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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 1999-07-14, Page 1vwr..•,.. ;.-c. ..: July 14, 1999 Si (includes GST) Local weather • Wsdnssday--Sunny, cloudy periods. High 29. Thursday --Sunny, cloudy periods High 31. low 17 ,rt:: Friday -same forecast Saturday --Increasing cloud, isolated showers High 30. low 19 Probability of precipitation 30 per cent. From Environment Canada Man shot by airgun in drive-by shooting A 53 -year-old Tuckersmith man was shot in the leg by an air gun from a passing vehicle Saturday at approximately 2:30 p.m., while gardening in his yard on Huron County Road 3 between Seaforth and Brucefield. The 1989 white Ford Crown Victoria. carrying four young males. slowed down next to the man, who heard a popping noise and felt a sharp pain in .his right shin. which began to -bleed. The car then sped westbound towards Brucefigld after the shooting. The man was treated and released at a local hospital. Anyone with any related information is asked to call the Huron OPP or Crimestoppers. Tractors receive $40,000 in damages by vandals - Two John Deere tractors . received damages exceeding . $40,000_at a major beef • operation in Tuckersmith Township Saturday night. • The two tractor's were - in an isolated Karn just south of the home farm on Concession 3 between Kippen and Hensall. One of the tractors had a metal rod forced through the grill and radiator into the engine area and was then driven into a large pile of hailed hay,. causing extensive damage to the engine. The second tractor was completely destroyed when it was driven across a pig wagon, through a corn field and a'fr"et. - Anyone with any related information is asked to call Huron OPP or Crimestoppers. Teacher creates SDHS museum .. Pow 3 Drug harvest begins soon In Huron. P09.3 Alers Slo-Pitch tourney lost weekend -- Pogo 10 leIA Susan-aundertmark and Scott -' lgendorff photos At work and ploy Above, Aleisha Dale• 7, of Seotorth,sticks out her tongue with the effort of travelling the rings at the new playground equipment at Lions Park on ' \�,t Saturday .while at left:workers ` ►;1 Jeremy Williams and—SFr-purr— ' nd` huurt' 1 Turgon, of Princeton Bond Fence, '(( erect the new playstructure last week The new equipment is part of a 530,000 facelift to the park by the Seaforth Lions Club asport of ,1 its 75th anniversary this year County won't reopen option for one -tier By Amy Zoethout Signal -Star Staff Despite a strong -movement among Huron Count; ratepayers for a single -tier government. county' council decided Thursday it would not go back and look at this option. Council voted against a motion.that the Strategic Planning - Committee look ,at a -single-tier option "melding all 27 municipalities into one municipality."- Over the last couple of months. a group called the Concerned Citizens for the Promotion and Implementation - of a Single Tier Government has been building momentum towards this system of government. At County Council- last week. Stanley Township resident Bev Hill. representing the group.' urged county councillors to support the -motion to look at one -tier. - ; . _ - "Passing this motion- will provide an opportunity for municipal councils to have their amalgamation decision; . subjected to public scrutiny:- said Hill. "If not passed there will be the obvious public perception that public =scrutiny 'is . . being avoided:" • In his presentation to council. Hill made reference to a letter to the editor recently published_ in a number cif 16Cal newspapers by Seaforth mayor David -Scott. Hill 'aid that while Scott opposes a one-tier.go%ernment:-this letter "illustrates that we have similar views." • : Hill explained that in Scott's letter. he said that.if there hasn't been healthy discussion at the municipal level on .a one -tier versus.a two-tier system. there probable should be. "We agree with that 100 per cent said Hill. In his letter. Hill said Scott urges this one -tier group of Huron ratepayers to trust their local politicians. who -were elected by the people todo what is in their best interest. "You people are .the board of directors who represent the shareholders of the corporation of Huron County." said Hill. rand as such you have the responsibility to -bring all major issues such as this, before the shareholders. To not do sO ma% very well be viewed by some as a betrayal of trust. Implications that arise from this motion. Hill said. are ' ery significant not only on the present population but also on future generations. "Passing this motion provides the vehicle to openly debate all -options for restructuring." said Hill. ''This issue affect: us all and we strongly urge that you provide all of u..uith, the pportunity to participate." Councillor Cin Steffler of Seafotth pointed Quito Hill that all• of the restructuring meetings Seaforth has had have all been open to the public. She added though that she has not - seen any representatives from the public at these Meetings. "We ate not trying to hide anything that's going on.- she . said. She also added that- the one -tier option has been discussed by the county and: that councils "didn't feel at that time that single tier was in best interest of our community." . Steftler also asked Hill why this group didn't,come forward sooner to have their concerns addressed, "It's an . issue that came- before us just recently when '.e See ONE-T1ER, Page 2 Public board `very satisfied' with EIC report By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Staff The "very positive report" by the Education, 'Improvement Commission tEICt on :the ainalg,unation of the Avon Maitland District - -School Board :- is "very satisfying ' saes hoard chair \%ends Anderson. • "The staff worked sen hard to he ready and %s.ere initially pothered by the amount of work in' of k ed but when they .saw how much they have really done. I'd .sty the process has been very team -building. We haven't focussed on positives often enough. -..he says. -The ElC isited the hoard's head office in Seatorth in late stay and -held' a public meetings and a series of private meetings with community representatives..taff and trustees to.detern ine how %tell the -board .'was-- priygressing -tuwards- antalgamation. It found eight "effective -practices" in the Avon Maitland. board to recommend to other boards and made three recommended improvements. which included involving a.wider range of peogle in. decision-making. communicating. clearly and consistently with and involving community members and employees and providing strong support for curriculum iinplementation. To respond to. the two recommendation. --conceding-.communications; the board is hiring a communications officer. ' "It was pretty clear that a 'staff communications See REPORT, Page 2 • Marijuana hides in Huron corn. fields By Scott Hilg.ndorff xpositorEditor Huron Count- may be one of the top regions for agriculture production but it's also a great area for growing marijuana.. • "Hump County is such as' ideal place. It's a very good climate for growing marijuana." said Detective Constable Mike Scott. And Huron OPP 'are asking farmers to help eliminate the unwanted crop. That's because a lot of it is Det Const Mike Scott grown in the middle of corn fields or in secluded back tots. unknown to the farmer unless he's keeping an eye out for the unusual. That can be all -terrain vehicle tracks or foot paths into •fields. discarded fertilizer bags or a truck parked half -hidden in a near by wood lot. Scott. who has been involved in drug enforcement through the OPP crime unit in Mount Forest and a member of the OPP for 15, years, 'said there is lots of activity if a marijuana crop is being grown in a farmer's field. "It takes work. It's not just sticking the seed in the ground and coming back''in six months." • he said. While Scott said the marijuana growers who use farmers' fields are not necessarily sophisticated, they are still going to be in the fields making sure the plants are getting enough water, weeding the area around them. removing the male plants and pruning them to encourage the best growth and the biggest bud§. where much of the plant's ' value is found. While it may not be. a sophisticated operation. one crop 'of more than 1.000 plants was seized last year. near Dungannon. • - And Scott said it can be a frustrating experience for a farmer whose crops are torn out to make room for the marijuana which can net a person about 52.000 to $3,000 per plant if it produces a pound of good buds. "It's such good money it you can get away with it," See MARUU NA; t tt Your community newspaper since 1860