Kevin Maclean

Canada Day takes over Niagara-on-the-Lake, from Queen Street to Fort George. A community mourns a migrant farmworkers killed by a hit-and-run driver. Plus, the race for the next lord mayor heats up.

"We’ve seen too many hit-and-run crashes around NOTL. We’ve seen too many instances where, day or night, drivers in a rush, or without thought, push the limits, sometimes with life-altering consequences," writes Kevin MacLean.

Despite the morning fog, the 18-hole women’s league held its annual Beat the Pro contest in which players dictated the club pro shop manager Darren Smith had to use to try to get closer to the pin on the 120-yard par-3 hole #4.

More than 80 women from across Niagara gathered last week to compete for the 60th annual Wood Trophy, one of the longest-running and most prestigious amateur contests in the region.

The theme was Around the World and members of the organizing committee were decked out in airline flight attendants’ gear while golfers sported attire from various countries and cultures across the globe.

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club and the Toronto Hunt Club have a long history of competition and last Saturday it was NOTL's turn to play host to their big city counterparts.

Merkel and her family were on a private holiday to Niagara and the German embassy had arranged in advance with NOTL's Klaus Reif for her to visit the Reif Estate Winery for a tour and tasting.

When Hollywood came knocking, Brodie and Maria Townley were ready for their close-up. The upcoming romantic comedy "Beach Read," which shot in Niagara-on-the-Lake in June, highlights the Townleys’ heritage home at 123 Johnson St.

Just as winners on the professional tour are often decided "on the back nine on Sunday," so it was that the men's and women's championships were determined at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Golf Club this past weekend.

For the first time in two decades, Gary Zalepa’s name won’t be on the ballot for this fall’s municipal election, but his career in local politics could be far from over.