Latest news with #DonWiley
CTV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Circle of Seven raises money for charity with Memorial Golf tourney
The Essex Golf and Country Club will host the 30th annual Circle of Seven John Ferguson Memorial Golf Tournament for charity on Monday, June 23. The Essex Golf and Country Club will host the 30th annual Circle of Seven John Ferguson Memorial Golf Tournament for charity on Monday, June 23. The Essex Golf and Country Club will host the 30th annual Circle of Seven John Ferguson Memorial Golf Tournament for charity on Monday, June 23. The tournament is a reprise to the day, 30 years ago, when the Circle of Seven formed at the Essex Golf Club. It is also a memorial to three members lost: former NHL player John Ferguson Sr., Ed Agnew, and Robert (Knobby) Knudsen. The organization has helped those in need in our community for 30 years. The philanthropic organization has raised over $4.5 million since its inception. Money raised stays in the Windsor-Essex region, going towards health and wellness initiatives, youth sports, and the arts — all of which do not already receive government monetary assistance. The popular golf tournament is sold out. For participants in the tourney – around 120 golfers - it's a way to give back to our community. Rob Agnew and Don Wiley are the only two original founding members of the Circle of Seven alive today. Essex Golf and Country Club Rob Agnew, left, and Don Wiley, right, are the two remaining original co-founders of the Circle of Seven, seen on June 10, 2025. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) Agnew places the focus on the contributors, donators, corporate partners, and the public regarding making Circle of Seven charity initiatives successful year after year. 'We're out here to also hope that other groups will get together like we did - just seven fellows around the table here at Essex and decide to do something meaningful for the community,' said Agnew. 'We're hope and pray that that happens and that our younger generation will take over for us.' For Wiley, it's vital to keep the legacy of giving and helping those in need alive today and tomorrow. 'When I do this tournament, I think of our deceased members, John, Eddie, and Knobby and what this meant to them,' said Wiley. 'We're lucky that we have the type of people that we have attending because it's a limited 100 players. We have very, very little turnover. And they all know what they're here for is to raise money for the Circle of Seven.' In addition to the charity golf event, the Circle of Seven also participates in other charity events throughout the calendar year.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Drone pilots ordered to stop flying over The Villages
Don Wiley wears several hats in Sumter County. He's a commissioner, an educator and – almost certainly – the county's best-known drone pilot. Wiley's day job has him working with real estate agents and homeowners to film the many properties that are bought and sold in the rapidly growing county. However, Wiley has gotten an increasing amount of attention for his hobby: running a YouTube channel that offers 30-minute tours over The Villages' construction projects, including a voiceover full of analysis and commentary as each project progresses. 'I live here in The Villages… They've built a beautiful community,' Wiley said. 'People want to know what's happening, what's coming and I'm just trying to fill that void.' Wiley said he's the right man for the job. He has a background in construction, can read planning documents and is willing to dig through public records to get the latest information. He said he never reports updates that aren't public. That didn't stop The Villages' attorney from sending him and other drone pilots a letter, ordering them to stop flying over the district's construction sites. Wiley said it also demanded he take down his YouTube videos. According to Wiley, the letter cited state law that prohibits 'surveillance' over private property. However, the section of the law exempts property that can be seen from a public space on the ground, which would presumably include the wide-open construction lots adjacent to the roads he launches from. He said the letter came days before The Villages' newspaper launched a weekly column that reported construction updates. 'My opinion is they want to control the flow of information,' he said. 'They want to they want to keep the wow factor.' WFTV reached out to The Villages for comment, including clarification on its attorney's view of the privacy law, and didn't receive a response Tuesday. As a drone instructor to other adults, Wiley said he's confident he's not breaking any statutes and is planning to consult with an attorney. He vowed to keep publishing his YouTube videos. 'I have no intentions of stopping my work,' he said. 'I've been editing all morning. Where this goes, that's really up to them to make the decision.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
