Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With 9 Muskokans in hospital today with COVID a “high risk” remains of more people being infected, says Dr. Charles Gardner. And as the province lifts more restrictions, including at restaurants tomorrow, he says “transmission can happen in those settings. “And people need to be aware of that and […]
STEPHEN RICHARDS | Special to MuskokaTODAY.com FICTION Episode 6, Part 1 900 million years ago The first multicellular life develops around this time as single-celled creatures formed colonies of many individuals called “Hekkle’s” 800 million years ago In the asteroid belt as members of the Muskoka asteroid family, meteors break away targeting various places on Earth and the […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — The hill in front of the Barge would make a great toboggan run right now. But Rotarians hope to soon turn it in to seating for the popular summer concert venue at Gull Lake Rotary Park. Dave Reid, vice chair of the Gravenhurst Rotary Club’s 85th anniversary special projects […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — As light appears at the end of some very dark COVID-19 tunnels, 239 regional cases are being reported by local public health (136 according to Public Health Ontario). And 5 deaths in Simcoe: Female 80+, Simcoe, outbreak, DOD – Feb. 11 Male 65-79, Simcoe, community, DOD – Feb 11 […]
GRAVENHURST – A driver who got stuck early yesterday morning trying to drive on Gull Lake has been charged with impaired operation of a vehicle. Police say that on Sunday, Feb. 13, at 9:20 a.m. officers were dispatched to Gull Lake Park after a member of the public observed a car attempt to drive out […]
GRAVENHURST – Police were called out to a second snowmobile accident Sunday. They say at 4:45 p.m. yesterday, Feb. 13, the OPP got an 911 call to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) trail Route D near Doe Lake Road in Gravenhurst. A single snow vehicle collision left a 38-year-old Gravenhurst man injured when […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — The end of vaccine passports March 1 in Ontario comes as 322 confirmed COVID cases were reported this weekend for Simcoe-Muskoka. And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is close to enacting federal emergency powers to end national protests, following Premier Doug Ford’s similar announcement last week to end Windsor’s border […]
MUSKOKA LAKES — A snowmobiler who hit a tree about midnight Saturday, is in hospital in Toronto with life-threatening injuries. Police say the 31-year-old man was not wearing a mandatory helmet at the time of the collision. The OPP and Muskoka EMS responded to the single snowmobile collision Sunday Feb. 13 at 12:07 a.m. They […]
TARA COLLUM | Contributing columnist In China and Uzbekistan the government forces people into the back-breaking labour of cotton picking. That is what government repression looks like. Was the government overstepping when it banned indoor smoking? Remember when Tim Hortons in Gravenhurst had the glass walled-off smoking room? Guess how fun it was as a […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Doug Ford declared a state of emergency today. For Muskoka’s most famous cottager it might as well have been about political damage control, after the publicly AWOL premier was spotted snowmobiling here Saturday as anti-vaxx protests rocked the province and country. Today in a firm, but politically calculated, message […]
GRAVENHURST — A traffic stop last night led police on a two-hour chase that ended just after midnight today with drug charges against two York Region men. Police also seized a loaded pistol. Both men are in custody and appeared in the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge today for a bail hearing. This was […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Muskoka has had 1,195 confirmed COVID cases since Dec. 12. Since the beginning of the fifth wave 7 per cent of Simcoe-Muskoka’s cases have been Omicron, says the health unit in new statistics requested yesterday by MuskokaTODAY.com and released to us today. They say the total for the latest […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — It’s curtains up and new doors are open on the Opera House as the box office reopened today with tickets on sale for the first show in almost two years March 26. And 305 newly upholstered seats await you upstairs in the theatre, where extensive renovations the past 18 […]
HUNTSVILLE — A burning candle is being blamed for a fire that caused $50,000 damage to rural home here in Huntsville yesterday. “With working smoke alarms and the occupants closing the doors as they evacuated the home, fire damage was limited to the room of origin and spared the home from heavy damage,” said interim […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Dr. Charles Gardner “feels for the people impacted” by trucker protests and says continuation of the vaccine passports while not generally providing that much protection to the public will still “help reduce transmission to those who are unvaccinated.” The region’s medical officer of health said today: “I do note […]
LOIS COOPER | MuskokaTODAY.com These are troubling times in the world, but the trouble in Canada is of grave concern to me. This wonderful country of ours seems to be in a winter of great discontent to a vocal segment of the country’s population. I ask myself over and over, what I can do to […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — Deaths and hospitalizations were down, ICU admissions remained the same, but confirmed COVID cases more than tripled today in the region. Simcoe-Muskoka’s COVID roller coaster continued Tuesday with 7 deaths (down 1), 45 in hospital (down 3), 11 in ICU and 124 positive cases (up from 45 yesterday), according […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com SIMCOE-MUSKOKA — With a state of emergency in Ottawa and provincial capital buildings also on guard against protests led by truckers, 8 deaths in Simcoe and 45 cases yesterday highlight the weekend’s COVID by the health unit. They are among 324 virus cases on the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDH) […]
Stephen Richards | Special to MuskokaTODAY.com | FICTION A Pavilion in Muskoka, Summer of 1943 Beatrice, ‘Trixie Orange’ to her friends, is twirling around in some form of a square dance in her orange tulip print dress. The letter ‘B’ is embroidered on the front over her heart. She is 5 in a strange land, […]
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com GRAVENHURST — Andrey Petrov knew it wouldn’t last — at least not all winter. His tower of power, which took a week to build, lasted exactly a week. A few more days would have been nice. But it wasn’t for lack of trying. He gave it the same level of TLC […]