St. Thomas Times-Journal
A ST. THOMAS STAR
St. Thomas actress Rachel McAdams poses on her just unveiled Hollywood Walk of Fame star during a ceremony in Hollywood, Calif., on Jan. 20. For more, turn to Eric Bunnell's People column on
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OVERTIME THRILLER
Chatham Maroons' Jaxon Priddle (11) and St. Thomas Stars' Rowan Reid (5) battle Sunday at Chatham Memorial Arena. The eighth-place Stars upset the first-place Maroons in this Greater Ontario Hockey League tilt, eking out a 6-5 overtime win thanks to an...
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AUTO BELT ANXIETY
To say 2025 was a tough year for Canada's auto sector — which is concentrated in Southwestern Ontario, stretching from Windsor in the west to Guelph, Cambridge and Woodstock in the east — would be an understatement. Jan. 20 will mark one year since...
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WINTER WALLOP
An OPP officer and truck drivers try to figure out how to get another driver out of the cab after his truck tipped over on its side Thursday in the eastbound lane of Highway 402 near Colonel Talbot Road.
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Fake outbreak signs circulating
A Southwestern Ontario public health office is alerting the public about fake illness outbreak signs circulating in its territory. Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) -- the health unit that serves Oxford and Elgin counties and St. Thomas -- said in a...
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STILL STANDING IN ST. THOMAS
Jonny Harris sure had some `splainin' to do following his visit last September to St. Thomas. Profiling the community for CBC's Still Standing television program, he visited Malachi Male's Saint T shop and came away with an image of Jumbo shaved into...
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PIER REVIEW
More than 250 impaired-driving charges were laid as a result of vehicle stops at Christmastime RIDE sobriety checkpoints on local Ontario Provincial Police-patrolled roads, new figures show. On Monday, OPP officials for the West Region, which covers...
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A CHRISTMAS DRIVE
Ganden Rohrer and his buddy Drake Hunter were enjoying the mild weather on Christmas Day by playing a few holes of disc golf at the V.A. Barrie Park in St. Thomas.
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Optimism on the dealer lot
Even with all the uncertainty swirling around Ontario's auto industry, especially from trade tensions with the United States, it's been a solid year for vehicle sales, industry insiders say. Out on dealership lots, where Big Auto meets the consumer,...
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COMING DOWN
Demolition of a downtown St. Thomas building began Friday, a day after the structure was severely damaged by a fire. The blaze broke out around 6 a.m. Thursday and fire crews rescued two residents from upper-level apartments through windows. Others...
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DOWNTOWN BLAZE
A downtown St. Thomas building will have to be torn down after a Thursday morning blaze did extensive damage and forced the rescue of two people, the city's fire chief says. Several streets in downtown St. Thomas were closed on Thursday morning after...
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ICED UP
The front windows of the Carol Anne II, a fishing boat docked in Port Stanley, shows the effect of the waves of freezing water from Lake Erie that hit the ship. The Carol Anne II had come back with an assorted catch Monday featuring pickerel, said a...
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A CARING COMMUNITY
Christmas Care president Richard Auckland stands with hampers packed by the organization to ensure no one goes without this coming holiday season. Distribution begins Saturday in St. Thomas and area. For more, please turn to Eric Bunnell's People...
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NEW CONNECTIONS
Rainbow Connections is a year-old organization based in St. Thomas dedicated to providing a safe and accepting space for 2SLGBTQIA+ youths in Southwestern Ontario. It celebrated the opening of its first physical space, a dropin hub at 15 Catharine St....
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RURAL BLAST
A rural home exploded Friday morning just northwest of Straffordville on Sandytown Road, leaving a large debris field as parts of the home were thrown far by the force of the blast. A large excavator was brought in Sunday to pile the debris from the...
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ACCOMMODATING CHANGES
Jean Vedova and sons Troy and Dean Vedova are shutting down the dining portion of the Kettle Creek Inn and concentrating on the lodging aspect of the Port Stanley landmark. For more, please turn to
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HIGH-WIRE ACT
Hydro One workers install a skywire Wednesday on top of a large tower looming about 52 metres in the air over the new PowerCo EV battery gigafactory in St. Thomas. A coworker on the ground said the sky wire is a grounding wire for protection against...
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A WICKED GOOD TIME
Lisa Eastick starred as the Wicked Witch of the West in the recent West Elgin Dramatics Society production of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The amateur theatre troupe has three more performances scheduled — evening shows on Dec. 5 and Dec. 6, and a...
