Beach Bum Bill from the Snack Shack visited Jacob Dion on his birthday and delivered Kid’s Meals for the whole party.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Bonnie Wannamaker, owner of the Snack Shack. “And that’s what we’re all about.”

In my ongoing struggle against becoming cynical, I try to be positive but sometimes it’s not easy. This past month has been especially challenging.

In the beginning, I considered the Occupy movement a needed reminder that we have to do more to correct the inequities in society.

Oxford Learning’s Little Readers are filling shoe boxes to send to needy families overseas. The “Build A Box” program is a Samaritan’s Purse initiative that gives children in third world countries the opportunity to experience Christmas.

The Entrepreneurship class at LaSalle Secondary School is set to launch their new company, Ur-Teez. The t-shirt company has two divisions, Air and Iron. The Air division will focus on air brushing t-shirts and the Iron division will focus on Iron-ons. The company’s goal is to produce personalized t-shirts for Christmas.

Not too long ago, Remembrance Day focused on the veterans from WW1 and WW2, but now we are also pausing to remember and think about those who have fought and are continuing to fight to preserve our freedom and help the people of other countries to do the same.

Plans for a roundabout in Kingston East are still being investigated thoroughly before the project will proceed.
The addition of a roundabout at Highways 2 and 15 was one of the recommendations that came out in the HDR Consulting report, following a study on traffic operations in the LaSalle Causeway corridor.

In January 2011, Jen Leeder tragically took her own life. But in every dark cloud there is a silver lining and Jen’s memory lives on in the Jen Leeder Yoga Gift. The gift will be given each year by Jen’s family to a deserving young woman with an interest in yoga. Through this donation, they hope to provide the healing energy and focus of yoga to those who receive it. Nominations for the award are accepted in September so the gift can be given around Jen’s birthday, November 22nd. Kaila is the first recipient of this honour.

It’s been a couple weeks since Martha Kekkas took home the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year Award. And the owner of in bloom is still flying high.

“I’m totally honoured and thrilled to receive this,” said Kekkas. “It’s a real joy, and we still haven’t come down from it. We’re so elated that we’re still talking about it every day.”

Kekkas said winning the award wouldn’t have been possible without the help of her staff.

I begin this month writing about the dreaded T-Word, Taxes. I am certain that I will not find anyone who would admit that they enjoy paying taxes, let alone getting an increase. We all enjoy living in one of the best managed cities in Ontario, if not in Canada.