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Peterborough-Nogojiwanong boasts a vibrant, thriving drag scene no small feat for a relatively small city that, despite having inclusive or friendly spaces, has no dedicated establishment catering exclusively to the 2SLGBTQ+ community. This vibrancy is thanks, in part, to a supportive community including non-profit organizations, businesses, and audiences. That said, the local drag scene would be nothing without its talent. These performers are drag royalty for a reason.... Our arts and culture writer Sarah McNeilly speaks with four of Peterborough and the Kawarthas’ favourite drag performers -- Ms. Madge Enthat and Miss Divalicious (top row) and Sahira Q, and Just Janis (bottom row) -- about how they got into drag, how they are managing during the pandemic, and more in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//four-of-peterborough-and-the-kaw/

Good Saturday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @kawarthavisions. Follow Fred Thornhill @kawarthavisions on Instagram at https://instagram.com/kawarthavisions #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #cityofkawarthalakes #springinthekawarthas #thekawarthas #kawarthalakesontario #april #ontariolakes #kawarthasunrise

Here's an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region. The rollercoaster of new cases continues with Ontario reporting 4,505 cases today after yesterday’s 3,682 cases. For the first time ever, Peel is reporting more than 1,000 cases along with Toronto, with 6 other health units reporting triple-digit increases a smaller number than in previous days. The seven-day average of daily cases has decreased by 44 to 4,132. There are 2,700 more cas...es of the B.1.1.7 UK variant, along with 21 more cases of the B.1.351 South Africa variant and 6 more cases of the P.1 Brazilian variant. Hospitalizations have decreased slightly, but ICU admissions and patients on ventilators have increased to record highs, with Ontario reporting 34 new deaths today. An additional 3,854 people were fully immunized yesterday, the highest daily number since vaccinations began in Ontario. In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 30 new cases to report (9 in Northumberland, 7 in Peterborough, 6 in Hastings Prince Edward, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton) and an additional 47 cases resolved, reducing the number of active cases by 19 to 277. This is the fifth straight day the number of regional active cases has decreased, falling by 145 since April 18. The highest number of regional active cases was 464 on April 15. For more provincial and local case details, including trend charts, visit https://kawarthanow.com//covid-19-update-for-peterborough/

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @curtis_snapshot. The herons are back! Burleigh Falls Ontario. Follow Curtis on Instagram at https://instagram.com/curtis_snapshot #greatblueheron #heron #birdsofthekawarthas #trentlakes #northkawartha #ptbocounty #ptbokawartha #burleighfalls #burleigh #stonylake #stoneylake #springinthekawarthas #thekawarthas #kawarthas #ontariolakes #thekawarthasontario

Here's an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region. Today, Ontario is reporting 4,447 new cases, with Toronto reporting 1,299 new cases and 8 other health units reporting triple-digit increases. Hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and patients on ventilators continue to reach record highs. In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 26 new cases in Northumberland, 11 in Kawartha Lakes, 8 in Peterborough, 5 in Hastings Prince Edward, and 3 in... Haliburton. However, with 91 more cases resolved across the region, the number of regional active cases has dropped by 46 to 376. There has been 1 new COVID-related death in Hastings Prince Edward. For more provincial and local case details, including trend charts, visit https://kawarthanow.com//covid-19-update-for-peterborough/

A protest of COVID-19 restrictions planned for this Saturday (April 24) in Confederation Park across from Peterborough City Hall is casting a dark shadow over some encouraging news in terms of active case counts in the Peterborough region, but police say they don’t have the authority to stop the protest from taking place. During a Peterborough Public Health briefing held Friday (April 23), local politicians representing all three levels of government urged those planning to p...rotest to stay home, citing concern that the gathering will turn into a virus super-spreader event. You have the right to protest. You have the right to object. You do not have the right to harm someone else and that is what you will be doing," said Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith, who saved his harshest comments for anti-lockdown advocate Randy Hillier, Ontario independent MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, who along with Maxime Bernier, former MP and leader of the federal People’s Party of Canada is scheduled to come to Peterborough to speak at the protest. Stay home, I don’t want you here, MPP Smith said. Go away. You don’t belong here. On social media, both Hillier and Bernier have encouraged their followers many of whom are not from the Peterborough area to attend the protest, as has the Facebook page No More Lockdowns Canada. Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef and Peterborough County Warden J. Murray Jones echoed MPP Smith’s comments regarding the planned protest. While unable to attend the briefing, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien made a similar plea earlier this week via a joint statement issued by all four politicians. Mayor Therrien also issued a tweet on Thursday asking Hillier and Bernier to Stay TF home. (pictured) For his part, Peterborough Police Services Chief Scott Gilbert made it clear that people have a right to protest and, as such, police cannot prevent that from happening. However, his comments made it clear he does not support people gathering in large numbers to protest. I wish they would stay home and not come here and endanger our community, but the reality is the power doesn’t exist right now to prevent people from coming here, he added. The law does not allow us to be pre-emptive. It’s not like somebody is about to commit an armed robbery and you can arrest them in advance in the planning stage. That legal authority doesn’t exist in relation to the stay-at-home order. For more of Chief Gilbert's comments and full coverage of today's briefing by our writer Paul Rellinger, read our story at https://kawarthanow.com//police-cant-stop-saturdays-anti-/

