Just money
Council approves 4.3 per cent hike in tax levy It’s just money,” said the commissioner of works. It was an ever-so-small crack in Robert McAuley’s otherwise stoic demeanor in the week-long dissection of the County’s budget. A councillor had wanted to know how he could move a road in his ward up the repair and […]
Making spirits bright
Proposed tax change a good first step, but more tweaking is needed for craft distilleries to thrive When Sophia Pantazi and Peter Stroz opened 66 Gilead, a craft distillery just north of Bloomfield, they were excited to join a small but burgeoning market of makers of small-batch spirits. It didn’t take long for the couple […]
Kindred spirits
New owners of 66 Gilead host open house The four friends have embarked on a big adventure. Earlier this fall Jeremiah Soucie, Sarah Waterston, Michael Waterston and Maria Hristova, acquired 66 Gilead Distillery. They are young and energetic. They will need both characteristics. Sophia Pantazi and Peter Stroz founded the County’s first and only spirits […]
They will remember
On Tuesday, the drama students at PECI traveled to Belleville’s Core Arts Centre for their fifth annual performance commemorating the national Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. The performance, which students wrote and researched in just two weeks addressed issues of gender disparity in our society and culture, along with domestic violence. […]
Secret garden
Friends seek to create a new outdoor gathering place at the Wellington Heritage Museum It is a quiet spot amid the commercial core of Wellington. For some, it is a shortcut between Noxon and Main Streets. A good-sized maple stands guard in the mostly empty garden behind the Wellington Heritage Museum. A tidy bit of […]
Gathering resistance
Parents and community begin working to seek alternatives to school closures and toddlers attending school with teenagers. As 2016 nears an end, the school board is convening committees of parents, teachers, principals, students and community members to help develop a plan to implement changes to schools in the best way possible. The board is currently […]
Budget begins
Calm before the storm County council began poring over the proposed 2017 budget this week. In terms of services and operations the municipality provides to residents, there are no major surprises. There is additional spending proposed in social services, community development and planning and development services, but much of it is in the category of […]
On the job
Despite accomplishments, community and economic development file faces uphill battle at council table It was a long presentation—perhaps too long for some of the grey hairs around the council table. But there was a lot to cover. Neil Carbone pointed to nearly $2.5 million in earned media—the County’s story told in publications as diverse as […]
Lessons
Community still reeling from slated school closures; some trying to find positives Communities around the County are still getting over the shock of the drastic changes Hastings Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) board trustees approved for study last week. The proposed changes would affect six of the County’s eight public schools. It includes closing […]
Pushed out
Retirement homes being squeezed out by regulations Ten people live at Publow Retirement Home on King Street in Picton. It is their home. It is close to shops and services downtown and within walking distance to almost anything one might need. It feels like home. Residents gather at lunch time around a large oak table—all […]