks to a number of employment grants.

Loyalist College Community Employment Services, The Ministry of Natural Resources and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada all contributed grants to Q-C, allowing them to hire 20 students to work during the summer months.

Communications and Marketing Specialist Jennifer May-Anderson says the students will work various jobs, like camp councillors, watershed report card technicians and campground attendants among others.

Petting zoo could come to Quinte West

A portion of land on a property in Quinte West could be “going to the animals”.

At the City’s regular planning meeting last night… the Committee agreed to recommend the re-zoning of a portion of farm land on Hamilton Road… so the owners could open a petting zoo.

The property owners… Donald and Cheryl Dowswell… plan to host typical farm animals in the mini-zoo… like horses, pigs, chickens, goats and sheep… but the rezoning does not allow any exotic animals.

Council will make a decision on the recommendation at it’s regular meeting on August 13th.

Industrial land sale in Quinte West

A “major” company will be able to build a new facility in Quinte West’s industrial park… after council agreed to the sale of 25 acres of land there last night.

Council is bound by a confidentiality agreement… but Mayor John Williams did say the plan is for the company to build 520-thousand square foot facility.

Williams expects an application for a building permit to be submitted in the next week or so… with construction set to start as soon as it’s approved.

The City of Quinte West will make 300-thousand dollars on the sale.. and Williams says if everything goes smoothly… they could be up and running by next fall.

15 storeys in downtown Belleville

A golf club owner and a member of the downtown Belleville task forces wants to be a major player in the downtown.

Brian Magee has plans to build a 15 storey, 97 unit condominium building just south of the new consolidated courthouse between Bridge and Dundas West.

An Intelligencer report says Magee would like to start building next year.

The units would be between 12 and 15 hundred square feet, and the first 2 floors of the building would be for parking..

A public meeting on the condo plans will be held August 7th at city hall.

Grumpiness in Belleville

Belleville police had to calm a dispute in the city’s west end last evening.

A man was fighting with other people on Bridge Street West around 9 o clock last night.

A 49 year old Belleville man faces 3 charges of assault..2 counts of uttering death threats and 2 mischief charges.

No one was injured.

Hearing into Stirling Police Board

The chair of the Stirling Rawdon Police Board pled not guilty to allegations made under the Police Act yesterday at a hearing in Belleville.

Greg Oliver has been off the Stirling Police Bd. pending the outcome of the legal process.

Also, at the hearing, Oliver’s lawyer told the Ontario Police Commission that he’d be bringing an application to Superior Court challenging the validity of some of the Police Act.

That is the act under which unspecified claims were made against Oliver, and 2 other members of the police board by former police board chair Shawn LaPalm and Police Chief Brian Foley.

The other 2 have since been re instated to the board by O- COPS.

There’ll be more hearings in the Oliver case in the fall.

Meanwhile, Stirling Rawdon Police Chief Brian Foley has a hearing into charges made against him on August 2d.

West Nile confirmed in birds found in PEC

Forest fires continue near Bancroft

Of the 5 forest fires currently burning in the Bancroft area, only one of them is considered out of control.

The Bancroft 32 blaze to the east of Bon Echo Park in North Frontenac began yesterday  and continues to burn.

The provincial Ministry of Natural Resources says there have been 32 forest fires in the Bancroft coverage area to date this year.

There are 4.5 hectares currently burning, with 68.1 hectares scorched to date so far.

Grass fire northwest of Napanee

Fire crews from 3 different towns are battling a grass fire to the northwest of Napanee.

While officials at the Napanee Fire Hall were too busy to confirm any details, Belleville Fire authorities say the blaze is near County Road 12 and Deseronto Road and crews from Mohawk and Tyendinaga fire departments are helping to extinguish the blaze.

There’s no word on any road closures due to the fire, but motorists in the area of County Road 12 and Deseronto Road may want to pick an alternate route.

No more workouts on Belleville harbour

A well known business in Belleville is closing its doors.

