The Welland Tribune
Port Dalhousie oil leak traced to transformer
Work has been underway in Port Dalhousie to clean up an oil leak from a transformer that Alectra Utilities says was vandalized. Yellow containment booms remain in the water in the harbour near the former Lincoln Fabrics building, soil is being...
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Fonthill student makes primetime TV debut
Fonthill's Grace NicolaouWood makes her primetime TV debut this weekend, but she might not be awake to see it. The 10yearold actor guest stars on an episode of CBS's mystery drama “Watson” on Sunday at 10 p.m. — the same day her family celebrates...
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GO rider frustrated by busing after derailment
GO train service connecting St. Catharines and Niagara Falls to Burlington resumes Thursday after being out of commission since a train derailment in St. Catharines last week. Since then, the gap has been filled by GO bus service. And one St....
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Falls Manor to become transitional housing site
A 73yearold institution in Niagara Falls is being converted into transitional housing for women and genderdiverse people living in poverty, while also providing skills development and workforcetraining opportunities. The transformation of Falls...
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Mayorsonly regional council `real challenge'
Good luck. That's the message some Niagara Region councillors have for the next 12 mayors and provincially appointed regional chair who will solely be making decisions that impact the peninsula. “The amount of work that I've been doing just as a...
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COVID staff shortages left ED systems `not working'
As Heather Winterstein waited hours in the St. Catharines hospital emergency department while dying of sepsis, patients with far less severe medical conditions were being treated before the 24yearold Indigenous woman, a coroner's inquest heard. On...
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Province reshapes Niagara's next regional government
Niagara's regional government is poised for a dramatic overhaul after Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack introduced sweeping legislation at Queen's Park Thursday. The proposed law would slash council size, concentrate power among mayors...
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New Year's Eve concert returning to Niagara Falls
After a six-year hiatus, the popular New Year’s Eve concert is returning to Niagara Falls. The news was announced during Tuesday’s city council meeting by Niagara Parks chief executive officer David Adames, who was providing politicians with an update...
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Train derailment fix expected to span a week
Repairs to Canadian National Railway Co. tracks following Monday's train derailment in St. Catharines are expected to take a week to complete. The morning derailment involved 13 railway cars and resulted in the temporary closure of Glendale Avenue...
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Train derailment leaves canal bridge inoperable
Shipping on the Welland Canal came to a stop after 13 railway cars derailed Monday morning in St. Catharines. The derailment occurred east of Glendale Avenue, resulting in the road being temporarily closed. But Nicole Giroux, manager of media...
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`Start of something new and powerful'
In a spirit of peace, truth and reconciliation, family, friends and loved ones of Heather Winterstein gathered in Fort Erie to honour and celebrate the young Indigenous woman in anticipation of an inquest into her death. Francine Shimizu,...
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Portrait of a leader
There's a subtle but telling detail in Jim Bradley's official portrait, now hanging in the foyer outside regional council chambers alongside those of eight other former chairs: he is not wearing the Region's ceremonial chain of office. “I just wanted...
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Who's leading Niagara's governance reform push?
Who’s really steering governance reform in Niagara? Bob Gale launched the latest salvo in February, two months after the province appointed him chair of Niagara Region. He cited high taxes, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure gap and too many...
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Solution sought to save safe consumption site
St. Catharines Public Library is bracing for a wave of individuals seeking supports that staff were never set up to provide. Niagara paramedics are expecting an increase in overdose calls on top of already high call volumes. And downtown businesses...
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Competition for vacant Bay store at Pen Centre
While the vast majority of former Hudson Bay storefronts across Canada sit quietly empty, the twostorey retail unit inside Niagara Pen Centre has become a rare commodity — attracting a surge of interest that caught even its owners by surprise. And...
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Thorold Music's mournful swan song
Leo Moretti was looking through old photographs spread on the counter at Thorold Music. They included many grainy black and white images snapped by family members decades ago. “This is October of '67, and that's my brother's band playing,” he said...
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First ship of season highlights Welland Canal's legacy
After 45 years sailing the Great Lakes, Capt. Donald Kemp has earned his first top hat. As his Algoma Central Corp. ship Radcliffe R. Latimer was docked in the Welland Canal beside Lock 8 Gateway Park in Port Colborne on Sunday morning, Kemp...
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The craft of the cut
Butchery was once considered a lost art, tucked away in the backrooms of grocery stores. But Niagara College is putting the art of meat back in the spotlight, to the place where steel meets stone. The college is launching a oneyear certificate...
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`Women can't be on their own out here'
Laura Beaupre worries for her safety after bylaw and police officers came to the encampment she called home. She fears what is beyond the confines of the community near the Silvertown district in Niagara Falls. Last week, residents of a Niagara Falls...