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HANDS FULL
Margie Hutchinson had her hands full as she managed her one-year-old twins, Brooke and Abigail, while pushing son David, 4, with her foot on Sunday in St. Thomas's Pinafore Park.
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AS THE WIND BLOWS
Adam Johnston of London huddles behind his tripod-mounted Sony 200-600mm lens to capture the waves in Port Stanley Wednesday. The waves were being driven by 80- to 90-kilometre-per-hour winds from the west. Earlier in the day, the Lower Thames Valley...
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What's at stake if Ontario eliminates trustees
The passage of legislation granting sweeping control over school boards to Queen's Park appears to be another nail in the coffin for Ontario's trustees -- the oldest form of democracy in Canada. Last week, Bill 33 passed third reading at Queen's Park...
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A `GRAPE' INVESTMENT
TiVo Ruutopold, the assistant wine maker for Skye Chase Estate Winery near Sparta, uses a “wine thief” to extract partially fermented chardonnay in their wine cellar. For more on the local winery's expansion, please turn to
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SEASON'S FIRST SNOW
— Ontario has secured a one-year extension with the federal government for the national $10-a-day child-care program, giving parents reassurance their fees won't rise for at least 12 more months, but with much hard work still to be done. The program...
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LEST WE FORGET
Wreaths stand ready to be placed at a past St. Thomas Remembrance Day service. This year's service at Veterans Memorial Garden begins at 10:40 a.m. There are also services planned today for Port Stanley, Springfield, Dutton, West Lorne, Belmont, Aylmer...
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LAUNCHING CHRISTMAS CARE
Outside, it's one of those miserably grey, wet, cold, early November days. But inside, the auditorium of the St. Thomas Elgin Memorial Centre is bright and warm and brimming with Christmas spirit. It's the official opening on Monday this week of...
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HAVING A GOURD TIME
A group of eager children joined Kiwanis Club of Rodney volunteers at the Rodney Community Centre gymnasium last week for the club's second annual pumpkin carving night. A truckload of 22 large pumpkins was delivered to the centre for an evening of...
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COMING SOON
This rendering shows Vianode's planned facility in St. Thomas. The Norwegian company, which makes artificial graphite for the EV industry, has already begun work on the plant, which is slated to open in 2028. For more, please turn to
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TRICKS AND TREATS
Sharing Halloween kisses are Terry and Theresa O'Brien and their pet Chihuahuas, Izzy and May, who were all dressed up for a puppy parade last Saturday at Pinafore Park that raised over $800 for the new St. Thomas Animal Shelter. For more, please turn...
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MOVING AHEAD
Is it a bump in a long, automotive road or the future of the industry here? Plant closings in Ingersoll and Brampton, which cost Ontario more than 4,000 workers, stunned the industry recently and laid bare the vulnerability of the Ontario...
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A FAST TRACK TO PUMPKINS
The Port Stanley Terminal Rail heads north out of Port Stanley near the Union Station on Sunday a trip that would take passengers to a pumpkin patch for their Halloween pumpkin selection.
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OFFICIALLY OPEN
Lifted to the task by his father, Jeff, and alongside his mother, Diana, four-year-old Austin House cuts the ribbon to officially open the Highlands apartments. The family company is a partner in the project. For more on the grand opening, please turn...
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LOCATION SCOUTS
Kaila Dean and Erin Johnston of St. Thomas walk through Waterworks Park on Monday. The two were on a mission to find good angles for a planned Halloween photo shoot next weekend.
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BUILDING HOPE
Doug Tarry Homes is in the midst of building 40 tiny homes for Project Tiny Hope, the St. Thomas-Elgin YWCA planned housing development that has already welcomed its first residents. Joe Klassen of Harder Framing -- a subcontractor for Doug Tarry Homes...
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NEW RECORD
Western quarterback Evan Hillock hands off the ball to the team's record -breaking running back, Ethan Dolby of St. Thomas, at practice Wednesday. Last week against York University, Dolby broke a 34-yearold single-season rushing record held by former...
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STEPPING AWAY
St. Thomas Coun. Steve Peters gets a warm hug from Mayor Joe Preston after announcing his resignation from council on Tuesday. The longtime politician cited a need to concentrate on his job as head of the Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers. Peters...
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A LOOK INSIDE
Central Elgin Mayor Andrew Sloan walks down a long hallway during a tour of the long-closed St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital on Oct. 9. The tour was hosted by Sloan to gauge public interest in a possible housing redevelopment. For more, please turn to
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STYLE ICON
Donald D'Haene at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, where his documentary film about his late brother, Erik, was a winner. The film is a selection for the upcoming Forest City Film Festival. Donald now is in an international Style Icon...
