Augusta talks set for Friday

Negotiations postponed; township workers remain in legal strike position

MAYNARD ­ Augusta Township and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) that represents the municipality's employees have agreed to postpone negotiation talks until this Friday, Feb. 28.

The two groups had been scheduled to meet with a Ministry of Labour mediator last Friday. However, that session was cancelled when it was learned the township's negotiator, Mike Millman, needed to be with a family member who was ill, explained OPSEU representative Henry Brugma.

Millman could not be reached by The Journal at the phone number provided by OPSEU.

Unionized township employees were in a legal strike position as of Sunday, and they could still walk off the job, Brugma said, but the two sides agreed to postpone further action until Friday.

Brugma remains hopeful an agreement will be reached, noting the township's negotiator "intimated a new proposal would be presented and it would have some changes."

Fifteen Augusta employees have been negotiating a first contract since union certification was received a year ago. Outstanding issues include retroactive pay, wages, a sick plan and benefits.

As of press time, the township had not released any details of what provisions were being made in the event of a strike by its unionized workers.

THIS WEEK

Emergency response volunteer training begins next week

PRESCOTT ­ There is still time to get involved with Prescott's new team of emergency response volunteers.

The town is one of several municipalities in Ontario taking part in a pilot project to supplement existing emergency response capabilities. Prescott Police Chief Bryan Somerville said Monday night 11 people have applied for the volunteer team; training will begin March 4.

The province will pay 100 per cent of this year's cost of training up to 20 people. Training includes fire suppression, first aid and some search and rescue techniques.

Somerville said anyone interested in joining the volunteer response team should apply by the end of this week if they want to be considered for the upcoming training sessions. Those interested in volunteering should visit the police station at Centre and Henry streets or call 925-4252.

No one seems interested yet in upcoming Augusta township election

MAYNARD ­ No candidates have yet indicated an interest in running for election in Augusta Township.

As of last Thursday noon, no one had picked up nomination papers at the Maynard municipal office, said Augusta CAO Sharon Wilkinson.

Augusta residents will go to the polls Monday, Nov. 10 to elect a reeve, deputy reeve and three councillors for a three-year term of office beginning in December.

The cost to file papers to run for a seat as head of council is $200, while the cost is $100 for the remaining council positions, explained Wilkinson, who also acts as returning officer during the municipal election.

Second annual VON luncheon to be served at Prescott Legion

PRESCOTT ­ The local branch of the VON will present its second annual fundraising luncheon Wednesday, March 5 from 11 am to 1:30 pm at the Legion Hall on Henry Street in Prescott.

Lunch includes a choice of two entrees (chicken or salmon) prepared by the hospitality class at South Grenville District High School.

Home-made pie will also be served for dessert.

Baked goods and crafts will be on sale; there will also be a number of raffles.

Take-out orders will be available.

Tickets are being sold in advance at Doyle's on King Street West and through the VON office (925-3731).

Proceeds from the event support VON programs.

Lighting and garbage among top concerns

BIA, town officials discuss concerns at committee meeting

By Tim Ruhnke, Journal Editor

PRESCOTT ­ Better street lighting and new garbage containers would make downtown Prescott a better place, according to the Business Improvement Area (BIA) Association.

These are the two issues that are often raised by merchants, BIA co-chair Ray Young noted during a presentation to Prescott council at a committee meeting Monday night.

Young, a former councillor, said he has no objections to the design of the existing street lights obtained in the mid-'80s. However, the lights are not bright enough resulting in some poorly-lit areas.

The problem may be something as simple and inexpensive as getting better bulbs or replacing discoloured plastic lenses with glass ones, according to Young.

As for garbage containers, Young said he would not like to see a return to the large 45-gallon drums that used to be in place downtown. He said the open-wired garbage containers at eye level are less than ideal when it gets hot.

It was suggested those containers could be emptied more frequently, especially in the summer months. Young said the BIA is not complaining about the town's public works crew.