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`Like asking the turkeys to vote for Thanksgiving'
It will be back to business when regional council meets for the first time next week following the resignation of chair Bob Gale, after one of the most tumultuous months in Niagara's political history. Niagara Falls Coun. Joyce Morocco said she and...
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Niagara’s pandemic story preserved in art
Donna Szoke was overwhelmed when six boxes stuffed with 80,000 sticky notes arrived. “It was just mind-blowing to have those in the studio. I mean, I was just crying constantly, looking through them,” said Szoke, an associate professor with Brock...
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`We'll see more people dying in city parks'
It's being called a step backwards that will lead to more overdose deaths and further stress hospital emergency medical services, after the Ontario government confirmed Monday it will pull funding from all drug consumption and treatment sites across...
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Unions issue warning about water privatization
Union leaders are calling on Niagara municipalities to take water privatization off the table and listen to residents who have spoken out against amalgamation. Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario, said Ontario’s Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building...
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Safe consumption site called `total failure'
At least one business owner would not be unhappy if Niagara’s only drug consumption and treatment services site was forced to close. Tim Toffolo, a brew-your-own beer and wine business owner, said he is at wits’ end with “this experiment of the...
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Gale resigns over Hitler manifesto controversy
Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale has resigned his position, effective immediately, after it was revealed he had purchased a signed copy of Adolf Hitler's “Mein Kampf.” Gale, a former candidate for Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives in the 2022...
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Tackling the monster of Niagara amalgamation
If municipal governance reform is going to help Niagara slay the tripleheaded dragon of unsustainable property tax increases, structural inefficiencies and a ballooning infrastructure gap, a fourcity amalgamation may end up looking like a...
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Gas prices expected to drop
Wait until Thursday evening before you fill up your tank, even if you have to push your car to the gas station, advises Dan McTeague. That's because despite dire warnings Monday that gas prices could surge by as much as 25 cents a litre by the end of...
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Concern grows for family caught in Iran's violence
As the United States and Israel enter the second week of their aerial campaign in Iran, an Iranian Canadian in Niagara fears for family and friends caught in the crossfire, and condemns the attack on the Persian Gulf country. In the early hours of the...
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College adapts to meet soaring drone demand
After a quartercentury teaching the science of light, Niagara College is evolving its photonics department into a new stream for defence systems engineering — a step designed to address dipping enrolment and surging demand for domestic drone...
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'We can no longer afford to sit idly by'
At 75, Trisha Romance holds a lifetime of stories that have shaped her journey and it all traces back to her parents. As her “biggest cheerleaders,” they encouraged their daughter to follow her passion — even if that meant pursuing art at a time when...
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Gale pushes plan with only mayors on regional council
Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale is calling on the province for governance reforms that would reduce the size of some lower-tier municipal councils. His most radical change is to limit regional council to a chair and 12 mayors, with weighted voting, to...
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Students protest `egregious and cruel' changes to OSAP
High school was a hard journey for Mahek Rahman. After losing her father to COVID19 and battling her own health issues, she spent years fighting to catch up. Now, just months from graduation, she holds several Ontario university offers to study...
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Falls barber hanging up his clippers at 79
It was the first day for his new barbershop on Portage Road and things weren’t looking so good for Nick Radice. It was mid-afternoon and he still hadn’t seen a customer. Did he make a mistake? he wondered. After all, he left a well-paying job to...
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Niagara's new digital 911 system ready to go live
Niagara is switching over to an enhanced emergency communications system, one that promises to be more robust and efficient while reducing response times. Powered by provider Bell and Motorola Solutions, the digitalbased Next Generation 911 (NG911)...
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South Niagara mayors are confident about health plans
While Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones said plans are in place to provide “exceptional health-care service” for Niagara, she didn’t comment on Fort Erie and Port Colborne proposals to continue urgent care services in their communities. Urgent care...
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Regional council hands chair a stinging rebuke
Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale's drive for governance reform has hit a detour, with councillors passing a motion directing him to refrain from any further action or use of staff time while they initiate their own review. The motion was council's...
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Signed and delivered
A steel beam, seven metres long and bearing the signatures of thousands of Niagara residents and healthcare workers, on Wednesday was hoisted to the top of Niagara Health's 12storey hospital under construction on Montrose Road. It was the last...
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`It has to be from Niagara, by Niagara'
Doug Ford said Niagara's governance needs change — but he's not going to determine what that may be. Ontario's premier said that will be a decision for residents and the region's political leaders. “That's going to be up to them if they want one...