Hours after the Ontario government announced the AstraZeneca COVID-19 would be available in pharmacies for those 40 years of age and older beginning Tuesday (April 20), Premier Doug Ford’s office issued a statement on Monday afternoon warning of delays to two shipments of the vaccine originally expected from the federal government later this month and next. "As we look to expand our rollout of AstraZeneca to younger age groups and into more pharmacies, any delays to vaccine ...shipments would be devastating for Ontario right now as we battle the third wave of this pandemic," the statement reads, noting the Premier was just notified of the delays. While we seek to confirm this information, the Premier is redoubling his efforts to secure more vaccines by directly reaching out to our international allies for any available supply, the statement reads, noting that the Premier has already spoken with Canada’s ambassador to Denmark and the Consulate General of the United States. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//premiers-office-says-two-expecte/

Good Friday morning our #kawarthapeeps! It's our publisher's birthday this week so today we share one of her photos. #picnicisland #northkawartha #eelslake #ptbocounty #highlandseast #haliburtonhighlands #peterboroughcounty #summerinthekawarthas

Peterborough police issued six tickets at the anti-lockdown protest in front of Peterborough City Hall on Saturday (April 17). Four of the tickets were issued for violations of the Reopening Ontario Act and two tickets were issued for violation of the parks and facilities by-law that prohibits the use of drones in city parks. In a media release, police say they are continuing to investigate information about the protest and may lay further charges under the Reopening Ontario ...Act and for the drone activity. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//peterborough-police-issue-six-ti/

The Canadian Canoe Museum has released a sneak peek of the proposed new museum building to be built at the Johnson property, located at 2077 Ashburnham Drive in Peterborough, beside the Parks Canada building and north of Beavermead Park. The museum is hosting a virtual public meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 28th to unveil details about the new museum, including architectural renderings of the proposed new building. The new museum is being designed by Peterborough’s Lett Architects Inc. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//canadian-canoe-museum-in-peterbo/

Ontarians 40 years of age and older can book a pharmacy appointment to receive the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine starting on Tuesday (April 20). The vaccine will also be available at primary care settings. As we continue to fight COVID-19, we are doing everything possible to get as many vaccines into arms as quickly and safely as possible, Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, said in a statement issued on Monday. We continue to be actively engaged ...with Health Canada on updated AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine safety, he added. Last week, based on the review of available data from Europe and United Kingdom, Health Canada announced that it was not restricting the use of AstraZeneca vaccine in any specific populations at this time. Previously the AstraZeneca vaccine was only available to those aged 55 and older, based on a recommendation from Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//ontario-expands-astrazeneca-covi/

Good Monday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @kirkhillsley in Millbrook. Follow Kirk on Instagram at https://instagram.com/kirkhillsley #millbrook #millbrookmillpond #cavanmonaghan #ptbocounty #ptbo #ptbokawartha #springinthekawarthas #kawarthasunset #kawarthas #thekawarthas

Great news! Today (Saturday) at around 1:20pm, the OPP located Hope Jemimah in the area where she went missing last Monday. She is alive and well, but has been transported to a local hospital for a health assessment. The OPP are thanking everyone who called in to support and assist in locating Hope. Original story at https://kawarthanow.com//opp-searching-for-29-year-old-wo/

On the same day the new measures went into effect, the Ontario government has reversed course on giving police the authority to stop and question pedestrians and motorists during the province's stay-at-home order and on closing playgrounds. The government was widely criticized for both measures, particularly the expanded police authority that raised fears among racialized and marginalized communities. Both measures went into effect on Saturday (April 17). By Saturday afterno...on, many police forces in Ontario had publicly stated they would not be using the expanded authority to stop people at random. By Saturday evening, the government had amended the regulation to scale back the authority. The amended regulation now only allows police to question a person if they suspect a person is participating in a prohibited gathering. People are not required to give police any information other than whether they are participating in such a gathering. Under the previous regulation, police had the authority to stop vehicles at random, and people were required to provide police with their address and the reason why they were not staying at home. People who refused to provide the information to police were subject to a fine up to $750. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//ontario-reverses-course-on-new-p/

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps from Burleigh Falls thanks to @live_e_van_art Follow her on Instagram at https://instagram.com/live_e_van_art #kawarthasunrise #springinthekawarthas #burleighfalls #burleigh #stonylake #stoneylake #northkawartha #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #ptbo #thekawarthas #kawarthasontario

In our final look back at the year that was, our publisher Jeannine Taylor shares the top 20 photos on our Instagram account from 2020. "As I review our top 20 images for the year, I'm amazed once again that nature and the beauty of the Kawarthas endures," Jeannine writes. "We're very grateful to all the local and visiting photographers who allow us to share their work on our Instagram and Facebook pages." A video of a moose crossing a highway in Algonquin Park, taken by Jess...e Villemaire and Susan Brown of Follow Me North Photography, was our top post on Instagram in 2020, with almost 60,000 impressions, 30,000 views, and 3,000 likes. To see the video and the other 19 photos, read the story at https://kawarthanow.com/2021/01/03/top-20-instagram-of-2020/

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps from beautiful Stoney Lake thanks to @rcamp14. Fresh snowfall this weekend! #stonylake #stoneylake #northkawartha #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #ptbo #kawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #thekawarthas #ontariolakes #ontario #january

