by Janet Van Camp The local BIA (Blackstock Improvement Association!) was busy last week decorating the poles that have veterans' banners along Old Scugog and Church Streets. Special thanks to Davd and Ingrid Larmer for providing the corn stalks, and to Ellen, Louise, Ingrid, and Janet for decorating and putting them up. Congratulations to Ellen Martyn, who recently received her Canadian citizenship at a ceremony in North York. A proud moment for her and the Martyn family. Ha

By Faye Ashton Wow, the end of October and our first killer frost early Sunday morning. We are being encouraged to check out the full moon on November 5th, this being the full moon, Beaver, so called because this is the time they prepare their winter home. It is also another super moon, brightly shining down on us. We send 65th wedding anniversary wishes to John and Florence Weirsma of Blythe, who lived here on Reach Rd, Epsom, for several years. Wendy Evans Meek and Beth Eva

KIM COULTER RMH Foundation KAWARTHA LAKES: Since 2002, the Dragon Flies Breast Cancer Survivor Group has been strengthening its sisterhood of support and enhancing the ways in which it assists women and men, following a breast cancer diagnosis. These include: wellness and exercise activities, access to resources, dragon boating, and events featuring special guest speakers. The Dragon Flies annual Diva Night event, on October 23rd, featured a local Radiologist, whose job as

by Dana Bachman FENELON FALLS: On Saturday, October 18th, the Fenelon Falls Grannies for Grannies held a fundraising event at the United Church. Guests were invited to share childhood memories of a favourite doll, a favourite toy. The memories came flooding out. There were sad stories, there were funny stories. Gail Cotterell shared a hilarious story from when she was a young kindergarten teacher. She had been to the gym and when she arrived at her kindergarten classroom, sh

by Helen Nicolaou SCUGOG: Surprisingly, the maple trees did not disappoint, as the leaves gave a striking show of fiery reds, oranges and yellows. Breathing in the cool scents of fallen leaves, at this lovely time of year, provides a sense of quieter days ahead, bringing another gardening season to an end. Mild temperatures still allow for last minute planting of spring blooming bulbs, and if you want to save summer bulbs, then once a hard frost damages the stems, dig up sum

by Shawn Lackie I know the title sounds like a bit of a joke, to many, but there ARE realtors out there who care, and they carry themselves and their business with honesty and integrity; really. However, too often we hear about the “bad apples,” and there are more than a few of those. Recently, a brokerage was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Their trust account was audited and there was a $10 million dollar shortfall. The case is still under investigation but may

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: Last week, Port Perry’s historic downtown was transformed into a cinematic playground, as two film productions brought crews, equipment, and excitement to the community. From October 20th to 27th, the Currie Grain Elevator, Queen Street, and the surrounding areas served as backdrops for the pilot television series Witness Protection and the returning production The Way Home. Filming included interior

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Local history lovers and longtime residents have a new way to help celebrate the spirit of Kawartha Lakes, by sharing their own photographs which tell the story of life across the municipality. Two new photo displays are being prepared for City Hall, and organizers are asking community members, local museums, archives, and heritage groups to help bring the area’s history to life. The exhibits

by Pat Asling Since last week's news was written on Thursday, this is a longer piece to cover, and it has been an exceptionally emotional time for various reasons. We start out happy, as Saturday evening, St. Paul’s Anglican hosted a presentation by John Haines, assisted by 3 other musical friends and a wonderful pianist, who recreated what it would have been like to attend the “silent” movies. The movie itself was silent but was accompanied by a pianist who endeavoured to pl

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: From pickleball players, hoping for more courts, to families, seeking accessible playgrounds, residents of Kawartha Lakes have made their priorities clear: they want recreation spaces which are flexible, inclusive, and designed for the community. Their voices helped shape the draft Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan, a bold new vision which looks ahead to 2040. Presented by Jenn Johnson, Dir

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Residents of Brock Township’s Ward 4 will soon have a new representative at the council table, following the declaration of a vacant seat, after the promotion of Cria Pettingill to Regional Councillor. Council formally declared the Ward 4 position vacant in accordance with the Township’s Council Vacancy Policy, which outlines a transparent and accountable process for filling vacancies that occur during

Douglas Ellis , Executive Assistant, Constituency Office of the Hon. Todd McCarthy SCUGOG: The Ontario government is investing $879,549 to help renew and rehabilitate critical infrastructure in the Township of Scugog. The funding will be delivered through the 2026 Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), as part of the government’s more than $200 billion capital plan to protect Ontario, by building key public infrastructure which will strengthen the economy and keep wor

Edward White, Executive Director, Office of Peter Bethlenfalvy MPP of Pickering-Uxbridge UXBRIDGE: The Ontario government is investing $983,894 to help renew and rehabilitate critical infrastructure in Township of Uxbridge. The funding will be delivered through the 2026 Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), as part of the government’s more than $200 billion capital plan, to protect Ontario by building key public infrastructure which will strengthen the economy and ke

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: An updated Emergency Management Program and Emergency Response Plan will help ensure the Township of Scugog is ready to respond to any emergency which might come its way. The new plan was presented to Council by, Alternate Community Emergency Management Program Coordinator (CEMC), Jacqueline Bjorklund and Fire Chief Mike Matthews at a recent meeting, where both emphasized the importance of keeping Sc

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: A long-time community greenspace in Beaverton will now be preserved for generations to come, after the Township accepted the donation of Fox Park from the Beaverton & District Conservation Club. The matter was discussed at the October 14th council meeting, when, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, Wayne Ward presented a report recommending the Township assume ownership and maintenance respon

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: A recent report, presented to Council on Monday, October 6th, outlined the progress being made on dozens of infrastructure projects currently underway across the Township of Scugog. Financial Accounting Supervisor, Maria Turino delivered the update as part of the 2025 Capital Project Status Report which tracks the status of all active capital initiatives. The 2025 Capital Project Status Report, cover

by Geoffrey Carpentier Last time, I explored the reptiles and amphibians, to determine how they use their jaws and teeth (or non-teeth) to capture or harvest food. Today, we’ll look more closely at birds and how they use their beaks to hunt and eat. All birds have beaks – this is indisputable, but the size, structure, shape and use of them varies considerably between groups of birds. Beaks come in many forms: hooked or curved, cone-shaped, needle-like, spatulate and even cros

by Shawn Lackie On Wednesday October 15th, the 100 Men of Scugog met for the fourth and final time in 2025. The Port Perry Legion hosted the members, including nine new additions. Three brief presentations were made and the vote was cast. The Winner for this time around was the Oak Ridges Hospice of Durham. Executive Director Christine Vos made a strong presentation and accepted a donation of almost $6,000. That donation will go towards the Hospice being able to upgrade their

by Shawn Lackie The title of this week’s piece comes from a classic baseball book, written in 1970, by then Seattle Pilots pitcher Jim Bouton. It is a CLASSIC. If you have never read it, do yourself a favour and set aside some time to do so. What he was saying was loosely based on a line from a Peanuts comic strip which said, “Tell your statistics to shut up.” At any rate, it was credited to his manager, at the time, Joe Schultz. Now, there was a character. What this is all l