News

Copy by Craig Foster

One person was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation following a fire at the Royal Hotel in downtown Picton early Monday morning. Deputy Fire Chief Tim Kraemer said staff and guests were evacuated from the hotel on Main Street at 12:20 a.m. Kraemer said the fire started in the basement and caused $80,000 in damages. The cause of the fire is not considered suspicious and the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal has been called to assist in the investigation.

Voters will have an opportunity to meet four of the Bay of Quinte candidates running in the upcoming provincial election on Monday evening.

The Wellington Community Association is hosting an all-candidates meeting on Feb. 10 at the Highline Hall at the Wellington District Community Centre at 111 Belleville Street. PC Tyler Allsopp, NDP Amanda Robertson, Liberal David O’Neil and Greens Lori Borthwick have all confirmed they will be in attendance. The format will include introductions from each candidate, a moderated question and answer session and then closing remarks.

A manhunt is underway in Kingston after a federal inmate escaped from Henry Traill Community Correctional Centre on Sunday evening. Police say Dylan Doey, 25 escaped from the facility on Bath Road around 7:30 p.m. and fled east towards the area of Bayswater Place and Queen Mary Road. koopman said Doey is not believed to be armed. He is not from the Kingston area and may be attempting to leave the city. Doey is described as Metis, 5’7”, weighing 160 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. He has multiple tattoos on both arms and is believed to be dressed all in black.

Israeli forces withdrew from a key corridor in Gaza on Sunday, Israeli officials and Hamas said, the latest commitment under a tenuous ceasefire that faces a major test over whether the sides can negotiate its planned extension. Israelis’ shock at the sight of three emaciated hostages released Saturday has added pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the truce instead of returning to fighting when the ceasefire’s first phase ends in early March. Israel and Hamas appear to have made little progress on negotiating the deal’s second phase, which is also meant to see more hostages released. Talks had been due to start on Feb. 3.

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will announce on Monday that the United States will impose 25 per cent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, including from Canada and Mexico — a move that prompted sharp criticism from some provincial premiers. Trump also reaffirmed that he would announce “reciprocal tariffs” — “probably Tuesday or Wednesday” — meaning that the U.S. would impose import duties on products in cases where another country has levied duties on U.S. goods.

Sports

Cooper DeJean, Josh Sweat and the Philadelphia Eagles’ ferocious defence denied Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Kansas City a Super Bowl three-peat. It wasn’t even close. DeJean got a pick-6 on his 22nd birthday, Sweat tormented Mahomes and the Eagles routed Kansas City 40-22 on Sunday to secure the franchise’s second Super Bowl championship.

A hungry Pickering Panthers team helped their cause of securing a Buckland Cup Playoff spot at the expense of the Wellington Dukes on Sunday. Pickering edged Wellington 3-2 to go five points up on the Lindsay Muskies for eighth place in the OJHL’s East Conference.