The Harbour Fitness Club on Dundas Street has 48-hours to vacate their location, as ordered by the landlord of the property.

Most of the exercise equipment is currently being sold off, however there are a few pieces remaining if members wish to work out this afternoon.

It’s believed the new owners wanted to increase the rent four fold, and the business was unable to pay… although that hasn’t been confirmed by management.

It’s reported The Harbour Fitness Centre had over five hundred members.

If you’ve paid ahead you can get a refund by emailing refund h-f-c at hotmail dot com.

Advertising for tourists

The biggest marketing strategy to date for Bay of Quinte Country is underway.

The Bay of Quinte Tourist Council unveiled plans yesterday for an aggressive marketing strategy which will help people discover what the region has to offer.

The main focus of the campaign will be food and drink as well as fishing.

A website and a radio campaign will be the main tools used to get the word out.

The budget for the campaign is $100,000.

Council president Ryan Williams says more details will be made available in the coming months.

Power use skyrockets

Not surprisingly, Tuesday’s record high temperatures had air conditioners working overtime.

An Intelligencer report says that as of 3 in the afternoon Tuesday, residents were using just over 110 kilowatts of power, the highest daily usage since 2003.

Statistics aren’t available for before 2003, so it’s not known if that power usage in Belleville Tuesday was an all time record..or not.

Fire along Napanee tracks

Work on CP rail tracks in Greater Napanee caused a brush fire yesterday.

5 fire trucks and 20 firefighters had the blaze out fairly quickly.

The fire occurred near Roblin at Pine Grove and Cooks Road.

Greater Napanee Fire Chief Terry Gervais reminds people that an outdoor burn ban is in place in Napanee, as it is in all Quinte region communities.

Meanwhile, fire crews are busy up in North Hastings and beyond, as brush fires are breaking out.

Fast work by Prince Edward fire crews

100 thousand dollars fire damage was done to a townhouse unit in Picton yesterday afternoon.

Over 20 County firefighters responded to the 6 unit building yesterday.

Flames had broken out in a bedroom of one of the units.

Firefighters managed to keep the damage contained to just one unit. If the entire rowhouse would have gone up in flames, about 700 thousand dollars damage would have been done.

No one was injured. The cause remains under investigation.

Massive fundraiser for local kids

It’s all about the kids tomorrow, on the links, and in the square.

The big Rotary Loves Kids golf tournament goes tomorrow morning at Black Bear Ridge and Trillium Wood golf clubs.

And, afterward, at 8 tomorrow evening, it’s the Party in the Square, held in the Market Square in downtown Belleville.

Everyone’s welcome at the Party in the Square. Tickets are available online, or onsite tomorrow night.

All proceeds go to various programs and agencies that support children’s needs in the Quinte region.

All’s well that ends well

An OPP search on ATV trails in Tyendinaga Township has ended happily.

Two boys, one 13, and the other 15, took off on an ATV last night around 7:30 from a home north of the hamlet of Read.

They were found this morning, safe and sound.

More assault charges against OPP officer

An OPP officer charged in a domestic incident is facing more charges.

The unidentified Central Hastings OPP officer appeared in Picton court yesterday.

The unidentified man, who is under house arrest, faces new charges of assault, and assault with a weapon.

He’d already been charged with aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, and mischief under 5 thousand dollars.

The incident occurred on May 5th.

The officer is back in court in December.

Train hits truck

The 5 ton welding truck that was totalled just before 2 this morning on the CN rail tracks in Belleville has been removed from the tracks.

The truck was hit by a freight train. Luckily, two workers managed to jump off of the truck and weren’t hurt.

The accident happened just west of Mitchell Road.

CN rail is conducting an investigation into the cause of the accident.

Train traffic was not affected.

Water conservation working in Belleville

It may come as a surprise, but even with the recent extreme heat, residents of Belleville are still using less water than they did last year.

