COLLEEN GREEN The Standard SCUGOG: RoyPop Candy officially celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, on Friday, July 24th, welcoming community leaders, supporters and residents to its new location, at 76 Water Street, in Port Perry. Joining owners, Margret Kizza and Ronald Magala, for the celebration were: Scugog Mayor, Wilma Wotten; Durham Regional Chair, John Henry; Doug Ellis, representing MPP Todd McCarthy's office; Ward 3 Councillor, Terry Coyne; membe

SIERRA MILLER Strategic Planning & Communications Officer, Township of Uxbridge UXBRIDGE: Just after 4 p.m., on July 21st, the Uxbridge Public Library was impacted by a fire, caused by a lightning strike. The Uxbridge Fire Department responded quickly, arriving on scene and extinguishing the fire before significant damage occurred. During the incident, library staff acted quickly, to secure the site. All library staff and camp participants were safely evacuated, and no injuri

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SUNDERLAND: The long-awaited return of activities to the Sunderland Memorial Arena is getting closer, as the Township of Brock now anticipates ice allocations for local user groups to begin December 7th. The major renovation project continues to make “excellent progress,” with substantial completion currently expected by the end of October, provided no further unforeseen conditions arise. The arena, originall

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard KAWARTHA LAKES: Driving schools, operating on roads throughout Kawartha Lakes, could soon face new municipal rules. City council has directed staff to develop a business case and licensing program for driving school operators, following concerns raised about traffic, road safety, and the repeated use of some local streets for driver training. The issue came before council, at a recent meeting, in a report fro

JAMIE STEEL Senior Lead of Community Relations, Ampere KAWARTHA LAKES: Ampere invites people of all ages to join fellow community members for STEAM Fest, a free, family-focused celebration featuring live music, diverse food, a vendor market, and tons of art, science, engineering, and technology activities. The second annual STEAM Fest promises to be a bigger, bolder celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM). It will be held at Ampere’s Lindsay Ma

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard BROCK: Seventy-nine firefighters are currently answering the call when emergencies strike across Brock, with volunteers serving from fire stations in Sunderland, Cannington, and Beaverton. Brock Councillors received an update on the Fire Department’s personnel, during its meeting on Monday, July 27th, with, Fire Chief and Community Emergency Management Coordinator, Rick Harrison presenting a report outlining

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: The spirit of the Old West rode into Port Perry and the surrounding Lake Scugog community over the weekend, as the 96th annual Lake Scugog Regatta celebrated its Western Hoedown theme from July 31st to August 2nd. The long-running summer tradition brought together residents and visitors for a weekend of family entertainment, community events, and plenty of Western-themed fun. The mechanical bull prove

by Shawn Lackie For the last few years, we have heard non-stop about the need for affordable housing. And with good reason. Developers roll into town and put forward a development plan for the local zoning people to approve. Almost all of them include some form of affordable housing. They get approval and start their build. But a funny thing happens between the planning stage and the actual implementation. All of a sudden, those affordable townhouses disappear and up pops mor

DARRYL KNIGHT Local Journalism Initiative Reporter for The Standard SCUGOG: The heartbeat of the drum echoed across Scugog, as the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN) welcomed dancers, drummers, Elders, community members, and visitors for the 28th annual MSIFN Pow Wow, on Saturday, July 18th, and Sunday, July 19th. Held on the Pow Wow grounds of Scugog Island, the annual gathering once again drew large crowds, from across Durham Region, Kawartha Lakes, and beyo