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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-06-24, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 :.' ,join our `C::)� Kids Club we - ,!t MI Today Serving Exeter and area since 1873 SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 It's New Summer Pt'zza Perfection Inside Historic Ipperwash deal happens See page 2 Principal retires after 34 years See page 13 • Celebrate Canada Day with Soapbox Derby See Crossroads Second front Elder notches national v -ball experience See page 18 Council meetings decrease for summer EXETER - To enable staff to take holidays. there will be fewer Exeter council meetings this sum- mer. - With fewer staff, i1 is more diff,-, cult for them to book their vaca- tions 'and still provide the necessary resources for council meetings. ' There will be a council meeting on July 6 and a committee of the, whole and/or council meeting on July 13. The next council meeting is August 10 with a committee of the whole and/or council meeting on August 17. AlI meetings start at 7:30 p.m. The regular'meeting schedule will resume in September. -. Local beaches show acceptable bacteria levels, tests' say LAMBTON COUNTY - Follow- ing recent tests of area beaches the Lampton Health Unit is announcing that bacteria levels arc within the acceptable range. Lake Huron.beaches sampled were: Grand Bend, Pinery Provin- cial Park, Canatara Park, ipperwash Main Beach and the Port Franks Conservation Area. Centennial Park of Sarnia Bay was also tested. Despite the test results, the Health Unit points out that water at arca beaches may be temporarily pollut- ed for up to 48 hours following heavy rainfalls. If water becomes cloudy due to wave activity, bade- - ria from the lake bottom may be- come suspended and increase the possibility' of illnesses among swimmers. Signs.advising possible high bac- terial Icvcls following heavy rain- fall ainfall have been permanently placed.. at Centennial Park and Lambton- • Cundick Park of the St. Clair River. The Larnhton Health Unit has es- tablished a Bathing Beach.Water Quality Information Line, which can be reached 24 hours a day, sev- en days a week, at 1-519-383-6231, ext. 825. ' N TNi, COUpcN And the winner 1a... You guessed It. Kingsdown. • in 1497, own proudly received the National'1lrill(ntn Award • for our 1661 coil Sleeping Beauty sleep system.. "Fantasy". If that wasn't notable pU� enough,Kingsdown amount % repeatethat achievement one .we refandST the GST year later with another grand to I' a performance, thio time for our 1664 equal - sao coil Sleeping Beauty skep system.. so Glen". BRiNG t j 1 � AND �v VC° 0 VGSA It ON YOUR BEDDINGCII t It's official ft's ours again. Grand Bend civic leaders held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday to mark the return of the village's beach to public ownership. "It is important that we get the message out that we are open for business," Mayor Cam Ivey told the assembled crowd. The village now owns the beach after Ontario's Natural Resources Ministry negotiated a deal be- tween Grand Bend and former owner Archie Gibbs last November: From left are Coun. Brian Knights, Coun. Bob Mann, May- or ayor Cam Ivey, Coun. Shirley Andraza and Jim McCoy, president of the Grand Bend and Area Chamber of Commerce: Emergency problems cause another shutdown By Katherine Harding T -A Reporter EXETER - It has happened again. tor -the second time, in just ()vel- a vera month, South Huron Hospital temporarily suspended their emergency room services due to a shortage of doctors. ' On Friday from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Exeter and area residents were told to seek medical assistance at nearby hospitals. , —"We 'are experiencing a critical staff shortage;' said South Huroh Hospital's new Chief of Staff Dr. David Hodder. Hodder recently , took over the position after Dr. Jerry Jadd's two year term fin- ished at the end of May. "The emergency department is one of the most important fa- culties in the community and eve- ryone is at their wits ends because of this situation," said Hodder. "There is a.tremendous feeling of frustration among the doctors be- cause they can't do more. They are .disappointed that something they have worked so hard to keep running is being harmed...it is very - difficult •for them right now." Hodder explained because two of thc tour doctors practicing in the Exeter area have "retired tem- porarily" from performing emer- gency services, a manpower 'shortage has arisen. "I wasn't expecting it to happen for a second time," said South Huron Hospital administrator Don Currell regarding the clo- sure. "I was expecting things to change but now we know that change' will happen slowly." Continued on page 2 • Consultant gives Exeter landfill good report card, • EXETER - The Exeter Landfill consultant reports on litter control, Site is working well. the titter patrol is being improved. That was the bottom line of a re- (Neighboring landowners have ex- port from Exeter administrator Rick pressed concerns.) Hundey to council's committee of 5. Until a new operations plan is the whole Monday night. approved, Exeter should continue The following are highlights of 'the current landfill practices under thc 1997, status report from B.M. MOE requirements and B.M. Ross Ross and Associates: and Associates (town's engineers), 1. There- is no change in the en- guidance. • vironmental impact to local ground The report's specific .directions water and surface water resources. and concerns have been conveyed No leachate problems are evident. to the Acting. Public Works. Super - 2. -Waste reduction programs con- visor and the landfill site attendant tinue to be effective. who will meet with Hundey to dis- 3. Waste .Volumes have increased cuss the landfill operation. due to increased commercial and Mayor Ben Hoogenboom asked industrial activities as well as con- Hundey to send a summary of the struction waste. - report to the citizens who expressed 4. Operations have been accept- concern over the landfill site expan- ablc although more care is needed sion. Councillor Pete Armstrong to ensure nocontaminants are -in- suggested the complete report eluded in burn piles. could be placed in the library for While there have been favorable people to read. Ministry of the Environment and Exeter native playing the country diva Dania Thurman pays. tribute to four country music queens as part of her Country Divas act Exeter's years