Stairwell Fire – Suspicious

 

Kingston Fire and Rescue says a fire in the stairwell of an apartment building was deliberately set and it is asking anyone with information about the fire to contact them or Kingston Police.

The fire was discovered in a 12th floor stairwell at 84 Runnymede Road around six last night.  Smoke from the fire had filled the stairwell and penthouse area of the building.

Frontenac paramedics treated one person at the scene and took another person to hospital with undisclosed injuries.

 

Capitol Condo

 

A new proposal for the Capitol Condos in downtown Kingston has been submitted to the city by IN8 Developments.  The original plan for a 17-story building on the site of the former movie theatre was rejected by the Local Planning Tribunal as being too high for the area.

The new plan is for a 12-story building with 147 residential units.

It will be the subject of a public meeting of Kingston’s Planning Committee on February 20th.

 

New Drug

 

There’s another drug circulating in Kingston that can cause death.

KFL&A Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says Etizolam has been linked to the deaths of three people in the region already this year.

It is a powerful central nervous system depressant.

Moore says it is important for anyone who thinks a person has overdosed to call 9-1-1 immediately and says Naloxone does not work to counter the effects of Etizolam.

 

Queen’s – Iranian Student Fund

 

Queen’s University is establishing a scholarship fund in honour of the student who died when Iran shot down a Ukrainian plane.

Third year student Amir Moradi had written his medical entrance exams last summer and had three semesters to go before graduating from the biotechnology program.

His best friend Mohammad Samir Mohammad says Moradi and his parents flew to Iran to visit family over the winter break. He was travelling back alone while his parents stayed behind.

Queen’s announced yesterday it is establishing The Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship Fund.  It will match donations up to $250,000.  The scholarship fund will provide support to Iranian students attending Queen’s who are in financial need.

 

Arrest – Causing Disturbance

 

Kingston Police have charged an 18-year-old with causing a disturbance by shouting and swearing and escaping lawful custody of a peace officer.  He was arrested outside the Isabel Turner Branch of the Library on Tuesday night – but took off from police.  One problem – police had his wallet with his I-D.

He was picked up by police who spotted him on Wednesday night on John Counter Boulevard near Montreal Street.

 

Impaired Driving

 

A 36-year-old woman from Stone Mills Township has been charged with being impaired by a drug while driving after a single vehicle crash on Yarker Road in South Frontenac.

Frontenac OPP say they got a call around 11:50 on the morning of January 7th about a possible impaired driving northbound on Highway 38 in Kingston.  Shortly after that the vehicle wound up against a tree in a ditch on Yarker Road. The woman’s driver’s license was suspended and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.

 

Utilities Scam

 

Utilities Kingston is warning customers about a scam involving phone calls demanding immediate payment.

It says customers have reported getting calls from a 1-800 number.  The caller claims to be an official working for the utility and threatens to disconnect services if the customer doesn’t pay immediately.

Utilities Kingston says it does not place calls with a 1-800 number and always sends customers multiple notices of overdue accounts prior to service being disconnected.

 

Robot Workshop

 

Two Kingston robotics teams are holding the grand opening of a practice field for regional teams preparing for the FIRST Robotics Competition.

Machine Mavericks and Lake Effect are opening up the workshop space at 12 Cataraqui Street today.

They are designing and building a competition robot along with other teams preparing for the competition.

Kingston also has another robotics team called WAFFLES that is gearing up for the FIRST Robotics Competition.

All three teams from Kingston made it to the World Championship in Detroit last year.

 

To view a computer simulation of this year’s robot game, visit: https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc/game-and-season.