Kingston - News

Students get their ducks in a row

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Special Education Resource Teacher June Spooner herds a mother duck and 12 ducklings out of the John XXIII Catholic School yard through a living hallway of students. Teachers and students guided the ducks all the way to the northern tip of Collins Bay, just north of Bath Road on Monday. See page 6 for story.

City's latest traffic calming plan goes in humps... and circles

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - The city's drive to curb speeding through neighbourhoods could result in more than just speed humps.

The latest traffic calming proposal involves the installation of mini-roundabouts on Helen Street, Victoria Street and Roosevelt Drive, if approved by residents. This signals a stark departure from previous years when the traffic ...

K-Rock Centre's operator seeks 5 year contract renewal with city

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Despite not meeting profit targets for the past four years, the privately-owned operators of the K-Rock Centre are seeking a renewal of their 5-year contract with the city.

And, they are sweetening the deal to get politicians on side.

A staff recommendation urged councillors to extend their contract with SMG Canada until 2017 based ...

City plans $11 M facelift for its downtown fitness centre

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Everyone out of the pool.

The Artillery Park Aquatic and Fitness Centre is expected to close for 18 months as it undergoes an $11 million facelift, starting this summer.

City officials are working to relocate users of the downtown recreation centre's pool, gymnasium and cardio equipment to alternative facilities. They promise not to ...

Country star salutes local music teacher

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Juno Award winning Johnny Reid, left, with Musicounts Music Teacher of the Year, Hugh Johnston, at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic High School last Friday. Reid performed at the school in honour of Johnston. On Friday night, Reid entertained a full house at the K-Rock Centre.

Things are just ducky at this school

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Last Monday, the staff and students of John XXIII Catholic School helped a new mother and her babies. All twelve of them. The children experienced an extracurricular activity that brought new meaning to ecology studies.

They took part in the "parenting" process with 12 newborn ducklings.

Every year for the past three years, a ...

Man arrested in stabbing and police crack months-old hate crime

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - A 19-year-old man was charged with aggravated assault with a weapon after police say he stabbed another man last Friday.

The stabbing happened at 286 Queen Mary Rd. sometime around 10 a.m.

Police were called to the scene and found the victim with serious injuries. He was taken to hospital. His injuries, at the time, weren't ...

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Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

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Enriched man makes impact with reporter

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Editorial - When I first met Randy Johnston he had one of those wallets with a silver chain attached to it hanging from his hip. He also had a bright yellow shirt with a smiley face on it. The kind made popular in the 1970s and made some guy rich. I was interviewing Ronda Candy of Martha's Table and looked back at Johnston standing about 10 ...

From cop shop to condo? North Block area primed for high-rise development

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - The city will soon be looking for ideas to develop some prime real estate it owns in downtown Kingston.

The old police station property at Queen and Ontario Streets is now used as a surface municipal parking lot. But the city would eventually like to see the area transformed into a condominium, hotel and public courtyard space.

"My ...

The money comes in - The money goes out

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC news- Budget Deliberations in every community in Ontario are no doubt nearing completion or are already completed and by-laws to levy taxes for the year 2012 have been approved and passed. In advance of the passage of the Township of Frontenac Islands budget it seemed like a good idea to remind islanders of the budgetary process itself. There ...

Public Health calls for alcohol-related community stories

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Join the conversation.

Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Public Health is asking area residents to share their stories as they relate to alcohol and its impact on the community.

Cathy Edwards, a public health nurse at KFL&A Public Health explains that the Greater Kingston Safe and Sober Community Alliance has been tackling ...

Keeping KP open is cheaper, Hsu wants answers

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - It turns out keeping Kingston Penitentiary open is cheaper compared to almost any other prison in Canada, according to an old government report re-released last week by Kingston and the Islands MP Ted Hsu.

Calling it his continued pursuit to understand the government's rationale behind losing Kingston Pen, and subsequently the ...

