The Chatham Daily News
`Oh no, not again'
A Thursday afternoon fire at 99 McNaughton Ave. W. in Chatham has displaced many of the same residents evacuated during a major blaze in August 2024. Numerous residents, including some frail and elderly, and others with pets, were evacuated from the...
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Canada's EV deal with China could have regional benefits: analysts
It's a long road ahead, but auto sector analysts suggest Canada's electric vehicle deal with China could eventually lead to construction of new auto and battery plants in Windsor-Essex. And they appear to have little concern the new deal announced by...
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Arson charge laid in Blenheim apartment fire: C-K police
A woman is charged with arson after a fire destroyed a multi-unit residential building in Blenheim early Friday, displacing residents, said Chatham-Kent police. “The multi-dwelling structure was occupied at the time of the fire and all residents were...
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`Really exciting . . . once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
The Chatham-Kent Museum can exhibit just a fraction of its collection, but that will change when the $53-million Chatham-Kent community hub is built. The museum will go from 790 square metres (8,500 square feet) to more than 2,780 sq. m (nearly 30,000...
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Health alliance unveils $1.3M hospital-to-home program
To help provide a more seamless transition for patients, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance has launched a $1.3-million, provincially funded home-care program. CKHA @ Home is a new service for those returning home after a hospital stay, with comprehensive...
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WALL INSTALL
Crews are shown last week installing a sheet pile retaining wall as part of the shoreline stabilization project along the Thames River in downtown Chatham. The overall work is expected to continue through the spring.
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No `basic, simple wedding'
The couple may have had cold feet, but the wedding went on as scheduled. Then again, having cold feet was expected for Chatham's Sheldon Cadotte and Daylene Trudell as they became the first couple ever married at a Windsor Spitfires' game. The two...
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$104K holiday drive helps Blenheim Health Hub add heart services
The Blenheim Health Hub is adding a cardiology clinic thanks to continued community generosity. The Unwrapping the Future of Health Care campaign, which let donors remove bits of wrap from a giant outdoor Christmas gift last month, raised $104,000,...
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ON A ROLL
Shawn Glaese wasn't letting the frigid temperatures on Saturday slow him down. He seen keeping a good pace as he inline skated along William Street North near Tecumseh Park.
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WARM WALK ON COLD DAY
It was a frigid start to 2026 with temperatures dipping into the minus double digits, but that didn't concern Scooter, a rescue dog, who was all bundled up in his personal carriage while out for a walk in the morning on New Year's Day with his owner,...
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Be cautious as high winds, waves hit Lake Erie shore: authority
With the region under several weather warnings, conservation authority officials are urging caution, especially along the Lake Erie shore. Environment and Climate Change Canada's marine forecast issued storm and freezing spray warnings for western...
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Hundreds served free Christmas dinner
A local Chatham restaurant was hustling and bustling on Christmas Day, with free turkey dinners served up for the community. For the second year, Quo Vadis Pizzeria provided meals onsite throughout the afternoon, and also made deliveries to those who...
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READY TO RIDE
A regular sight over the holidays throughout the city, motorcycle Santa was spotted at Thames-Lea Plaza in Chatham on Saturday. Temperatures are expected to remain above freezing for the remainder of the week, with a high of 9 C on Christmas Day.
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Weigh in on plan to merge conservation authorities: agency
A plan to merge Ontario's SARNIA 36 conservation authorities into seven and set up a new agency to oversee them could mean longer waits for permits and less representation for municipalities, the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority says. The...
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WARMER WORK TODAY
With exterior work ongoing, crews are shown Tuesday at the site of a new apartment under construction at the corner of Keil Drive South and Park Avenue West in Chatham. Temperatures are expected to warm to 8 C on Thursday, with a chance of rain, before...
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GIMME FIVE, SANTA CLAUS
Santa high fives a young fan outside the Pain Court Market as the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan swings through Chatham-Kent on Friday. Families had a chance to meet Santa and take pictures in front of the illuminated truck. Other stops included Dresden,...
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`It takes an entire community to help'
Another rescue operation that opened this year is helping to address Chatham-Kent's feral cat issue. At Wandering Whiskers Cat Rescue, which opened in March near Thamesville, a trap, neuter and release (TNR) program has been a big part of the...
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CELTIC CHRISTMAS
A sold-out crowd enjoyed the Saturdays at 7 Celtic Christmas show at the Chatham Capitol Theatre. Performed by the St. Andrew's music program, the event featured traditional instrumentals, soloists and Irish dancing by The Cornell School of Irish...
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BREAKFAST WITH SANTA
Chatham's Jordyn Carrington, 2, couldn't wait to see Santa and Mrs. Claus during the annual Breakfast with Santa hosted by East Side Pride at the WISH Centre Saturday. As soon as she saw the jolly old elf, she ran past the lineup and jumped into his...