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Students face more debt as OSAP gets overhaul
As rent and grocery costs continue to climb, food insecurity had already become a growing concern on Niagara postsecondary campuses. Student unions and advocacy groups were focused on helping their peers avoid choosing between a healthy meal and a...
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Family slams police for failed 911 response
Less than a year after Ralph Buerger died, his family stood outside Niagara Regional Police headquarters, hoping their presence on the Niagara Falls sidewalk in front would put pressure on police to clarify what happened in the early hours of Aug. 30,...
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Sport system under strain showed in Milan Cortina
Canada losing ground to other countries in the 2026 Olympic Games is a symptom of a sport system under strain, said a Canadian Olympic Committee leader Sunday. Canada finished outside the top five countries in the medal table at the Milan Cortina...
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Industries navigating for slice of defence spending
Port Weller dry docks in St. Catharines could be a beehive of activity if Ontario Shipyards secures a share of billions of dollars being invested in national defence over the next decade. The company, formerly known as Heddle Marine, announced this...
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Ukrainians living in Niagara facing a new kind of limbo
When Russia invaded Ukraine four years ago, Lydia Pelageya received a call from a friend of more than 25 years. The man had bought plane tickets for her and her family, insisting they flee to Canada. While her son-in-law stayed in Odessa to fight in...
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`Black communities should be encouraged and supported'
Tapo Chimbganda was shocked and horrified when she saw it. She was walking along Welland Avenue in St. Catharines in 2010 when an “extremely offensive” pitch-black doll with bulging white eyes and pink lips caught her attention. It was a golliwog...
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Niagara is no longer `such a white space'
When Nyarayi Kapisavanhu moved to Niagara in 2011, it was unusual to meet someone who looked like her, she recalls. The Zimbabwe native was one of 6,340 Niagara residents who identified as Black that year, according to Statistics Canada's census...
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`They helped me not die'
A former client of Niagara’s only supervised consumption and drug treatment centre says he’s alive today because of the services it provides to support his recovery. John Baker, a pseudonym protecting his identity, said he became concerned when he...
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Hospital underfunding `getting worse,' union says
Job cuts at Niagara Health, along with other hospitals across Ontario, are likely to continue in the years to come due to government underfunding, warns a new Canadian Union of Public Employees report. Michael Hurley, president of CUPE's Ontario...
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Charges dropped in case of Welland condo collapse
Charges against a professional engineer regarding the partial collapses of Evertrust Development's Upper Vista Welland condos three years ago have been withdrawn in provincial offences court. Appearing before justice of the peace Shari St. Peter on...
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Region's supervised injection site at risk
Relocation of a St. Catharines Montessori school could mean the end of Niagara’s only supervised consumption and drug treatment site next door. Talia Storm of Positive Living Niagara said provincial legislation regulating consumption sites prohibits...
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Gale wants $3 million in cuts to Region budget
Niagara Region Chair Bob Gale has identified more than $3 million in potential savings for the municipality's 2026 budget he said addresses residents' concerns about affordability and rising costs. Any decisions would still need council approval, but...
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EARTHLY CABARET
Nailah Renuka performs on an aerial hoop at The Bank Art House during the Welland performance venue's Earthly Cabaret, an artistic tribute to Mother Nature. The cabaret was held this past weekend in conjunction with FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre...
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Children's book a fresh take on stinky breath
Ever been trapped by someone with “Icky Stinky Poopy Breath?” Adults can discreetly move away. Kids don't always have that option — especially when being smothered in the arms of cheekpinching Aunt Betty, who they've never met before. “I always...
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Welland urged to pay $17.8M for Niagara Falls hospital
City staff are recommending Welland council approve a $17.8million contribution to the new 12storey Niagara Falls hospital under construction at Montrose and Biggar roads. Before it's presented publicly at Tuesday's meeting, city council will meet in...
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Cemetery discussion leads to shouting match
Discussion about Thorold's controversial cemetery bylaw gave rise to shouting and namecalling as a leader of the city's Islamic community sought compassion. City Coun. Tim O'Hare put forth a motion Tuesday to remove from the bylaw a clause that...
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Welland hospital extended care unit to close
Dozens of older adults living at Welland hospital’s extended care unit have to find new homes as Niagara Health shuts down its long-term-care home. The hospital system’s chief nursing executive, Simon Akinsulie, said the 115-bed facility won’t close...
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Deep freeze creates winter wonderland
Cold weather is expected to linger in Niagara for at least the rest of the week and into the weekend, although not quite like late January’s deep freeze and avalanche of snow. On Groundhog Day, furry prognosticators’ predictions varied. In Niagara,...
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Royal George Theatre takes one final bow
Colleen Lawrason saw her first film at NiagaraontheLake's Royal George Theatre. “I started in the '50s riding my bicycle to see movies here,” said the St. Catharines woman, who with her retired husband Jim toured the theatre Saturday one last time...