The two items of concern were noted by council and referred to staff for further consideration.

Young also noted in his presentation the BIA believes additional beautification work needs to be done downtown.

It is hoped government money will be approved to extend the Prescott Blossoms program which could assist with the beautification effort.

The BIA would then be prepared to "put some money on the table" for beautification, according to Young.

A provincially-appointed Jump Team is considering downtown revitalization as one of the areas to which resources should be directed in Prescott. The final report is expected at the end of next month.

Young indicated the BIA would like to work with the town to develop "a workable plan" in response to the team's recommendations.

The co-chair also indicated most merchants view the removal of parking meters as "a positive experience."

Young said some customers who shop downtown have made favourable comments about the change which took place in 2001.

The town is preparing to sell its meters, but is seeking public input on parking issues before proceeding with any sale. There has been no indication a return to paid parking in the downtown core is being seriously considered.

The BIA is also planning to have new signs erected near the 401 to lure more shoppers to the downtown area. The large signs would note there are more than 100 businesses ready to serve visitors.

High school teachers begin job action

PRESCOTT ­ Local members of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation have initiated job sanctions as part of their ongoing dispute with the Upper Canada District School Board.

As of Thursday, more than 950 high school teachers ­ including those at South Grenville District High School in Prescott ­ are taking job action against the board. The union has been working without a new contract since Sept. 2001.

Earlier this month, members voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action to back contract demands.

The sanctions include reporting to work 15 minutes before the start of classes in the morning and leaving 15 minutes following the conclusion of classes in the afternoon.

The exception to this is if the teacher has volunteered to take part in extra-curricular activities.

Teachers are also not to attend meetings unless they are held during classroom hours.

Negotiations between the Upper Canada board and its high school teachers are scheduled to resume March 5 and 6.

Carson Kilpatrick, president of the teachers' bargaining unit, said he prefers not to negotiate in the media.

In a news release issued Thursday, the board noted all of its secondary and intermediate schools remain open. Limited job sanctions by the union are also occurring in other areas of the province.

Bell Canada launches high-speed Internet service in Prescott area

PRESCOTT ­ Residents and businesses in the Prescott area now have another option when it comes to high-speed Internet service.

As of Monday, Bell Canada is making the service available through regular phone lines to residential and business customers located within about 4.5 kilometres of the company's building on King Street West near St. Lawrence Street.

An estimated 3,000 residences and businesses will be able to access the service, according to Cheryl Burwash, Bell's regional director of community development.

The dedicated connection to Bell's main switching centre in Ottawa is always on, Burwash noted. Residential customers will have modem speeds of up to 1.5 Mb per second, compared to 28-56 kb per second through existing Internet dial-up service.

Burwash said a document that took 25 minutes to send using dial-up service took about four minutes or less using high-speed service.

With the modem in place, regular telephone service will not be disrupted when the subscriber is online.

"You're not tying up your phone line for Internet service," Burwash noted.

The basic cost for the Bell Sympatico service is $44.95 per month for residential subscribers and $59.99 per month for businesses. There are no major one-time start-up fees.

As for other areas of South Grenville, Burwash noted Prescott is the only local community listed in Bell's 2003 high-speed deployment plans.

Bell's capital outlay for the Prescott upgrade is estimated to be between $200,000 and $700,000, according to Burwash.

Public school board changes walking distance for kindergarten students

BROCKVILLE ­ A change in Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) policy will enable more kindergarten students to be bused to school.

The current walking distance of 1.6 kilometres will decrease to 0.8 kilometres for the 2003-2004 school year. UCDSB trustees approved the change last Wednesday.

The shorter distance will apply to approximately 716 Junior and Senior Kindergarten students.

"We're pleased to offer this significant improvement in bus transportation services to our students," stated board chair David McDonald in a news release.