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ONE ROW AT A TIME
Early in his farming career, Brad Snobelen was advised that farms are built with small moves, so don't be too aggressive. The McKay's Corners area farmer and his wife, Jess, have followed that advice in supplying a niche market with popcorn. “We were...
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OFF TO A GREAT START
Buddy the Elf, played here by Jason King, meets Jacklyn Hakker, 3, in the Chatham Capitol Theatre lobby before Saturday's screening of the popular movie. The Chatham Goodfellows presented the film, sponsored by Unifor Local 127. Admission was by...
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BRING ON THE NIGHT
A large crowd was on hand Saturday night for the Dresden Night Market, with numerous activities and vendors. This year also featured an outdoor skating rink, along with several special guests.
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Chatham's Centro makes Canadian Top 100 eatery list
Centro Wood Fired Kitchen has been recognized as one of the top 100 restaurants in Canada. The Chatham restaurant, at 71 St. Clair St., made the list recently published by OpenTable determined from analyzing more than one million diner reviews, diner...
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Politicos trim proposed tax hike to 3.96% as talks begin
Chatham-Kent councillors cut the proposed property tax hike to 3.96 per cent after discussing asset management and reserves as budget deliberations began Tuesday. Coming into the evening with a 4.92 per cent hike, that was trimmed to the current mark...
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`A very successful day'
The sixth year has proven to be another success for The Gift. Hundreds of volunteers fanned out in communities across Chatham-Kent on Saturday to collect toys, food and other items, like hygiene products, to help those in need during the...
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Targeting transformation
Big changes happening at the massive mall property in downtown Chatham will transform its look, inside and out, project partners say. Rob Myers, Jessica Myers, Don Tetrault and Ron Nydam, partners in 100 King St. CK Holdings Inc., have a history of...
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Remembrance Day draws crowd to Chatham cenotaph
In a show of respect and gratitude, a crowd of hundreds young and old gathered at the downtown Chatham cenotaph for Remembrance Day. The annual ceremony, hosted by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642, began with a parade, featuring an honour guard, as...
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MUSICAL TRIBUTE
Billy Bishop Goes to War, a musical tribute to the life and times of the Canadian First World War flying ace, took to the stage at the Chatham Capitol Theatre on Friday. Matt Evans portrayed Bishop, as well as numerous other characters, during the...
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The lessons of Evan's harrowing 15-year journey of drug use
Evan's 14-year-old sister regularly bought blueberry slushies at the convenience store. A sweet treat. But sugar, in excess, can lead to myriad health problems, including tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. Evan, as a 16-year-old, bought opioid drugs...
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SEASONAL STROLL
North Buxton residents Kaleigh Cayne and her dad Ryan were enjoying a beautiful autumn morning while walking their rottweilers Fiona, 7, left, and Luna, 5, in Chatham on Wednesday.
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Ontario gives Wheatley, Port Dover fisheries $10-million boost
To help support recreational and commercial fishing along Lake Erie, the Ontario government is investing more than $10 million to upgrade two fisheries management facilities in Wheatley and Port Dover. The funding will go to upgrade and expand...
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Indoor athletic centre opens soon at former Navistar site
Thanks to a business collaboration, Chatham-Kent soon will have another indoor athletic complex, this time at the former Navistar site. CK Flex Plex announced plans for the more than 10,200-square-metre (110,000-square-foot) facility at 450 Merritt...
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Welcome to their Nightmare
Looking for a good scare later this Halloween? Creepy characters of all kinds will descend again on a Wallaceburg neighbourhood. Now in its fourth year, A Nightmare on Nelson Street, slated for Friday, Oct. 31, involves the creative collaboration of...
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Marching on
Chatham Legion Branch 642 Pipes and Drums, who have played for royalty and march in countless local Remembrance Day parades, marked 80 years Sunday. The legion branch was filled with alumni and supporters as the band -- Canada's second-oldest...
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CLASS OF 2025
The Chatham-Kent Arts Council inducted eight new members to its Cultural Hall of Fame Thursday night. Held at the Chatham Cultural Centre, the event featured a reception in Studio One, followed by the inductions in the Kiwanis Theatre. There were also...
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GEARING UP
Local Toronto Blue Jays fans are gearing up for their team's first World Series appearance in over three decades, with Game 1 slated for Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shown donning the colours Tuesday are Chatham SportChek employees Ava...
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Music for the Mind surpasses $250K milestone
When Elisha Banks first started Music for the Mind in 2019, she envisioned a one-off event to raise money and awareness for mental health in Chatham-Kent. Never did she imagine it would surpass the $250,000 milestone — and still counting — only six...
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WAITING GAME
Travellers hoping to cross the long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge will have to wait a little longer. The Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority says construction is expected to wrap up later this year, with opening now planned for early 2026.
