The Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-11-30, Page 1PUBLISHED IN
LUCKNOW, ONTARIO
Wednesday,
November 30, 1994
550
GST Included
Miriah Phillips (left) and Kit•Carruthers took part in the carol singing as other children hung their
homemade decorationson the community Christmas tree. The annual tree lighting ceremony
took place last Friday evening and kicks off the pre -Christmas events in 'the village. (Pat
Livingston" photo)
I ' 1
Sentenced to. six. -.ears.
by Mona Irwin
The rnan who killed two Goderich
women in a horrifying &attic ac-
cident a year ago believes he has
been "railroaded."
Russell McCrcight, 35, an
unemployed airport worker, was
sentenced Monday to six years in
jail, and' •is also prohibited from
driving for the rest.of his lift.
During!' the' • sentencing, Huron
County Crown Attorney Bob Mon -is
said McCreight •has indicated no
-remorse at all for the Dec. 8, W93;
collision that took the lives •of
Marion Ziegler, a 42 -year-old RNA,
and Heather MacDonald, a 20,year-
old student. McCrcight, was con-
victed two .weeks ago but scntcn-
• ting was delayed so a Pre -Sentence
Report could he drawn up.
Morris, .reading from the report,
said McCrcight maintains his in-
nocence and believes a lesser
charge of failing to stop would have
been appropriate. He cited a second
quote from, the report which said
again that McCreight "maintains. his
innocence" and so. "the issue of
remorse for him docs not arise.",
''.In a later interview; Morris scud
the lifetime ban on driving, which'
he requested; is something that is
very rarely granted.
"I think the sentence reflected the
gravity of his • ,offences,".Morris
said.
Heather MacDonald trtid Marion
Ziegler died - when McCreight's
pick-up truck slammed broadside
into their v'ehicic in Goderich.
Heather's mother, Linda Mac-
Donald, 46, was seriously injured in
the Crash and spent more than three
•
months in hospital recovering.
General Division Justice E.R.
Browne -said McCreight has a
criminal record from 1976 to 1985.
Then in August .1993' he was con-
victed on two counts of assault
against his wife, who •has since
divorced him. •
Morris had asked for a sentence '
of, eight to 10 .years. • McCreight's
defence counsel, Donald Crawford,
of London, has asked for a range of
three to five years, minus the time •
McCrcight has already spent in jail.
He has been in custody since Dec.
10, 1993, although that included a
90 -day sentence for the two assault
convictions in August. That Would
have brought .the range down to
somewhere between two years Tess'
.a day and three years.
Teachers, board reach tentative agreement
by 'Pat Halpin
A bargaining session in ,.Paisley
that went into the early hours of
last Tuesday morning resulted •in
trustees for the Bruce County Hoard
of Education voting Tuesday
afternoon, Nov, 22 in favor of a
tentative agreement with the board's
478 elementary teachers.
Because many trusters had nut
seen the agreement before the
specially -called meeting November
22, 'the hoard went behind closed
doors for an. hour to review the
details. Teachers got their first look
at the agreement on Monday and Bastien said in an interview:
wilt vote on it this Friday, Trustees negotiating chair Don
December 1 Tedford said "everybody left
• Elementary teachers in B1 -flee had
been 'without a contract since
September 1, 1993. Teachers'
president Colleen Bastien would not
reveal details of the tentative
agreement pending the results of the
teachers' vote, hut said her
committee will be recommending
acceptance.
""There were many cuneerns that
were brought to the table that were
high priority. We addressed them.
We didn't get themall, hut
certainly we feel good about it to
take it back to the membership,"
,shaking hands" after the. tentative
deal was reached, and doesn't
foresee any problems with the
teachers'. vote or morale. But he •
said he would have preferred a
three-year agreement instead of the
two year deal, that was reached.
"A three-year (deal), as chair,
would have allowed • a larger
breathing space between colh`ctive
agreements," 'Tedford said.
"'however a two-year 1 see a
second-best breather to get away
from the bargaining table and come
back to it again with a whole new
focus in March or April of next
year." •
•see Wanted, page 3
High winds wreak havoc
High winds and freezing rain were contributing factors in power
interruptions in the village Sunday night and Monday morning.
PUC foreman Gary Austin said hydro was out in parts of the town On
Sunday night from about 6:30 to 11 p.in. A limb went down near the
Legion and broke the line.
Later another limb going down on a line on Wheeler Street put the
same people out plus another third of the . iljage, Austin said.
Full power was restored. to the village around 9:30 a.m. Monday
morning.
The Wingham PLC assisted the local town workers in•repairing the
• damage.
Evidence of the high w i,nds could be seen on the streets as motorists
attempted to avoid smaller limbs and pieces of trees as. they made their
..way to work Monday morning. Soeral Targe trees in the village were
damaged.
A 20' x 40' greenhouse ro trout of the t.utknow and District Co-
o.peraUve store, 'uuth of 1.u4.no... ended tip Wrapped :,round die corner
of the building. •
Fire destroys barn
High winds were a contributing tactor in a blaze that destroyed a barn
on Lot 4, Cone• 1, Ashfield Tow nship, on Sunday morning. •
• The Lueknow and District Fire Department was called to the R.R. b
•G.oderich farm' of Elwin Pollock around 10:30 a,m. Chief Peter Steer
said that when they arrived the barn was "fully engulfed. We were on
the scene for about two hours protecting the house."
"l thought the house was gone for sure," said Pollock, referring to the
high winds. • •
The barn was 50 x 30 and 50 x 34. A tractor and some other smaller
implements were lost ,in the blare 1.1 well.
Swearing-in ceremonies
New councils ,in the surrounding municipalities will be sworn in ,
during the next week. The ceremony for 'councils in Ashfield, Kinloss
and West Wawanosh townships will take place on Monday, Dec. 5 at
7:30 p.m. Lucknow's orientation and swearing to takes place on Tues-
day,' Dec. 6, at 7:30 p.m. -
Truck rear -ends bus
• by Pat Livingston
A Lucknow man suffered minor injuries on Nov. 24 when his 1989
Chev 4fli 4 short box truck came into collision with the hack of a G.T.
Montgomery school bus. The accident happened about 8 a.m.
Godcrich Ontario Provincial Police report that•school bus driver Sheila
Hunter, of Lucknow, had just picked up •a student slightly north of
Belfast, on Huron County Road 1, and' was proceeding northbound. A
second vehicle, driven by Richard Kwan, was also proceeding
northbound. Kwan saw the bus, applied his brakes and due to slippery
conditions slid into the rear of the bus.
The Lucknow,and District Fire Department was Called to the scene to
extinguish a fire that started in. the truck, •
Kwan's wife, 'Gloria, said in a telephone interview that two men•
passing by stopped and got her husband, who appeared dazed, out of the
truck. Mr. Kwan was wearing his scat belt, she said. ,
Thelma Bigncy, manager of G.T. Montgomery Ltd., saidno injuries
were sustained by Hunter or any of the students on the•bus. Damage to
the bus is about $3,0(01:
Richard Kwan sustained minor injuries when his truck went
out of control dth Slippery roads and ran into the rear of a
G.T. Montgomery bus last week. (Pat Livingston photo)