Economic Development – Kingston First

A group of Kingston business people is challenging the Kingston Economic Development Corporation to prove taxpayers are getting their money’s worth.

Six business owners have put their names on a campaign they’re calling Kingston First.

Patrick Hulley, Henk Doornekamp, A.J. Keilty, Peter Kingston, Vivek Datta and Bernie Robinson have paid for a half page ad in the Whig Standard.

They claim KEDCO gets more funding and has less to show for it than five other cities in Ontario of a similar size.  It is critical of KEDCO salaries totaling more than $1.6 million a year and says the organization should be focusing on attracting news businesses to fill the cities business parks.

 Animal Cruelty Conviction

A woman from Odessa has pleaded guilty to a charge under the Ontario SPCAM Act for permitting an animal to be in distress.

Rebecca Boyce was charged after an OSPCA inspector found a severely malnourished Great Dane in a home in Odessa.

Boyce was fined $500, and ordered to pay $1,290 in restitution. She was also sentenced to a five year prohibition from owning animals.

The OSPCA says the dog has made a full recovery and has been placed in a loving home.

 Lockdown – Millhaven

Inmates at Millhaven Institution are under lockdown.

A news release from the Correctional Service says the lockdown was put in place Tuesday afternoon to enable staff to conduct an exceptional search.

It says normal operations will resume when the search has been completed and people should contact the institution if they have already planned a visit.

Buskers Rendezvous

The 2015 edition of the Kingston Buskers Rendezvous is set to hit the streets of Kingston today and if a sneak preview last night is any indication – there’ a great lineup of street performers.

The Fools Overture was held for sponsors and other invited guests last night and featured four short performances by different acts.

They take their shows to the big stages on Princess, Ontario and Sydenham Streets as well as Springer Market Square today.

The fire show is set for Saturday night in the HUB and the grand finale is Sunday evening at 6:00 in Confederation Park.

 OPP – Impaired E-Bike Driver

Drinking and driving an e-bike will result in an impaired driving charge as a man from Napanee has found out.

An OPP officer saw the e-bike almost run into parked vehicles on Main Street in Deseronto on Tuesday night and stopped the driver.

49 year old Christopher Hubble has been charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle.

 Copper Thieves

Thieves have stolen the newly installed copper wiring from a home that is under renovation on Alfred Street.  The home which was painted by the house painters in the 200 block of Alfred was broken into on the weekend and $400 in copper wiring was stolen.  The contractor also reported $2,500 in damages.

Police say the thieves got in through the back door of the home that had been boarded up by the renovation crew on Friday afternoon.

 Arrest – Spitting

A disturbance at a fast food restaurant has resulted in a young woman spending the night in a police cell.

Kingston Police were called to the Wendy’s on Princess Street across from the Kingston Centre around 10:30 last night.

A group of young people was in the restaurant and one of them spit on one of the staff behind the counter.

Police say alcohol was involved and a 19 year old woman will be charged.

 Queen’s Prof Wins

A Queen’s University professor has won the world’s longest canoe and kayak race.

Kinesiology and Health Studies professor Bob Ross and race partner Dave Hutchison have won the 2015 Yukon River Quest.  The race is ranked as one of the top 10 endurance races in the world.

 Sailing Money

Sail Canada is getting $230,000 from the federal government to host three international sailing championships in Kingston this summer.

The Laser Standard Men’s Championship just wrapped up yesterday.

The 2015 CORK International and Olympic Class Regattas are coming up in August followed by the Laser Radial Youth World Championship.

Sail Canada says these events will see sailors from more than 60 countries compete in Kingston.