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MEMORIAL DONATION
Amanda Haskell, left, made a donation to the Chatham-Kent Children's Treatment Centre on Wednesday in memory of her daughter, Kyleigh. Also shown are Mike Genge, foundation president and chief executive, Donna Litwin-Makey, the centre's chief...
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HAPPY THANKSGIVING?
Chatham resident Truus Horneman, a longtime camper at Rondeau Provincial Park, gives out some candy to 16-month-old Matthew Breitenstein, who is with his grandmother Amy Munro of Windsor, Saturday during the annual Halloween event held over the...
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COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING
This group of friends was enjoying the annual thanksgiving community lunch provided by Entegrus on Friday at the Spirit and Life Centre in Chatham. Seen from left are Rick McGill, Michelle Penney, Dale Dietrich, Linda Livingstone, Richard Gignac, Ron...
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BUTTERFLY LEAGUE TAKES WING
The Children's Treatment Centre Foundation of Chatham-Kent launched its Butterfly League monthly giving plan on Tuesday, with staff, board members and supporters on hand. Read the story on
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HOWIE, MEET HOWIE
Howie Mandel took the stage in front of a full house at the Chatham Capitol Theatre on Friday night. The comedian and television personality, who was part of the inaugural season at the Capitol, was brought back for the 15th anniversary season. In...
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Kids' water fest draws thousands
With crowds of smiling faces under sunny skies, organizers of the Chatham-Kent and Lambton Children's Water Festival are calling this year's event one of the best in its 14-year history. Over three days this week, about 2,400 elementary schoolers...
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TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
The fourth annual Truth and Reconciliation healing walk drew a large crowd to downtown Wallaceburg on Tuesday.
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Accused driver, pedestrian ID'd in fatal Walpole Island crash
Court records have shed light on who died and who has been charged with impaired driving causing death following a fatal hit-and-run crash here last weekend. Police said earlier this week a pedestrian was rushed to hospital after they were struck by a...
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TWO-YEAR JOURNEY
Photographer Carmen McCauley, 72, spent two years to create her exhibit, titled Talisman, featuring memorials at local gravesites. The exhibition runs until midOctober at the Crow City Cafe at 28 William St. S. in Chatham. More on the show on
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Annual Terry Fox Run a family affair in Wallaceburg
The annual Terry Fox run has taken on even more meaning for Brad Eggett, who has been participating for three decades. The Wallaceburg man and his wife Moira Walko-Eggett have been organizing the local run for the past nine years. Cancer has touched...
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New Blenheim Health Hub `testament' to what a community can achieve
BLENHEIM There was a feeling of jubilation here Thursday as the community gathered to celebrate the grand opening of a new, expansive Health Hub to provide primary care locally. The Blenheim Medical Health Foundation formed in November in 2023 with...
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LOCAL HERO
Chatham-Kent firefighter Brodie McDonald was honoured in front of council Monday for his actions as a passerby after a crash near Bothwell in April. An ATV was involved in a collision with a truck, leaving the young rider with serious injuries, fire...
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Chatham teacher completes swimming relay honouring Edmund Fitzgerald crew
While pupils often regale their classmates with what they did on their summer vacation, a Chatham elementary school teacher has a pretty impressive story of her own. Jane Baldwin-Marvell, a teacher at McNaughton Avenue elementary school, took part in...
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UPGRADES IN PROGRESS
Crews continue reconstruction work on King Street West at Lacroix Street in Chatham on Thursday afternoon. Along with upgrades to sanitary sewers, the project will include new asphalt, concrete curbs, sidewalks and streetlights, as well as replacing...
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LOOK WHAT I GOT
Paul Morrison and his son, Matt, play fetch with their Labrador retriever, Cooper, at the John Waddell dog park in Chatham on Tuesday afternoon.
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POW WOW BIG DRAW
Rain Williams, 40, of Walpole Island, dances at the 53rd annual Delaware Nation at Moraviantown Competition Pow Wow that drew crowds on the weekend. More photos
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C-K's big-ticket parks and rec modernization plan to go public
Major changes are coming to Chatham-Kent's recreation landscape with plans that include replacing aging arenas and pools with modern multimillion-dollar facilities, with many on one site. The process to develop Chatham-Kent's new parks and recreation...
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SUMMER SPLASH
School starts in less than a week and these Chatham youngsters, who plan on enjoying every last second of summer break, were spotted Wednesday having fun in the splash pad at Kingston Park. Seen here, from left, is Oliver White, 6, on his birthday,...
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RESTORATION CELEBRATED
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 642 held a Sunday morning rededication ceremony for the downtown Chatham cenotaph, as well as a mural unveiling. The event, which was the culmination of restoration efforts, began with a parade featuring a pipe band, colour...
