DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: The Kawartha Art Gallery is set to shine a spotlight on the next generation of local talent, with its upcoming Young Musicians Showcase, bringing together students from across the community, for an evening of music and inspiration. The concert, part of the Gallery’s 2025/26 Music Series, will take place on Wednesday, April 15th, at 7 p.m., at Celebrations, in Lindsay, located at 35 Lindsay Str

by Geoffrey Carpentier As the cold of winter slowly abandons our landscape, something exciting is happening. Although unseen, we can enjoy the pleasure and taste of this annual event for months afterward. The sap is running, and so begins the task of making Canada’s famous maple syrup! Beginning as a clear, slightly sweet sap from the sugar maple, weather, patience and time, and generations of practice are needed to ensure the maple syrup is perfect! From late February to ear

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Recognizing its importance to the local economy and workforce development, councillors in the City of Kawartha Lakes are calling on the province to strengthen funding for Ontario’s college system, to ensure the continued success of the Frost Campus of Fleming College. At its meeting, on February 24th, council passed a resolution, brought forward by Ward 3 Councillor Mark Doble, requesting th

by Jay Thibert NDN   SCUGOG: All around us, creatures are conducting their lives, many largely unseen. Who has observed amorous salamanders, piscine stonemasons, or crooning tree crickets?   We are more aware of birds and the larger mammals, but there are a host of animals which are active underwater or after dark and are seldom noticed. Others use camouflage to conceal their presence. Everyone is welcome to North Durham Nature’s March talk, to hear Don Scallen share stories

Kate Dickson, The Land Between KAWARTHA LAKES : Residents, who spend time on the land, are being invited to share what they’re seeing in local forests, wetlands, and waterways at an upcoming community event, focused on environmental change. The The Land Between, working with Indigenous partners, is hosting a series of Talking Circles this spring, aimed at gathering community observations about shifting conditions across the region’s ecosystems. Organizers say, people who live

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: A one-day immersive STEAM ( Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics ) experience, aimed at inspiring the next generation of female leaders, has received financial backing from the City of Kawartha Lakes. At its meeting, on Tuesday, February 24th, council approved $2,500 in one-time funding, to support the upcoming Women’s Changemakers STEAM Event. It is scheduled for Wednesda

by Shawn Lackie Quick question. Do you ever just pause and take a look around you and acknowledge the changes which have been happening? John Lennon wrote, in one of his songs, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” He was so right. We often get caught up in the day to day madness of jobs, raising kids, making and saving money; always making future plans. Then we wake up one morning, take a look around and say, “Where did all these houses come fro

by Geoffrey Carpentier   A late winter forest can feel quiet on the surface, but if you pause beside a patch of softening snow, the season reveals a world which is anything but still. As the sun climbs higher and the snowpack thins, life begins to stir in places most of us never think to look. This is the moment when winter’s “sleepers,” and “movers” begin to reappear. These are creatures which have spent months tucked beneath the snow, waiting for the first hints of warmth t

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Families across Kawartha Lakes could soon see more licensed child care spaces in their own neighbourhoods, as municipal leaders map out how to meet provincial growth targets while navigating tight timelines and funding uncertainty. At a recent Committee of the Whole meeting, Alyson Truax, Manager of Human Services for the City of Kawartha Lakes, presented the 2025 Child Care Expansion and Directed Growt

By: Lauren Walker Working with older adults for 20+ years has allowed me insight to the aging process. I'll be turning forty this year and most of my clients are 30+ years older than I. I see common threads amongst the aging population and as they age, little things become big challenges. My purpose, as a personal trainer, is to help them maintain functionality in their daily lives. Let's look at the common issues I help my clients with. Its All in the Hips One of the biggest

by Geoffrey Carpentier Well, even though the days are marginally longer now, the sky still seems dark and foreboding. In the summer, clouds seem to vary in shape, size and colour, but in winter they often seem to be just dark, grey and gloomy. Let’s explore these clouds a bit and see if we can understand them a little better. Clouds are made up of water droplets or ice crystals which are so light they defy gravity. So, how did they form in the first place and how did they rea

by Geoffrey Carpentier This is an exciting time of year, bird-wise. You might think winter is so close, nothing much is happening out there, but you’d be wrong! I’ve talked of hawk and eagle migrations in the past, but an additional migrational phenomenon is emerging, right now. It involves owls which come south every year, in varying numbers, not to escape the cold, but more so, to find food. Many species of owls migrate annually, and many individuals will settle in North Du

NORTH DURHAM:  Discover the secret lives of Humpback; Fin; and the biggest of them all, the Blue Whale. This is a closeup perspective of the magnificent and largest creatures on this planet. Meet the researcher, who has devoted his life to studying them, and hear how he is answers some of their biggest mysteries, on Tuesday, February 24th, starting at 7 p.m. Franco Mariotti is a Biologist, Naturalist and Science Communicator. He was employed at Science North, for 32 years, wh

by Geoffrey Carpentier The idea of animals being spies in our midst is not a new phenomenon. Historically, we used animals for varying purposes, mostly functional, such as beasts of burden, but over time we realized they could be used for other purposes. For example, during WWII, carrier pigeons were used to deliver messages to and from the front lines, to help the Allies. During the Cold War, the CIA developed small cameras which were strapped to homing pigeons. As the birds

by Geoffrey Carpentier Animal mimicry, an important adaptation which many animals employ, to lure prey or survive predators, is an adaptation where one species resembles another organism to gain a survival advantage. Mimicry can manifest itself in many ways, through physical or behavioural means. It can be Batesian - a distasteful or dangerous model is mimicked by a harmless one, to fool predators. For example, a Viceroy Butterfly may mimic a Monarch (which is distasteful) an

RACHEL SNODDON Moto Solutions UXBRIDGE: Students in the automotive program at Uxbridge Secondary School will now have access to industry-standard brake machining equipment thanks to a recent donation from Moto Solutions, a Canadian supplier of professional automotive and heavy-duty shop equipment. The company has donated a fully serviced Ammco 4000 Brake Lathe package to the school’s technology department, giving students the opportunity to train on equipment commonly used

by Geoffrey Carpentier Throughout history, people offered the unsuspecting public snake oil – a cure-all for everything from childbirth to hemorrhoids to cancer. These elixirs contained no snake byproducts and certainly no snake oil - whatever that is? The concept arose in the 18th and 19th centuries, when travelling salesmen mixed up ‘secret’ blends of unspecified products and claimed they were proven to cure myriad ailments. Hogwash! Many stories persist about traditional m

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Local non-profit organizations have new opportunities for support, as Kawartha Lakes announces the opening of its 2026 intake for Economic Development Funds. Applications officially opened, on Friday, November 21st, with three programs available, to help strengthen community-based economic and cultural initiatives. This year brings a significant update with the launch of a new cultural projec

Deborah Movoria, FCC Media Relations SCUGOG: Farm Credit Canada (FCC) invites the media to attend its FCC Young Farmer Summit event in Port Perry, Ontario, on November 29th. The FCC Young Farmer Summit is a series of free events across Canada aimed at attracting and engaging the next generation of farmers, as well as food manufacturers and retailers. Participants will get real-world advice from engaging speakers, network with peers and take control of their business journey.

COLLEEN GREEN The Standard SCUGOG: Port Perry residents are being invited to help shape one of the community’s most valued public spaces, as the Township of Scugog launches its Your Voice, Your Fairgrounds campaign. With the future of the Port Perry Fairgrounds still undecided, the township has hired consultants Darwin Pivot and J.L. Richards (JLR) to gather ideas, concerns, and aspirations from across the community. As part of this effort, residents will have several oppo