By March 17, 2020 a day that shall live in infamy every artisan fair, community space, concert hall, club, festival, gallery, museum, and theatre in the Kawarthas had gone dark, which led to a never-ending list of cancelled cultural events that has since devastated the arts and culture sector. Like a black hole, from which no light can escape, the pandemic consumed everything in its path; yet, somehow, this year has miraculously seen much incredible work in the arts. 2020..., our year of the virus, has also been the year of art in spite of all. Our arts and culture writer Sarah McNeilly takes a look back at the impact of the pandemic on the arts community in the Kawarthas in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//art-in-spite-of-all-how-the-kawa/ Pictured are The Theatre on King - TTOK artistic director Ryan Kerr and theatre artist and writer Kate Story in a photo by Julie Gagne as part of the Electric City Culture Council's "The Essential Project" photography series, which profiled 20 Peterborough-area artists and their pandemic experiences.

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region. Today, Ontario is reporting a new record-high number of daily cases today at 3,363, with the seven-day average of daily cases across the province increasing by 219 to 2,655. Most of today’s new cases are in Peel (713), Toronto (700), York (395), Windsor-Essex (226), Hamilton (171), Niagara (166), Halton (152), and Durham (115).... In the greater Kawarthas region over the past two days, there are 88 new cases to report, including 37 in Peterborough, 21 in Northumberland, 15 in Hastings Prince Edward, 11 in Kawartha Lakes, and 4 in Haliburton. There is 1 new hospitalization in Kawartha Lakes. An outbreak was declared at Christian Horizons group home in Northumberland on January 1 and in Hope St. Terrace long-term care home in Port Hope on December 31. The outbreak at Golden Plough Lodge in Cobourg has been declared over. An additional 17 cases have been resolved, including 7 in Peterborough, 4 in Kawartha Lakes, 4 in Northumberland, and 2 in Hastings Prince Edward. There are currently 201 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, an increase of 73 from December 31, including 100 in Peterborough, 35 in Hastings Prince Edward (15 in Quinte West, 15 in Belleville, 2 in Prince Edward County, 1 in Tyendinaga & Deseronto, and 1 in North Hastings), 33 in Northumberland, 27 in Kawartha Lakes, and 6 in Haliburton. For more provincial and local case details, visit https://kawarthanow.com//covid-19-update-for-peterborough/

Here's an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region (scroll to the bottom for details on local numbers). After reporting 1,939 new cases yesterday, today Ontario is reporting a record increase of 2,553 new cases, eclipsing the previous record high of 2,447 cases reported on Christmas Eve. The seven-day average of daily cases across the province has increased by 24 to 2,236. At a media conference at Queen’s Park on Tuesday (December 29), On...Continue reading

Trent University announced on Saturday (January 2) that Thomas Henry Bull Symons, its founding president, has passed away. He was 91 years old. Professor Symons was born in Toronto in 1929 to First World War flying ace Harry Lutz Symons and Dorothy Bull, daughter of the financier and historian William Perkins Bull. In 1961, while teaching history at the University of Toronto, Professor Symons was approached by a committee of Peterborough citizens who asked him to create a uni...versity for the city. He accepted the challenge and, at 33 years old, became the youngest university president in Canada. He served as Trent University’s president and vice-chancellor for 11 years until 1972. Upon Professor Symons’ retirement in 1994, he was made Vanier Professor Emeritus and the Nassau Mills campus of the university was officially renamed in his honour for his years of dedication and tireless work. He also played an instrumental role in the founding of Fleming College and over a dozen other colleges and universities around the world. His leadership in education and his contributions to society and the nation were widely recognized including his investment as a member of the Order of Canada in 1976 and the Order of Ontario in 2002. After retirement, Professor Symons remained an active member of the university community as well within Peterborough and beyond. Full story, including a link to a special tribute website set up by Trent University, at https://kawarthanow.com//trent-university-founding-presid/

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @andrea_mcclure on #pigeonlake #bobcaygeon #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #winterinthekawarthas #ontariolakes #december #ontario #thekawarthasontario #kawarthasunrise

Day 17 of the Innovation Clusters 25 Days of Startups Advent Calendar features Unduwearables, an award-winning startup based in Toronto that makes wearable pain solutions for women's health. The company will soon be launching its first product: a soft heat pack to relieve menstrual pain, which often leads to "sick days" away from work and school. You can win one at instagram.com/innovationcluster/

If harvesting your own fresh local Christmas tree is a holiday tradition for your family, there are a couple of important things you need to know this year. First, because of the pandemic, all Christmas tree farms have COVID-19 health and safety protocols in place. Second, unless you want to end up with a Charlie Brown tree, don’t delay in getting your tree this year. With more families staying at home during the holidays during the pandemic, there’s a high demand for trees ... and that means shortages are expected. There are six tree farms in the Kawarthas where you can harvest your own tree: Potash Creek Farms in Omemee, Barrett’s Tree Farm in Cobourg, J & D Trees in Colborne, Murray Tree Farm in Apsley, Dawson Tree Farm in Millbrook, and Oake Family Tree Farm in Cavan-Monaghan. If you’re willing to drive just outside the Kawarthas, you can also harvest your own tree at Powell’s Trees in Bowmanville and Blackstock Christmas Tree Farm in Blackstock. For the full story -- including a map of all the tree farm locations that also lists available tree species, hours, prices, and websites (including COVID-19 protocols) -- visit https://kawarthanow.com//christmas-trees-in-the-kawarthas/

