Hiring begins at NextStar, more flights out of Windsor, and stolen vehicles recovered: Top Windsor stories from the past week

Remains found near the Ambassador Bridge, homes selling below the listed price, and more jobs coming to the area.

Here’s a look at the top five stories on ctvnewswindsor.ca this week:

NextStar Energy starts hiring for battery plant ‘launch team’

NextStar Energy kicked off the hiring process Monday for the 130 new employees to form the Windsor battery plant’s ‘launch team.’

According to a news release, of the positions posted Monday, 30 will be professional staff to launch and grow the business operations, while 100 will be for a team production engineers and technicians.

The team of engineers and technicians will begin an international training program in October, learning how to run a large-scale lithium-ion battery plant at existing plants in Poland, China and South Korea.

“Employees are the most important asset in building lithium-ion batteries, and we plan to invest significantly in making sure that our employees are ready to manage the complicated process and equipment," Danies Lee, CEO of NextStar Energy, said in the release. "We are excited to become a leading employer in Windsor and look forward to offering exciting jobs where people can develop the skills they need to build long-term careers in this important and growing industry."

Stellantis and LG Energy Solution EV battery plant construction site in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, May 15, 2023. (Sijia Liu/CTV News Windsor)

Flair announces new sun routes out of Windsor

As soon as winter hits, Flair Airlines will have new routes to get Windsor residents out of the cold and into the sun.

The airline announced Tuesday it will be adding direct flights out of Windsor International Airport to Cancun, Mexico and Orlando, Florida.

“We think both Cancun and Orlando are going to be popular in Windsor. They’re both great family options,” Flair chief commercial officer Garth Lund said, noting the draw for families to Disney World.

Flights out of Windsor to Cancun will be offered once weekly starting Dec. 5. And twice weekly to Orlando starting at $59 as of Jan. 21.

More homes are selling below listed prices, but mortgage brokers warn buyers aren't getting a better deal

If the goal of surging interest rates was to cool off home sale prices, realtors say it appears to be working — but according to a mortgage broker, rising interest rates mean buyers aren't always getting a better deal.

A document obtained by CTV News shows a list of home sales that took place in the last 30 days. While most homes were sold for tens of thousands of dollars above the listed price, some were actually sold below asking.

According to Windsor-Essex County Association of Realtors President Mark Lalovich, this is becoming more of a common trend.

House sold sign. (File)

Non-human remains found near base of Ambassador Bridge

Windsor police say a tooth was discovered in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive West.

Archeologists were on location analyzing the finding around 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Police cruisers were also on scene.

Despite investigators confirming the remains found were not human, archeologists continued work at the site.

Windsor police and archeologists were in the 2300 block of Riverside Drive West after remains were found in the area in Windsor, Ont. on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023. (Stefanie Masotti/CTV News Windsor)

Police bust international stolen vehicle operation, 279 charges laid

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) say 23 people are facing a combined 279 charges after police recovered 138 stolen vehicles and seized an immense amount of drugs worth $506,000 following a 16-month investigation.

Police say 14 search warrants were executed on July 26 at locations in Windsor, Peel Region, and Toronto. In total, police say the vehicles recovered are worth more than $9 million.

OPP representatives were in Windsor Thursday to announce the arrests which were part of the joint ‘Project Fairfield” initiated by Windsor Police Services (WPS) in April 2022. The OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau (OCEB) West joined as partners in September 2022.

OPP announce arrests and charges that were part of Project Fairfield, a joint investigation with Windsor Police Service in Windsor, Ont. on Thursday, Aug 3, 2023. (Stefanie Masotti/CTV News Windsor)