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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-07-05, Page 1INSIDE THIS WEEK: GRADUATION - Pg. 9 Local Grade 8 students honoured as they move onto high school FIREFIT - Pg. 22 Huron East FireFit team earns berth in nationals FESTIVAL - Pg. 27 `Judith: Memories of a Lady Pig Farmer' hits the stage Publications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON NOG 1H0 Volume 34 No. 27 $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron Co my Thursday, July 5, 2018 Turning the corner With summer now in full swing, area parks and fields are full with local youth playing soccer and baseball. On June 27, Brussels was the destination for sports fans. Not only was the village's U15 Girls team in action against Wingham, but dozens were at the Optimist Ballpark as the Brussels Tigers took on the Australian Junior Men's Steelers in a rain -shortened double-header. On the pitch, the girls from Brussels were victorious, claiming a 2-1 victory over their opponents, Wingham's Gift Chest U15 Girls team. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Panovski guilty of Hullett murder By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Boris Panovski, a 74 -year-old dog trainer and hair stylist from Scarborough, has been found guilty of the 2014 murder of Don Frigo in the Hullett Wildlife Conservation Area. After a trial that lasted several weeks, the jury came in with a verdict of guilty for Panovski on both the count of killing Frigo and for aggravated assault in regards to Frigo's wife, Eva Willer Frigo on that fateful day in Central Huron. The jury came in with its verdict on Friday. It is still unclear whether Panovski plans to appeal, although his lawyers have strongly recommended it. Panovski's defence largely hinged on his lawyers, John Fennel and Christopher Hicks, claiming that no one could identify Panovski as being at the scene of the crime that day. During her testimony, Willer Frigo said she couldn't positively identify Panovski as the shooter that day. Over the course of the trial, however, the Crown Attorney attempted to prove its case by showing that because of Panovski's erratic behaviour, like ridding himself of his possessions and travelling to Macedonia, he showed that he was guilty. According to Jane Sims of The London Free Press, after the court found him guilty, Panovski leaned over in the prisoner's box, wanting to talk to reporters and inviting them to the jail to hear his story. Victim impact statements will be heard on July 5 in Goderich and at that time Panovski will be sentenced. Thompson named Ford's Minister of Education By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen On Friday morning, Huron -Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson was sworn in as the province's Minister of Education under Premier Doug Ford. Thompson has been an outspoken critic of rural school closures in recent years, an issue that has garnered the attention of many Huron -Bruce residents and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, to name a few. On her Twitter account, Thompson said that she was proud to stand alongside her fellow MPPs while they were all sworn in at Queen's Park and as a former 4-H member, she said she pledged to employ the "4 Hs [head, heart, hands and health]" in all that she does in her new post. "We have an all-star team that's ready now to give the people of Ontario the kind of leadership and direction they deserve," Ford said in a press release. "For too long, the people of Ontario have worked more and paid more, but gotten less. Those days are over. Help is here." Now in her third term as Huron - Bruce MPP after defeating Liberal Carol Mitchell in the 2011 election, Thompson has served in several capacities in her time with the PC Party of Ontario. She has been the PC Caucus Chair as well as serving as the PC Critic for international trade and Indigenous relations and reconciliation. She is a member of the Standing Committee on General Government and was selected by the Speaker of Ontario's Legislative Assembly to represent Ontario on a steering committee for Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, Canadian Region, for a three-year term. During the lead -up to the election, Thompson's name had been floated as a candidate to be the Minister of Agriculture when PC hopeful Ford had said that he wanted a farmer to serve as his Minister of Agriculture. She was unofficially shortlisted for the position alongside Monte McNaughton of Lambton-Kent- Middlesex, Toby Barrett of Halidmand-Norfolk and Ernie Hardeman of Oxford County, who was named to the position on Friday. With voter turnout at nearly a 20 - year high, Thompson was declared the winner of her riding just 15 minutes after the polls closed on June 7 thanks to electronic ballot - reading technology. This came after party leader Doug Ford had already been declared the next Premier of Ontario with a majority government predicted. Thompson received 27,646 votes, over 52 per cent of the riding's votes, followed by Jan Johnstone of the NDP with 15,326, Don Matheson of the Liberals with 7,356, Continued on page 28