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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-12-23, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, December 23, 1992 IN TH&NEWi_._ • Co-op stores robbed PARKHILL - A well- equipped team of safe cracking thieves broke into two Co-op stores December 8 in Parkhill and Ailsa Craig. According to the Parkhill Ga- zette, the thieves struck both stores as well as a Forest car dealer on the same night,- but the robberies might have been foiled had a ' witness contacted the OPP. The witness came forward a day later, and said; he saw three persons on the Cb -op premises in Parkhill that evening, and one appeared to be acting as a look- out. Descriptions of the sus- pects have since been received by the OPP. OPP said the intruders cut the telephone line which disabled the alarm. After forcing a back door, they cracked the safe re- moving about S200 in cash and cheques. The Co-op in Ailsa Craig was hit the same way where it is esti- mated thieves made off with about S700, as well as toys and batteries. Thieves also attempted the same routine at Bluewater Ford Mercury Sales in Forest, but were surprised by an employee. After striking the employee on the leg with a crowbar, the thieves fled. Woman wins lottery SEAFORTH - Pamela Soonti- ens, a secretary for the Seaforth Police received an early Christ- mas present, when she won sec- ond prize in the November 18, Lotto 649 draw. According to the Huron Ex- positor,. Soontiens won $44,6081 with the winning numbers of 3,7,1 1,29,48 and the bonus num- ber 8. The Seaforth resident and her husband have three children and plan to invest the money. Arson suspects arrested MITCHELL - Two arrests have been made in connection with a $500,000 fire at the Mitchell District High School around 2 a.m. December 11. According to the Mitchell Ad- vocate, Christopher Elliot, 19 of Mitchell has been charged with one count of arson along with a youth who cannot be named un- der the Young Offenders Act. Both were brought before a Justice of the Peace and were re- leased. They will appear in Stratford court in early January. Because of the fire, students and staff will have an extended Christmas holiday aclean-up procedures contnn Residua petition for clerk's removal BLYTH - A delegation of Blyth residents appeared at the village's December 9 council meeting to present a petition re- questing the employment of Clerk Helen Grubb be terminat- ed. According• to the North Huron Citizen, 163 residents have signed the petition. Because it is a personnel matter, details can- not be discussed in public ses- sion, but the petition states, "We the undersigned ratepayers of the Village of Blyth, wish to make the Village Council aware of our fundamental concerns as to the matter in which the Clerk - Treasurer Helen Grubb is dis- charging her duties and respon- sibilities in such office. We hereby petition the Village Council to terminate the em- ployment of the said Clerk - Treasurer based upon our con- cerns, which we would be pleased to discuss with the Council." 4 St. Joseph author Gwyn Whilsmith signed copies of her latest book "A Basket of Stones" at the Times Advocate on Friday. The book is a spiritual treatise on faith and hope. Fire inspections could become user -pay GRAND BEND - The fire chief in this village is proposing Grand Bend establish a Fire Prevention Office. From the Fire Board meeting of Dec. 8, Chief Jack Hebden is in the process of submitting a proposal to village council which also involves three other neighbouring munici- palities to pay for fire inspections. Grand Bend, along with the townships of Bosanquct, Stephen and Hay belong to a joint fire board. Hebden, who just recently took over from Stan Lovie, has suggest- ed that Grand Bend pay an estimat- ed cost of 53,000 per year while the other three municipalities be approached abouta ' usef.pay" sys- teen -for: inspections. JrWhert weitild this office be set up and what would it entail?, asked 'Parkhill man fined, sentenced to jall Grand Bend deputy -mayor Cam Ivey. The office would be set up at the Fire Hall in Grand Bend and the chief is suggesting in Grand Bend, as far as inspections are concerned, that there be at least two inspec- tions per business. Council Monday night, requested that more information be gathered concerning a pair of bylaws. One would be to regulate the use of bar- beques on balconies and the other would involve smoke alarms. "Would it make sense for the ad- ministration to draw up sample by- laws if your in favour of fire pre- vention?, asked mayor Tom Lawson. He instructed Clerk - Administrator Paul Turnbull- to draw up proposed bylaws. Man receives fine after collision with fire truck EXETER - A Dashwood area man received a fine after facing a charge of careless driving in Exeter court last Tuesday moming after he was involved in a collision with a fire truck. Chris Watson of Dashwood pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving in connection with an incident October 1 when he made an unsafe lane change on Highway 83. At around 10:40 a.m. while attempting to change lanes he struck the rear end of a fire truck he was trying to pass. There was minor damage to the fire truck. Justice of the Peace Karen Sturdy fined Watson $78.75. Failing to yield John S. Brown of Huron Park was fined 578.75 and given 15 days to pay for failing to yield to traffic. Brown pleaded guilty to the incident which occurred September 11. A witness to the court said Brown was travelling on county road 2-3 in Stephen Township and travelled through an intersection with- out yielding the right of way. The witness then followed Brown to his home. Using radar device A fine of $133.75 was levied against Beverly Jorgenson of London for using a radar device. Jorgenson pleaded guilty to the October 26 incident, when Exeter police in a marked cruiser in Stephen Township detected the device in operation Police then stopped Jorgenson and removed the device with her co-operation. Suspended license A fine of 5500 was levied against Douglas Mason of Dashwood af- ter he was stopped by police and found to be driving with a suspend- ed license. Mason was stopped around 2 a.m. on October 10. Mason pleaded guilty to the charge while a second charge of mak- ing unreasonable noise was dropped. Under suspension Michael J. Riehl of Clinton was fined $500 and given four months to pay after he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with a suspended license. Police told the court they observed Riehl's vehicle on November 12 and after stopping his car found his license to be suspended. Disobeying stop sign Dennis Killion of Kitchener entered a not guilty plea to a charge of disobeying a stop sign on October 24. An OPP officer told the court he was travelling north on Highway 21 from Grand Bend in uniform and in a marked cruiser when he no- ticed Killion make a left turn from Highway 83 onto Highway 21 south through the sap street there. The officer turned the cruiser around, turned on its lights and pur- sued the car until it pulled over at Hoison Lighting in Hay Township. Killion defended himself by saying when he first saw the miser with the emergency lights on he thought that the officer was on his way to an emergency call. Killion also brought pictures of the scene where the incident took • place. Killion was fined $78.75 and given 30 days to pay. • SARNIA - A Parkhill manias been sentenced to a nine-month jail tern and his limousine has been seized by police. John Nagy has been found guilty of possession of a narcotic for the pur- pose of trafficking after he was caught with cocaine while sitting in his limousine in Grand Bend this summer. The sentence, handed out by Judge Ramez Khawly of Ontario court, provincial division on Monday also includes a $2,500 fine. Charges of, trafficking in cocaine and possessing cocaine were dismissed. Nagy was also found guilty of possessing cannabis resin and was given a current sentence of three months. OPP officers made the arrest July 19 following a tip they received from bouncers of a Grand Bend hotel. Nagy, Angela Kaman and Christopher Wegg were arrested when police swooped down on the limo. The estimated value of cocaine and hashish they seized was $10,000. GB administrator now in charge of harbour GRAND BEND - For the time being, Grand Bend Clerk - Administrator Paul Turnbull is the harbour master of this resort com- munity. Following the resignation of last summer's harbour master Russ Culp it was decided since it is the off-season as far as boating is con- cerned, that Turnbull will be in charge of the harbour. Council is looking for a new har- bour master which they hope to fill the position by March 1. Although it is off-season, there still is some issues cropping up re- garding the harbour. Monday night, debate continued over how much should be charged at the launch ramp. Also, some discussion took place regarding whether or not to build an additional room near one of the village's washrooms to be used by boaters to store their collected gar- bage. The Harbour commiuee and the Waste Management committee will get together and see if this is neces- sary. Youth faces charges for pointing pellet gun EXETER - Town police are investigating a complaint of a young of- fender pointing a pellet gun at several children last Monday. Police say the incident took place at Elliot Park, and some of the chil- dren may have been shot at with the pellet gun. "It is serious, there's no doubt about that," said sergeant Brad Sadler. Police say charges may be pending, following further investigation. In response to complaints of stolen Christmas decorations three female Centralia College students were arrested Friday and charged with one of the thefts. Several town stores have reported an increase in cases of shoplifting this season. Town police are urging store owners to be especially vigilant against this type of theft. Police are currently looking for someone who stole an eight horsepower snowblower from MacLeans Home Hardware on Thursday. Police say the 26" blower was taken during the day and if anyone witnessed the theft, they are asked to call the police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-265-1777. A youth has been charged after a window at South Huron High School was smashed Thursday night. Conservation Dinner planned for April 8 EXETER - Plans are now under- way for the fourth annual Conser- vation Dinner to be held on Thurs- day, April 8, 1993 at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. The first three dinners of their kind in this area proved to be very popular in providing a fun evening for crowds of about 400 and at the same time gaining funds for a num- ber of conservation and wildlife projects.. The Ausable Bayfield Conserva- tion Foundation and the Exeter Li- ons club are joining forces in spon- soring this year's dinner for the third time. Profits are split 50-50 between the two groups and the Lions have again agreed to use at least 75 per- cent of their share for the Exeter - Morrison Dam Corridor. Part of the Foundation's share of last year's dinner was used to com- plete updating the parking lot and providing accessible trails and for fishing for the physically handi- capped at Morrison Dam. The Li- ons have started on their Exeter - Morrison Dam Corridor