Barn Fire

A barn in Odessa had been destroyed by fire.

Firefighters from Odessa, Bath and Yarker responded to a call late last night.  They found the barn on Empey Road fully engulfed in flames when they arrived.

There were no other details available this morning.

Firefighters Deal

Firefighters in Kingston are getting a 9% wage increase – and it is retroactive pay they’ll get in a lump sum for the three year period ending in 2014.

Firefighters have been working without a contract and their dispute was sent to binding arbitration after no agreement could be reached at the bargaining table.

They are still working without a contract.

The city and the union haven’t even started negotiations for the contract starting in 2015.

Nurses Attacked

The union representing Registered Practical Nurses working at Providence Care Mental Health Services says they are subjected to violent assaults by patients on almost a daily basis.  All of the 150 nurses attending the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions conference in Kingston this week say they have been assaulted.  Five nurses in Kingston remain off the job with head injuries.

The Council of Hospital Unions is demanding increased funding and staffing for hospitals and long-term care facilities in Ontario.  It also wants better legislation to protect nurses.

Collins Bay Lockdown

Inmates have been locked in their cells in the medium security unit at Collins Bay Institution while an exceptional search is being conducted.

The search is underway after an inmate was assaulted.  The convict was taken to hospital around 2:20 a.m. on Tuesday.

The correction service says anyone who has a visit scheduled should contact the institution to see if it has been cancelled due to the lockdown.

Fraud Sentence

A 35 year old man is going to jail for seven months for ripping of his employer for $110,000.

Lane Lakins admitted to selling tires he bought through McCoy Bus Service and pocketing the cash.  Lakins was shop foreman for a business owned by the bus company.

Half of the money has been seized from two bank accounts and he’s been ordered to repay the rest.

Lakins will be on 18 months probation after he finishes his jail time.

Mayor – Homestead Downtown Highrises

Mayor Bryan Paterson says high rise development in downtown Kingston is one of the most important debates Kingston will have this year.

Patterson is asking for public feedback on the Homestead proposal to build two 20 storey condo towers on Queen Street.

He has posted conceptual drawings of the two developments and a poll on his website.

He is asking what you think about them.

The proposals from Homestead are expected to come up at the February 18th meeting of the planning committee.

www.mayorpaterson.com

Barn Board Theft

Somebody has stolen the boards off a barn on Long Lake Road in Central Frontenac Township.

Sharbot Lake OPP is asking for anyone with information about the theft to contact them or Crime Stoppers.

The barn boards were taken sometime between January 11th and January 22nd from the barn on a seasonal property.

They’re grey in colour…15 feet long and 2 feet wide.