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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-06-07, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 7, 2007.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Kelly Quesenberry The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont.N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels,Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $32.00/year ($30.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada;$92.00/year in U.S.A.and $175.00/year in other foreign countries.Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com June 7, 1950 Over 147 whales were left helpless after being washed ashore in Scotland. Everything was being done by nearby residents of the beach, called East Lothian, but in the end the majority of the sea creatures perished on the dry sand. Renowned pastry cook Pasquale Cotumaccio was the creator of an extremely accurate model of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rome. The dessert took 50 pounds of sugar and 20 days to complete, and after was to be put on display in the dining room of a prestigious Roman hotel. A traditional theatrical production called the Passion Play was to find a new home. Germany was to have its first staged performance of the show, but the casting had made some controversy. Playing the role of Jesus would be Anton Preisinger, a beer parlor owner and an former member of the Nazi party. Political bitterness soon followed. A mysterious large stone carving had been discovered in the jungles of Southern Mexico. The carving, measuring nine feet high, six feet wide, and 20 feet in circumference, appeared to be in the shape of a face with some sort of tribal headgear. A 15-ton re-creation of the stone head was on display at the American Museum of National History. The discoverer of the original was Dr. Matthew Stirling. June 7, 1961 An entire business block in Wingham was ablaze when Blyth and district firefighters were called in to help. The fire caused almost total damage to three Wingham stores with severe water and smoke damage to the surrounding businesses. Six children and two adults were also taken to the Wingham and District Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation as well as minor cuts and bruises. The fire was believed to have started from an exploding oil drum at the rear of one of the buildings, and the fire eventually spread across the entire block. The blaze was so large that Wingham Fire Department had to call in help from Teeswater and Blyth because they had run out of men and resources. Eventually the flames were put out, but much of the businesses had been completely destroyed, leaving only smoldering piles of ashes. At the Clinton Spring Fair, Wilma Dale of Clinton was chosen as Dairy Princess of Huron County, crowned by MP Elston Cardiff of Brussels. The beloved Princess Grace of Monaco and her husband Prince Ranier, were White House guests of President John Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline. A luncheon was being held in honour of the couple’s visit. Television star David Nelson, son of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, was wed to his actress-model girlfriend June Blair in Hollywood. Maximum security was used as the Freedom Riders bus made a stop on an Alabama highway, en route to Jackson, Mississippi. Thomas Lawson, spokesman for the group, made an impromptu press conference, insisting that the riders resented the protection forced on them, and that they only promoted peace. A study conducted at the Martin Company in the United States found that women made better spacecraft pilots than men. The study was conducted as part of Project Apollo, which aimed to send a crew of three to the moon. The specific study showed that women adapted faster to flying spacecraft than most male astronauts. June 8, 1988 A scary situation presented itself in Walton when a stand off occurred in one of the village’s houses. A 27- year-old man from Walton was facing weapons charges after he caused a four hour siege, prompting the evacuation of part of the village. The man was taken into custody by police after refusing repeated orders to come out of his home with hands up. He had holed himself up in his home with several guns after a family dispute. After threatening to kill himself, the OPP tactics and rescue squad (TRU) had to be called in, wearing full combat gear running down main street in Walton. The man was finally apprehended, and was to appear in a Goderich court to face charges. Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was the comedy Big Business, starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin. June 5, 1991 A Blyth resident was in the forefront of a campaign to acquire more natural gas service for the North Huron area. Everett Scrimgeour told Huron County council that Union Gas had promised to do a survey of the area to see how much interest there was in getting natural gas. Currently, the gaslines had stopped at Clinton. Mr. Scrimgeour had also made sure to take information from every possible village and township as well as send letters to Union Gas assuring the unanimous favour of natural gas service to the area. A response was yet to be heard. The Blyth Library had its official ribbon-cutting ceremony, opening its new location in the building connected to the Memorial Hall, with several government officials in attendance. THE EDITOR, Neighbours helping neighbours. That’s what small towns are about. It’s what makes you smile when you meet someone on the street, or say “hello” or share a few words of encouragement. A family in Blyth needs that smile and encouragement. Jerrod Button was involved in a motorcycle accident one of the very first nice Saturdays that we had for biking. He and his brother-in-law were on their way home when he got caught in the loose gravel on the edge of the road. He sustained major injuries and was airlifted to London’s Victoria Hospital with a broken neck and broken upper left arm. Thankfully, Jerrod’s spinal column wasn’t severed, but he must undergo several months of intense pain wearing a “halo” that is screwed directly into his skull to support his neck until the bones heal. His arm is also on the mend, but not usable for the time being. As soon as we heard of the accident, as fellow bikers, we knew we had to help. Jerrod is self- employed and laid up during the busiest season for a carpenter. This would be difficult for any family, but Jerrod is the main breadwinner in the home. A plan for a benefit barbecue was put into place, neighbours helping as soon as they heard of it. Some others had the idea for a dance/card party and asked if we could join forces. Perfect... the more the merrier. The benefit barbecue and dance is Friday, June 8 on the arena floor. DJ services are being donated, so come and enjoy a night of family fun from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will be card tables set up, a licensed bar run by the Lions Club, barbecued beef on a bun, and lots of neighbours and friends having a good time. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door or at various establishments around town. Donations are welcome. Check out the coming events for more information. Smalltown living can mean everyone knowing your business and having something to say about it. Or it can be the best thing that has ever happened to a person. I trust we will once again prove the latter to be true for the Buttons. Sincerly, Sandra Garnet. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Don’t fight ’em, join ’em Things just got rougher for Canadian farmers, already hampered by a high Canadian dollar and various trade issues, when the U.S. government recently announced plans to charge for the inspection of trucks and trains carrying fruit and vegetables grown in Canada For a country that professes to favour free trading, Americans are endlessly creative in finding ways to hinder those who want to sell them goods. Now they claim they are in danger from plant diseases imported from Canada and must protect themselves. They have been protecting themselves for years now about the danger of importing BSE from Canada by severely restricting imports of cattle and sheep. Also on the horizon is the implementation of “country of origin labeling” which will not just require a label for where the food was processed, but require accounting for where that food might have originated. So, for instance, if a pig or steer was born in Canada but raised and processed in the U.S., the paper trail for labeling might make it easier for U.S. farmers and processors just not to buy Canadian at all. The Canadian government has expressed “disappointment” in the U.S. action on charging for inspections. We get disappointed a lot, but we seldom seem to fight back. We import far more fruits and vegetables from the U.S. than we export, so why not impose the same fees for food moving northward? As for country of origin labeling, it’s hard to argue against consumers having the right to know where their food is coming from. It’s just too darned hard for a lot of Canadians to identify if the foods they are buying are home grown or hiding behind a “Canada No. 1” grading label. After the pet food scare with imported ingredients from China, Canadians need as much information on the origin of their food as possible. So rather than being “disappointed” with Americans, we should play by the same rules. We should also copy the ways they get around World Trade Organization rules and use them here too. It does no good being polite and getting beat up regularly. — KR Subsidizing somebody else U.S. energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp. last week warned it will pull out of a proposal to build a natural gas pipeline down the MacKenzie Valley unless the Canadian government subsidized the construction. Let’s get this straight. Not only are Canadians, under the North American Free Trade Agreement not allowed to put their own energy requirements ahead of the Americans, but now we are supposed to pay a subsidy to build a pipeline which will help ensure U.S. energy security. While current high energy prices are creating a boom in Alberta, for most Canadians it has meant higher prices to heat their homes or fuel their cars and tractors. Energy exports are at least partly to blame for the soaring Canadian dollar which is seeing hundreds of thousands of industrial workers lose their jobs and Canadian farmers unable to compete internationally. Now this U.S. giant wants us to pay extra taxes too, to improve its bottom line. Is the word sucker on our flag? — KR & Letter to the editor