The move is expected to cost the board an estimated $369,000 in additional transportation costs next year. However, the board expects the reduced walking distance will result in more kindergarten students and increased revenue in the form of general legislative grants from the education ministry.

"It remains a constant challenge to fund this level of transportation services for our Kindergarten-aged students; however, we firmly believe this will prove to be a valuable investment for them," McDonald went on to state.

The walking distance for Grade 1 students remains at 1.6 kilometres. Terry Simzer, UCDSB public relations specialist, noted that distance will be studied by the board. However, he added no decision has been made to change it.

Information packages will be sent to parents advising them of the walking distance changes, according to the board.

For parents of children who may have to be picked up at the home of a caregiver, the board recommends they contact the planning and transportation department at 1-800-818-3679 to confirm the caregiver's address is located within the school's home zone boundary.

The Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario has a walking distance of one kilometre for Kindergarten students in the Leeds and Grenville area. The standard is 0.8 kilometres for Catholic school Kindergarten students in Prescott-Russell.

Police campaign will focus on railway trespassing

Issue must be addressed as part of plan to silence train whistles in Prescott

PRESCOTT ­ A campaign to alert local residents to the dangers associated with trespassing on CN Rail land will take place this spring, according to Police Chief Bryan Somerville.

The public awareness campaign is set for April 21-28. Members of the Prescott Police Service and CN Rail police will take part, Somerville told Prescott council at a committee meeting Monday night.

As part of a train whistle feasibility study conducted last year, it was noted there are a number of locations where pedestrians cross the tracks in Prescott. The trespassing problem must be addressed before the municipality can enact a bylaw prohibiting train whistles within town limits except in emergency cases.

Somerville said the joint campaign will involve Prescott and Brockville, which has already enacted a whistle ban in parts of the city. The chief has already met with a railway police constable, and they have devised a plan to make the public aware of the situation.

Officers will visit local schools as part of the awareness effort. They will also focus on the spots where trespassing occurs with visits and local advertising and promotion.

Once the special week is completed, officers are to patrol those trespassing areas as much as possible. Somerville is unsure whether 100 per cent compliance will be possible, "but we'll give it our best shot."

St. Joseph school students bitten by the reading bug

By David Dickenson, Journal Staff Writer

PRESCOTT - The halls of St. Joseph are filled with the joy of reading as students are trying to surpass their goal of raising $1,000 in the MS Read-a-thon.

The school has been active in the read-a-thon for three weeks now, and had to extend the end date because of its popularity among students.

"It's been great to encourage reading for the students," said Junior Grades 4, 5 and 6 teacher Monique Bongard. "They really seem to enjoy it; interest in reading has really increased and the kids are totally enthralled with reading."

Grade 5 student Sarah Hendriks enjoyed the experience. "I only really read one book myself," she said. "But I really enjoyed it."

Classmate Rebecca Dillon added, "I maybe read 25-30 books, but I really like reading and it's something I would normally do, but it was kind of neat to see everyone reading to try and win the pizza party for most books read as a class or most money raised."

According to Bongard, the total books read is being tallied in a fun way for the students to keep track of and see what each other are reading.

Grade 5 student Katie Hayman added, "It has been fun. I really like reading and a lot of people are starting to get into it."

The school aims to raise more than $1,000, a mark they fell just short of last year.

"It's almost a shame it has to come to an end," said Bongard. "They've been doing the reading on their own time, on a volunteer basis for a worthy cause. We keep hearing reports of the kids reading in the school yard, hall ways and even on the school buses."

As part of the read-a-thon students were asked to collect pledges for each book they read, with money going to help out tens of thousands of Canadians with multiple sclerosis, a disease of the central nervous system. The money will fund research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis as well as provide services to people living with MS.

It was estimated 445 books were read in the last three weeks by the students of the six classes.

Fire at historic house ruled suspicious in origin

By Monica Whitney, Journal Staff Writer

PRESCOTT ­ Police are searching for three male youths in connection with a fire at an abandoned house at 440 Dibble St. W. Friday afternoon.

Three teenagers were observed entering the property between noon and 1 pm, and were seen leaving the area in a small blue vehicle, said Prescott Police Chief Bryan Somerville, who is investigating the incident along with Constable Mike Ostrander.

About 15 Prescott firefighters, three fire trucks and a van responded to a report at about 2:46 pm that smoke was seen billowing from the rear section of the 128-year-old historic brick house. No injuries were reported.

Chief Somerville said he is sure the fire was not purposely set, although he does believe the fire was the result of an accident. Police are interested in speaking with the individuals involved or with anyone else who may have seen the teens near the property.

One of the teens has been described as being about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and two other males are shorter. Witnesses were unable to provide further description, the chief said.

The fire originated in the rear porch and kitchen area of the home, but Fire Chief Bill Lawrence said the upper floor sustained heat and smoke damage. The building is still structurally sound, and will not have to be demolished, he said.

Damage is estimated at $40,000 to $50,000.

The house has been abandoned for about 10 years, when it was occupied by MTJB day care. It is now owned by Laurette Pierre-Louis of Ottawa. Gas and electricity has been shut off to the house for several years, Lawrence noted.

Known as the Albert Whitney house, the building is named for the prominent Prescott man who was an accountant and manager for Wiser Distillery and heavily involved in local politics and civic affairs. The house is known for its excellent craftsmanship and wood working details.

Anyone with information on the fire is asked to call the Prescott Police Service at 925-4252.

Steve McAllister returns for Chamber banquet

Prescott's propensity to produce writers and broadcasters of national and international calibre will be evident again on Monday, March 10, when Prescott native Steve McAllister, sports editor of The Globe and Mail, will be the keynote speaker at the Chamber of Commerce annual awards banquet at St. Mark's Parish Centre.

An outstanding scholar and athlete at South Grenville District High School, he started honing his writing skills with his weekly column, The SGDHS Scene, for The Prescott Journal while at SGDHS. He studied journalism at Ryerson Polytech in Toronto and on graduation in 1981 joined the Kincardine News as a reporter/photographer. He joined the Georgetown Independent as sports editor in 1985 and two years later joined the sports staff of the Etobicoke Guardian.

This led to a major advancement in the news and sports scene in Toronto when, in 1988, he was named sports writer and editor of the Canadian Press Bureau. In his five years with CP he covered two Grey Cup games and the Blue Jay's back-to-back World Series championships.

In 1993 he left the newspaper business to become communications manager of Tennis Canada and the next year was hired by the National Hockey League Players' Association as its first-ever manager of media relations. He was responsible for dealing with the media during the 1994-95 owner lockout, and was co-founder of the NHLPA web site.

Steve returned to Tennis Canada in 1997 as director of communications, and was in charge of media relations at the Canadian men's and women's championships in Toronto. At the same time he started his own media consulting company whose clients included Nike, the CHA, Olympic athletes and several NHL players.

He became sports editor of The Globe and Mail in 2001 and in 2002 he became the sports business analyst for the Toronto TV show The Score.

Steve and his wife Julie live in Cheltenham with their three children Lindsay, 12, Alexa, 9, and Benjamin, 6.

Chamber of Commerce gives $2,000 to Shakespeare festival

JOHNSTOWN ­ The St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival is a project worth supporting, directors of the Prescott and District Chamber of Commerce have decided.

The directors voted at their monthly meeting Thursday to contribute $2,000 to the festival which will present 18 performances of The Tempest this June and July at the amphitheatre in Prescott.

"It's a really worthwhile project," chamber director Ken Durand said.

"I always felt we needed a second draw to this town" in addition to Fort Wellington, added Durand, who also serves on the festival's board of directors.

