It may not matter whether she’s a Tory or an Independent in the next federal election, a poll done for members of the Conservative Party in Simcoe Grey has found Helena Guergis is likely to win with 30 per cent of the vote.  As it stands, the Tories have 32 per cent support in the riding, but a third of that support would shift to an independent Guergis.  All the more reason, says local Tory Art Storey, for the party and Guergis to kiss and make up.  Internal fighting, he says, only hurts them in the long run.  Half of the voters contacted, and half of those with Tory leanings, said she should be allowed to carry the Tory banner.

The Barrie Colts play another pre-season game tonight.  This one at Barrie Molson Centre, 7:30, against Guelph, at 7:30.  The Colts lost their first two exhibition games to Owen Sound last weekend.

A double dose of bad luck for a Collingwood resident yesterday.  Provincial Police say a home on Gibbard Street was broken into sometime between 8:30 in the morning and 2 o'clock in the afternoon.  Cash and a video game console were taken, and apparently a set of car keys, because sometime after 3 o'clock yesterday afternoon the victim's car was stolen from the parking lot at Wal Mart.  It's a four door Dodge Neon, purple with plate number APFM 860.  Police say it may have a broken window.

An Orillia company is recalling some of its hamburger patties over fears they could be contaminated with E. coli.  Check your freezer for Cowboy Beef Burgers, made by Leadbetters Foods Inc of Orillia, in the 2.27 kilogram package.  No illnesses have been directly related to the burgers which have been sold in stores across Ontario.

A year long property freeze on taxes and a four year freeze on council salaries, more job creation, less gridlock and a five per cent cut in recreation fees - part of the plan mayoralty candidate Rob Hamilton has put together after eight months of coffee meetings, community events and knocking on doors. An ambitious plan, says the former mayor, that he says will move Barrie forward and ensure it remains the best place to work, live and raise a family. One of the most important things to do, says Hamilton, is to restore confidence at city hall. He says city council has wandered from crisis to crisis over the last few years with little direction, no vision and too much division. He wants to return ethical standards and integrity to city hall.  Hamilton is one of six candidates for mayor.

Interview with Rob Hamilton:

Getting crowded in the starting gate for the mayor’s race in Barrie. Mayor David Aspden said today he’ll seek a second term. That makes six candidates for the mayor’s chair. Aspden has served on council for 13 years, the last four as mayor.

Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie has finalized its improvement plan in hopes of balancing the budget by March 31st, 2012 while maintaining quality patient care.  There are 22 initiatives, some of which have already been implemented.  Others, such as reductions in overtime and sick time, reductions in length of stay where appropriate and asking that patients bring their own medication in some cases, will be implemented in the coming months.  RVH ended the last fiscal year with a 3-million dollar deficit and it's anticipating expenses to climb three per cent this year.  Government funding may cover half of that.

Police investigating the murder of 42 year old Sonia Veraschin of Orangeville think a pair of boots may be the key to finding her killer. Forensic evidence suggests the killer was wearing a size 10 or 11 Wind River or Dakota brand of boot, sold only at Mark's Work Wearhouse. OPP Detective Inspector Mark Pritchard asking that anyone who may have seen someone with unexplained blood on their boots, who may have thrown out a pair of boots or bought a new pair in the last week, call police with that information. Pritchard also says they believe the killer acted alone, is very familiar with the Orangeville area and with Veraschin. Cause of death has not been released. Based on evidence gathered, police do not believe this was a random act.

The Bank of Canada has nudged its trend setting rate another quarter point higher to one per cent.  It's the third hike in as many months, but may be the last for this year.  Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney seems satisfied with the way the recovery in Canada is taking shape, but warns weakness in the U.S. remains a concern and is a actor in the slower than expected recovery here.

A school bus driver is among four people charged by South Simcoe Police with speeding through a school zone this morning.  The driver was clocked at 88 kmh in a 60 kilometre an hour zone near Sir William Osler School on County Road 88.  Another driver was caught doing 99 kmh in a 50 zone near Cookstown Public School.  Ten minutes later, the same officer stopped someone going 90 kmh on the same stretch.  A fourth was charged with speeding near Innisfil Central School.  Police say that driver had a radar detector mounted on his dashboard.

Provincial Police say the remains found in Caledon at the weekend have been identified as 42 year old Sonia Veraschin of Orangeville and they have ruled her death a homicide.  Veraschin was reported missing a week ago.  Police believe her car was used to transport her body to the area wherre she was found, then returned to Orangeville.

Been a buzz about if for the last few days, we can confirm today that six time Canadian figure skating champion Jennifer Robinson has stuck her toe-pick into the race for councillor in Barrie’s Ward 8.  Two others are contesting the seat left by Jerry Moore - Don McNeil and John Webb.

