Champion dart player credits her father

By Alisa Howlett
With many big wins, local professional dart player Kim Whaley-Hilts will never
forget why she plays but mainly who she plays for.
Although Belleville native Whaley-Hilts intends on making the community proud,
she is also playing largely for her late father, Bob Jones.
“I still play with the same shafts and fuchsia flights my dad threw,” Whaley-Hilts said.
Jones, before dying of heart complications, was a well-known dart player in the
community,…

PEC residents request more research from Board of Health about wind turbines

By Alisa Howlett
Two Prince Edward County residents met with the local Board of Health today to request additional research be carried out on the health affects of PEC wind turbines.
Garth Manning and Dr. Robert McMurtry asked the Hastings and Prince Edward County Board of Health to further research the negative health affects of turbines before more are installed.
McMurtry said that the possible health affects caused by the turbines are more important than…

Wet spring could increase algae problems for Bay of Quinte

By John Moodie
An increase of April showers raises concern over the spread of blue-green algae for the Bay of Quinte.
More rain showers means more phosphorus running into the Bay of Quinte.
“If phosphorus levels were to rise I think we might see the presence of blue-green algae more often,” said Christine McClure, water resource technologist for Quinte conservation.
McClure is doing a report studying the link between the increased flow of water and…

“Fun with the girls in Belleville”

By Sarah Vissers
Bonnie Kerwin first saw the Red Hat Society about a decade ago in a restaurant. A group of 70-something women entered the restaurant laughing and chatting away in their big flamboyant hats.
Kerwin thought that when she got older, she would join.
A few years later, after attending a play in Stirling, Kerwin and some friends stumbled across a Red Hat vendor located above the theatre. Once they tried on those hats…

Church youth group re-enacts Stations of the Cross

By Paulina Uy
The Church of St. Michael the Archangel will be presenting a depiction of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday.
The church’s youth group does this re-enactment every year.
“They depict the 14 different moments on Jesus’ journey from when he was condemned to death to when he was laid in his tomb,” said Tim Durkin, director of the production, about the Stations of the Cross production.
“There are 14 different…

Ban on junk food ads seen as way to combat childhood obesity

By Sarah Armour
A ban on junk food advertisements aimed at kids under the age of 12 is recommended in a new report to fight childhood obesity.
No time to wait: The Healthy Kids Strategy was introduced by Ontario’s Healthy Kids Panel…, to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. Its focus is to aid in the goal of reducing childhood obesity by 20 per cent over the next five years.
The plan is

Coyotes on the rise in Northumberland

…Coyote attacks have increased in Northumberland County especially this year.
 
Albert Botha, a farmer in the Grafton area, lost 70 sheep alone last year, which totals about $11,200 in loss for him.  Botha is not pleased that the municipality is not reinstating the bounty.  Botha said the bounty would give hunters the incentive to hunt coyotes more often, which would help diminish the problem much quicker.
 
“My dogs can fight off a coyote

Crackdown on contraband smokes waste of time: Mohawks

 
By April Lawrence
Two Hawks Tobacco is a small family run smoke shop located on the Tyendinaga reserve.
Shawn Brant co-owns and operates Two Hawks with his son. They each clock about 50 hours per week. The profit from the shop feeds three families.
But Ottawa doesn’t see it that way. The federal government is creating a 50-officer RCMP force that will be cracking down on contraband cigarettes.
Corporal Laurence Trottier Media Relations Officer…

Quintes “Biggest Loser” Gives Hope To A Healthier Life

By: Matthew Blair
Usually a trip to the doctor’s office ends with a prescription and a follow up appointment. Jennifer Lynn Coleman got life altering news.
In 2009, Coleman weighed over 400 pounds when she began having medical issues. She consulted a doctor to find out what was wrong and when the results came back, it was worse than she imagined.  Coleman was diagnosed with cancer.
The cancer was found early enough in stage one…

Playing with Stompin’ Tom like playing with The Beatles and Grateful Dead, says bass player

Tim Hadley shares his memories of Stompin’ Tom

By Julia McKay
Tim Hadley, a local musician and teacher, thought it was an April Fools joke when he got a to call to join Stompin’ Tom Connors tour in 2001.
Hadley jumped at the chance.
In an interview on Thursday afternoon he discussed his time with the man behind the character.
“He was a remarkable man, extremely intelligent, very much in control of everything that he…