Some of the directors noted Prescott is fortunate to have a festival of this calibre, and there are those who are watching to see how the festival does in its inaugural year. Durand said two communities have approached festival organizers and expressed an interest in obtaining the event if things do not work out in Prescott.

The festival has already received more than $7,000 from the Town of Prescott; most of that money goes to guaranteeing the pay of actors and the director. Prescott-based Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation has contributed $5,000 and is the festival's first major corporate sponsor.

The Rotary Club of Prescott has pledged about $1,000 in the form of a performance sponsorship.

Two injured in Spencerville blaze

SPENCERVILLE - The OPP and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal Fire Department responded to a structural fire at 15 Spencer Street early Saturday morning.

Constable Foley responded to the blaze at approximately 2 am according to an OPP news release. Two occupants in an upstairs apartment, a 25-year-old woman and 24- year-old man, were injured. The man saw smoke and was unable to exit through the door. The man and woman tied sheets together to exit the second-storey apartment by the window. The release stated the woman fell while climbing down the sheets, sustaining a pelvic injury; the man also received minor injuries.

There was no estimate of damage or further details available as of press time. The Leeds and Grenville Crime Unit has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire. Detective Constable Marc LaPlante continues the investigation. Anyone with information about the blaze is asked to call the OPP at 925-4221.

Banquet tickets are still available

PRESCOTT ­ Tickets are still available for the Prescott and District Chamber of Commerce 2003 awards banquet.

The silent auction and dinner, which will include the presentation of awards recognizing business achievement, community service and youth, will take place Monday, March 10 at St. Mark's Parish Centre.

Tickets ($25) are available at all three banks in Prescott or from Debbie Lawless at 925-2171.

Silent auction items can be dropped off at RBC Royal Bank.

Early years centre a place for local parents, caregivers and children

Submitted by Elizabeth Knapp, Ontario Early Years Resource Consultant

Staying at home with children can be isolating. The Ontario Early Years Centre (OEYC) in Prescott offers support to parents and caregivers with children up to the age of six. You no longer have to travel to Brockville in order to access family support programs.

Socialization is an important part of healthy living for both adult and child. If you are new to the area and looking to connect with other families, then we have the place for you. Whether you are searching for answers from trained professionals or looking to meet other parents, the centre is here. Located at 360 King St. W., the centre can help you to assist your child with the basic skills for literacy, assist expectant parents in getting ready for a new baby, offer parenting workshops, connect parents with a list of local child-care providers, and facilitate referrals to other community programs.

The Prescott site is open for drop-in Tuesday and Friday mornings from 9 to 11:30 am. On Wednesday mornings from 9 to 11 am, the Prescott OEYC Playgroup gets together at St. Paul's United Church on Dibble Street. All services offered are free.

OEYC ensures all families, regardless of income, culture or special needs, have access to early years services. We are working hard to help give children a healthy start in life. "The early years from before birth to age six have the most important influence of any time in the life cycle on brain development and subsequent learning, behaviour and health," a provincial ministry pamphlet states

For more information, please contact the Prescott Ontario Early Years Centre at 925-4975 or stop by the centre and talk to the friendly staff.

Sign up for March Break at fort

PRESCOTT ­ Registration is open for Fort Wellington's March Break program for children ages eight to 13.

History will come alive in the four afternoon sessions to be held Monday, March 10 to Thursday, March 13. In the historic setting of the original blockhouse, participants will learn everything from helping a soldier prepare for battle and how to build a strong fort to handling artifacts and playing traditional games.

There is a charge for each session. There is a limit of 25 participants per session. To register of for more details, call 925-4746.

Canvasser was collecting for Easter Seals: OPP

PRESCOTT ­ A suspected scam involving a woman going door to door collecting money for Easter Seals appears to have been a legitimate fundraising effort, according to Grenville County OPP.

Police issued a news release last week alerting the public to canvassing being done by a woman in the Pittston Road area of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal. It was noted Easter Seals does not conduct door-to-door canvassing.

