5 Things You Need To Know For August 26, 2026

August 26, 2026 5:55 am Published by Chris McLeod

_{August 26th is the 238th day of the year. There are 127 days remaining until the end of the year.}

The Chatham Concert Band is back on stage tonight.

This is the 99th year for the Summer Concert Series, the show is free beginning at 7 p.m. Next week is the final show of the season.

Conductor Vaughn Pugh will chat with CKMORNINGS at 6:50 this morning.

Five years ago today, on August 26th, 2021, a massive explosion ripped through downtown Wheatley after a hydrogen sulphide gas leak.

About 20 people were injured, buildings were damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of residents were forced out of their homes as the area was evacuated. The explosion also led to a lengthy shutdown of the downtown core and a major cleanup and investigation.

Five years later, the explosion remains one of the most significant events in Wheatley’s recent history, with the community still dealing with the long-term impact.

Dolly Parton passed away yesterday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 80 years old.

She was multi-faceted as a singer, songwriter, actress, humanitarian, author, and playwright.

Her reps said she bravely faced a brief battle with cancer and passed at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville surrounded by loved ones. It’s not clear what type of cancer she had.

It was previously reported that Dolly was admitted to the hospital on Friday and was dealing with kidney and autoimmune issues. Her nephew was the first to break the news with a video on Instagram:

At Dolly’s request, she will be laid to rest alongside her husband Carl Dean at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Nashville.

Donald Trump is dragging the Great Lakes into the Canada-U.S. trade war.

Tuesday on Truth Social Trump said the U.S. is giving “serious consideration” to renaming Lake Ontario, to Lake America, arguing it doesn’t expect to do much business with Ontario anymore.

Trade tensions have escalated, with Canada bringing retaliatory tariffs against hundreds of U.S. products next month.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says, “I know Canadians. We’re always going to call it Lake Ontario.”

Lake Ontario is shared by Ontario and New York — so changing its name isn’t something the U.S. can simply do on its own. Canada’s federal government won’t respond to the president’s social media posts.

Gas prices are expected to drop about three cents a litre today across much of Ontario, including Chatham-Kent.

That would put regular gas around 173.9 cents a litre. Diesel is also dropping by about 10 cents a litre.

Experts remind drivers to wait until the evening to buy gas, as stations reduce their profit margins at those times. They suggest holding off until after 6 p.m. before filling your tank.