Port Hope police have arrested and charged a woman with assault after she allegedly spit in a stranger’s face. A Cobourg woman was in a vehicle, stopped at the intersection of Toronto Road and Bruton Street in Port Hope, with her passenger side window rolled down. Police say the accused woman was walking by when, for no reason, she turned and spit through the window, striking the victim in the face area.... Jennifer Prevedel has been charged with assault. She was released on an undertaking with conditions and will appear in court on February 3, 2021. Police say the accused woman and the victim do not know each other and the attack was unprovoked. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//woman-charged-after-spitting-in-/

In this week's column from Peterborough Green Up, NeighbourPLAN program coordinator Laura Keresztesi shares how temporary "infrastructure pop-ups" are a cost-efficient approach for demonstrating and testing long-term changes in urban neighbourhoods. This past October, as part of NeighbourPLAN, infrastructure pop-ups took place in Peterborough's Talwood and Jackson Park-Brookdale neighbourhoods. In Talwood, where residents are concerned about high-speed traffic in dense resi...dential areas and a lack of pedestrian crossings, they added a coloured pedestrian crosswalk next to a transit stop with small bump outs of the curb on either side of the crosswalk (pictured), designed to slow vehicle traffic and shorten pedestrian crossing distances. Read more about NeighbourPLAN's infrastructure pop-ups, including more photos and a video, in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//re-imagining-peterboroughs-publi/

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @kirkhillsley in #millbrook Ontario. #millbrookmillpond #millbrookON #cavanmonaghan #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #kawarthas #thekawarthas #fallinthekawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #kawarthasontario

Good Thursday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @tim.haan.photography in #kawarthahighlandsprovincialpark #winterinthekawarthas #northkawartha #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #ptbo #kawarthas #thekawarthas #ontariolakes #december #ontario #kawarthahighlands

A marked increase in local COVID-19 activity may see the health unit region of Peterborough Public Health moved into the province’s yellow protect level this Friday (November 20), meaning the implementation of more strengthened public health measures. The region is currently in the green prevent level but, as Medical Officer of Health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra noted during the weekly Peterborough Public Health media briefing held Wednesday (November 18), a recent uptick in th...e number of positive cases may necessitate a move from green to yellow. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday (November 17), the Peterborough Public Health region comprising the city and county of Peterborough and Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations has seen a total of 179 total positive cases, an increase of 15 since just last week. There are a total of 23 active cases, including 18 cases associated with an ongoing outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough. In addition, the health unit is currently following 32 close contacts, people at higher risk of contracting the virus due to their contact with an infected person, up from 10 a week ago. Our weekly case incidence rate has jumped to 14.9 per 100,000 (people), higher than the week before when it was 8.8," Dr. Salvaterra said. "Two weeks ago we were at 2.7. When a public health unit’s weekly case incidence rate reaches 10 per 100,000, it is one of the key indicators considered to move into the yellow, or protect, level. For full coverage of today's briefing by our writer Paul Rellinger, see our story at https://kawarthanow.com//increased-covid-19-activity-may-/ (Note: our content has always been free and available to everyone with no limits. No registration is required and there's no paywall on our website. So you can share our stories with your friends and they won't be nagged with "You've reached your article limit" or "Sign in to keep reading" or "This article is exclusive to subscribers".)

In From the Cold, Peterborough’s coolest Christmas concert, is back for its 21st year in December but with an old-fashioned twist because of the pandemic. This year, since you can’t come to In From The Cold, we’re going to come to you on the radio, says concert organizer John Hoffman. I hope people will gather around the radio much like they did back in the 1930s and ’40s, and share our musical memories with us. In From The Cold At Home, a two-hour concert featuring... favourites from 20 years of In From The Cold, will be broadcast on Trent Radio 92.7 FM at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 11th and Saturday, December 12th and streamed at http://trentradio.ca. For the past 20 years, In From The Cold has been a live concert at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough over two nights every December (pictured is the 2015 concert), with each concert recorded for a Christmas Day broadcast on Trent Radio. Thanks to the support of sponsors and with musicians generously donating their time, all ticket proceeds have gone to YES Shelter for Youth and Families. Since it was established in 2000, the fundraising concert has raised almost $140,000 for YES. Due to health and safety concerns caused by the pandemic, a live concert is not possible this year and tickets can’t be sold to raise funds for YES. Instead, the radio concert will feature the best of Trent Radio’s In From the Cold recordings over the past 20 years. While the radio concert is of course free of charge, listeners are encouraged to donate directly to the YES Shelter for Youth and Families at canadahelps.org/en/pages/in-from-the-cold-christmas/. We hope that, instead of buying a concert ticket, people will make a donation to YES through our special fundraiser on Canada Helps, Hoffman says. For more information about what you can expect to hear during this year's In From The Cold At Home radio broadcast, read our story at https://kawarthanow.com/2020/11/23/in-from-the-cold-2020-2/

Good Monday morning our #kawarthapeeps from Jackson Park thanks to @curtis_snapshot Curtis Parypa Follow Curtis on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/curtis_snapshot/ And follow us too! https://www.instagram.com/kawarthanow/ #ptbo #jacksonpark #jacksoncreek #peterborough #ptbokawartha #kawarthas #winterinthekawarthas

The Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough, the Peterborough 360 Degree Nurse Practitioner Clinic, and PARN-Your Community AIDS Resource Network have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise $50,000 in support of Peterborough’s first consumption and treatment services site. According to a media release issued by PARN on Wednesday (November 18), the funds will be used to retain the property at 220 Simcoe Street (the former Greyhound bus station at the corner of Simcoe a...nd Alymer) where the site would be established, and to cover the costs of studies and renovations required to operate the site. An opioid response hub is already located at the location, but a consumption and treatment services site would allow people to use their drugs safely under trained supervision and to be connected to other life-saving supports. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//50000-sought-to-support-peterbor/ (Note: our content has always been free and available to everyone with no limits. No registration is required and there's no paywall on our website. So you can share our stories with your friends and they won't be nagged with "You've reached your article limit" or "Sign in to keep reading" or "This article is exclusive to subscribers".)

The Peterborough Police Service is looking for a suspect after an armed robbery in the east end of Peterborough on Tuesday night (December 15). At around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, police were called to a store on Armour Road after reports of a robbery at knifepoint. The suspect left with a quantity of cash and lottery tickets. The male suspect was wearing a grey winter coat, light grey track pants, brown gloves with re-enforced knuckles, a black mask, a black toque, and black boot...s. He was carrying a blue satchel bag and brandished a kitchen-style knife during the robbery. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//peterborough-police-seek-suspect/

A third resident of Fairhaven has passed away because of COVID-19. Lionel Towns, executive director of the municipally operated long-term care home on Dutton Road in Peterborough, made the announcement on Monday (November 23). We are saddened to report that we have experienced the loss of another COVID-positive resident, Towns says. This is the third death of a person who has contracted the virus at Fairhaven since our outbreak began.... On a less sombre note, Towns reports no additional positive cases have been identified, and seven more residents have fully recovered and will be moved out of the home’s COVID-19 isolation unit by the end of Monday. This will leave six active COVID-19 cases among residents. One staff member has also fully recovered and will be returning to work at the home, leaving two active cases among staff. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//third-covid-positive-resident-of/

Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region (scroll to the bottom for local numbers). Today, Ontario is reporting a new record of 1,589 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of daily cases since the 1,588 reported on November 21. The average number of daily cases over the past seven days has now increased by 14 to 1,429. Peel again leads the province with 535 new cases reported today, followed by Toronto at 336 cases and York at 2...Continue reading

Every month, kawarthaNOW is the only local media source to bring you a list of what’s coming to Netflix Canada. With Netflix raising prices in January for everything except its basic plan, viewers will again have to decide whether the streaming service is worth it but if you’re thinking of switching to Disney+, be aware that streaming service is also raising its prices by $3 in February. In January, Netflix is bringing us History of Swear Words, a new original series hosted... by Nicolas Cage (pictured). Through interviews with experts in etymology, pop culture, historians and entertainers, the six-episode series explores the origins, pop culture-usage, science, and cultural impact of F**k, Sh*t, B*tch, D**k, Pu**y, and Damn. History of Swear Words premieres on Tuesday, January 5. Netflix has acquired the distribution rights for the film Penguin Bloom, which had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival in September. Based on the best-selling novel, the film tells the true story of Sam Bloom (Naomi Watts), a young mother whose world is turned upside down after a near-fatal accident leaves her unable to walk. Penguin Bloom, which also stars Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead), comes to Netflix on Wedneday, January 27. Season three of the popular Netflix original series Cobra Kai is also premiering in January, although Netflix hasn’t specified a release date. Season three finds everyone reeling in the aftermath of the violent high school brawl between their dojos, which has left Miguel in a precarious condition. While Daniel searches for answers in his past and Johnny seeks redemption, Kreese further manipulates his vulnerable students with his own vision of dominance. For more highlights, trailers, and a complete list of everything coming to Netflix Canada by date in January (and what's leaving), visit https://kawarthanow.com//whats-new-on-netflix-canada-in-j/ (Note: our content has always been free and available to everyone with no limits. No registration is required and there's no paywall on our website. So you can share our stories with your friends and they won't be nagged with "You've reached your article limit" or "Sign in to keep reading" or "This article is exclusive to subscribers".)

Day 16 of the Innovation Cluster's 25 Days of Startups Advent Calendar features InnovFin Consulting Inc, a consulting and advisory firm that helps finance companies leverage innovative technologies, starting with blockchain, to cut costs, generate revenues, and access financing. Learn more at https://innovfin.ca. You can win a blockchain education session with InnovFin at https://www.instagram.com/innovationcluster/

If you’re looking for a COVID-safe family outing during the Halloween season while supporting a good cause, you’ll want to check out Halloween Fright Nights at Indian River Reptile & Dinosaur Park beginning on Thursday (October 15) and running on selected nights until the end of the month. Located just east of Peterborough, the not-for-profit reptile sanctuary is hosting a drive-through event at its Dinosaur Park featuring ghosts, goblins, bats, skeletons, monsters, and clo...wns and, of course, some of the park’s famous animatronic dinosaurs. This is an all-ages family-friendly event (parental discretion advised) and it's also COVID-safe, since you never have to leave your vehicle just show your ticket at the gate and drive through the park. All proceeds from Halloween Fright Nights will go towards helping care for the hundreds of rescued reptiles at the sanctuary, including turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators, and crocodiles. For more information, including how to get tickets, read our story at https://kawarthanow.com//take-a-spooky-and-creepy-drive-t/

