The Stratford Beacon Herald
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Huron Perth Public Health has reported the region's 22nd death connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here's where to find the winning holiday lights displays from this year's Light Up Stratford contest.

Dayna Manning will be performing from her latest album, Morning Light, in a free New Years Eve concert, streamed lived from Revival House in Stratford, staring at 8 p.m. Thursday.

The pending provincial lockdown is a rare good news, bad news, more good news and fantastic news quadfecta for Lights On Stratford.

Stratford police headquarters will remain closed to the public during the provincial shutdown starting Dec. 26 -- except for emergencies -- and records checks will only be available online.

Public health officials reported 12 new confirmed COVID-19 cases in Huron and Perth counties on Wednesday, the same day Health Canada approved a second vaccine expected to be rolled out to frontline health-care workers and other high-priority candidates by the end of the month.

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The organizers of a fireworks display planned in St. Marys on New Years Eve, one of the few in Southwestern Ontario moving ahead during the ongoing provincewide shutdown, are stressing the show is meant strictly for town residents to enjoy from home.

Remember the first pandemic-related lockdown in March? Prepare to hunker down, the next few weeks are going to feel very similar.

Organizers of the annual To Stratford With Love free community dinner announced this week that they will host a pandemic-friendly version of the event on Dec. 19.

Residents in Huron and Perth counties could soon be seeing orange as health officials try to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the region.

The 2021 Stratford and area Passport to Savings includes thousands of dollars in deals and special offers from 196 local merchants.

The region's medical officer of health said she wasn't surprised by a large jump in the number of active cases reported over Christmas and urged area residents to stay vigilant to prevent further transmission wherever possible.

Stratford police arrested two people on impaired driving charges within the span of 15 minutes Wednesday night.

Stratford council has given its go-ahead for the second phase of the city's Britannia Street affordable housing project, which will see the construction of a second apartment building with 20 new housing units on a portion of the old Stratford fairgrounds property.

Danielle Ingram, a city councillor, described her late grandfather, a Cedarcroft resident who died Monday from COVID-19, as someone who was adventurous and stubborn as hell. He adored his wife, Doris, and he was a handyman. Now Ingram and others with family at Cedarcroft, who have also publicly voiced concerns with staffing and communication, are the ones looking for a fix.

A ninth resident at Cedarcroft Place has died after testing positive for COVID-19, public health officials say.

A provincial zoning order used to designate a chunk of land in southwest Stratford specifically for glass manufacturing could put the city in a tricky position if councillors decide to vote against a controversial $400-million factory a Chinese-based company wants to build there.

Stratford council voted Monday to further delay the review and eventual implementation of a proposed municipal accommodation tax as the city works with Destination Stratford to develop a new, five-year tourism strategy.

Day two of the historic sex-assault trial for retired Stratford educator Roger Hilderley did not go as planned as technical issues forced the court to add a fifth day to the proceedings.

Two more residents of Cedarcroft Place retirement home in Stratford have died.

Roughly 20 local army reserve soldiers will be participating in training exercises in Stratford's Lower Queen's Park on Oct. 8 and 15.

Watchdogs in Stratford and the surrounding area concerned about an increase in domestic violence reports this year say a new advisory group of women with lived experience will begin shining more light on the issue when they meet for the first time later this month.

Public health officials in Huron and Perth counties have reported four new confirmed cases of COVID-19, two in Huron County and two in North Perth.

A blue heron stands guard Monday morning on the bank of the Avon River. Cory Smith/The Beacon Herald

Terry Collins, the Stratford man charged with manslaughter following the overdose death of another Stratford man in December, 2018, had his charge withdrawn at the request of the provincial Crown Monday morning.

This is what we fought for, for so long, Stratford’s Sarah Campbell said through tears Friday afternoon as she listened to Marco Mendicino, the federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, reveal the government’s plan to reunite thousands of Canadians with their loved ones abroad. It’s a testament to perseverance in the face of struggle and hardship. Love wins in the end, and I’ve always believed that, and now it did. Faces of Advocacy

The vast majority of students who would normally be studying in person on university and college campuses in Stratford this winter will continue learning from home, an advantage in the fight against COVID-19’s spread that will leave another unintentional dent in the city’s economy.

The group behind the Parkade Plays and Streetside Live performances this summer is carrying forward with live performances at both Revival House and The Bruce Hotel this fall.

Wildwood Conservation Area is preparing to launch a new, outdoor-education program for kids aged two to 13.

A new film and television industry group is lobbying the province for enhanced government incentives to promote film and television production in Southwestern Ontario and elsewhere in the province.

The Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business Excellence Awards at the Movies Under the Stars drive-in theatre in Stratford Thursday night.

An outsider’s perspective of Stratford during a two-week visit this summer is now on display at a downtown art gallery.