In July last year, the Belleville Water Treatment Plant provided 24.9 million litres to the city per day, while this year it’s only supplying 24.6 million litres.

Plant Superintendent Perry DeCola says the citizens of Belleville have done a great job conserving water by using low flow toilets, water conserving shower heads and by not “wasting” water in general.

DeCola says water consumption dropped sharply in 2011 from 2010…. by almost 200 million litres.

Bay of Quinte fishery looking good

Preliminary results from a Ministry of Natural Resources survey, which began in May, say the Bay of Quinte fishery is in good shape.

Jim Hoyle of the Provincial M.N.R.  says it’s been a few years since they last surveyed the Bay but the health of the fishery has been stable for the last 10 years or so.

Hoyle says the recent heat-wave hasn’t affected the fish too much.

Although warm spring temperatures did cause some walleye to spawn up to a month early.

Land sale to be discussed by QW council

There’s a special meeting of Quinte West Council tomorrow.

Councillors will be asked to discuss the potential purchase of a chunk of land in the Northeast Industrial Park.

Quinte West Mayor John Williams wasn’t able to say who was looking to purchase the land but did say the property is of significant size.

The special meeting begins at 5:30 PM  in the Quinte West Council Chambers.

Belleville traffic lights go out, cause accident

Moira Street and Pinnacle was a place to avoid this morning after the traffic lights quit working and a pile up occurred.

Belleville Police say shortly after nine, a transformer blew, shutting down the lights in the area.

A short time later, three vehicles were involved in an accident, but thankfully no one was injured.

Police are reminding people if traffic lights are out, to treat it as a four way stop.

Drugs found in Trent Hills

There was a drug raid by OPP up in the hamlet of Hastings yesterday.

Police seized cocaine, marijuana, and cannabis resin.

Charged with drug offenses is 51 year old John Clark of Hastings.

New temperature record

The Quinte region hit a new high temperature yesterday.

As recorded at the C-F-B Trenton Weather office, we reached 35.2-degrees… beating the 1999 record of 32.7.

Officials say the humidity made it feel like 44-degrees when the mercury topped out.

Downtown Trenton set for celebration

It’s going to be a busy and entertaining weekend in Downtown Trenton.

The Festival on the Bay kicks off tomorrow and will run through Sunday with all of the events focussed on the downtown core and waterways.

Events and activities include numerous musical acts… ranging from classic rock to oldies… a “paint the town red” even tto support the military on Friday as well as fashion shows and all kinds of vendors.

Pancake breakfasts will also be held each morning at 8am and there will be dragon boat demonstrations on the Saturday.

The weekend wraps up with the “Big Band Festival” on Sunday.

Northumberland residents like OPP

Residents in Northumberland County seem to be quite happy with the service provided by Provincial Police in that area.

Research company R-A Malatest and Associates conducted phone surveys over a four week period in the spring… and asked residents for their thoughts on a number of topics including… O-P-P involvement in the community… visibility of the force… O-P-P traffic enforcement effectiveness and others.

When asked about their “overall satisfaction” with the Northumberland O-P-P… 93.9 percent of all residents surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied.

O-P-P instpector Doug Borton says the results of the survey are an indicator of the professionalism and dedication of each and every employee of the detachment.

Carbon monoxide monitors free in Brighton

If you’re interested in making your home safer in Brighton, you might be interested in this.

180 homes in Brighton will be eligible for combination smoke and carbon monoxide detectors…free of charge.

The free monitors are available due to a province wide donation of 100 thousand dollars by Enbridge Gas Distribution.

Meanwhile, Brighton Fire Chief Lloyd Hutchinson says interested residents should apply to the fire department for the monitors.

Bigger Brighton fire hall

A rural fire hall in Brighton will get bigger.

This week, Brighton council voted to approve an expansion of the fire hall in Codrington.

Council approved a bid from Donald K. Clarke Construction.

The work will be done for 320 thousand dollars, 55 thousand under budget.

