Elderly man dead in Stoney Creek. Highway 8 continues to put pedestrians and drivers at risk.

I've been talking about placing cross lights on Highway 8 for quite some time now. This happened just down the street from Highway 8. To be honest I'm surprised this stuff doesn't happen more often, especially near Memorial School where children cross Highway 8 daily to visit the Starbucks. During Clr. Maria Pearson's  election she mentioned cross walks are in the works for this area, but all that talk quieted down once she was re-elected. This isn't just blaming the drivers; these kinds of situations put the driver in a bad position if you view the Video I posted a while back.  This isn't blaming Mrs. Pearson on this tragedy, but something needs to be done with the increase in traffic in the area. Very difficult to find an opening; avoid cars and pedestrians at the same time. Stay safe.

An elderly man is dead after a hit and run in Stoney Creek.

The search ended when a witness reported the van’s licence plate number leading police to seize the van registered to a Stoney Creek address where a 39-year old man was arrested for failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing death. 

Division 2 Staff Sergeant Jack Longhorn said police are still trying to confirm the identity of the man who was attempting to cross the street from a strip mall at 483 Highway 8, across the street from the Pine Villa nursing home. 

Paramedics responded to a call shortly after 7:30 p.m., and pronounced the man dead at the scene, according to EMS superintendent Greg Martin.

Police said detectives are taking statements and the collision reconstruction unit is on scene. 

This is the second hit and run in the area in the past year. 

I won FREE David Letterman tickets in New York City!!

While in New York this Monday October the 11^th I got a phone call from the staff at the David Letterman show informing me that I have been drawn out of the lottery for free tickets. I had gotten engaged the night before to my beautiful girlfriend and it was fitting that while in New York, we were the winners of FREE David Letterman tickets.  It was a great experience. I have posted a video below for you to view

If anyone from the Hamilton/Stoney Creek areas has stories to share of any talk show you attended in person, please post below your experience.

How did you get tickets?

What City?

What was the occasion?

Enjoy!! 

Local 1005 and US Steel come to agreement to end lock out, workers unimpressed

U.S. Steel workers were unimpressed by the details of a tentative agreement to end their 11-month lock out — but a slim acceptance is expected.
The workers, members of Local 1005 of the United Steelworkers, have been on the picket line since last November. On Monday a tentative agreement with the company was reached. It is to go to a ratification meeting Saturday.

The plan is little changed from previous company offers — a signing bonus of $3,000 and a profit sharing plan few expected will pay anything for several years.

On the critical issue of pensions there was no movement by the company at all on its demands to close the current defined benefit plan to new members, directing them to an RRSP-like defined contribution system
One small change was a company offer of $1,000 to retirees getting pensions of less than $1,500 a month.
Members interviewed outside the meeting were mostly unexcited by the offer.
“This isn’t even as good as Lake Erie got, but the union promised to take it to the members to accept or reject. Now it’s up to the individuals.” said one worker who refused to give his name.
Local 1005’s greatest fear is that if the union makes major concessions now, the company will only be back for now when the contract expires.

A late issue to arise was a company demand it be permitted to call workers back “at its sole discretion” outside the normal seniority rules.

The company’s current position takes away what the union dubbed the “slave clause.”
Analysts have consistently said it was unlikely the company would make any concession on its pension demands because it must negotiate a new contract with 17,000 American workers next year and can’t leave the Hamilton plant with a defined benefit plan and indexing no other workers in its system have.

Hamilton/Stoney Creek Blog successfuly predicts easy NDP victory

With Daulton McGuinty and the Liberals winning their 3^rd election in a row, this is the first time we’ve had a minority government in Ontario since 1985. 

On Tuesday October 4^th, the Hamilton/Stoney Creek Community Blog released a poll predicting that it would be an easy victory for the NDP in the Hamilton and Stoney Creek areas. When it was all said and done, not only did the poll predict easy victories for the NDP in Hamilton Centre and East Hamilton-Stoney Creek areas, but it also correctly predicted one of the biggest upsets in sometime when Liberal Cabinet Minister Sophia Aggelonitis was upset by NDP candidate Moniqe Taylor.