After identifying the woman, police stopped her last Wednesday and seized the money she had collected. After further investigation, the OPP noted in a news release Friday the woman is the mother of a child who benefits from the Easter Seals organization. She had received a letter from Easter Seals outlining how parents can help collect funds for the upcoming telethon (this Sunday on CKWS-TV); however, door-to-door canvassing was not listed as an option.

The money was subsequently returned to the woman and will be forwarded to the society in support of Prescott-area children with physical disabilities. OPP and Easter Seals cautioned the woman about the dangers and concerns about canvassing in unfamiliar areas; the woman lives in South Dundas.

Police remind the public canvassers should be able to provide material (identification, badge, name tag or literature) outlining the cause or group for which donations are being sought. Canvassers should also be willing to leave information (including a contact name and phone number) at the home. The woman in question had kept a list of those who donated and the amounts given.

Residents of Augusta and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal who have concerns about someone claiming to collect money on behalf of an organization can call the OPP detachment at 925-4221. In Prescott, call municipal police department at 925-4252.

OPP NEWS

Cruiser struck; spike belt used to stop truck

AUGUSTA ­ No one was injured, but a cruiser sustained minor damage Friday morning as police attempted to stop two stolen trucks pulling heavy equipment on Highway 401.

Leeds County OPP tried unsuccessfully shortly after 9 am to stop the two trucks travelling eastbound near Long Beach west of Brockville. One of the trucks made numerous attempts to strike a cruiser, according to an OPP news release.

With the assistance of Grenville County officers, a spike belt was placed on the roadway east of Maitland. The tires of a one-ton dump truck pulling an excavator were disabled and the driver was apprehended

The second truck, a five-ton cube van pulling a small bulldozer, was stopped shortly after it struck a cruiser several times. Both truck drivers from Quebec were arrested without further incident.

The eastbound lanes were closed for about 15 minutes as part of an effort to stop the trucks.

Both men face numerous charges.

Woman faces charges after car crash

EDWARDSBURGH ­ A 19-year-old Edwardsburgh/Cardinal woman faces numerous charges following an investigation of a single-vehicle collision that occurred Feb. 20.

Constable Duke responded to the collision scene on County Road 44 just south of Brouseville Road at about 9:35 am. No one was in the 1990 Hyundai Excel at the time the constable arrived. Upon returning to the detachment, the constable was met by a 19-year-old woman. Two of the three occupants of the car sustained minor injuries.

The young woman, whose name did not appear in an OPP news release, is to appear in Brockville court March 4 to face numerous offences, including using plates not authorized for a vehicle, driving a motor vehicle with no insurance and possessing a controlled substance.

Bad weather leads to poor driving conditions

SOUTH GRENVILLE ­ There were 20 motor vehicle collisions in Augusta and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal between 8 pm Saturday and 3 pm Sunday, according to Grenville County OPP.

Mixed precipitation, including freezing rain, created dangerous driving conditions throughout the region. Minor injuries were reported in just one of those collisions, all but two of which occurred on major highways in the region.

Man sentenced in grow house case

BROCKVILLE ­ A Maynard-area man has been sentenced to 90 days in jail after being found guilty of charges stemming from a drug bust late last spring at a grow house on County Road 26.

John Dawson, 38, was convicted of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

Judge Charles Anderson handed down the sentence Feb. 14 in Brockville court.

Just under 1,500 marijuana plants were seized when Ontario Provincial Police officers executed a warrant in June at the Augusta Township property near Maynard; if all the plants had reached maturity, they would have had a total value of about $1.5 million.

Electrical equipment valued at between $15,000-$20,000 was also seized.

Dawson is to serve his sentence on weekends.

He is also prohibited from owning firearms for 10 years and is on probation until he has completed serving his intermittent sentence.

Stacey Dawson, 36, had also been charged with marijuana production and possession charges.

However, those charges were withdrawn by the crown.