Work on Brighton splashpad underway

Children should be splish splashing in Brighton while the weather’s still hot this summer.

This week, Brighton council awarded a contract to build a splashpad at King Edward Park.

The job was won by a Paris company, ABC Recreation, at a cost of 241 thousand dollars.

That’s about 80 thousand less than the donation from an anonymous donor.

Mayor of Brighton, Mark Walas, says it’s hoped the splashpad will be up and running by the Labour Day weekend.

Big union supports horse racing

The C-A-W is calling on Premier Dalton McGuinty to put an immediate hold on the withdrawal of slot machines from Ontario’s racetracks.

The union says the threatens to wipe out the province’s horse racing and breeding industry and throw 55 thousand people out of work.

C-A-W president Ken Lewenza says the government shouldn’t be taking a step that will ruin people’s lives and harm the whole economy.

Lewenza notes that the horse racing and breeding industry directly contributed more than 2.3 billion dollars to the Ontario economy in 2010.

Policing change in Port Hope

It looks as though the OPP could end up policing the town of Port Hope in the future.

Last night, Port Hope council’s Committee of the Whole voted to have the OPP police the urban area.

Meanwhile, many people have been supporting the local Port Hope police force.

A consultant’s report shows the OPP policing both the rural and urban parts of the community would be the cheaper option.

Port Hope council has the final say on the issue.

Tornado watch for Bancroft area and others

SUV crashes into Bayview Medical Centre

An SUV suffers severe front-end damage after crashing into the Bayview Medical Centre on July.17/12. (Photo Courtesy: Tim Durkin)

There was a collision involving an SUV and a building around noon today.

Emergency crews responded to the Bayview Medical Clinic just before noon where the vehicle had run into the side of the building, damaging a water pipe and causing a minor fuel leak.

Authorities told reporters at the scene there were no major injuries.

Police are continuing to investigate.

Yet another donation to PECMHF

Members of the Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance Co. Board of Directors present a $5, 000 dollar cheque to the PECMHF on July.17/12. (Submitted Photo)

There’s been yet another generous donation to the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation.

This time it’s a $5, 000 cheque presented to the foundation by the Bay of Quinte Mutual Insurance Company.

The money will also go to the campaign for a new digital mammography machine at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital.

Drunk driver report helps find stolen car

An initial report of a drunk driver has led Belleville City Police to a stolen vehicle… and a suspect.

Officers were alerted of a possible drunk driver at Sidney and Bridge Streets … and found the black Ford Explorer had been stolen from Napanee earlier this morning.

Officers located the vehicle at Bell Boulevard and North Front Streets and followed the driver onto the Westbound 401 where multiple units conducted a traffic stop.

A 26 year old woman from Brampton was charged with one count of Possession of property obtained by crime… and one count of breach of probation.

She’ll be in court on August 30th.

Thefts in Grafton

There were 2 early morning break ins in the usually quiet hamlet of Grafton yesterday.

Northumberland OPP report that the Village Cafe and the Royal Canadian Legion in Grafton were broken in to within 30 minutes of each other.

A safe was taken from the restaurant, while a jar containing donated money for charity was taken from the Legion.

OPP continue to investigate.

Domestic in Quinte West

A man was arrested after an alleged domestic assault in Trenton yesterday.

It was an arrest with a difference, though, as the man walked into the Quinte West OPP station asking for advice.

The 31 year old from Belleville was charged with assault and failing to comply with an undertaking.

The incident occurred on Bay Street in Trenton.

Brighton not interested in water testing

A Brighton councillor’s plan to have the municipality do weekly water testing in Lake Ontario off  Gosport was defeated at council last night.

Councillor John Martinello thought council should ensure that the water was safe for people to swim in.

However, most on council disagreed with his idea.

The majority on council believed that it wasn’t the municipalities’ responsiblity to test the water in Lake Ontario, and there was no reason to take it on.

