Gord Downie – Cancer

Kingston didn’t seem quite the same yesterday after the news that Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.

The lead singer and songwriter for Kingston’s legendary rock band…The Tragically Hip…will front the band for a tour this summer and the tour dates were announced this morning.

The 11 concert tour will start on July 22nd in Victoria, B.C and end on August 20th at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston. Tickets for the Kingston show will go on sale at 10am on June 3rd.

Downie’s doctor told reporters yesterday the 52-year-old father of four has been cleared for the tour.

Dr. James Perry says Downie was diagnosed after a seizure in December and has been receptive to treatment, suggesting he has a higher chance of longer-term survival.

Mayor – Book of Well Wishes

Mayor Bryan Paterson says Kingstonians have a special connection to The Tragically Hip and a book of well wishes will be set up outside his office starting today.  Paterson says it’s a chance to let Downie and his family knows we are thinking of them at this difficult time.

You can sign the book and leave a message from today through June 10th at Kingston City Hall.

Motorcycle Deaths

The OPP says people need to pay more attention to sharing the roadway after three motorcycle drivers and one passenger were killed over the long weekend.

Police say the crashes were preventable.

Nine people have died in motorcycle crashes this year and the O-P-P is concerned that the death toll will climb even higher.

Utilities – Save Money

Over six thousand Utilities Kingston customers will be getting some advice on conserving energy.

Utilities Kingston is sending them Powerful Insights reports…the reports provide information on how much energy you are using and ways to cut down your energy consumption.  They also compare your energy use to a similar home that uses less energy…and it works.

The program was piloted last year and Utilities Kingston saw a two per cent drop in energy use among the 9,000 households that received the reports.

Brother and Sister Charged

Leeds OPP has charged a brother and sister from Gananoque with stunt driving after two separate incidents.

Police say an 18 year old woman was stopped for going 66 kilometres an hour over the speed limit on the 1000 Islands Parkway around 9:30 Monday night.

About 20 minutes later her 20 year old brother was stopped for stunt driving after a car squealed its tires on County Road two.

Both vehicles were towed and impounded for a week – both drivers lost their license for seven days and both have court dates for stunt driving.

Summer Forecast – Weather Network

If you’re dreaming of a hot summer – The Weather Network says you’ll be getting one.

The Weather Networks forecast for June, July and August says the temperature in Kingston will be at or above normal with more 30 degree days than there were over the last two summers.

Chief meteorologist Chris Scott says it’s not going to rain much more than average anywhere this summer — but when it does, it will likely pour.

Last week…Accuweather had pretty much the same forecast for the summer.

 

 

Filed under: book-of-well-wishes, brother-and-sister, cancer, charged, Gananoque, gord-downie, mayor, motorcycle-deaths, opp, summer-forecast, tour, tragically-hip, utilities-kingston, weather-network