Town considers new no-parking zones on Edward, St. Lawrence

PRESCOTT ­ Two additional no-parking zones are being considered by town officials.

A proposal to prohibit parking on the east side of Edward Street just south of Wood Street, as well as the east side of St. Lawrence Street just north of King Street, is likely to be discussed again by Prescott council at its March 3 meeting.

In recommending the changes, Police Chief Bryan Somerville told a town committee meeting Monday night the new Edward Street no-parking zone would extend about 20 metres. In the case of St. Lawrence, the parking ban would only extend to the Grandma's Restaurant parking lot.

The town's parking bylaw would have to be amended to permit the changes.

RipNET offers another high-speed Internet option

PRESCOTT ­ Another Internet option now exists for Prescott residents and businesses.

Brockville-based Internet service provider RipNET announced Monday afternoon it can now offer ADSL high-speed services to Prescott customers.

The service is available anywhere within four kilometres or less from Bell's central office on King Street West in Prescott. It takes five to seven business days for the line to be activated by Bell.

A special sign-up offer until March 14 for 1Mb service includes free modem rental, activation, content filtering and virus scanning and spam filtering for the first three months, according to RipNET CEO Kingsley Grant. There are also specials on higher-speed (3Mb) versions.

RipNET expects wireless service for those not located within the ADSL area will be available soon. For those from Prescott who already signed up for wireless through RipNET, they can opt out to use the ADSL connection, and the difference will be refunded, Grant explained.

To check for availability at your location, visit www.ripnet.com.

St. Paul's to host folk night Sunday

PRESCOTT ­ Folk night returns to St. Paul's United Church this Sunday, March 2 at 7 pm.

Music will include a performance by The Old Friends.

All are welcome to attend the church fundraiser; a free-will offering will be accepted at the church.

St. Paul's United is located at the corner of George and Dibble streets.

CORRECTION

An article in last week's edition listed the top two finishers in the Fort Town snowman building contest in reverse order. The article should have stated Holly, Emily and Sarah Crozier placed first, followed in second place by Taylor and Joseph Hare.

The Journal regrets the error.

Nuisance bear committee seeks input from public

PETERBOROUGH ­ A provincial committee is seeking public input on the subject of nuisance bear management.

The Nuisance Bear Review Committee was appointed last year by Natural Resources Minister Jerry Ouellette, and has been given the mandate to review biology, literature and geographic and socio-economic factors related to nuisance bear problems in Ontario. The committee is also comparing the effects of bear harvesting from jurisdictions across Canada and the United States. Ontario banned the spring bear hunt in the late 1990s.

Royal Poulin, chair of the committee, stated in a news release it is important to hear from the public on this important initiative. "The committee will conduct a thorough review of all the public submissions we receive and will offer our considered advice to the minister," he added.

Submissions will be accepted until March 31. Comments may be sent to Royal Poulin (Chair), Nuisance Bear Review Committee, 3rd Floor North Tower, 300 Water St., Peterborough ON K9J 8M5, or by e-mail to nuisancebear@mnr.gov.on.ca.

For more information on the committee, visit http://nuisancebear.mnr.gov.on.ca.

St. Paul's to host Sunday brunch

PRESCOTT ­ Sunday brunch will be served March 9 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at St. Paul's United Church, corner of George and Dibble streets.

Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Beach party to be held indoors in Spencerville

SPENCERVILLE ­ The Spencerville Agricultural Society will host its first annual beach party Saturday, March 29 from 9 pm to 1 am in the sand at the Drummond Building.

Live entertainment will be provided by The Posse. Lots of prizes will be available. Proceeds support the Spencerville Fair.

For advance tickets or more information, call Carol at 925-4304 or visit www.spencervillefair.com.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Their crowd was just brutal on us. But I was able to put them
out of my head and nail the free throws. It felt really good."