Belleville circus protest

While there were good crowds inside of the Quinte Sports Center yesterday, there was a small group gathered outside.

They were protesting what they say is poor treatment of animals by circuses everywhere.

About 10 people held signs of protest outside of the circus, which ran two shows.

Local food scrap collection could expand

An experimental compost collection project has proven successful in Quinte West.

The project, started last fall, consists of regular collection of compost materials from 700 families in both communities.

Quinte West Director of Public Works and Environmental Services Chris Angelo says the project has had many benefits, including a significant reduction of waste going to landfills.

Angelo recommended yesterday that Quinte West Council expand the project to include all of Trenton.

If the project expansion is approved by council, it would get underway next year.

Not everyone loves casinos

Quinte West residents made their views known about a potential casino in the area at a public meeting yesterday.

About a dozen residents spoke to Quinte West council.

Many spoke unfavourably about a casino, saying it would take money from local businesses. Problem gambling, and the loss of small town values were also cited. A few others said they strongly supported the idea.

Quinte West Chamber of Commerce Manager Suzanne Andrews told council 56 percent of the chamber’s members are behind a casino in Quinte West, 36 percent strongly oppose the idea, and eight percent are neutral.

Council will take the opinions during the meeting into consideration when a final decision is made August 13.

Pictures make big picture in Quinte West

There’s a giant mural coming to Trenton and every Trenton resident – past and present – is invited to participate in it’s creation.

Quinte West council approved the project after Prescott artist Charles Street made a presentation yesterday.

The mural, which will be approximately 8 feet tall and 64 feet wide, will be a master image composed of thousands of smaller images of people in the community.

Trent Port Historical Society will help choose the master image for the mural.

A location for the mural isn’t set in stone but the east facing wall of the community policing building has been suggested as an option.

A photo gathering campaign will start closer to the fall and pictures will be included for a nominal fee.

Walk on the Butler

Residents in Brighton will have a chance to see how a local “important cold water stream” affects the municipality.

Lower Trent Conservation along with the Municipality of Brighton and the Community Stream Steward Program are hosting a guided hike along the Butler Creek on Wednesday night.

The hike is followed by presentations about the stream’s ecology, invasive species, shoreline naturalization and other topics.

It begins at 6:30 Wednesday evening at the creek just off Cedar Street.

The Presentations begin at about 7:45.

Local business donates to PECMHF

Sandbanks Summer Village General Manager John Dagloria presents a cheque to the PECMHF on July.16/12 (Submitted photo)

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation is more than $4,000 closer to it’s fundraising goal.

The Foundation was presented with a $4,400 cheque today from the Owners and Staff of Sandbanks Summer Village in Cherry Valley.

The money was raised during the Summer Aid fundraiser and charity BBQ, held at Sandbanks Summer Village on June 30th.

The cash continues to be directed towards the purchase of new breast cancer screening equipment at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital.

OPP investigate weekend assault at Sandbanks

Prince Edward OPP are investigating reports of an assault at Sandbanks Provincial Park.

Police received a complaint that a 20-year-old female had been grabbed at Richardson’s Point Beach within the park on Friday, just before midnight.

The male suspect ran away because her friends were nearby looking for her.

He is described as white, approximately 6 feet tall, with a thin build, scruffy beard, and salt and pepper coloured hair. He was wearing a worn green golf shirt.

Anyone with information should call Prince Edward OPP or Crimestoppers.

Burn bans continue across Quinte Region

With no sign of rain in the near future local fire departments are reminding the public about burn bans in effect across the region.

Marmora and Lake Fire Chief Tony Brownson says his department will continue with a full ban for the entire municipality, until we get some extended rainfall.

The situation is much the same in Belleville, Quinte West, Stirling-Rawdon, Centre Hastings, Prince Edward County, Madoc Township and Trent Hills.

Authorities say the conditions are still very dangerous and lighting fires under a ban can lead to charges.

Butler Creek hike this week in Brighton

Residents in Brighton will have a chance to see how a local ”important cold water stream” affects the municipality.