because theatre wasn't the Susan Gra- path she knew she had to follow. ham and Before changing musical direc- her time tions, Thurman appeared in two with the Huron Country Playhouse pro - high ductions: The King and i and Gyp - school's sy. She also showed off her pipes in drama and St. Marys Community Players' pro - music de- duction of The Sound. of Music.' partments She also did well auditioning for as her in- the Toronto production of Rent, but spirations. was passed over for someone the "The dra- director felt best looked the part. ma and mu- Thurman's ultimate goal is to sic de- land a recording contract state -side partments and record her own original tunes did a lot of she's pennedherselfor co -written. good for "My stuff is Reba (McIntyre) rnc," she comparable," she said. said. "it Thurman is getting some nibbles would be a from record company reps but real pity to didn't want to "jinx" her chances close them by elaborating. She wants to wait down. Kids for a label to make an offer after need to ex- she records and shops around a penmen( demo tape. when they arc young, experience She said she hopes to eventually different things and then make a move to Nashville to focus full - choice (on what they want to do time on her music career. But Thur - with their lives)." man said she'll never forget where After graduating from South Hu- she came from. ron, Thurman attended Sheridan "I'm not going to lose my Ca - College to study musical theatre nadian roots," she said. "I'll never performance. She left after two lose that." By Craig Bradford T -A Reporter EXETER - Dania Thurman is moving towards her dream of a re- cording contract through vamping it up as four of country music's best known female singers. Thurman, 24, lives in Hamilton but was born and raised in Exeter and is a Souih Huron District High School graduate. She was back in town last week" visiting her family that includes mom Judy Thurman, dad Glenn and sister Stacey, 22. In tier 'County Divas' act, Thur- man impersonates Trisha Year- wood, Patty Loveless and Canada's own Michelle • Wright and Terri • Clark. - Shc premiered the act last Sep- tember and hopes w bring it to the Exeter area soon. A recent show in St. Marys had to be cancelled at the last moment. Thurman has performed at LuLu's in Kitchener with her most memorable 'date in Bettendorf, Iowa ,where she sang on the Lady Luck casino floating on the mighty Mississippi. Thurman's act includes costume changes and even do"ning a blonde wig 'to make her look more like Year- wood. Of the four country queens she impersonat es; Thur- man said she loves Clark'sen- ergy on stage, but best loves to sing Yearwood' s " numbers because of that , sing- er's rich voice. • She" chose four artists rath- er than focus in on one like most other tribute acts to be different. "I didn't want to do just one artist and get typecast," she said. Thurman said it was her ex- periences while in high school that shaped her desire lo sing for a liv- ing. She credits voice lessons with School sports in doubt EXETER - Savor that last boys soccer and girls field hockey WOSSA and OFSAA experience, Exeter. It may be our last. • And just pencil in that annual spring high school band concert next year as well. Area teachers that coach sports • teams are sending a message to the province that increases to their time in the classroom may jeopardize. what many students get up in the morning and go to school for — inter -school sports and music - bands. A press release from the Huron - Perth Conference states: "All scheduling fro the 1998/99 school year has been put on hold and we - fear that there may not be athletic competition given the current state of contract negotiations." Huron -Perth Conference execu- tive director Bob Campbell said teachers doubt they can handle coaching duties since the province has mandated teachers be in the classroom for seven out of eight teaching blocks a year. - "Teachers are still up in the air whether they'll coach," Campbell, a retired teacher, said. Huron -Perth Conference WOSSA director Terry O'Rourke (also a South Huron_District High School teacher and well known coach) said a motion was passed at Monday's WOSSA meeting in . London that effectively puts all planning for next year's inter- school sports in the region in limbo. The motion states that there will not be WOSSA competition for championship activities/fall sports with no convenor or for which there is less than 50 per cent participation by member confer- ences. "Basically everything is on hold," O'Rourke said. All WOSSA member confer- • ences, including Huron -Perth, Oxford -Elgin and Middlesex, have handed in blank convenor sheets. Convenors, the teachers chosen to be responsible for organizing a male/female sport for the season, are usually chosen in April. The issue for teachers/coaches is the new mandate by the province that teachers be in the classroom seven out of eight teaching blocks. For example, a teacher at a semes- tered school like South Huron has four blocks'per semester. They may teach three out of four blocks in the fall and four out of four in the spring. Some teachers arc in the classroom only six of eight blocks, but have many other responsibili ties like administration. curriculum • development and extracurricular organization/participation like sports programs and music. Teachers argue that if they have to be the classroom for four out of four blocks during a semester, they wouldn't have time to coach sports that semester. Some teachers could continue Coaching their chosen sports in one of the semesters because they have a free block or two, but because their colleagues at their own school and other WOSSA schools may not be able too, are holding the line pending contract negotiations with their school boards. • Teachers will also be in a posi- tion to strike legally in the fall. An illegal strike in the fall had teachers picketing and students out of the classroom for two weeks. Avon Maitland Board of Education director Paul Carroll said negotiations with teacher unions +' Continued on page 2 Make tonight the First Night of the Rest of Your Life It r INGSDOW► ' \\I O\ • Ianta,‘.. 1 calm ur.; ( )hn I ni,1 tilccrn, lit.Ul% (nil MI( nil .irm (Jurrn unit Iloin le milt ti111,..* 1 in.; 1 1111 1,199" s,I;n, "Original king'.do 11 firttl l nit t�el��l,tnil4 990011 44911"' 11nu1 1, l nil ".ii,„l,• 1 „,t 3 97011 Fine Furniture & Window Fashions [40 467 Main St. Exeter .,x..1235-0173 re, `1