Dam pro- ject. Foundation projects to be funded from the 1993 dinner will include continuation of the outdoor educa-- tion program at White Pine Woods at the Parkhill Conservation area along with a number of other envi- ronmental projects. Tickets will remain at S35 each for this popular dinner and chair- person Sharon .Romphf suggests tickets would make ideal Christmas gifts. They may be obtained from any member of the dinner commit- tee or -at the Ausable Bayfield Con- servation Authority office at 235- 2610. Those purchasing tickets before 4 p.m. on March 2, 1993 will be eli- gible for the early bird prize. This year it will be a weekend package for two in Toronto through the courtesy of Ellison Travel and Tours. Sharon Romphf continues, "We are hoping for another "full house" as funds from the dinner will again go to worthwhile projects of the Foundation and the Lions". As has been the case in the past, a number of limited edition prints and works of art wil be auctioned off after the dinner and a large number of other items, many of which will be donated by mer- chants throughout the Ausable- Bayfield watershed will be sold by auction andsilent auction. Most of the donations for the var- ious draws and raffles will be eligi- ble as income tax deductions. In addition to chairperson Sharon Romphf, the dinner committee in- cludes: Finance - Lloyd Robison, Sharon Romphf, Larry Wein; Sec- retary - Judith Parker, Arrange- ments - Fred Dobbs, Lois Morgan, John Schwindt, Les Wernham, Kel- ly Prouse; Publicity - Ross Haugh, Peter Darbishire, Tom Hartai; Raf- fle - Cathy Pfaff, Peter Raymond, Jack Harkness, Andy DeBoer, Alan Walper, Robert Westlake, Pam Hunter, John Deeves; Auction - Jon Dinney, Ted Jones, Carolyn Bradford, Tom Prout, Brian Wed - lake, George Godbolt; Tickets - Don Thompson, Ron Godkin, Bob Gehan, Tom Hartai. Peter. Darbishire of Exeter is cur- rently chairman of the Foundation and Ross Haugh of Crediton is vice-chairman. Sewer rates rlslng? EXETER - Towd ratepayers should brace themselves for a sew- er surcharge increase on their utili- ty bilis in the new year. Council deferred any decision on the sewer rates, but acknowledged Monday evening that they may be going up in January to cover the ex- tra cost of lab ieaiing by the Minis- try of the Environment. The ministry has added new and mandatory charges to its testing of sewage samples, the value of which have been called into question by public works officials. However, council has been presented wish an eslimate. hM the -saws QOIU will add abgat MVO Mgt yew to thole AWN system Opersttiiug eosin. —.ma aalba_afta. K i rkto n to see another New Year's levee KIRKTON - The success of last January's Usborne Sesquicentennial Levee has prompted the considera- tion of keeping the spirit alive at least for one more year. Both Usbome and Blanshard Townships are planning a joint 1993 levee to be held at the Kinnon Woodham Community Centre on January 10. Last year's highly successful event was aimed at promoting the 150 -year history of Usborne Town- ship and to kick off the year's cele- brations of the milestone. This lev- ee, however, will be just for fun and will pool the resources of the adjoining townships that straddle the county line but share some op- erations. A committee is already planning the final details and the Blanshard clerk is making arrangements for the event. While the 1992 levee used histo- ry as its main theme, it is hoped that local talent can be featured at this event and performers from the townships and surrounding areas are being sought. The total budget for the event is $400 from the two municipalities, 5200 each. New Bed and Breakfast zoned for Exeter EXETER - A zoning amendment bylaw was approved by town coun- cil Monday evening to allow for a new bed and breakfast operation on John St. in Exeter. The bed and breakfast proposal, which would be Exeter's second such business, was presented to council by Mary Lambert of 38 John St. E. and went through a pub- lic meeting two weeks ago. The commiuee of council and the plan- ning advisory committee both not- ed the support of neighbours for the business and gave it their approval. The only concerns, said council- lor Bob Spears, were for visitor parking on the property. Stray cats safe for now GRAND BEND - Following complaints from local residents in Grand Bend about stray cats, vil- lage council is going to keep a closer eye on the wondering fe- lines. Monday night, council, although they did not pass a bylaw on any certain measures to get rid of the numerous cats, they did realize they have a problem. "You can't license wild cats, that's the problem," said councillor F.d Fluter. "They're looked after during the summer and abandoned in the winter. There's a lot of resi- dents who try and take care of them," he added. Clerk -administrator Paul Tum - bull said there is no bylaw now in the village and it was decided the village would deal with each indi- vidual complaint about cats as it arises. Wood stock company wins bid to build garbage truck EXETER - A Woodstock Cotp- pany got the winning tender for the town's new garbage packer, which is expected to be delivered in Janu- ary. The Shu -Pak company of Wood- stock got the contract to build the truck for 5107,768.80. the lowest of three bids submitted. The old packer will be put up for sale, confirmed works superinten- dent Giem tells. "Just out of curiosity, what are we getting?" asked c� unc or Dave Urlin. "White," replied Kells, the same as the retiring vehick. The cot of the new packer will be shared over both the 1992 .sued '93 town budgets the getfor the s60S60,000k 00 int We bud capital expense this year.