Good Wednesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from #lakefieldON thanks to @kawartha_joe #november #fallinthekawarthas #thekawarthas #kawarthas #ptbocounty #ptbocounty #ptbo #ontariolakes #ontario #mistymornings #frostymornings

The search for missing Trent University student Brett LeBlanc has ended in tragedy. As a result of information received, Peterborough police with the assistance of the Peterborough County OPP conducted a search of the Otonabee River on Monday (November 23). At around 3:15 p.m. on Monday afternoon, the OPP Underwater Search and Recovery Unit located LeBlanc’s body.... Peterborough police say the Ontario coroner is now investigating this incident and police will be providing no further information. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//search-for-missing-trent-univers/

Good Wednesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @thewildinwe at #lock31buckhorn #buckhorn #trentsevernwaterway #tsw #trentlakes #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #fallinthekawarthas #winterinthekawarthas #ontario #ontariolakes #december

Some criminals never learn. For the second time this fall, a 41-year-old Lindsay man has been arrested and charged with theft after being captured on home video surveillance. At around 4:30 p.m. last Thursday (November 19), a man stole a package from the front porch of a Wellington Street home in Lindsay. A security system installed at the home recorded the theft. Using the footage, the investigating officer was able to determine the suspect’s identity and arrested him on Sa...turday (November 21). Jason David Gerrow, 41, of Lindsay has been charged with theft under $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, and failing to comply with the conditions of his probation order. This is the second time this fall Gerrow has been arrested and charged with theft after being captured on home video surveillance. On October 8th, he was one of two people who allegedly stole a cannabis plant from the backyard of a Lindsay home. The complainant provided police with video surveillance from his home, which showed a man and woman stealing the plant. Using the video, the investigating officer was able to determine the identity of the couple responsible. On October 31st, Gerrow was arrested and charged, along with 39-year-old Pamela Shorey, with theft under $5,000 and possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//lindsay-porch-pirate-identified-/

Since the pandemic began, Peterborough’s The Theatre on King - TTOK has been closed like all live performance venues. Now the small-but-mighty black-box theatre has announced some new small-but-mighty fundraisers in partnership with local businesses to help it get through the pandemic. Toast TTOK!, a holiday empties drive in support of the theatre, will run from Saturday, November 21st until Saturday, January 2nd. The fundraising campaign asks Peterborough to save and dona...te their empty alcohol bottles and cans for TTOK to deposit. Between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. every Saturday, supporters can drop their empties off at TTOK at 171 King Street in Downtown Peterborough, located right across the street from the King Street municipal parking garage. Supporters can also reach out to TTOK on social media to arrange for porch pick-ups between 11 a.m. and noon every Saturday. Eight Peterborough restaurants are also participating in the Toast TTOK campaign, generously pledging to donate all the empties that are produced on Giving Tuesday (December 1st). Our arts and culture writer Sarah McNeilly interviews The Theatre On King's Kate Story and Ryan Kerr, pictured during an outside performance of "Love in the Time of Covid" in October in a photo by Andy Carroll. Read the interview -- and find the list of participating restaurants and how other local businesses and organizations are supporting TTOK in its time of need -- in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//raise-a-glass-to-local-theatre-a/

Our weekly VIP Enews is out! Are you on our VIP list? Over 10,500 of our local readers receive the weekly VIP Enews every Wednesday morning with our top news, important updates and community inspiration! The full version of our enews is here -- https://mailchi.mp/kawarthanow/october-14-2020 Sign up on our website on any page or right here ---> http://eepurl.com/bJvw2r

Good Monday morning our #kawarthapeeps! From @ania_kisiala at #millenniumparkptbo #silverbeancafe after our first major snowfall. It looks so pretty and festive! Okay - time to shovel now! #ptbo #peterboroughontario #ptboontario #ptbokawartha #otonabeeriver #downtownptbo #ariverrunsthroughit #riverthatbeatslikeaheart #nogojiwanong #kawarthasontario #thekawarthas #kawarthas

Good Wednesday morning (it's Wednesday already?) our #kawarthapeeps from @kirkhillsley at #orangecornerstrestlebridge #orangecorners #omemee #thegreattrail #kawarthatrails #trestlebridge #kawarthalakes #thekawarthalakes #kawarthalakesontario #fallinthekawarthas #october

Loblaw’s Real Canadian Superstore is going to help residents of Apsley and North Kawartha Township get through the holidays after the recent loss to fire of Sayers Independent Food Town in Apsley, the only grocery store in North Kawartha Township. We have worked with the store for years, the company announced in a media release on Tuesday (December 15), referring to Sayers carrying Loblaw’s products. We’d like to help while they focus on rebuilding. Real Canadian Superstor...e has worked with the township of North Kawartha to find a temporary solution to help residents as they prepare for the holidays. Through PC Express, the company will bring online grocery orders from the Real Canadian Superstore in Peterborough to Apsley, for curbside pickup at the North Kawartha Community Centre at 340 McFadden Road. Residents can place online grocery orders for pickup on December 20, 21 or 22. As with any PC Express pick-up order, the prices and sales are the same as shopping in the store, and the company has waived all pick-up fees. The truck will bring approximately 80 orders per day to Apsley, with four different time slots available each day. In addition, the company will be providing $5,000 worth of most-needed products to the North Kawartha Food Bank. For more details, including how Apsley and North Kawartha Township can make their grocery orders, read our story at https://kawarthanow.com//loblaws-steps-up-to-help-north-k/ (Note: our content has always been free and available to everyone with no limits. No registration is required and there's no paywall on our website. So you can share our stories with your friends and they won't be nagged with "You've reached your article limit" or "Sign in to keep reading" or "This article is exclusive to subscribers".)