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`We should be doubling down on this program'
A team in bright vests and jackets has helped a downtown St. Catharines business deal with garbage in a nearby encampment. Its members have intervened at the library when a person was in crisis. And they've helped an employee get to know the unhoused...
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`Frozen falls' luring plenty of visitors
The “frozen falls” phenomenon is expected to draw a larger number of people to Niagara Falls this weekend than normal for this chilly time of year. Following an extended period of extreme cold and snow, the worldfamous cataracts have partially frozen,...
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Overhead gantry at former GM plant `dangerous threat'
Possible safety concerns about the old General Motors industrial overhead structure spanning Ontario Street are being raised by a St. Catharines city councillor. Bruce Williamson said his concerns aren't just about the integrity of the metal gantry...
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Ticat receiver goes from tackling sled to bobsled
“Big, strong and fast.” In three seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks and one with the Hamilton TigerCats, Keaton Bruggeling found out quickly “that's the name of the game” in the Canadian Football League. “And that's all they tell you to be,” the...
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Marineland has `solid plan' to move whales
Marineland has a “solid plan” to move Canada's last remaining captive whales and dolphins to several parks in the United States, Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson said Tuesday. On Monday, the minister conditionally approved the shuttered Niagara...
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Conditional approval granted to send belugas to U.S. parks
Marineland's belugas have a received a reprieve from death row after the federal government conditionally approved a plan to export the last remaining captive whales in Canada to the United States. Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson met Monday with...
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Ice volcanoes emerge on Lake Erie shoreline
Along with snow days, severe winter weather experienced this past week in south Niagara brought with it the return of a seasonal feature. Like natural sculptures, ice volcanoes are winddriven mounds of ice that form along a lake shore. Earlier this...
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Former Olympian, alleged drug king found in Mexico
Former Canadian Olympic snowboarder turned alleged drug kingpin Ryan Wedding has been arrested in Mexico, capping off a yearslong manhunt and dealing what U.S. officials called a significant blow to a violent criminal network that has endangered...
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Marineland asks to ship belugas to U.S. parks
Marineland has presented a plan to the federal government to ship the last remaining captive whales and dolphins in Canada to several institutions in the United States, The Canadian Press has learned. But the theme park also gave Ottawa an imminent...
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`Experiences like these can leave people feeling unsettled'
A month after a standoff and shooting on Second Street, Welland Mayor Frank Campion says city officials are continuing to review what happened and assess how to support municipal staff and the community. “I want to acknowledge city staff, including...
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Region presses for homeless solutions
Niagara Region continues to make its case with the provincial government that funding for highly supportive housing will reduce chronic homelessness — and makes financial sense for taxpayers. An analysis, presented last week in an infographic to...
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Take it easy while digging out, health experts advise
As parts of Niagara are digging out from its latest dumping of snow, cardiologist Dr. Adnan Hameed says Niagara Health is seeing an uptick in patients experiencing chest pain after clearing driveways. About 25 centimetres of snow fell on parts of...
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What’s in a name? Fonthill was never Temperanceville
The buildings may be miniature in size, but their history is anything but. While a recent restoration of the village display in Fonthill’s Peace Park highlighted the Temperanceville name, Pelham Historical Society is stepping in to provide a deeper,...
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Niagara's Ira Parker goes from fan to showrunner
It was one of those lifechanging moments Niagara's Ira Parker didn't realize at the time. He was in college, bored, about to read the Harry Potter books for about the 10th time, he recalls. That's when his longtime friend intervened with something...
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Police storefront wanted in downtown St. Catharines
Niagara Regional Police are being asked by St. Catharines council to consider opening a community storefront downtown as part of a plan to improve safety, support workers and residents, and “restore public confidence” in the area. The city has been in...
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A Niagaran's life in the lore of Robert Burns
Carefully sifting through the wellworn edges of his grandfather's Robert Burns poetry collection, Ronnie O'Byrne's hands go still when they find a familiar 270line refrain. “Go anywhere you want,” he says, passing the book. “Just give me a couple of...
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Cool times forecast with icewine in festival spotlight
As temperatures dip below freezing, the Niagara Icewine Festival turns up the heat for two weeks in January. Starting Jan. 17 and 18, and continuing Jan. 24 and 25, NiagaraontheLake's downtown transforms into Icewine Village as local wineries offer...
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A Niagara artist, a 1963 photo and a surprise visit
Niagara Falls artist Emily Andrews usually gets so attached to her paintings she forms a relationship with the people in them. Random faces and figures are characters she grows attached to. Considering the nostalgic nature of her work, the faces are...
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