LOCAL

Kingston Sex Offender – Guilty

A Kingston man who was arrested last year after a province wide sweep by the Ontario Provincial Police Child Exploitation Unit has been found guilty.

Gordon J. Marshall, known to many as a financial planner and guitar teacher with no prior criminal record was sentenced to prison yesterday for sexual crimes against young boys over a 14-year period between 2002 and 2016.

He pled guilty to photographing multiple victims using a hidden camera installed in a washroom among other things and was sentenced to 5 yrs in prison as well as being included on the Sex Offender Information Registry for life.
Cyclist Arrested – Kingston

Kingston police have arrested a 26-year-old cyclist they say collided with a car after running a red light.

Police say the cyclist appeared uninjured when he collided with an S-U-V last Thursday but did not take his bicycle when he left the scene.

A check of the serial number determined the bike had been stolen last January.

Patrol officers say they spotted the accused the next day and he has been charged with possession of stolen property as well as possession of a break in instrument found when he was taken into custody. (The Canadian Press)

Driving Ban – Tyendinaga

A 38-year-old man who admitted to trying to evade a police officer in Belleville has been banned from driving for two years.

Clinton Brant of Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory had earlier pleaded guilty to impaired driving and flight from police.

Court heard he was arrested on December 31st, 2015, after an officer tried to stop a speeding vehicle but the driver refused to pull over.

In addition to the driving ban, Brant was given a suspended sentence and will be on probation for 18 months.

Trent River – Flood Watch

The heavy rain has resulted in an advisory being issued about the potential for flooding along a section of a river near Trenton.

Lower Trent Conservation says a flood watch is now in effect for the Trent River between Trenton and the village of Hastings.

Quinte Conservation has also extended its flood outlook statement for the shorelines of the Bay of Quinte and Lake Ontario to include the Moira River, Napanee River and Prince Edward region watersheds.

Lower Trent has also upgraded its flood outlook for its lake and bay shoreline areas to a flood watch. (Canadian Press)

NATIONAL

LCBO – Gin Recall

The L-C-B-O is recalling 1.14-litre bottles of Bombay Sapphire London Dry Gin because of incorrect alcohol content shown on the label.

The agency says the alcohol content was 77 per cent — not the 40 per cent declared on the label.

This recall is similar to one in March when an Ontario-made brand of vodka was pulled from shelves because one batch contained double the stated amount of alcohol.

More than 600 bottles of Georgian Bay brand vodka contained 81 per cent alcohol instead of 40 per cent as shown on the label. (The Canadian Press)

Defence Policy

We may get a glimpse into the Trudeau government’s much-anticipated defence policy later today as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan addresses an Ottawa conference of defence industry representatives and experts.

Senior defence sources say Sajjan will cast light on what they say is a massive “hole” in military spending, caused by years of under-investment.

They say the shortfall adds up to tens of millions of dollars — and for example, has resulted in little-to-no money for the replacement of essential but aging equipment. (Canadian Press)

Seniors – Health Vouchers

The Ontario government is considering a new program that would allow some recuperating seniors free stays in retirement homes.

It’s one of the measures the province will be testing as it tries to tackle the issue of overcrowded hospitals.

Health Minister Eric Hoskins says the program is aimed at so-called alternative-level-of-care patients, who are well enough to leave a hospital but aren’t able to live independently.

The government has been facing mounting calls to act on overcrowded hospitals, where patients have ended up in hallways, boardrooms and even cafeterias when regular beds fill up.  (The Canadian Press)

Fort McMurray Wildfire – Anniversary

It was one year ago today that residents of Fort McMurray, Alberta found themselves grabbing their loved ones and most prized possessions and fleeing the city when a wildfire roared in and burned 10 per cent of its buildings.

The fire that started deep in the bush May 1st exploded into a ferocious beast two days later and forced a month-long evacuation of the entire city.

The flames consumed about 26-hundred dwelling units.

The municipality says as of last week, 652 rebuild permits have been approved and almost three-dozen families had moved into new homes by early last month.

A low-key, dawn-to-dusk event is planned at a riverfront park to mark the one-year anniversary. (The Canadian Press)