Finding a silver lining somewhere, anywhere, in the black cloud that is the COVID-19 pandemic has tested us in unprecedented fashion, Pat Hooper being no stranger to that quest. As chair of the board for Showplace Performance Centre in Downtown Peterborough, Hooper is frustrated the 640-seat not-for-profit performance venue remains shut down in accordance with provincially mandated orders restricting indoor gatherings to 50 people or less. But Hooper is something else: a self...-professed optimist who believes, with the strongest conviction, that we will come together again and it will be okay. When that will be and what that will look like is anyone’s guess, but hanging in suspended animation hasn’t equated to being idle for Hooper, her board colleagues, and Showplace staff general manager Emily Martin among them. Garnering much of their attention is The Showplace Project: Act II Campaign, a capital projects fundraiser with a goal of $2 million that has actress Linda Kash and actress/filmmaker Megan Murphy serving as co-campaign ambassadors. While the plan is to ramp up the campaign again early in the new year, Hooper and co-campaign champion Beth McMaster were beaming Thursday (October 8) as Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith announced Showplace is receiving $99,620 via the provincial government’s Rural Economic Development program. That funding, says Hooper, will be applied to the estimated $400,000-plus cost of replacing the Erica Cherney Theatre’s seats -- which are as old as Showplace itself, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021. Read our writer Paul Rellinger's interview with Hooper and McMaster in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//showplaces-pandemic-frustration-/

Only four days after a COVID-19 outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home in Peterborough was declared over, an employee has tested positive for the disease and another outbreak has been declared. Peterborough Public Health has informed Fairhaven that a person, who is employed by our home, has tested positive for COVID-19, Fairhaven executive director Lionel Towns writes in an email on Tuesday (December 15). Towns says the employee was not infected at Fairhaven and has not ...worked in the building for the past five days. However, as a result of the positive test, an outbreak has been declared for the Riverside 3 (R3) home area only. Towns stresses that there are no confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 among residents at the municipally run home located at 881 Dutton Road. While the outbreak is in effect, all visits to Fairhaven will be postponed. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//another-covid-19-outbreak-declar/

Peterborough police are warning the public about a rental scam that is resurfacing in the area. The Peterborough Police Service has recently received numerous reports about area homes advertised on different websites as being available for rent when in fact they are not. In the rental scam, fraudsters take a photo from an MLS listing of a actual property for sale and then post it online indicating the property is available for rent. Given the current rental market, a victim m...ay provide the scammer with a security deposit or advance rent payment to secure the property. The victim eventually discovers the supposed rental property is occupied by a homeowner. For more information, including warning signs of the rental scam, read our story at https://kawarthanow.com//police-warn-public-about-rental-/

Congratulations to our TOP NINE local photographers for September! Top impressions for the month are shown Thanks to all of you for allowing us to share your work. We have two double recipients this month - Mike Quigg and Ward Strickland. 1 and 2 @_evidence_ 3 @doug_law 4 @thewildinwe ... 5 @beachwood_resort 6 and 7 @ward.strickland 8 @theburleighridge_beareh 9 @thegreenhouseontheriver See more

Day 15 of the Innovation Cluster's 25 Days of Startups Advent Calendar features Lindsay-based Dapagee Industrial IoT, which makes wireless technology to monitor the condition of industrial equipment, along with a data platform that includes visualizations and alerts. Learn more at https://www.dapagee.com

On August 31st, the Electric City Culture Council (EC3) in Peterborough launched Essential, a photography project that raises awareness of the precarious situation of local artists and arts organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part of EC3’s Peterborough Arts Alive initiative, the Essential project is a series of 17 photos by local photographer Julie Gagne that depicts 20 local artists during the pandemic. Each of the photos feature an artist or artists in their home ...or workplace and is accompanied by an artist statement about their experience of the pandemic. Twice each week until the end of October, kawarthaNOW is publishing photos from the series. Today, we feature Randy Read, artistic director of New Stages Peterborough Theatre Company. Read more at https://kawarthanow.com//the-essential-project-new-stages/

