The global pandemic has forced most events to go virtual. Thankfully, the popular online auction for local healthcare didn’t require any change – and it’s back and bigger than ever. Running in conjunction with the Friends of St. Francis Virtual Charity Event, the online auction features items from around 50 local …
A reader from North Bay, Peter Hamel, contacted The Current to say he had many fond memories of Barry’s Bay. Upon hearing his name, this reporter immediately asked if he was “related to Joe Raymond Hamel who (I believe) was telegraph operator at the Barry’s Bay station in 1952.” That …
On August 14 Seat of Wisdom College (SWC) posted an announcement on its website stating: “Dr. Ryan Williams will no longer be continuing as president of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College.” The announcement did not give a reason for his sudden departure, but subsequent investigation by The Current, based …
As the province reopens, community events gradually return. One of the first to do so was the Barry’s Bay Legion Branch 406 monthly all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast. Under the guidance of the Renfrew County and District Health Unit, the Legion held its first breakfast since last winter on Sunday August 16, …
Editor’s Note: The Current looks at plans for returning to school this fall from different points of view; the first of the series is the student’s view. I am a grade 9 student at Madawaska Valley District High School. I will be going to school physically in September and I’m …
Although the traditional Friends of St. Francis Charity Golf Tournament has been cancelled due to Covid-19, something new and exciting is coming to the community. The new Friends of St. Francis Virtual Charity Event will be taking place live from the Homestead at Wolf Ridge, on Friday, September 4 starting at …
The Upper Ottawa Valley Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) seeks the public’s help in investigating a serious assault and harassment on an 80-year-old resident of Pembroke that occurred on August 20, 2020. The OPP bulletin states: On the evening of August 20, 2020 OPP officers responded to a …
As a follow-up to an article, Researchers Shocked by Microplastics in the Madawaska Watershed, published by The Current last November 2019, I was intrigued to investigate further if microplastics existed in our four lakes situated just west of Barry’s Bay. Microplastics are fragments of plastic that can come in the …
Twenty-eight fire fighters from both Madawaska Valley fire halls responded to a structure, vehicle and tractor fire on Perrier Road, Combermere on Saturday August 22 at 12:24 p.m. MV Fire Department’s response involved two pumper trucks, two tankers and one rescue truck. Large black plumes of smoke billowing into the …
Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus (WNv) have been found in the Town of Renfrew around the intersection of Bonnechere Street South and Opeongo Road. This is only the third time that mosquitoes have tested positive for WNv in Renfrew County and District since the health unit began monitoring mosquitoes for …
A single vehicle collision in Madawaska Valley Township has resulted in charges against the driver. Shortly before 6:30 p.m. on August 22, 2020, officers with the Killaloe Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) responded to a report of a vehicle which had rolled over in the ditch along Cybulski …
Biggest weekly prize yet in SFMH Catch The Ace Last Thursday’s Weekly Prize topped Three Thousand Dollars for the first time as lucky Glenda Markland of Cherry Valley won $3,045 in Week #30 Catch The Ace lottery. Markland was cottaging in the area when she bought her winning ticket at …
We are all familiar with the phrase “unprecedented times” used in reference to the social, economic and lifestyle changes that the COVID-19 pandemic has generated. The most unprecedented thing in my world since March’s lockdown, however, wasn’t COVID-19-related at all. It was the appearance, about a month ago, of a …
The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, is extending orders currently in force under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 (ROA). The extensions provide the government with the necessary flexibility to address the ongoing risks and effects of the COVID-19 outbreak and ensure …
Figures just released by the Renfrew County Real Estate Board (RCREB) show that home sales in the County continue to surge while at the same time setting a new record for the average price. Residential sales activity recorded in Renfrew County totalled 278 units in July. This was a large …