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ROCK marks International Overdose Awareness Day
To help remember those lost to addiction, as well as show families they're not alone, Reach Out Chatham-Kent hosted visitors on Wednesday to mark international overdose awareness day. The drop-in organization held two events at its Chatham and...
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Rotary completes $250,000 pledge to new treatment centre
With a final instalment, the Rotary Club of Chatham completed its $250,000 pledge to the Children's Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent. The money will be allocated to the treatment centre foundation's Build #ForTheKids initiative for the playground at...
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PRIDE MARCH
There was a great turnout of participants in the annual CK Pride Parade held Saturday in downtown Chatham. See more on
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WATCH THE BIRDIE
Chicago artist Czr Prz works on a mural he has created that can be seen on Llewellyn Street as part of the second annual CK Can Jam event. Prz is among the 15 out-of-town and local artists creating large-scale artworks in downtown Chatham to celebrate...
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DISC-Y BUSINESS
Aiden Wiebe, 19, enjoys a round of disc golf Wednesday at the course located at the Thames Grove Conservation Area in Chatham. “I love this course,” said the Chatham resident who has been playing here for nearly two years. Wiebe said the UDisc app...
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Time to party: Deep Southwest album keeps momentum going
A community effort helped Pat and Meg Whalen create their TV series Deep Southwest and it happened again when creating their new album, so they figure it's time to have a party. The Chatham couple is hosting a release party for their new vinyl album...
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Dresden man reclaims Jenga stacking world dominance, unofficially
Meindert De Boer spent six hours stacking 90 boxes of Jenga, which contain 54 blocks, on a single vertical block, last Thursday, besting the current Guinness World Record of nearly 59 Jenga boxes – 3,149 Jenga blocks – set by China's Tian Rui on April...
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NIGHT MARKET MAGIC
The Dresden Summer Night Market had yet another solid turnout on Saturday. Thousands of people made their way downtown throughout the evening to enjoy entertainment and check out numerous vendors. The event was capped off with fireworks in Jackson...
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How the Hockey Canada case avalanched into controversy
If there was an apt metaphor to describe the Hockey Canada sexual assault case, it might be a tiny snowball suddenly pushed down a very steep, snowy mountain. By the time it reached the bottom — culminating in Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia's...
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SINGING PROUD
Calvin Lawrence, of London Gospel Collective, sings at the Josiah Henson Museum of African-Canadian History in Dresden. The museum was hosting its Emancipation Day celebrations. We look at 10 Chatham-Kent destinations to check out this summer in our...
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CHERRY-GO-ROUND
Good friends Jorja Ireland-Heidt, 18, Delilah Rokebrand, 16, middle, Zoe Fraser, 16, were having fun on the Tornado carnival ride at the annual Cherryfest and Sidewalk Days in downtown Blenheim on Saturday.
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CHERRYFEST FUN
Visitors enjoy the midway as Cherryfest kicked off in downtown Blenheim on Thursday. Activities and entertainment continue Saturday, culminating in the annual pit spit championships.
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WARM WORK
A combine is shown on a field just outside of Pain Court on Monday evening. Hot temperatures are expected to continue Thursday, with a high of 30 C and a chance of showers. Temperatures will drop slightly into the weekend. Weather is on
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PADDLE IN PROTEST
Paddlers take to the Sydenham River in Dresden Sunday for peaceful 18-canoe relay to Wallaceburg aimed at boost awareness of the potential impacts of a proposed Dresdenarea landfill and recycling project and provincial and federal legislation.
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CARE CENTRE PROGRESS
Crews work on the exterior of the new St. Angela's Meadow Care Centre on Thursday. The Chatham long-term care home, located on McNaughton Avenue West at Keil Trail North, is expected to open in 2026.
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`We will miss him dearly'
The Chatham-Kent hockey community is mourning Dresden's Decker Beatty. The 12-year-old died Sunday from injuries sustained in an ATV crash July 3. “Decker was a wonderful young Jr. King,” Dresden Minor Hockey Association president Ian Avery said....
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SELLING THE SIZZLE
Ribber Lester Jordan with Bubba Lou's Bar-B-Q from London was busy cooking and putting out racks of ribs, chicken and pulled pork Friday during the 16th annual Chatham-Kent Ribfest in downtown Chatham's Tecumseh Park. See more on
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Bill 5 battle not over, rally told
Passage of a bill reducing environmental safeguard requirements for a controversial landfill and regenerative recycling project may be discouraging, but the fight is not over, Ontario's opposition leader says. NDP Leader Marit Stiles brought a message...
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Wallaceburg marks two big birthdays on Canada Day
There were two big birthdays to celebrate in Wallaceburg Tuyesday. Like communities across Chatham-Kent, it was a chance to show the flag andfpatriotic fervour on Canada Day. But it was also a chance to mark Wallaceburg's 150th anniversary. There was...
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