It’s that time of year as the trees are up, the lights are on and the festive spirit is increasing as Christmas gets closer.
We here at the River Town Times appreciate all of our readers and advertisers and want to wish each and every one of you the best of the holiday season. We’re a small business too so support we get from the community is always appreciated!
It’s been an interesting year – heck, it’s been an interesting week – as we head into our Christmas break. Lengthy budget deliberations kept me busy the first part of last week and I didn’t leave there thinking anyone was overly thrilled with the 5.12 per cent tax increase.
Like last year, I thought the starting point that council started with would be cut further when it was all said and done. This year, it was a 5.3 per cent point at which deliberations started and I thought it would come in under five per cent at least.
These type of increases seem to be, unfortunately, a norm around the area based on many of the increases I’ve seen in the area. I’ve met some people over the years that are more accepting of a tax increase than others, but I’ve met very few that actually like them. This year is definitely no exception.
But putting the not-so-good news aside, it was a week filled with Christmas coverage and much of that is contained in this week’s issue. From Christmas dinners and cantatas, to food drives and clothing donations, there is still that generous spirit in Amherstburg and beyond.
I mentioned the River Town Times is taking a bit of a break. As both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Wednesdays this year, we decided to take both weeks off and enjoy a little more downtime and time with our families. I can’t say the break will be this long every year, but we’re going to enjoy it while we have it this year.
Our next print edition will be Wednesday, January 8.
That said, while the print edition is on a brief hiatus, there will still be updates to the website during that time. I’m sure there will be both news and holiday-related stories to post, so I will be on top of that so make sure you check out www.rivertowntimes.com.
From all of us at the RTT, enjoy the holidays and have a great time. There is a story in this week’s issue about Project Red Ribbon and that is a reminder to people not to drive impaired. We echo those sentiments and urge people not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle if they have had one too many. It’s simply not worth it. Call a cab, get a designated driver or simply stay where you are at. The potential for bad things happening if driving impaired makes it a bad decision to make.
A few thoughts
By Ron Giofu
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