News
The County is warning drivers that Union Road in Ameliasburgh will be closed tomorrow between 9 am and noon to allow County Road staff to remove the temporary speed bumps. The work is necessary for snow removal over the winter. Motorists are asked to avoid the area if possible.
A traffic stop in Belleville earlier today led to Police seizing a quantity of cocaine and arresting one person. Belleville police stopped a vehicle in the city’s west end and discovered the passenger was wanted on an outstanding warrant. Officers also found cocaine and crack cocaine in the vehicle. A 44-year-old Belleville man has been charged with failure to comply with probation, possession of the proceeds of property obtained by crime and possession of a Schedule I substance for the purpose of trafficking. The man is being held pending a bail hearing.
It will cost more to ride the bus in Belleville in January if the Transit Operations Advisory Committee has it’s way. The Committee recommended Belleville Council approve an increase to the regular bus fare of 75 cents bringing the adult fare to $4. Monthly passes would also increase. Councillor Kathryn Brown, Chair of the Committee, said US tariffs are causing maintenance and operating costs to increase but the bigger problem is that ridership is down by nearly 40% from a year ago mostly due to the change in federal policy limiting the number of foreign students. Belleville Transit has already removed one of its express buses running to Loyalist College to reduce costs but the Committee has recommended fare increases to avoid more service cuts. Belleville council has not approved the increase yet.
In a nearly unanimous vote, The US House of Representatives passed a bill calling on the Justice Department to release its files on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein this afternoon. The bill was widely expected to be passed after US President Donald Trump abruptly changed positions on the Epstein files and asked for the bill to be approved. Trump had previously opposed releasing the files which may contain references to his friendship with Epstein. In a related incident earlier this afternoon Trump berated an ABC reporter and said ABC’s broadcast licence should be revoked after the reporter asked a question about the Epstein files during a news conference with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is also hosting a Royal visit today but it isn’t a British Royal this time. The Swedish royal family arrived in Ottawa earlier today and will spend three days as part of a delegation that includes top Swedish government ministers and representatives from dozens of Swedish companies. King Carl Gustaf the 16th and Queen Silvia laid a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and will attend a state dinner at Rideau Hall tonight.
And according to a new report from Equite Association, a group that works with law enforcement agencies to reduce auto thefts, owners of Toyota Tundras have the greatest chance of having their vehicles stolen in Ontario. More Honda CRV’s, Dodge Rams and Honda Civics are stolen but there are more on the road making the chance yours will get nicked less. Other vehicles with a high chance of theft include the Range Rover, the Lexus RX and the Jeep Wrangler. On the plus side, Mid year numbers from law enforcement agencies show that auto theft overall in Ontario has decreased more than 25% from a year ago. Police say better enforcement and public education are factors but the biggest change is the implementation of automated licence plate recognition. The system checks a vehicles plates when it passes a police car and flags stolen cars.
Sports
The Saskatchewan Rough Riders are celebrating their Grey Cup victory this afternoon with a parade down the so called Green Mile in Regina. The Rough Riders defeated the Hamilton Tiger Cats 25 to 17 on Sunday to become this year’s CFL champions.
Hockey Canada announced today that the 2027 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Tournament will be played in Edmonton and Red Deer Alberta. Edmonton last hosted the event in 2022 after a Covid related delay. The 2026 tournament takes place in Minneapolis and St. Paul Minnesota and runs from Dec. 26th 2025 until Jan. 5th 2026.
Just three Canadian teams in action in the NHL tonight. Toronto hosts St. Louis tonight in Toronto starting at 7 pm. The Leafs are off to a slow start and are sitting in 7th place in the Atlantic Division, but St. Louis is worse so the Leafs might be able to notch a win on home ice tonight. That game gets underway at 7 pm. In other games, the Columbus Blue Jackets face off against the Winnipeg Jets at 8 pm in Winnipeg and the Calgary Flames travel to Chicago for an 8:30 start against the Blackhawks.
