HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2001-01-31, Page 1January 31, 2001
Si
In brief
charged
with
A 43 -year-old Seaforth
woman, and. an 18 -year-
old and 26 -year-old
Seaforth man were
cdiarged with production of
a narcotic for the purpose
of trafficking and
possession of a controlled
substance.
The 18 -year-old was
also charged with two
counts of possession of
magic mushrooms and
ecstacy.
Police searched the
Jarvis Street home on Ja.
29 after receiving a
Crimestoppers tip and
found and undisclosed
amount of marijuana in
both growing and drying
While the last names of
the individuals 'charged are
the same, Huron OPP did
not have anyone available
Tuesday when the report
was released to confirm
whether or not people
changed were a mother ane'
two sons.
OPP are also seeking a
third uiale in connection
with the growing
.
..''Influenza A
not here yet
No cases of the
Influenza A have been
reported in Seaforth yet.
Seaforth Community
Hospital has reported an
increase in the number of
people with stomach flu
but not the more
dangerous influenza
virus.
The virus prompted the
provincial government to
offer free vaccinations
against the virus amid
fears there will be a
pandemic this year with
even healthy people dying
from flu complictions.
Mary Cardinal of
Seaforth Community
Hospital said cases of the
virus have been reported
in Cambridge and
Kitchener. ..�.-
"We're keeping our
fingers crossed," she said,
adding the current
stotnach flu is no different
than any other year.
Stomach flu has
proms 4ed Seaforth Manor
Nursing Home to close its
doors temporarily to
family and visitors..
A statement from the
Manor says, "This is a
precautionary measure to
prevent spreading of the
virus."
By Scott Hilgendorff
Inside...
Dublin skating `
rink opens...
Page 7
AD:w tltelge
Cf—
al emery ency
rOOmnrse
Pone II
Snow
•
causing
barn roofs
to collapse
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
More than 10 large hog
barns, four of which are
located near Brussels, have
had portions of their roofs
collapse this winter in
southern Ontario.
While snow load appears
to be the cause of the
collapsed roofs, some of the
Brussels -area owners are
questioning if the barns,
which are all relatively -new,
are being built strong enough
to withstand the amount of
snow that's accumulated this
winter.
"The codes
have changed
but I think
they'll rethink
the building
codes and how
the buildings
are built
because we're
left with barns
that don't stand
up," says
Miriam
Tersptra, of
Acre T Farms,
where a 100 -
foot section of
one large hog
barn collapsed
a week ago. Acre T Farms is
one of the largest farming
operations in the area,
owning numerous barns.
Terpstra says the 10 -year-
old barn, which had been
inspected after other local
barns had portions of their
roofs collapse in November,
was built to code but had part
of its roof collapse anyway.
"There was some snow
and ice on it," she says,
adding that Acre T is in the
process of reinforcing the
roof supports to their barns.
None of the 170 hogs in
the barn were hurt by the
collapsed roof and since the
collapse happened at night,
no people were in the barn at
the time.
Amy Cronin, of RR 2
Bluevale north of Brussels,
says her barn's roof partially
collapsed on Nov. 22.
"I'm pretty sure it was
snow load and a lack of
bracing but different
engineers are saying different
things. The insurance
company is still
investigating," she says.
The portion of roof that
collapsed was a four-year-old
addition to an existing barn.
Cronin says none of the 480
pigs that were in the barn
was hurt because they were
being housed in steel crates.
However, she says a few got
sick and died from the cold
air after the collapse.
"What a day. It was very
chaotic and so much more
work. You don't expect a
barn to go down from snow
load on Nov.
22. Winter's
just starting
then and it's
something
you'd never
expect with
'a four-year-
old roof,"
she says.
While the
collapsed
portion of
the roof has
been
replaced
with a much
heavier roof,
Cronin says
she continues to wonder if
the barns are safe.
"I think a lot of farmers are
pretty concerned. A lot of
people were out shovelling
off their barn roofs the week
or so after ours went down,"
she says.
John Johnson, an engineer
specializing in structural
design with the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs in
London, says the roofs that
have failed from northern
•Middlesex County to Bruce
and Grey Counties, have
almost all been large 100-
130 -foot wide swine
buildings.
"Commonly, it's been
because of truss failures,.
though in most cases, the
snow load was not higher
than what you'd expect in the
worst case showfall and the
roofs should have been
Quoted
1 think they'll
rethink the
building codes
because we're
left with barns
that don't stand
up,,--
Miriom Torpstra,
Acre T Farms
Soo REVISIONS, Pogo 2
Scott Hilgendorff photo
Grade 6 5t. Cotumban School students talk with Huron OPP community services, officer Don
Shropshall during a break in a presentation about drugs and akohol.
Uncle's decapitation
becomes lesson
in drunk driving
Officer's gruesome stories not enough
to convince kids alcohol can be dangerous
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
When Huron OPP community services
officer Don Shropshall was 14, he was
taken by his father, a police officer, to the
scene of an accident.
His uncle, a stock car racer, was killed.
But it wasn't in a race. It was on Highway
4, not too far from Clinton.
"He was all drunked up and he ran into
the back of a tractor trailer," Shropshall told
a class of Grade 6 students at St. Columban
School.
He outlined to the students what
happened to his uncle, driving a convertible
sports car.
"When he hits the back of the trailer, he
decapitates himself," said Shropshall.
In seconds, the car slides under the truck
and doesn't come to a stop until it reached
the cab at the front.
The only thing left of his uncle are his
legs inside the car.
"The rest of him is scattered all over the
roadside," said Shropshall.
"By the time I was 17, I witnessed it
twice more," he said of the loss of more
family to drinking and driving.
One cousin hit a bridge abutment and
died after being thrown from the vehicle,
across the bridge.
Another cousin died after pulling out in
front of a truck, also on Highway 4.
"He lived for a period of time in the
hospital. Half his head had been removed,"
said Shropshall.
He said family wanted him to die because
he would never be able to recover to a point
where he could look after himself.
After a couple of weeks, Shropshall'
Soo PROGRAM, Pogo !
Union leaders and Creamery
head back to the table
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Union leaders and Seaforth
Creamery management met with a
mediator in Kitchener yesterday (Jan.
30) to try and bring an end to a strike
that began Dec. 17.
"We want to try and get this
resolved said Stan McCulligh, chief
negotiator for members of the United
Food and Commercial Workers Local
175, Monday afternoon.
This follows a Friday meeting in
Cambridge, the first contact the two
sides have had since the strike began
last month.
Employees began the strike after
rejecting an offer for a 25 cent annual
increase over seven years.
They are now paid an average wage
of $10 to $11 an hour and McCulligh
said in a previous interview, the
current industry standard is $14 to
$15anhour.
McCulligh said the Friday meeting
did not go well but could not talk
about what was discussed.
A mediator had contacted both
sides last week and asked if they
would be willing to seek a solution.
"We're going to stay out there as
long as it takes to get what we need,"
said McCulligh.
Seaforth Creamery general
Soo UNION, Pogo 2
Scott Hilgendorff photo
Striking Seaforth Creamery employees continue to picket on Main Street.
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