DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard Local junior hockey talent took centre ice, Sunday, January 11th, as players from Uxbridge, Port Perry, and Little Britain showcased their skills at the Provincial Junior Hockey League’s (PJHL) annual All-Star Game. This season, the PJHL hosted four all-star games: East, West, North, and South Conferences, each offering home-ice advantage in the provincial quarterfinals. In Trent Hills, the Orr Division faced off against the Tod Division, with the T

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES : On a chilly January morning, in Lindsay, Simone Watts stepped outside to find her usual blue box pickup hadn’t happened. A few empty beer bottles sat awkwardly beside the bin, reminders of a new rule she hadn’t quite wrapped her head around. “I thought these went in the blue box, like before,” she said, picking them up. “Turns out, they have to go to a separate program now. It’s a bit confus

RYAN YOUNG RMH KAWARTHA LAKES:  Ross Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Gargi Bhatia Family Birthing Centre delivered its first baby of 2026 at 8:47 p.m. on January 1st. Little baby Theo was born to parents Jessie and Mathew, weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce and measuring 21 inches long. The timing of Theo’s arrival came as a surprise to the new parents. “We were not anticipating this as his due date wasn’t for a few more weeks,” explained Jessie. “We had friends over the night before and wok

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: On a crisp winter afternoon, this past Tuesday, December 16th, in downtown Lindsay, time folded in on itself. Beneath the Eternal Flame in Queen’s Square, a small metal capsule, sealed 25 years ago, waited quietly for its moment. Children, who had placed it there: Reenie Brydon, Mathew Kent, and Caelin Nesbit, all of them now adults, approached it with a mixture of wonder and nostalgia, thei

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES/BROCK: Sunday, December 28th, arrived with an uneasy quiet, across Kawartha Lakes and the Township of Brock. The sky was gray, the air sharp with winter cold, and the forecast promised a coating of freezing rain which had residents remembering last spring’s ice storm: downed trees, power outages, and days of cleanup. People checked their driveways, prepared their sidewalks, and wondered: would

By Patricia Dawson High school students and youth leaders, save these dates for Blaze, our upcoming winter youth retreat, January 9th to 11th, 2026. We're hosting a youth retreat for high school students here at Fairhaven's Camp and Conference Centre. Come prepared for a weekend full of worship, great speaking, recreation, food and fun! This will take place from Friday, January 9th, at 7 p.m. to Sunday, January 11th, 2026, at 3 p.m. The address is B2215 Highway 48, Beaverton.

DARRYL KNIGHT, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Concerns over housing affordability and tenant stability prompted local elected officials to call on the provincial government to rethink proposed changes to rent control legislation which could further strain the rental market. At a recent meeting, council supported a resolution, after receiving a memorandum from Councillor Pat Warren, regarding rent control. The resolution endorses a moti

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Residents’ concerns about the condition of their local roads are shaping a new approach to road planning, in the City of Kawartha Lakes, following Council’s support of the Roads Task Force recommendations, at its meeting on Tuesday, December 9th. Councillor Mike Perry told Council, the Task Force focused less on technical processes and more on how residents experience their roads every day.

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard Long before Basil McRae carved out a 16-year career in the National Hockey League, his hockey journey was taking shape in the rinks of small-town Ontario, where the game was as much about community as competition. Born and raised in Beaverton, where he made his mark early, helping his hometown teams capture several provincial championships. Those successes opened the door to junior hockey, and in 1975 he arrived in Port Perry, to suit up for the Fl

Dear Readers: Council finalized our 2026 Capital & Operating Budget. After much discussion and deliberation, our final numbers are as follows: Operating 2.9 percent, Infrastructure 2 percent and Police 1 percent. Affordability is always on my mind, when trying to reduce expenditures, in a tight budget year. Some important projects for next year, in Ward 6, will be: the $6.7 million renovation of the Emily Omemee Community Centre, final exterior renovation of Coronation Hall,

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Twenty-five years after it was sealed beneath Lindsay’s eternal flame, the community’s Millennium Time Capsule will be opened, on Tuesday, December 16th, in front of the Kawartha Lakes Library’s Lindsay Branch. The capsule was installed, in the year 2000, during the renovation of Queens Square, a project which blended renewal with reflection, as residents marked the arrival of a new century. T

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: As temperatures drop, community organizations, in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County, are working together to make sure no one has to face the cold alone. Through a renewed partnership with A Place Called Home (APCH), emergency shelter and support services will be available across the region, this winter. The 2025–2026 Out of the Cold Program will operate from December 1st, 2025, to March 31

DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard It was an eventful weekend for North Durham’s PJHL teams, highlighted by a thrilling Battle of North Durham between the Uxbridge Bruins and Port Perry LumberJacks. On Sunday at Scugog Arena, the Bruins came away with a 6-2 victory over their archrivals. Port Perry struck first just 26 seconds in when Kyle Den Ouden scored, assisted by Liam Rampersad. Uxbridge quickly responded, with Jack Kemp tying the game in the first period. Tanner Ryan gave the