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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-01-03, Page 1The CitizenVolume 24 No. 1 Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008 $1.25 ($1.19 + 6c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Inside this week Pg. 3 Pg. 6 Pg. 7 Pg. 9 Pg. 15 OPP investigate theft from kennel A look back at the news of 2007 Locals become holistic leaders Check out the babes from 2007 Blyth Minor Hockey holds fundraiser Brussels, a village full of history, has another book to celebrate its heritage. Main Street-Brussels, is the third book released celebrating the history of Huron East. The idea was spawned from Doors Open, sprouting Doors Open-Huron East and Main Street-Seaforth, which both preceded the latest Brussels installment. The book began with the Huron East Economic Development Corporation as well as the Huron East Heritage Committee and just grew from there. The book is largely compiled from old issues of The Brussels Post, featuring old stories, pictures and advertisements. However, the back section of the book is comprised of interviews with people still living in Brussels today and their stories of the past. Paul Nichol, economic development manager with the Huron Business Development Corporation worked hard to bring this book together, but he credits Dianne Smith and Shelby Crawford for much of the book. Smith researched, compiled and wrote the majority of the book, while Crawford, a student hired on by the Brussels Heritage Committee took on an oral history project in Brussels. Crawford spent weeks speaking to citizens and listening to their stories. The book was then financed by Huron East Economic Development and was printed at Blyth Printing. Nichol intends to hand over one of the books to each of the businesses along the main street in Brussels as well as one to each citizen who leant their story to the book. The remaining copies, he hopes, will be available at The Citizen office in Brussels. New book celebrates main street The pieces are slowly falling into place as Huron’s Family Health Team keeps getting stronger and stronger. As promised, the FHT satellite in Brussels is set to open in January. However, not all of the details have been ironed out, but Brussels will have a nurse-practitioner working full-time in Brussels by the end of January. The Family Health Team’s administrative manager Barb Major- McEwan says it has yet to be decided whether Brussels will house a part-time physician in addition to the nurse-practitioner (Cate Verbern, who returned from maternity leave in December) or whether Verbern will head up the clinic with a nurse under her and an administrator to handle the phones and office work. If the latter is the case, a physician will be on hand as a back-up for Verbern and available for phone calls at all times. Work has been getting done consistently behind the scenes says Major-McEwan. The electronic records system is nearly ready for use, the clinic is currently being topped up with equipment and it was painted just before Christmas. Major-McEwan says that while they aren’t at the stage yet where they can talk about the appointment system or other details, they are planning an open house for Jan. 15. She says they hope to have the new clinic very close to ready by then, and spend a few hours in the afternoon showing the people of the community around. Right now, there is an answering service working the phone in Brussels and Verbern is working at a Well-Women’s Clinic in Seaforth. Just as the final touches are being put on the FHT satellite in Brussels, new developments came out of Huron East Council’s Dec. 18 meeting in regards to the FHT’s home base in Seaforth. In January, Dr. Claudio Munoz from London will begin work on a clinical research centre in Seaforth aimed at bringing a stroke prevention program to Huron County. The program will include screening patients for risk factors in heart disease, such as high cholesterol, obesity and high blood pressure. Mayor Joe Seili was proud to make this announcement and he said more announcements like this one can be expected in the future. Dr. Munoz will make a presentation to council in early January. With warming temperatures on the horizon, the OPP are remind- ing snowmobilers to stay off the trails if they haven’t been opened and to exercise extreme caution when travelling over water. The OPP says that the recent snow in warmer temperatures acts as a warm blanket on the thin ice, which makes rivers and lakes appear to be safe to travel on, when they are not. Bruce Howson of Blyth’s Sno-Travellers Club says that there have been plenty of snowmobilers out and about, despite the fact that the trails aren’t open yet. “We were supposed to open them on Dec. 21, but it was mild then too,” Howson said. “As soon as we get four to eight more inches of snow, we’ll be grooming them and they’ll be ready to go again.” OPP Const. Joanna Van Mierlo says that she hasn’t encountered many people riding when they shouldn’t be, saying that snowmobilers have been using their heads this winter regarding unsafe riding conditions. Howson, while he has seen more riders on closed trails than he cares to, agrees with Van Mierlo, calling the conditions unsafe, adding that there are many unseen dangers as well. “There are about two or three things they should really be worrying about. Plowed fields are a real concern. If the trails aren’t open, the riders aren’t legally insured. There are open ditches and rocks in fields as well,” he said. “We would really prefer that people stay off the trails until we have them opened up.” The OPP has already had to investigate a death attributed snowmobiling in thin ice conditions. Trail information is available at the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Club’s website at www.ofsc.on.ca. There is currently a yellow alert in relation to current snowmobiling conditions in Ontario, meaning that riders should use patience and be very cautious on swamps and waterways due to the insulating effect of the heavy snow causing slush and ice that was not safe before, may be weakened by more snowfall. Slippery slope While the Christmas break didn’t bring a lot of snow for youngsters to enjoy while out of school, a natural incline afforded perfect sledding conditions for Reece, right, and Avery McArter as they enjoyed some outdoor fun near their Brussels home. After a blustery mid- December, the weather settled (Vicly Bremner photo) Snow- mobilers on thin ice, warn OPP By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen Nurse practitioner should be in place in January By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen