Niagara Falls is rallying to help a teen hit by a car just after Christmas. On December 27th 14 year old Alexis Gilby was walking across the street at five corners (Thorold Stone Road and Portage Road) when she was hit by a car. She suffered four broken fingers, fractured her collarbone, and shattered her knee. The driver was arrested, but does not have insurance. Family and friends of Alexis are hosting a fundraiser today to help her family. It's being held at the Niagara Bar and Eatery on Chrysler Ave. from 2 this afternoon to midnight. There will be ... read more

A home in St.Catharines being used to grow Marijuana is the latest target of the NRP's Guns, Gangs and Grows unit. Police started the investigation into the home on Robertson Place in November. Yesterday police searched the home and found 150-thousand dollars worth of marijuana. A 46 year old man has been arrested. read more

The future of a local hospice looks promising. McNally House has received a one point six million dollar gift from Patrick and Nancy McNally. It will be set up as two endowment funds that will act as an ongoing source of revenue to draw from. The Niagara Community Foundation will hang onto and manage the funds. They will direct a portion of the annual earnings to help support McNully House. The hospice needs to fund raise around five to six hundred thousand dollars a year in order to operate. read more

The mayor of Thorold isn't happy that the only high school in his city could potentially close, especially since the city is growing at a rapid pace. Ted Luciani feels the District School Board of Niagara could easily reverse the fate of the high school if they wanted to. He feels if students attended their local high school this wouldn't be an issue. Luciani says other school boards in Ontario respect school boundaries. Thorold high is roughly two below the bubble that is needed to keep it open but roughly 90 students are going to school in St. Catharines. read more

The Niagara Region has maintained its "AA" credit rating with bond rating agency Standard and Poor. The agency said Niagara was able to remain stable because of strong liquidity and moderate debt. According to a report, the region had a net debt of 295 million at the end of 20-10. Standard and Poor also expects Niagara will not exhaust money reserves or exceed future debt projections. Regional Chair Gary Burroughs credits staff for being able to control costs and keeping the lines of  communication open with Niagara residents. Standard and Poor also recognizes Niagara's revamped economic development sector as another ... read more

We should have a clearer picture on where the Niagara Health System is going by the fall. In the latest in a series of blog posts, NHS Supervisor Dr Kevin Smith maps out a timeline for his transformation of local health care. Some of options: -Building a new south-Niagara hospital to replace a number of existing facilities that need work -“Divorcing” the NHS into 2 or more parts -Maintaining the NHS, but with more autonomy & decision-making power at individual hospital sites Dr Smith says the ideas still need to be researched & refined & will need to consider "Ontario's fiscal ... read more

St. Catharines' West Park Pool is rotting from the inside out. City staff says it would cost over $2-million to fix it.  That doesn't include the cost to repair the pool itself, its equipment & surrounding tile--only the building that encases it & some of its fixtures. West Park Pool was built as an open-air swimming spot in 1967.  It was closed in 6 years later, but the structure wasn't designed to take the abuse a pool can inflict. A staff report going to council Monday),shows the walls went up without proper air or vapour barriers.  That's caused problems with condensation, corroded ... read more

Police in West Lincoln have laid drunk driving charges in a crash late last year. Early on December 17th, a car & dirt bike collided on Twenty Mile Rd, near Meadow Ct. The man was thrown from his dirt bike.  He suffered life-threatening injuries, was treated in Hamilton hospital & released. The female driver of the car wasn't hurt. Now Robert Geroux is charged with impaired driving, driving without insurance & failing to meet safety standards for an off-road vehicle. read more

New figures for January show Niagara is holding relatively steady, with a jobless rate below the national average. Statistics Canada says the region's unemployment rate dipped again in January from 7.4 % to 7.3%. Nationally, the news is more disappointing. Just 2300 jobs were added across the country last month & more than 23 000 people started looking for  work.  That pushed Canada's unemployment rate up a notch from 7.5% to 7.6%. The difference may not be huge, but the figures are much weaker than economists had predicted. Ontario's unemployment rate jumped up, climbing from 7.7 per% in December to ... read more

Police in Welland had dismantled a marijuana grow op. Inside a Matthews Road home, police found $94 000 in pot plants & $2000 in growing equipment.  They also uncovered an illegal gun & ammunition. Wesley Vanalstine is facing drugs & weapons charges. read more