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THE GREAT PUMPKIN
Art Johnson of St. Thomas won $2,000 in champion prize money in the largest pumpkin contest for his 1,742-pound entry at the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show. Angela Hogeveen, general manager of the Norfolk County Agricultural Society, congratulated...
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St. Thomas police chief testifies in Ottawa
Nearly one-third of all criminal charges St. Thomas police laid in the past three years were for failing to comply with court orders, the city's top cop told a committee of MPs. St. Thomas police Chief Marc Roskamp was one of several witnesses invited...
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CELEBRATING HOPE
A Kodak moment Wednesday as St. Thomas celebrates the official opening of Project Tiny Hope, where first residents moved in this week. Doug Tarry, centre, holds a pink unicorn-decorated T-shirt he was given for his company's support of the project, a...
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AND THEY'RE OFF . . .
The boys' 12-year-old race charges off the start line behind the London District Catholic school board building on the opening day of the board's elementary cross-country meet Monday. Graham Gress, the recreation supervisor at LDCSB, said that 4,000...
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ON BOARD
A paddle boarder is silhouetted against a sun-dappled Lake Erie Monday as he enjoys one of the final days of the summer in Port Stanley.
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$107M EXPANSION
An investment of more than $100 million by mass timber manufacturer Element5 will expand its St. Thomas operation's capacity and create 150 new jobs. A mass timber manufacturer specializing in the design, fabrication and assembly of contemporary...
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SAFETY CONCERNS
Close to 200 school bus routes were cancelled on Monday across the London region after the local bus authority announced an inspection of its electric fleet following a fire in a bus last week in Quebec. The Quebec government announced a lockdown of...
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A JUMBO SUCCESS
Dariusz Korbiel, guest curator of Jumbomania at Elgin County Heritage Centre, holds an example of merchandise available to keepsake memories of the hit exhibition. For more, please turn to Eric Bunnell's People column on
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STRATEGIC SESSION
Local business representatives, community members and municipal partners gathered last week for a strategic working session on Elgin County's in-the-works Economic Development and Tourism Strategy Action Plan for Elgin County. Participants shared ideas...
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UBER READS
The St. Thomas Public Library has a terrific new program for avid teen readers. Through the new “Uber Reads” initiatives, library patrons can place their order and grab a takeout bag that comes complete with a mystery young adult novel and a receipt on...
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Four suspects sought
St. Thomas police are investigating after four masked men, one armed, attempted to rob a credit union on Tuesday afternoon. Four males, described as Black or dark-complexioned and believed to be in their late teens to early 20s, entered the Libro...
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IGNITING POTENTIAL
Their names may not be as recognizable as soon-to-be NHL Hall of fame inductee Joe Thornton or Hollywood actor Rachel McAdams, but these unsung St. Thomas heroes still play a consequential role in the lives of the youths they support. They're the...
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MY HAPPY PLACE
Robert Clark of Toronto was happy to go with wife Dorothy to Port Stanley Friday but wasn't having anything to do with the water. “(Dorothy), loves the beach and I'll humour her,” said a smiling Clark. Dorothy, meanwhile, described the beach as “my...
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`TOP DRESSING AND SEEDING'
Justin Leach, the turf manager for St. Thomas, finishes off a little “top dressing and seeding,” Thursday after some utility work had to be done at the entrance to Pinafore Park in St. Thomas.
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Premier announces $2.6M boost
Two London-region construction organizations are getting a $2.6-million boost, the province says. During his second formal stop in London Monday, Premier Doug Ford made the announcement joined by Mayor Josh Morgan, Municipal Affairs Minister Rob Flack...
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WHAT'S UP?
Presented by the Central Elgin fire training crew, this Port Stanley pyramid tops other evening sky views as a cool curiosity for Londoner Zoe Johnston.
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POWER MOVES
PowerCo, Volkswagen's electric battery maker, will soon pour a concrete foundation on which the steel structure of its $7 billion St. Thomas plant will rise. The automaker announced the awarding of major construction contracts that will see 32,500...
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A JUMBO LEGACY
He was the biggest star in the circus world — until his story found an unlikely end in a small Southwestern Ontario city. Jumbo the Elephant drew huge crowds to the hundreds of cities that the circus visited in the late 1800s, but his legacy remains...
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FUN IN THE SUN
Lillian Christie, 4, and older sister Adeline Christie, 8, play in the sand of the main beach while visting Port Stanley from Guelph on Friday. The two sisters were well protected from the scorching rays of the sun with hats and sun shirts.
