Former Courtright haunt of Al Capone being demolished
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Petrolia native Cody Chovancek.
Petrolia native hopes to win UFC contract
July 4, 2025
The Independent
Cody Chovancek will be part of Dana White’s UFC Contender Series this season.
The Petrolia native who trains with the Niagara Top Team in St. Catharines is 8-0 as a pro in the bantamweight division.
His latest bout was a unanimous decision against American Jordan Howard defending his Unified MMA title in Toronto in May.
He originally won the belt a year ago with a victory over Gage Gill of the US.
The ESPN-based Contender Series begins in August.
The show features up-and-coming fighters competing for a chance to earn a UFC contract.
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Former Courtright haunt of Al Capone being demolished
July 24, 2026
The Independent The home of the first business in Courtright – said to be the former haunt of gangster Al Capone – is being torn down. Demolition of what once was the Cathcart General Store started July 21. Local historian Kip Cuthbert says the building dates back to around the 1850’s as a general store. “William Cathcart established his general
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Four charged with drug trafficking by Anishinabek Police after stop in Lambton Shores
July 24, 2026
The Independent Four people have been arrested after a drug trafficking investigation that started in May and ended with a traffic stop in Lambton Shores July 21. Anishinabek Police Service officers stopped a vehicle in Lambton Shores July 21. Police searched the vehicle and found seven grams of fentanyl and 51 hydromorphone tables. A 57-year-old man and 43 year-old woman,
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Bluewater Bridge border guards seized 1.1 tonnes of drugs in $139 million bust
July 24, 2026
Heather Wright/The Independent About 1.1 tonnes of the drugs seized in a $139 million drug investigation were seized at the Bluewater Bridge. And a Corunna man is one of 21 people charged in the massive drug ring which netted a total of 1.7 tonnes of cocaine, methamphetamine, opium and oxycodone. The investigation began in Windsor in January 2025. “At that
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Ashley Norton Caught the Ace
July 24, 2026
Imperial Oil employee takes home $4.5 million in Sarnia Legion Cathy Dobson & Heather Wright/The Independent After 45 weeks, hundreds of thousands of tickets sold, food banks restocked and a whole lot of fun, the Chase for the Ace is over. Thursday, Ashley Norton’s ticket was drawn at the Sarnia Legion. The 44-year-old Imperial Oil maintenance manager chose envelope number
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