Cataraqui dental centre is moving

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Change is good

After 28 years operating out of the Cataraqui Town Centre, Cataraqui Dental Centre is moving to a new location at the corner of Centennial Drive and Cataraqui Woods Drive.

What started out in 1983 as a three-room practice with a small staff has grown to an 11-room operation with a staff of 30.

The Cataraqui Town Centre ...

Grade 8 student wins $1,200 for placing first in provincial spelling bee

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - On May 6, 13-year-old David Chan of Winston Churchill Public School took first place in the Spelling of Canada's 25th annual provincial championship.

The championship, which was held in Toronto, featured a total of 32 competing students, which David successfully beat out. In addition to taking the title of first place, David also ...

OPP Golden Helmets in town for Show and Shine

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - The Ontario Provincial Police precision motorcycle riding team, known as the Golden Helmets, were in Kingston Sunday as part of the Show and Shine fundraising event held at Confederation Basin in support of the Special Olympics 2012 Games. (Above) Special Olympics Bowler Ellis Dean with OPP Golden Hawk Larry Yuen from Napanee during ...

Create a Tranquil Feature With a Koi Pond

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Dig a hole, fill it with water and watch your koi grow. That's the secret to your koi pond, right? Actually, much like a pool or indoor aquarium, koi require some work. In fact, koi are quite sensitive fish that require a carefully maintained environment for optimal health.

Koi are colorful fish that go by the name nishikigoi in Japanese. They ...

The 7 Easiest Vegetables to Grow at Home

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Rising costs at the supermarket and worries about unhealthy pesticides or preservatives on foods has led many people to start a vegetable garden at home.

Growing vegetables is easier than one would think. Plus, you don't need an expansive plot of land to grow a garden. Many popular varieties can be grown right in containers or in compact ...

Easy Ways to an Environmentally Friendly Lawn

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

The growing emphasis many homeowners place on keeping their property pristine is reflective of many things. Though it's quite possible a reflection of the enjoyment many homeowners take from landscaping, it's more likely a reflection of the impact a well-manicured lawn can make on the overall value of the property.

In a study conducted by ...

Maintain Healthy Soil Through the Season

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

A lush lawn and garden is a part of many homeowners' dream home. A lawn that emanates green and a garden that's home to succulent vegetables is desirable to homeowners across the country.

Of course, such lawns and gardens take time and effort, and a host of factors will determine if a lawn and garden is something homeowners should be proud or ...

Succulents for low-maintenance

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

Now is the time of year to focus on outdoor landscaping projects. One popular project involves redesigning the front yard or backyard to include an array of different flowers and foliage. While many people gravitate to the flashy and colorful annuals on display at nurseries and home centers, you may want to consider adding some succulents to your ...

Teacher draws on the past to help the future

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - After spending nearly nine years as a pharmaceutical salesperson Andrea Barrow quit to become a teacher and it wasn't long before the two worlds collided.

Barrow said when she was making the transition back to school to complete her bachelor of education it was in the classroom she started to see a lot of the students that she studied ...

Police Chief Tanner honoured by national award

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - Kingston's top cop received one of the highest awards a police officer can from the governor general on May 9.

Chief Stephen Tanner received an Order of Merit of the Police Forces at the officer level from Gov.-Gen. David Johnston.

Tanner said it was an honour and one he didn't expect.

"It's very nice. It was a nice ceremony. It ...

Queen's University turns the movies into real life

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - In the major motion picture Minority Report actor Tom Cruise stands before a transparent computer screen and uses his hands to move things around.

The technical term would be in-air gestures to control the user interface.

But it's not just something you see in the movies, it's real technology, and it's now at Queen's ...

City officials keeping an eye on Oxy users

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:00:00 -04:00

EMC News - The Kingston Police Force is basically playing a game of wait and see.

Wait and see what drug is going to replace the recently discontinued OxyContin, a painkiller known as "hillbilly heroin."

"Are they going to switch to heroin?" said Chief Stephen Tanner in a recent interview the EMC.

It's certainly a possibility, one many ...