Hamilton and Stoney Creek head to the polls. Provincial Election

Polling stations will be open from 9am-9pm today. Make sure you get out there and VOTE!!!

Today is the provincial election and we have a chance to vote for the future of our province, our planet and our health care system. Click here to find out where to vote!

Only 61% of Canadians voted in the last federal election. Today, we can make sure the next Ontario government reflects the dreams and aspirations of Ontarians.

If we all vote, we can, together, elect a government that will help safeguard our environment, support our health care system and protect the social programs we need most.

Let’s seize this opportunity to elect the government we all want. Click below to find out where you vote:

Elections Ontario

The cost of inaction on our climate is going to be massive and we need to elect a government that will make fighting climate change a priority. Our health is being threatened by bad air quality, communities are being flooded, Ontario’s natural plant and animal species are being threatened and Ontarians are going to have to pay. The National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy says that if we don’t do anything to cut emissions, climate change costs could rise from $5 billion/year in 2020 to $43 billion/year in 2050. Today, we can seize our moment to elect a government that will protect our environment and save our kids money through embracing new opportunities like investing in renewable energy.

The debate over American health care helped show us how lucky we are to have had Premiers and citizens who fought to make sure everyone in our province has access to top-notch health services. We can vote to protect our health system and that means electing a government that is committed to protecting our right to universal public health care.

People worldwide fight tirelessly to get and preserve democracy in their countries and that means fighting for the right to vote in fair elections. Today let’s exercise our right to vote and make sure we get a government that best reflects our needs. Information on where to vote can be found at this link.

Elections Ontario

Hamilton/Stoney Creek Community Blog Provincial Election Poll

With the Hamilton/Stoney Creek Community Blog poll nearing its end. The Poll shows that locally we will see an easy NDP victory in the Hamilton/Stoney Creek areas.

• 55% of polled said they will vote NDP

• 20% polled said they will vote LIBERAL

• 10% polled said they will vote CONSERVATIVE

• 10% polled said they will vote GREEN

• 5% polled said they will vote for OTHER

Polls are just an idea of what the local residents are thinking of who to vote for. Remember this Thursday October 6^th is VOTING DAY!! Bring your identification and head to your local voting station.

Hamilton's John Axford making a splash in the MLB play offs for the Brewers.

Milwaukee Brewers closer John Axford has a NL-best 46 saves this year. Although he's revered in that city, few people here in Hamilton have heard of him, or know he's from this city.

The search for details about the last Hamiltonian who was a real difference maker for a playoff-bound team in the Major Leagues doesn’t take long to complete. Mostly because that man doesn’t exist.

Until now. 

When you turn on the TV and tune in to the playoffs this fall, keep your eye out for John Axford. He’ll be hard to miss if the Milwaukee Brewers have a lead late in a contest. His world-class Fu Manchu moustache tends to make him stand out whenever he steps onto the field. That, and the fact that he’s the National League’s most-dominant and most-feared closer.

He’s also a Hamiltonian.

OK, originally he’s from Port Dover. The folks there bristle when we leave that part out. But he now lives in a modest house in Ancaster in the established part of town, when he’s not in Wisconsin. His wife’s from here and she went to university at McMaster where he works out in the off season. He held jobs in Ancaster and Stoney Creek and was working the bar at East Side Mario’s in Dundas before getting his break in baseball.

Best of all, he’s good.

Axford’s NL-best 46 saves this year are not just a Brewers’ franchise mark — a rather impressive achievement considering this is the club that once employed Rollie Fingers and Trevor Hoffman — but they’re 23 times more than all the other big-league saves recorded by Hamiltonians, combined.

How dominant has he been this year?

After blowing two saves early in the season — including a walk-off home run to Cincinnati on opening day that had some folks wondering if last year was a fluke — Axford’s been perfect since April 18. He’s surrendered just one earned run since early August, this in the blast-furnace heat of a pennant race. And in a city that hasn’t won a division title in 29 years, he’s been a stabilizing force in what’s become a dominant bullpen.