Jordan Snobelen

ARTHUR – Local seniors are worried a long-standing and daily meeting place will be no more come December, after receiving news about the looming expiry of a 10-year lease for the Arthur Senior Citizen Hall.

KENILWORTH – This year’s Wellington North budget is proving contentious as councillors confront major capital expenses and the rising cost of living for residents.

ERIN – The winning bid for Centre 2000 renovations has come in over the original budget of $2.64 million for the work.

ALMA – The Alma Optimist Toy Show and Sale returned to the Alma Community Hall on March 12.

WELLINGTON NORTH – A Mount Forest dairy farm was convicted in a Guelph court earlier this year and ordered to pay $62,505 after liquid manure from the farm washed into a ditch, and eventually into Bethel Creek.

WELLINGTON NORTH – A $25,780 portion of $185,332 in total provincial funding announced on Feb. 16 has gone toward the purchase of a new lathe at Wellington Heights Secondary School in Mount Forest.

ELORA – The Erin Fire Department has 14 new firefighters joining the ranks after a successful recruitment drive in October that saw 30 applicants vying for the positions.

GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Five priests who served with the Jesuit Church in Guelph/Eramosa between 1950 and 2000 are believed to have sexually abused several children.

KENILWORTH – Faced with aging infrastructure, inflation, a growing population, and new staffing positions, residents are likely to see an increase to tax bills in line with inflation.

GUELPH - Five nervous high school students, forming the Wellington OPP’s new youth advisory committee, bravely stood before the county’s Police Services Board (PSB) on March 8, presenting their first youth initiative.

MOUNT FOREST - The Mount Forest Business Improvement Association wants crosswalk infrastructure installed at the Main Street South (Highway 6) and King Street East intersection in Mount Forest to make crossing the roadway safer for pedestrians.

MOUNT FOREST - Wellington North council has approved the first Community Improvement Program grant of the year with $1,300 go toward a new sign at the recently-opened Blonde Design Co., located at 121 Main Street North.

KENILWORTH – The prospect of a new outdoor pool in Mount Forest appeared to dry up recently when township staff dove head-first into a discussion about the millions of dollars needed over the next decade ahead to keep other municipal infrastructure from breaking down.

KENILWORTH – The Lynes Blacksmith Shop Committee and the Township of Wellington North have teamed up for a Rural Economic Development grant that could help to partially fund building restoration work.