Two Niagara-on-the-Lake teens helped lead their track club to a first-place finish at the prestigious U.S. cross-country running national championships last Saturday.
"Sure, overpriced homes will continue to sit, but there are lots of properties now priced at 2022 levels, getting no action. Sellers are anxious. Many are willing to deal," writes Garth Turner.
"Some will mourn the final performances of 'A Christmas Carol' at the Royal George for the foreseeable future. Others will mourn the passing of the theatre itself," writes Penny-Lynn Cookson.
"The basic precepts of good urban development planning place the onus on the local government to proactively identify low, medium and high-density locations," writes Brian Marshall.
"After years of putting together Christmas planters of all shapes and sizes, I have learned that some simple techniques can help you get off to a good start and hopefully take some of the frustration out of this task," writes Joanne Young, sharing just what those steps are.
"Using evergreen boughs and trees is one of the longest Christmas traditions. The year-round green foliage provides us with a sign of hope to carry us through the winter and into the new year," writes Joanne Young.
"Humanity feels absent from the equation except for the brief few minutes of direct interaction with a nurse or doctor that occur along the way. There are just too many sick or hurting people for The System to cope," writes Kevin Maclean.
Many celebrated across the country on Nov. 11, 1918 as the First World War came to an end. However, many soldiers on the front lines were almost stunned with the anti-climatic silence that ensued.
"Here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, I suggest that one of the primary 'benefits' is the character and heritage of the town that we have inherited. And, when a part of that inheritance is threatened, I argue that our elected officials are obligated to fight for its preservation," writes Brian Marshall.
"Before you start stuffing all those leaves into bags, you may want to consider making use of them as mulch in your gardens," writes Joanne Young, sharing her tips for properly collecting dead leaves for compost.
When it comes to putting your garden to bed for the winter, there are a few things that you can do to help your evergreens make it through the cold weather looking their best.
"The formation of stars, galaxies and the natural elements combines the dominant themes of physics in the first half of the 20th century: General relativity ... and quantum physics," writes Dr. William Brown.
"It is cheaper and easier for a developer to do the cookie-cutter thing, creating a series of isolated dwellings ... that do not embrace community but are inwardly focused on the individual occupying family," writes Brian Marshall.
For some, autumn is just a sign of the impending winter season, but Joanne Young writes, "as long as it lasts, we need to enjoy this wonderful weather and the changing of leaf colours."
"The good people of the NOTL Legion work so diligently and enthusiastically to organize social events and fundraising projects. I quickly learned that the activities and social events are almost never-ending," writes Ross Robinson, the newest member of Legion Branch 124.
Gene editing once held "the promise of fixing mutant genes responsible for the mutant proteins that cause hundreds of other protein-related diseases," writes Dr. Brown. "Unfortunately, transforming theory into practice is difficult."
"With some exceptions, progress in science is usually incremental and biology, especially biochemistry," writes Dr. Brown, analyzing how our understanding of the science behind DNA has evolved — while some central questions remain.
"Fall is a great time to be dividing some of your clumps of perennials in the garden, especially during the month of October," writes Joanne Young, sharing tips on how to know which ones can be divided at this time and the best way to get it done.
"The public mood is sour. Houses are crazy. High rates didn’t bring lower prices. There are still 8,000 people in NOTL without a family doctor. And now there’s employment anxiety," writes Garth Turner.
"The future of this glorious piece of Canadian history and heritage is placed in question," writes Brian Marshall of the Glencairn estate. "Having survived the highs and lows of nearly 200 years, what will happen to it next year?"
Ross Robinson shares some observations of the goings on of Niagara-on-the-Lake's busy downtown street — from the cenotaph repairs, crosswalking concerns, ostentatious bikers and public vaping (why does anyone do it?).
"The scenic cornrows of grapes, the river’s majesty, the horses and storybook gardens of the Old Town hide a troubling anti-establishment buzz. Animosity is growing," writes Garth Turner.
It's a trick question: by pruning your shrubs in the early fall, before its leaves have dropped, you will cut off food the plant stored throughout the year, which will result in a weaker plant, writes Joanne Young.
"Prior to the advent of machine-made modern brick late in 19th century, bricks were handmade by workers who mixed native clay with water to make the slurry that was then hand-packed into rectangular forms, then laid out to dry," writes Brian Marshall.
"I am hopeful this summer's spike in outages were just bad luck in timing but we will continue to invest to improve and strengthen NOTL's electrical system," writes Tim Curtis, CEO of NOTL Hydro.
"Building more places with the same land values, labour overhead and material costs won’t make them affordable. Developers aren’t charities," writes Garth Turner.
"For the British forces that day ... approximately 20 lost their lives. However, the losses of Brock and Macdonnell made the British victory less triumphant," writes Andrew Laliberte about the Battle of Queenston Heights in the War of 1812.