Lower Trent Conservation, along with the Municipality of Brighton and the Community Stream Steward Program, are hosting a guided hike along the Butler Creek on Wednesday night.

The hike is followed by presentations about the stream’s ecology, invasive species, shoreline naturalization and other topics.

It begins at 6:30 Wednesday evening at the creek just off Cedar Street.

The Presentations begin at about 7:45.

Pet boxer bites Havelock man in face

A 59 year old man has extensive damage to his lower lip after being bit by a dog in Havelock.

Peterborough County OPP say the man, who was intoxicated at the time, wandered onto the driveway of a George Street property on Friday where the dog,  a 10-year old boxer was tied up.

The man was ordered off the property by the owners but fell when he turned to leave and was bitten in the face by the animal.

The victim  was taken to Campbellford Memorial Hospital for treatment, while the dog is being quarantined for 10 days.

No rain for Quinte in the near future

The sunshine has dominated the first portion of summer for the Quinte region and that’s causing major concern for residents.

Staff Meteorologist Kevin Williams says we have only one shot at rain over the next week, that is late tomorrow afternoon and into the evening.

Terry Murphy with Quinte Conservation says the lack of rain continues to affect water levels, as they are currently lower than average.

The weather is calling for sunny, hot and humid weather, with no major chance of relief until early next week.

Troubled sleep

A 26 year old man is in custody after he was found passed out in front of the court building on Victoria Avenue in Belleville.

City police received a report of the man a little after noon yesterday.

Police found the suspect and after some investigating they learned the man was not only already on probation but part of his conditions were not to consume alcohol or even be in the the city of Belleville.

Charged with public intoxication is Donald Jordan from Kingston.

He’s being held for a bail hearing.

Horse panel busy

The Ontario government’s 3-member panel on the future of the horse racing industry is well into its summer’s work.

Panel member, former local MPP Elmer Buchanan, says they’ve been meeting with horse owners, horse track owners, employees, and some communities with “significant horse populations.”

Buchanan says the panel is looking for “solutions not just talking about the problem.”

It will report to the government by the end of August.

The government ended the Slots-at-Racetracks programme with final monies from casino slots going to the racetracks in March of next year.

Whitby Ribfest hit by bolt

Seventeen people were injured — none seriously — when they were hit by lightning in Whitby.

They were among hundreds of people in a large tent at a food fair when a lightning bolt hit one of the tent’s metal poles yesterday.

Bill Sandiford, who was leaning on a tent pole at the time, says his body was wracked by excruciating pain for about 10 seconds.

Sandiford joked that he plans to buy a lottery ticket in the hope that “maybe lightning can strike twice.”

South Marysburgh says no to turbines

The people living in an area that might get industrial wind turbines in Prince Edward County definitely don’t want them.

A local monthly newspaper distributed to South Marysburgh ward residents held a referendum last Saturday.

South Marysburgh Mirror publisher, Steve Ferguson, says 542 residents or property owners voted Saturday.

489 of those were against big windmills in South Marysburgh, while only 51 people were in favor of them locating there.

Well over half of the ward’s residents voted. South Marysburghs’ population is less then one thousand.

It’s not known what, if anything, will be done with the referendum results.

Station St. clean-up continues

The owner of 45 Station St. in Belleville has been given until July 23 to clean up the property or the city will do it for him and bill him for the work. Jennifer Lester Mulridge photo.

The pursuit of a cleaner Station St. continues.

Belleville officials have met with contractors to remove the abundant graffiti from the walls of the buildings at 57 Station St.

The contractors’ time will be billed to the property’s owners, listed as Station Street Belleville Development Inc.

The city’s chief building official says a separate property standards order has been issued to Toronto resident, Sal Colicitti, who owns the building at 45 Station St.

Colicitti has until July 23 to board up the building, remove the graffiti and clean up the broken glass or the city will do it for him and send him the bill.