The building permit has been issued and the steel will start rising out of the ground in the next few weeks.  After years of wrangling, Park Place - on the former Molson Park grounds in Barrie - will start to take shape.  Billed as an upscale, open-air shopping experience, Park Place will be home to as many as 100 shops and services - including Bed, Bath and Beyond, Golf Town, Future Shop, Best Buy, Urban Barn and Milestone's - and it's expected to create up to 5-thousand jobs.  Not only that, but North American Develoment Group, has given the city $16-million for road widening along Mapleview Drive and upgrades to the Highway 400 ramps at Mapleview, to help solve existing congestion and ensure traffic flows freely once Park Place is open.  The first shops are expected to be in business by August of next year.

Orillia OPP are looking for help identifying a woman - a 'person of interest' - in the June murder of 58 year old Robert Evans of Orillia. Evans' body was discovered in his Andrew Street home, by a neighbour, on Tuesday June 29. Police say Evans may have been in the company of this woman on Thursday or Friday of the previous week. She's described as 25-30 years of age, very tall and very thin with long, straight blonde hair. Police say she may have information that would be helpful to their investigation. Anyone with information regarding this woman is asked to police at 705-326-3536.

If you want to get through a difficult task easier, walk backwards.  Prevention Magazine has found people were better able to perform difficult tasks faster by walking in reverse.  Scientists think what they call the ‘ avoidance’ mode of walking backwards helps to focus your thinking (kind of like your focus if you were retreating from a dangerous situation).  They also warn that if you’re going to try it, you slow your pace by about half.  And you might want to practice on a treadmill with rails, using them for support.

This could bode well for filling up your gas tank.  The price of oil is down sharply in overseas trading thanks to a surge in the American dollar against the Euro.  Benchmark oil for October is down about $1.70 cents to just under 73 dollars a barrel.  The average price of gasoline in the Simcoe County area today is 98.8 cents a litre.

The lure of employment and money in their pockets is keeping more and more teenagers from pursuing a higher education.  A Stats Canada survey finds one-in-five Canadian teens is no longer in school -- that’s 20 per cent of those aged 15 to 19, compared with a worldwide average of 15 per cent.

Forensic experts have begun what police say will be a 'very detailed' autopsy on the human remains discovered Sunday near Orangeville.  It will be late today, perhaps tomorrow, before they release the results.  Police have yet to say whether the remains are male or female.  They're also still collecting evidence from the scene in Caledon, about 12 kilometres from Orangeville.  The discovery was made Sunday, almost a week after 42 year old Sonia Varaschin, of Orangeville, was reported missing.  Blood stains were found in her car and her townhouse.

Huronia West OPP say they were called to a fast food restaurant on Mosley Street in Wasaga Beach on Sunday morning after getting reports of chairs being thrown and a television being ripped off the wall. Police began their investigation, located a 24-year-old Woodbridge man, and charged him with intoxication in a public place. He'll be in a Collingwood courtroom next month.

Barrie Police say they're investigating the sudden death of a 70-year-old man who lived in the apartment building on the east end of the St. Mary's Church property on Amelia Street. A post mortem has been scheduled for today, Monday September 6th. More details to you when they become available from police.

Sunday evening at 7, many Orangeville residents will gather to light a candle of hope for Sonia Varaschin. It's been six days since the disappearance of the 42-year-old nurse. Meanwhile, the town of Orangeville has bonded through things like Facebook and Twitter, posting or reading details on the case as they become available. In the last couple of days, officers from the Toronto Police Mounted Unit have been going through local cornfields, looking for clues. Last Monday, police found Varaschin's blood-stained car in an abandoned laneway, leading them to a trail of blood in and around her Orangeville townhouse.

If in the Wasaga Beach area and looking for something to do today (Sunday), check out the Back to School Property and Bicycle Auction. It's being hosted by the Wasaga Beach Community Policing Committee at the Huronia West OPP detachment on River Road. Public viewing and bidding for this silent auction starts at noon. There are lots of cool items to bid for, with funds raised going to the Community Policing Committee in its effort to make Wasaga Beach a safer place.

Huronia West OPP say they and Clearview Township fire fighters were needed on Saturday to quell the flames damaging a house on Centre Line Road. The area between the 7th and 9th concessions of Sunnidale was closed to traffic while crews battled the blaze. More details will be posted when they become available from the OPP.

The Barrie Colts start their OHL pre-season play this Sunday afternoon with a clash against the Attack in Owen Sound.  The two teams will then meet on B.M.C ice in Barrie ice for a tilt this Monday evening. Game time for that one, 6 p.m