Julia Sacco, Author at Niagara Now

Controversial Parliament Oak hotel approved in close vote

Despite pleas from residents opposed to it, Niagara-on-the-Lake councillors approved a developer’s controversial plan to build a 129-room hotel on the site of the old Parliament Oak school.

Walk with Lord Mayor Zalepa and get your steps in

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Step Challenge kicked off on June 2 and the town’s lord mayor, Gary Zalepa, wants to help residents reach their step goals. In aims of surpassing last year’s collective goal of

Queenston Pottery shows off renovations during studio tour

For the first time ever, residents and visitors could take an inside look at Niagara-on-the-Lake’s artist studios and take in the creativity. Last Saturday and Sunday, the NOTL Studio Tour exhibited 28 artists

Code Grey: Lack of urgent care options in NOTL a big concern, residents say

“Code Grey” is one in a series of stories in The Lake Report about health care in Niagara Region. In hospital parlance, “Code Grey” means loss of essential service. Niagara Health is

Chautauqua gardens showcase creativity of NOTLers

Last weekend, residents and visitors to Chautauqua got to take an inside look at some of the most interesting gardens the community has to offer. The inaugural Chautauqua Art & Garden Tour hosted

Byland winery gets $90K from feds for tourism growth

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Byland Estate Winery is one of several tourism spots in the Niagara region receiving a slice of a $540,000 pie from the federal government this spring. Canada’s minister of tourism, Soraya Martinez

Strawberries and community make for a great festival

Gathering enough strawberries to supply an entire festival takes a village — or in this case, a town with dedicated volunteers. It’s strawberry season in Niagara-on-the-Lake and with that comes the St. Andrew’s

Pride month kicks off at the Olde Angel Inn

The Olde Angel Inn’s “Drag Me to the Beer Garden” drag performances made for a festive way to celebrate the start of Pride in Niagara-on-the-Lake. Sunday hosted two performances from Toronto’s Sofonda Cox

Council approves Hummel plan for four-storey hotel in Old Town

Councillors passed a controversial bylaw Tuesday night to make way for the creation of an 81-room hotel in Old Town. The new bylaw permits land around 228 Queen St. to be rezoned to

Yellow Door Theatre is auditioning for a full season of shows

The Yellow Door Theatre Project is running things a bit differently this year— and needs your help to make it all happen. For the first time in the project’s history, Yellow Door will

Leigh sisters are NOTL’s star swimmers

Teenage sisters Peyton and Georgia Leigh are making a splash in the Canadian swimming world this year. Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Peyton began her journey toward a lifelong swimming career at just four months old, with

Queenston residents call for lower speed limits in the village

The Queenston Residents Association is speaking up about its desire for safer roads in the community — for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers alike. During Tuesday night’s council meeting, Adrian Schoot Uiterkamp, the association’s

Dedicated volunteers make the Stampede go ’round again

Pleasant weather graced the Niagara Peninsula last weekend, making for three days of sunshine at the Virgil Stampede. Richard Wall, president of the Virgil Business Association, which organizes the annual carnival, said that

NOTL quilters give warmth to palliative care

Every Tuesday morning, 15 of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s generous quilters meet at Cornerstone Community Church on Hunter Road and get to work. Formed around 15 years ago, this group of ladies have donated quilts to

Sports: St. Davids’ Kaige Zhu wins singles title at U12 tourney

Adam Wodz started as a tennis instructor and co-ordinator at the NOTL Tennis Club only three weeks ago — and this past weekend he oversaw a successful major tournament at Memorial Park. Niagara-on-the-Lake

Teen charged after BB gun seized at Stampede

Thanks to heightened security measures at the Virgil Stampede this year, organizers were able to prevent a teenager from bringing a firearm into the carnival. Niagara Regional Police said an 18-year-old from St.

Turn it off! New idling bylaw will be enforced by complaint

Niagara-on-the-Lake’s new bylaw aims to reduce idling and support sustainability, but if you want it to stop, you’ll have to keep your eyes open to catch people running their engines. The idling reduction

Bake sale this weekend to help a cat in need

Prince the cat needs your help. He was adopted from NOTL Cats Rescue in February and just turned one year old in April. Around a week ago, Prince’s adoptive family noticed a change

‘This all smells:’ Advocate wants town council to order integrity probe into librarian’s firing

After being denied the chance to speak to town councillors last week, one of the leaders of a community group upset about the circumstances surrounding the firing of NOTL’s chief librarian got his

Moms enjoy afternoon delights at Mother’s Day high tea

Mother’s Day festivities abounded in Niagara-on-the-Lake last weekend. One of the popular attractions was at the picturesque Queenston Public Library on Saturday afternoon and featured high tea accompanied by a wreath-making session. Shannon

Residents aren’t happy with size of Line 1 condo development

Some people who have heard details about amendments planned for a condo development near Line 1 Road say the changes go too far. During last week’s town planning and development meeting, senior town

Angry residents storm out of town planning meeting

The town needs to give people more time to prepare to speak during a council meeting, some residents say — but councillors and the lord mayor say they’re simply following standard procedures. Angry

Arts: Swifties bond over drinks and tunes at Limited Distillery

Swifties flocked to Limited Distillery and SRC Vinyl on Sunday in Virgil for a special edition of the Spin the Black Circle series. Sunday was the third episode of Limited Distillery’s special themed

Leafs superfan packs away sign for another season

Sue Rumsey isn’t planning on changing teams any time soon. Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs elimination from the NHL playoffs thanks to a 2-1 overtime loss to the Boston Bruins in Game 7,

Croatian heritage on display at national centre for Folk Arts Festival

The Croatian National Centre of Niagara kicked off the region’s annual Folk Arts Festival on Saturday with an open house at the centre’s home on Line 3 Road. The open house featured traditional

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