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TAKING CENTRE STAGE
Ijeoma Emesowum is on the phone from her home in Stratford. “I think I've always been the theatrical one,” the St. Thomas-schooled actor says with a laugh. “I remember putting on plays in my sleep. `Look at me, look I'm doing a show, mom!' You know,...
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DEALERSHIP FIRE
The building at the Cotrac Ford Lincoln dealership in Dutton was destroyed by fire on Wednesday night. Fire crews were still at the scene on Thursday. For more, please turn to
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TALKIN' POLITICS
Political discussions held the attention of about 250 representatives of the region's business community while they enjoyed boxed lunches at the July 28 St. Thomas and District Chamber of Commerce's annual MP-MPP luncheon at the Elgin County Railway...
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Local officials talk bail reform
Top police officials from two area municipalities met with Conservative MPs on Wednesday to discuss public safety, with a focus on bail reform. Hosted by St. Thomas police Chief Marc Roskamp at the city's police station on Wednesday, the meeting's...
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BEETLE MANIA
Abbey Barrett, horticulture technician student from Fanshawe College who is working for St. Thomas parks, shows the damage wrought by invasive Japanese beetles on canna lilies in Waterworks Park on Sunday. Barrett emptied a pheromone trap that is kept...
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JUMBOMANIA EXHIBIT
Madeleine (CCT) Howard, curator of the Elgin County Heritage Centre, which is hosting Jumbomania in St. Thomas. Jumbo, the star attraction of PT Barnum's Greatest Show on Earth, was struck by a train and killed in St. Thomas 140 years ago. The exhibit...
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City not ignoring issue, mayor says
The condition of a railway crossing that's frustrated drivers has prompted the St. Thomas mayor to try to “clear the tracks” on who's responsible, saying a resident was given incorrect information by CN Rail. St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston issued a...
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RURAL STANDOFF
Ontario Provincial Police say one person was taken into custody after two people barricaded themselves inside a home in Southwold Township on Wednesday morning. A section of Bush Line from Mill Road to Ashmore Road was closed after police were called...
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Trustee frustrated by budget delays
A Middlesex trustee is frustrated the 2025-26 Thames Valley District school board's budget has not been released despite a June 30 deadline. In late June, the Ministry of Education said the Thames Valley board would release the budget on its website...
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ACCESSIBILITY FUNDING
Elgin—Middlesex—London MPP Rob Flack spoke during a Friday funding announcement at the Elgin County Heritage Centre about new accessibility enhancements. These projects, funded by Ontario's Inclusive Community Grants program, include new accessible...
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SUMMER VACATION
Ellie Sullivan, 9, of Port Stanley relaxes Sunday in her swan float on the town's main beach.
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CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
Charlotte Neville, 3, carries a tower's worth of wet sand at Little Beach in Port Stanley during a Sunday visit. Charlotte, with help from mom Kelsie Neville, was building a castle on the beach on the hot, sunny day.
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HOT SPOTS
St. Thomas fire platoon chief Derek Didyk talks with Rob Redman as firefighters continued Sunday to blanket the smouldering site and a large excavator pulled down the gutted building. For more, please turn to
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Enrolment expected to decline
Enrolment at the Thames Valley District school board is expected to decrease by more than 1,300 students in September while the London District Catholic board is preparing for a surge in new students. With more than 83,000 students, enrolment is...
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CANADA DAY SPECTACULAR
Canada Day celebrations in St. Thomas at 1Password Park culminated with a spectacular fireworks display, courtesy of K&H Fireworks.
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PRETTY AS A PICTURE
Joanne Irons shows off a thriving peony bush planted long ago by her grandmother outside the St. Thomas home that has been in their family since 1865.
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Thornton first-round Hall of Fame inductee
Duncan Keith, Alexander Mogilny, Joe Thornton, Zdeno Chara, Jennifer Botterill and Brianna Decker were the players named to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday. The group will be inducted in November. Defencemen Keith, Chara and centre Thornton were...
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SEARCH FOR SWIMMER
A teenage girl was pulled to safety but her father didn't resurface after police say two swimmers were in distress in Lake Erie on Sunday afternoon. Emergency crews were called Sunday shortly after 3 p.m. to the Port Burwell Provincial Park beach, the...
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CELEBRATING A MILESTONE
A large crowd gathered at the Talbot Trails Restaurant Saturday for a delicious roast beef meal in celebration of the Kiwanis Club of West Lorne's 85th anniversary.
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