BARRIE, ONT. A traffic stop in Parry Sound resulted in several charges for two people, including one count of child abandonment. Provincial police report officers seized over $4,000 of suspected cocaine and fentanyl, plus more than $1,100 cash during a search of the vehicle. Police arrested a 35-year-old Essa Township man and a 33-year-old McKellar Township woman. Along with the charge of abandoning a child, both the accused face criminal negligence, possession of stolen property under $5,000, and drug-related offences. Additionally, the Essa man faces a failure to comply with a release order charge. The two accused were remanded into police custody to await a court hearing.
BARRIE, ONT. A Port Severn woman says her recent lottery win will make retirement a little more comfortable. Margaret Ross won $100,000 with her Encore numbers in the Jan. 5 Lotto Max draw. The 60-year-old human resources generalist said she was with her brother when she realized she had won. We couldn t believe it. It was nice to share that moment with him. Ross says she and her husband would like to travel when it s safe to do so. I want to do an Alaskan cruise and maybe explore Australia. She purchased her ticket at Esso on the Run on Lone Pine Road in Port Severn and matched the last six of seven Encore numbers in the exact order to win.
BARRIE, ONT. York Region is expanding its phase one rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to include more high-priority health-care workers. The municipality says all front-line health-care workers who interact with patients or clients are now eligible, including chiropractors, registered massage therapists, opticians, naturopaths and psychologists, to name a few. York s chief medical officer of health says over 60 per cent of residents 80 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine to date. The region launched a vaccine booking system two weeks earlier than the province, allowing it to move quickly through the numbers. York Region Public Health said anyone 80 and older, plus high-priority health-care workers, will be vaccinated simultaneously.
BARRIE, ONT. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) reports 120 COVID-19 cases and 80 new variant cases since Friday. The origin of the 80 variant cases listed Monday were not specified. The UK B.1.1.7 remains the most common variant of concern in Simcoe Muskoka. The health unit says there have been 252 individuals who have tested positive for the UK B.1.1.7 variant to date. Seven tested positive for the P.1 from Brazil, and one came back positive for the B.1.351 South Africa variant. Currently, the health unit reports there are 170 active variant cases. There are an additional 571 cases that screened positive for a variant of concern but require further testing for confirmation.