Latest news with #Woodstock
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
New housing project converts old hotel
Historic former Oxford Hotel in Woodstock will be renovated into apartments to provide affordable housing in the city. CTV London's Lauren Stallone reports.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Restoration project of historic hotel brings affordable housing to Woodstock
The Oxford Hotel in Woodstock is under restoration to provide affordable housing. (Lauren Stallone/CTV News London) It was once an iconic hotel. Located in downtown Woodstock, The Oxford Hotel is getting a suite upgrade. 'We're expecting five commercial units on the main level, focused on business professionals,' said Keith Beres, a developer with the project. 'On top of that we're expecting 22 residential on the upper two floors, with an additional six in the basement.' The restoration project is aimed at providing affordable housing in the city's downtown core, while making sure the building's history never checks out. 'Oxford Hotel is hundreds of years old,' said Kerry Barid, a development officer with the city. 'It has been vacant for over 30 years.' Developers said they found several fascinating artifacts, including old textbooks and a concrete structure in the hotel lobby. 'The building was designed by the O'Neil family,' said Beres. 'They were Tip O'Neil's parents, the founder of Major League Baseball, and they created this concrete wall in the lobby so he could practice his curveball.' With the city's population rapidly growing, Mayor Jerry Acchione said the restoration is a great opportunity to open the doors to everything downtown Woodstock has to offer. 'People living and working downtown has always been the goal,' said Acchione. 'Having more affordable units for people to move into downtown is essential.' Acchione said the project came at a good time for Woodstock, noting the city is in the middle of a $51-million streetscape project. 'Just finishing up the first phase of streetscape, this ties it all together,' said Acchione. 'Trying to intensify and do a lot more with what we have here in the city.' Developers are expecting to have the commercial units occupied by the end of 2025 and people living in the former hotel by next summer.
Al Arabiya
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Book review: Following a vicious attack, a woman solves her own murder in Holly Jackson novel
After the shattering conclusion of Not Quite Dead Yet, author Holly Jackson addresses her readers this way: '…and breathe. Sorry. I know that was intense.' This is the first adult suspense novel by Jackson, the author of popular young-adult fiction including A Good Girls Guide to Murder, and it is emotionally wrenching from start to finish. The unforgettable protagonist is Jet Mason, a 27-year-old woman still living with her parents in Woodstock, Vermont. She's can't seem to get her life started – has never finished anything, including law school. 'I'll do it later,' she always says. 'I have plenty of time.' But she doesn't. Returning home after a Halloween party, she is attacked, her skull smashed with a hammer. When she wakes up in the hospital, she receives shocking news. Her surgeon was unable to remove a tiny bone fragment resting against a major blood vessel in her brain. If it remains there, it will cause a fatal brain aneurysm within seven days. If they try to remove it, they must act now, but she has only a remote chance of survival. Her doctor tells her that she must choose. Jet decides against surgery. With just seven days left, she is determined to finally finish something. Before she dies, she will solve her own murder. Leaving home to escape her mother's constant pleas to have the surgery, Jet teams up with Billy, a sweet young man who has loved her since they were children, and together they set out to unmask the killer. Jet never imagined that she had enemies, but before long, the police have arrested JJ, a former boyfriend who had never gotten over her. All but sure the police got it wrong, Jet persists, uncovering a series of family and small-town secrets that reveal an abundance of motives and suspects. The result is a fast-paced, intensely suspenseful race against time populated by an impressive collection of well-drawn characters. And in the end, the young woman who never finished anything emerges as a model of intelligence, courage, resilience, and decency.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Book Review: Following a vicious attack, a woman solves her own murder in Holly Jackson novel
After the shattering conclusion of 'Not Quite Dead Yet,' author Holly Jackson addresses her readers this way: '... and breathe. Sorry. I know that was intense.' This is the first adult suspense novel by Jackson, the author of popular young-adult fiction including 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder,' and it is emotionally wrenching from start to finish. The unforgettable protagonist is Jet Mason, a 27-year-old woman still living with her parents in Woodstock, Vermont. She's can't seem to get her life started — has never finished anything including law school. 'I'll do it later,' she always says. 'I have plenty of time.' But she doesn't. Returning home after a Halloween party, she is attacked, her skull smashed with a hammer. When she wakes up in the hospital, she receives shocking news. Her surgeon was unable to remove a tiny bone fragment resting against a major blood vessel in her brain. If it remains there, it will cause a fatal brain aneurysm within seven days. If they try to remove it, they must act now, but she has only a remote chance of survival. Her doctor tells her that she must choose. Jet decides against surgery. With just seven days left, she is determined to finally finish something. Before she dies, she will solve her own murder. Leaving home to escape her mother's constant pleas to have the surgery, Jet teams up with Billy, a sweet young man who has loved her since they were children, and together they set out to unmask the killer. Jet never imagined that she had enemies, but before long the police have arrested JJ, a former boyfriend who had never gotten over her. All but sure the police got it wrong, Jet persists, uncovering a series of family and small-town secrets that reveal an abundance of motives and suspects. The result is a fast-paced, intensely suspenseful race against time populated by an impressive collection of well-drawn characters. And in the end, the young woman who never finished anything emerges as a model of intelligence, courage, resilience and decency. ___ Bruce DeSilva, winner of the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award, is the author of the Mulligan crime novels including 'The Dread Line.' ___ AP book reviews:
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
OPP catch commercial drivers bypassing inspection station in Ganaoque, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say a recent blitz with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) caught commercial drivers who were taking secondary roads to bypass a truck inspection station in Gananoque. It is illegal to bypass a truck inspection station, OPP say, and on Thursday, officers in the Gananoque area stopped several vehicles attempting to bypass the mandatory inspection. 'Over a dozen commercial vehicle inspections were conducted, six of which occurred after vehicles were located bypassing the station,' police said in a news release. Police say 15 charges were laid, and four commercial vehicles were taken out of service. One driver in particular, a 27-year-old from Woodstock, Ont., is facing a drug possession charge for opioids in addition to traffic-related offences, OPP said. Earlier this month, the OPP and the MTO took 14 commercial vehicles out of service in the Belleville area because of safety defects and other violations, such as overweight vehicles, expired annuals, emissions violations, pre-trip inspection violations, and improper tires, brakes, and registrations.
