Peterborough Public Health announced on Monday (July 27) that mosquitoes in the City of Peterborough have tested positive for West Nile virus.

These are the first virus-positive mosquitoes found in Peterborough and in Ontario this year. According to Public Health Ontario, there were no virus-positive mosquitoes identified in the province as of July 18th and no cases of people infected with West Nile virus.

The mosquitoes were trapped from Monday, July 20th to Thursday, July 23rd. During the summer and early fall, the health unit sets traps weekly throughout the city and county of Peterborough to gather mosquitoes for testing.

“Now that we’ve identified mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus in our area, it’s especially important that residents take care to prevent mosquito bites,” says public health inspector Wanda Tonus. “This is a good reminder for residents to get rid of any standing water in their yards and to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.”

The majority of people infected with West Nile virus do not show any symptoms. Around 20 per cent of those infected people may have a mild flu-like illness with fever, headache, and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash and swollen lymph nodes or other non-specific symptoms that last several days.

Other symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, or eye pain. Less than one per cent of infected people will develop neuro-invasive disease, with older age groups and males disproportionately affected.

Although the risk of becoming infected is low, prevention against mosquito bites is the best protection:

• Cover up when going outside between the hours of dusk and dawn. Remember to wear a long-sleeved shirt or jacket and long pants (tucked into your socks for extra protection) and light-coloured clothing. if you will be outside for a long time, wear special clothing that is designed to protect you from bugs.
• Use insect repellent containing DEET. DEET is a powerful chemical. Always read the label directions for use, or ask your pharmacist for help when choosing a DEET product.
• Once a week, get rid of standing water around your home. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in even small amounts of stagnant water. Keep bushes and shrubs clear of overgrowth and debris, as adult mosquitoes like to rest in dense shrubbery, and turn your compost pile often.

The health unit notes the City of Peterborough is also larviciding — applying insecticide that is specifically targeted against the larval life stage of mosquitoes — catch basins within its jurisdiction. One round has been completed and a second round is underway.

Kirkfield resident Wendy Page matched all seven Encore numbers in exact order in the July 18th Lotto 6/49 draw and won $1 million.

The 61-year-old retired retail worker was at home with her husband when she discovered her win.

“My husband was checking my ticket and suddenly he said, ‘Wendy we did it, we won Encore!’, she said while at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto to pick up her cheque. “It was wonderful. I was so excited I couldn’t sleep.”

Page says she would like to travel across the country and do some work around the house — “a new deck and maybe a pool”.

“This is an incredible once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Page said. “I don’t even know what to say, I’m speechless. I can’t even begin to explain how much stress from everyday living has been lifted. It will be so nice to not have to worry. We’re set for life.”

Page purchased her winning ticket at Naturipe Food Market on Portage Road in Bolsover.

Kawartha Lakes police are looking for a man who dumped two bags of garbage inside a Lindsay office last Thursday morning (July 23).

At around 10:30 a.m., a man parked a grey car on Lindsay Street North and removed two bags of garbage from the car.

He then walked into an office on Lindsay Street North and threw the two bags inside, without saying anything to staff inside the office.

The man returned to his vehicle and left the area.

He is described as white, 40 to 50 years old, with a stocky build and a goatee. The man was wearing a dark coloured t-shirt with a small logo on the left breast and a dark baseball hat with a logo on the front.

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service is asking that anyone with information about this incident contact an investigator at 705-324-5252. If you wish to provide your information anonymously, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.kh.crimestoppersweb.com.

Kawartha Lakes police are looking for a suspect in a purse-snatching incident in Lindsay on Sunday morning (July 26).

At around 6 a.m., a woman who was walking in the area of Kent Street West turned north to walk through an alley between two downtown businesses.

At the north end of the alley near a municipal parking lot, the woman felt a tug from behind on a purse she was carrying over her shoulder.

The woman turned and observed a man on a bicycle. He was able to pull the woman’s purse off her shoulder, knocking her to the ground in the process. The woman was taken to hospital to be treated for minor injuries.

The male suspect is described as white, medium build, wearing a red hat, dark shirt, grey shorts and black shoes. The man was riding a red mountain bike and was carrying a black backpack.

The Kawartha Lakes Police Service is asking that anyone with information about this incident contact an investigator at 705-324-5252. If you wish to provide your information anonymously,e contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.kh.crimestoppersweb.com.

The Ontario government, in partnership with the federal government, will be providing up to $4 billion in one-time assistance to Ontario’s 444 municipalities to address budgetary shortfalls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement was made on Monday afternoon (July 27) at Queen’s Park by Premier Doug Ford, deputy premier and health minister Christine Elliott, finance minister Rod Phillips, municipal affairs and housing minister Steve Clark, and transportation minister Caroline Mulroney.

“By working together, we have united the country in the face of the immense challenges brought on by COVID-19 and secured a historic deal with the federal government to ensure a strong recovery for Ontario and for Canada,” said Premier Ford.

“I want to thank Ontario’s 444 local leaders who supported us through our negotiations with the federal government and through each stage of reopening. We will continue to be a champion for our municipal partners as they safely reopen their communities and ensure people can get back to work,” Ford said.

Up to $2 billion will be available to relieve municipal operating pressures, with $777 million coming from the federal government and $1.2 billion from the Ontario government. Another $2 billion will be available to address shortfalls in transit, with $1 billion coming from each of the federal and provincial governments.

The funding will help local governments maintain critical services, including public transit, over the next six to eight months. The province says it will provide details on specific allocations in the coming weeks.

Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Monday (July 27) for much of the greater Kawarthas region, including Northumberland, Haliburton, and Hastings. When this story was posted, Peterborough and the Kawartha Lakes were not included in the watch.

Conditions are favourable for the development of severe thunderstorms that may be capable of producing very strong wind gusts and torrential rain.

Storms are possible for mid-afternoon into the late evening, with 50 mm of rain in an hour or less and damaging wind gusts of up to 90 km/h.

Very strong wind gusts can damage buildings, down trees and blow large vehicles off the road. Heavy downpours can cause flash floods and water pooling on roads. Lightning kills and injures Canadians every year. Remember, when thunder roars, go indoors!

The Office of the Fire Marshal and Emergency Management recommends that you take cover immediately if threatening weather approaches.

Peterborough angler Chris Johnston is the first Canadian ever to win a Bassmaster Elite Series event — and takes home a $102,000 prize with his title.

Johnston achieved his victory on Sunday (July 26) at the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite on the St. Lawrence River in Clayton, New York, with a four-day total of 20 smallmouth bass that weighed 97 pounds, 8 ounces. He was the only competitor to break 20 pounds each day.

“This has been a crazy year fishing-wise for me,” Johnston said. “I had two of the worst tournaments probably in my career and to bounce back and win on the St. Lawrence, of all places, is just incredible. I’ve wanted a big tournament win on the St. Lawrence River bad, and it finally came together.”

Johnston, who finished 71st and 59th in the first two Elite Series events this year, placed second on day one of the SiteOne Bassmaster Elite with 27-0. He maintained that position for two more days with weights of 24-12 and 23-0.

Connecticut pro Paul Mueller had led the event for all three days going into Sunday, but Johnston added a final limit of 22-12 to pull ahead of Mueller and win by a margin of 1-10.

In 2019’s competition, it was the reverse for Johnston: he led for three days before ending up with second place.

“Finishing second last year makes this win all that much sweeter,” Johnston said. “I can’t wait to get home and celebrate with family and friends.”