UPDATE #2 Tue Oct 13 at 4:30pm - There are no new cases in Peterborough. The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home (declared September 28 when a second staff person tested positive) has been declared over. ------------------------- UPDATE Tue Oct 13 at 2:20pm - 1 new case in Haliburton along with the 2 new cases already reported in Hastings & Prince Edward counties. However, 8 local cases have also been resolved, leaving only 5 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region... (1 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and 1 in Haliburton). Today's Peterborough report is still to come. ------------------------- Here’s an update on COVID-19 cases in Ontario as well as in the greater Kawarthas region. Today, we’re providing a summary of the Ontario situation over the Thanksgiving long weekend (October 10 to 12). There were a total of 2,202 new cases reported over the weekend (649 on Saturday, 807 on Sunday, and 746 on Monday), an average of 734 per day. Of the 2,202 weekend cases, 68% were in Toronto, Peel, and Ottawa, with 754 in Toronto, 451 in Peel, and 289 in Ottawa. Of the new weekend cases, an average of 52% were among people 40 years old and younger. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, 1,997 additional cases were resolved, an average of 666 per day. Of all cases, 85.2% are now resolved, an increase of 0.2% from Friday. The positivity rate (the percentage of positive tests among all tests completed) has increased by 0.3% to 2.6%. Since Friday, there has been a net increase of 17 hospitalized cases, a net increase of 13 ICU admissions, and a net increase of 5 ICU patients on ventilators. There have been 13 deaths since Friday, with 7 deaths in long-term care homes. A total of 111,844 tests were completed over the weekend, and the backlog of tests under investigation has decreased steadily from 58,173 on Friday to 24,420 today. In the greater Kawarthas region, there are 2 new cases to report in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, but an additional 5 cases have been resolved. There is 1 new case in Haliburton, but an additional 3 cases in Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland, and Haliburton have been resolved. There are no new cases in Peterborough. The outbreak at Fairhaven long-term care home has been declared over effective October 13. The outbreak was declared on September 28 when a second employee tested positive for COVID-19. There are currently 5 active cases in the greater Kawarthas region, including 1 in Peterborough, 3 in Hastings and Prince Edward counties, and 1 in Haliburton.counties, and 1 in Haliburton. Full story at https://kawarthanow.com//covid-19-update-for-peterborough/

Good Tuesday morning our #kawarthapeeps from @thewildinwe. We are here to remind you that rainbows come after the rain. #buckhorn #buckhornontario #kawarthas #fallinthekawarthas #kawartharainbows #october #ontario #thekawarthas #ptbokawartha #ptbocounty #ptbo #thekawarthas #kawarthasontario

The search for a Tweed teenager who went missing on Sunday afternoon (October 11) has ended in tragedy. 16-year-old Brock Beatty was overdue after going out for a ride on his ATV earlier on Sunday. When he didn't return on Sunday afternoon, the OPP issued a missing person media release (including this photo) on Sunday night. Police and a large number of local residents then conducted an extensive search of the many trails in the area. At around 2:30 a.m. this morning, civili...an searchers located Beatty and his crashed ATV along a former rail bed near Sulphide Road. Beatty was transported to hospital with serious injuries, but died from his injuries several hours later. Full story - https://kawarthanow.com//tweed-teenager-dies-following-at/

Our publisher Jeannine Taylor shares the top photos from our Instagram in September: "Fall is one of the most beautiful times of year in The Kawarthas a sentiment shared by many of our local photographers who head out on warm days without bugs to capture our local beauty and colour. We are grateful for the fall season, especially this year. We are also grateful and thankful for all of the photographers who tag us with #kawarthanow on Instagram and allow us to share their gr...eat work with you. Our top nine always represents just a few of the many talented people in the region. Thank you also to all of our readers and followers. In a challenging year, we appreciate you all more than ever." This photo of fall on Kasshabog Lake in Peterborough County is one of a series by Mike Quigg that was our top post on Instagram in September. See all nine top photos at https://kawarthanow.com//top-instagram-photos-september-2/

Happy Thanksgiving our #kawarthapeeps from @cbart03 in #kawarthahighlands #kawarthahighlandsprovincialpark #northkawartha #trentlakes #ptbokawartha #thekawarthas #ptbocounty #kawarthas #fallinthekawarthas #kawarthawaterfalls #thanksgivinginthekawarthas #thanksgivingweekend

UPDATE Mon Oct 12 11pm - Many people are experiencing issues applying for CRB today. A message on the Canada Recovery Benefit web page reads: "The CRA is currently experiencing technical issues with applications for Recovery Benefits. We are urgently working to restore this service as quickly as possible. The CRA regrets the impact this may have on your application and we appreciate your patience. " ------------------------------- Beginning on Monday (October 12), Canadians ...can apply for the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB), the federal government’s year-long replacement for the Canada Emergency Recovery Benefit (CERB). CRB provides income support for people who are have either lost their employment or self-employment income (or have had it significantly reduced) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes gig workers, freelancers, and other self-employed people who do not qualify for regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits. If you’re eligible for CRB, you’ll receive $1,000 for a two-week period, equivalent to $2,000 a month the same amount under CERB. However, unlike CERB, the federal government will be applying a 10 per cent withholding tax, so you’ll actually receive $900 for a two-week period, or $1,800 a month. Also unlike CERB, where you applied once every month, you have to apply for CRB for every two-week period you need it, up to a maximum of 13 two-week periods (26 weeks). The first two-week period is September 27 to October 10, 2020 (this is the one you apply for on Monday, October 12), and the final one is September 12 to September 25, 2021. Read more -- including eligibility requirements, how much you can earn while receiving CRB, and income tax implications -- in our story at https://kawarthanow.com//applications-for-federal-canada-/

Good Sunday morning our #kawarthapeeps on Thanksgiving Sunday! From @gabriellemari_ at #beavermeadpark #peterborough #ptbo #peterboroughontario #thanksgivingweekend #thanksgivinginthekawarthas #otonabeeriver #littlelakepeterborough #trentsevernwaterway #tsw #kawarthas #thekawarthas #kawarthasontario #downtownptbo