Sinking Boat

The Mohawk Fire Department was able to tow a boat to shore on Saturday after a report it was sinking.  Greater Napanee Emergency Services, The OPP, Mohawk Fire Department, Coast Guard and even the Glenora Ferry responded to the call in the vicinity of Hickory Lane on Saturday afternoon.

There were two people on board and the Mohawk Fire Department used its boat to tow them to shore.

No injuries were reported.

 

Electric Ferries

The new electric ferry for Amherst Island has been launched in Romania.

The Amherst Islander II was launched on November 14th….but is still undergoing final preparation before it is delivered early in the new year.  It has a capacity of up to 42 cars and will be the first fully electric ferry in North America.  The electric powered Wolfe Islander IV is currently under construction at the same shipyard in Romania.  It will be launched in mid-2020.

 

Budget Deliberations

City funded agencies and board will be first in line in tonight when Kingston city council begins its budget meetings.  City staff is recommending an operating budget for 2020 of $400 million.

The proposed tax increase is 1.5% plus another 1 per cent for infrastructure projects.

A report from city staff says the increase would mean an extra $90 dollars in property taxes on a home assessed at $319,000.

Budget meetings have been planned for three nights if needed.

 

Petition – Protest – Napanee

The man behind a trailer park for the homeless in Napanee says he plans a protest this morning either at the park or the town hall.

The town of Greater Napanee has given Scott Drader until this morning to get people out of the Stepping Stone Trailer Park on Dairy Avenue.

Drader has been served notice with elder law attorneys, that he is in violation of the town’s zoning bylaw.

A petition on Change.Org asks the town to give Drader a minor variance to allow a year-round trailer park on the property.

United Way Campaign

The United Way KFLA campaign wraps up this Thursday with its touchdown breakfast.

As of last Friday, the campaign was at 93% of its $3,551,000 goal.

It still has about 246 thousand dollars to go to reach the goal.

CFB Kingston wrapped up its campaign on Friday and announced it raised $270,000.

 

Pancreatic Cancer – Donation

The University Hospitals Kingston Foundation has received a donation of almost $31,000 from a walk to celebrate the life of a woman who died of pancreatic cancer.

The Murphy and Mangan families organized the walk to celebrate the Life of Darlene Murphy-Mangan. Pancreatic cancer took her life on June 8th of this year.

The walk raised $30,719.

Darlene’s husband, Richard Murphy, says it was her wish the proceeds of the walk be used to help increase awareness of pancreatic cancer as well as go towards research that studies genetic testing and early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Nazik Hammad says the donation will help further world-renowned research in Kingston towards improving treatment and survival rates for one of the hardest-to-treat cancers – pancreatic cancer.

 

Trillium – Tuition Bursary

Trillium College has announced its Holiday Wish campaign that gives a person a full tuition bursary to one of its programs.

There will be one winner chosen at its four campuses in Ontario…including Kingston.

Individuals need to submit a 250-word essay on why they deserve a chance to be award a full tuition bursary and how they would make changes in their community if they were given the opportunity.

Submissions can be made through the Trillium College website.  The deadline is December 18th.