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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1991-12-23, Page 1Merry Christmas To All from the staff, correspondents and (Board of (Directors ofcThe Citizen CitizenTheNorthHuron Judge's concern brings Blyth parking changes Vol. 7 No. 51 Monday, December 23, 1991 60 cents New "no parking" zones and signs will be installed at the comers of all main street intersections in the core area, Blyth village council­ lors agreed at their Dec. 17 meet­ ing. Council will ask the Ministry of Transportation to declare the no parking area near the intersections of Westmoreland, Drummond, and King Streets, to go along with the no parking areas already marked out at the Dinsley St. intersection. The action came after a letter was received from Constable L. M. Roberts of the Wingham O.P.P. detachment who said that a woman had appeared in traffic court in Wingham on Oct. 17 charged with failing to yield the right of way in trying to enter Queen St. from Drummond St. on Aug. 12 in the evening when cars were parked right up to the corner of Drum­ mond. The woman said she could­ n't see past the cars to see what traffic was coming. Her Worship Karen Sturdy convicted the woman of the charge but gave her no fine because of the parking problem in the area. She also noted that if there was a civil suit, the village might be found liable because of the fail­ ure to eliminate the parking prob­ lem. Councillors agreed action must be taken. Councillor Steven Spar­ ling suggested the zones should be declared, not just at Drummond St, Continued on page 3 Vandal jailed awaiting sentence for damage to F.E. Madill school Something to smile about "Joseph" in the Blyth Public School’s portrayal of the Huron Carol version of the nativity couldn't help giving a smile for the camera at the school's annual Christmas concert Thursday night. School concerts were a big part of the local cultural scene last week, although concerts in Brussels and Londesboro had to be postponed due to Tuesday night's storm. Blyth council cuts meeting fee Blyth village council passed a motion to have a new by-law pre­ pared to eliminate pay for council­ lors and staff attending special meetings. Councillors John Elliott made the motion and called for a recorded vote. The motion was supported unanimously. Councillor Elliott said he wasn't so much after municipal staff but elected officials in proposing the change. Somebody has to start the process of rolling back costs, he said and he hoped other levels of government would follow. He noted that county councillors of the previous council had frozen their salaries and expenses but said that is not enough. "We've got to send a message to county council that they can freeze their salaries but they're not sacrificing." Councillor Steven Sparling sup­ ported the idea but he said while it was good for elected officials to set a good example, he wasn't sure that municipal employees should be expected to shoulder the burden. Elected officials generally have other jobs but employees have only their municipal job and their cost of living keeps going up like everyone else's, he said. "We have to look at wage negotiations fairly, he said." A Wingham man who confessed to twice breaking into F.E. Madill Secondary School and vandalizing the building will spend the next month in jail while he awaits prepa­ ration of a presentence report. Roderick I. Adams, 243 Josephine St., Wingham was one of four men charged with the Nov. 19 break in at the school in which fire extinguishers were discharged throughout the school and a fire­ hose was left running. Judge R.G.E. Hunter was told in Ontario Court, Criminal Division in Wing­ ham, Dec. 18, that the bill for the damage caused in the incident has now reached $8,346.70. Mr. Adams pleaded guilty to that incident as well as a break-in at the same school on Oct. 25 in which fire extinguishers were stolen and water hoses left on, doing $2623 damage. He also admitted phoning in a bomb threat to the school on Oct. 24, saying (in a disguised voice) that he had been into the school the night before and left several bombs. He also pleaded guilty to breaking into a Sunrise Dairy truck on Nov. 18 and steeling cases of chocolate milk and dairy products. Also charged in connection with the Nov. 19 school break-in were Kevin R. Epp, 229 Josephine St., Wingham; Daniel A. Fitch, 243 Josephine St., Wingham and Edward Hoffarth of Waterloo. Mr. Epp is also charged with a break-in at the school on Oct. 30 and an assault causing bodily harm, on Dec. 8. All except Mr. Adams were remanded out of custody until January 15. Mr. Adams' case was brought to a swifter conclusion after a minister who had taken him into his home as a condition of bail, rose to tell Judge Hunter he didn't want to be responsible for the man any longer. "So far he doesn't even admit he has a problem," the minister said. "We feel we can't continue to take j care of him at this point." Judge Hunter asked Mr. Adams if he had a lawyer and the F.E. Madill student said he didn't intend to hire a lawyer because he planned to admit his guilt. After a brief recess in which Mr. Adams was allowed to confer with Duty Coun­ sel John Schenk, pleas of guilty were submitted to all charges. Judge Hunter ordered the prepara­ tion of a presentence report and ordered Mr. Adams held in custody until a sentencing Jan. 20 in court in Goderich. Huron residents show generosity at Christmas time Though there are few households in Huron not affected by the diffi­ cult economic times, people, in the true spirit of Christmas, dug a little deeper this year to help those in need. Both the Huron County Christ­ mas Bureau and the Salvation Army reported overwhelming response to their appeal for dona­ tions. Despite the fact that the num­ ber of needy families has increased and people have less to spend, demand was met. "The people of the community should stand and take a bow for the tremendous generosity they have shown," said Sue Munoch, Coordi­ nator of Volunteer Services for the Children's Aid Society of Huron County, which sponsors the Christ­ mas Bureau. "People have been very generous in this difficult economic time in both donations of money and food," she said. Captain Roy Scott of the Salva­ tion Army in Wingham said that the response this year was even greater than last year's. This is not the norm, he said, as reports from across Canada are showing the donations have droppcd”We are up 10 percent in donations, which matches the increase for assistance, so I guess you could say we are keeping pace. We are really pleased and appreciative of the community e support." Capt. Scott says that unlike the Christmas Bureaus the Salvation Army operates all year, but to date 180 adults and 230 children have been helped by the service. Ms Munoch says that people found different ways to give. "Many businesses and groups got together and made donations. A Sunday School donated $1200 from the school fund. They said it was a new idea — children giving to children." Though all five Christmas Bureaus have closed, donations could still be made through the weekend at the Children's Aid in Goderich. As of December 19, 450 families had been helped compared to 384 last year. The number of children who benefitted from the Bureau was just under 1,000, about a 20 percent increase from last year's number of 835. The volunteers who look after the Bureaus work very hard to make Christmas special for those in need, says Ms Munoch. But seeing the joy that is brought to the lives of others is very rewarding, she adds, making the time and effort worth­ while. "One woman in one of our Bureaus said that a mother was upset because her little girl had been wanting a make-up kit for several Christmases, but she had never been able to afford one. There were two of them in the Bureau, so she was finally able io give her daughter the gift she had wanted for so long," said Ms Munoch. "Everybody working at one of the Bureaus has a success story to share. Il is a heartwarming experi­ ence."