SIU – Napanee Crash

An 88 year old woman is dead after a collision in Napanee and Ontario’s police watchdog has taken over the investigation.

The crash happened yesterday afternoon.  The OPP had been called about an SUV being driven at a high rate of speed on Belleville Road.  Police say they observed it speeding in excess of 200 kilometres an hour and it almost hit a school bus.

The 88 year old woman died when her vehicle was hit by the SUV on Highway 2 near Switzerville Road.  A 42 year old man who was driving the SUV suffered serious injuries.

The Special Investigations Unit will determine if the crash involved any wrongdoing by police.

Scout Leader Reinstated

The Scout leader from Gananoque who was suspended over allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour has been reinstated by Scouts Canada.

The organization has cleared Brian Mabee after investigating the allegations from a woman who used to be a Scout leader.

Mabee is Gananoque’s town crier and has been appointed to the town council as a replacement for councillor Harold Emmons who passed away last year.

Protester – Details

A woman arrested by Kingston Police during a protest over a speaker at Queen’s has been charged with carrying a nasty weapon.

Kingston Police say they found her to be in possession of a garrotte…a metal wire with handles at either end used to strangle someone.

The 38 year old faces charges of mischief, assaulting police, possession of a dangerous weapon and carrying a concealed weapon.  She was arrested after a window was broken at Grant Hall during a protest over a controversial speaker.

Police say a woman had been standing on a window ledge outside the hall and was pounding on the window so hard that it broke cutting her hand.  She was arrested after a struggle with plain clothes officers.

Accommodation Tax

Kingston City Council has approved a four percent tax on hotel, motel and bed and breakfast stays in the city.

The new Municipal Accommodation Tax will replace a voluntary 3% tax charged by the 24 members of Kingston Accommodation Partners.

Council directed city staff to develop the plans for the new tax when it met last night.  The money will be collected by the city used by Tourism Kingston and Kingston Accommodation partners for marketing Kingston as a destination for tourists.

Chinese Pay System

Chinese consumers will be able to pay for things in Kingston in their own currency thanks to a pilot program with a company called OTT Pay.  The Kingston Economic Development Corporation launched a pilot program with the company yesterday.  It estimates Kingston is home to 4,000 Chinese students at Queen’s and St. Lawrence College.  It says the system will also benefit Chinese business travelers and tourists.  Chez Piggy and Pan Chancho are OTT Pay’s first clients in Kingston.

Robotics Team – Winners

The Kingston Community Robotics team known as W.A.F.F.L.E.S has won the prestigious Chairman’s Award at the FIRST Robotics Competition.  The competition at Durham College on the weekend was a challenge for high school students to design, build and program a robot.  Out of 38 teams…the Kingston team placed second in the qualifying rounds and won the elimination round.

Up next for W.A.F.F.L.E.S. is a competition in North Bay at the end of this month.

Remi Gaulin – Lacasse Visit

A former student of Mgr. Remi Gaulin French Catholic Elementary School in Kingston has returned to her school to talk about the Olympics.  Canadian women’s goalie Genevieve Lacasse visited with students yesterday.    She told students the shootout loss to the U-S last month is still tough to take.  She had also visited with students following Canada’s gold medal win in Sochi four years ago.

Filed under: Accommodation Tax, Belleville road, Brian Mabee, Chinese Pay System, Gananoque, Lacasse Visit, Napanee Crash, Protestor, Remi Gaulin, Robotics Team Winners, Scout Leader Reinstated, Special Investigations Unit