Editor's Notebook

FROM FAMINE TO FEAST: There was a time not so long ago Prescott was looked down upon because the town had seemingly taken a detour off the information highway and had fallen behind other communities when it came to high-speed Internet access. With at least four companies now offering the service in one form or another, it should become clear the Fort Town is back on the right road.

As Prescott Mayor Robert Lawn has noted, residents and businesses have a number of options from which to choose; whether it is wireless or coming up or down the phone line, there are different products that will hopefully meet the budgets and logistical needs of customers big and small.

Although it is unfortunate there are not as many options available for many people who live outside the immediate Prescott area, the situation is much better than it was just a few months ago. Here is hoping competition will result in better selection and prices for an area that can now compete with other communities that have already begun to reap the benefits of being connected.

THE COST OF RUNNING: With so many reports of war chests being amassed by some leadership hopefuls and political parties at the provincial and federal levels, it is interesting to note how much money it costs to win a seat on town or township council. In the case of Prescott, there is a filing fee of $100 for councillor and $200 for mayor. Those fees will be refunded if the candidate wins or receives at least two per cent of total votes cast. (The same applies to the councillor and head of council positions in Augusta and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal.)

In terms of spending limits, councillor candidates in Prescott may spend $5,000 plus an additional 70 cents for each elector (which would work out to an extra $2,500 or so based on the number of electors registered in the year 2000). Campaigning and fundraising are not supposed to begin until after the candidate has filed his or her registration papers. There are certain bookkeeping requirements to be met, and a financial statement must be submitted by the end of next March.

As of Monday morning, no one had filed papers in Prescott. Nov. 10 may seem far off in the distance, but with spring only three weeks away there is no time like the present to start considering a run at municipal council. There is not much pay and there could be plenty of grief, but someone has to do it and there is always the possibility some good may come of it.

By the way, nominations close Sept. 26.

Tim Ruhnke

Involving children in classical music is worth the effort

FORWARDING, COMMENTS

Kids and classical music - who would have thought such a combination could go together - just like summer and ice cream, chocolate and Easter or winter and snow and cold?

It's not a combination that easily comes to mind. But hats off to the Fort Town Concert Association for having the insight and drive to throw the two together.

About every three months, the association of local volunteers and generous donors bring to town classical music artists to entertain us with the rich sounds of rising artists through Jeunesses Musicales of Canada and the Ontario Arts Council.

For 20 years, the concert association has been bringing talented young artists to Prescott. The program was recently expanded from the evening performance at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church to include booking the artists to visit a school within South Grenville. The idea behind the school visits is to foster an appreciation for fine, or classical music, in young people and enrich their music curriculum. I've covered these school performances for the paper, but never really gave the appearances much thought beyond trying to get a good photo to go with Colin Boag's review of the night-time performance. (His review appears in this issue.)

And even though I was aware last Thursday's piano/cello duo would be making an afternoon appearance at my own children's school, I still didn't give it much thought or plan to make a point of discussing it with them. And I certainly didn't expect the reaction I got from one of my children.

Saying I was astounded when my 10-year-old asked at supper time if we could go to the concert at the church that evening would be an understatement. The afternoon mini-concert, and especially the cellist, made such an impression on him, he couldn't wait to hear and see more.

My apologies to those sitting in front of us at the church who likely had to endure an endless round of hushed questions and answers and fidgeting, but it helped to broaden his knowledge of things cultural.

When we got home, his answer to his brothers and sister on how he enjoyed the concert was a simple "good." If it had been boring, dumb or a waste of his television time, he would have said that. He's now looking forward to the April 15 concert, Carmen by Bizet.

Besides providing high-quality productions to an outlying region, a goal of the Fort Town Concert Association is to enrich children's lives with something besides computers and electronic games. If only one child from each performance comes forward to enjoy this new experience and gain exposure to an entertainment option, the association's efforts are worth it, and I applaud the members' labours in making this great program happen.

Town to hire assistant to handle burgeoning welfare case load

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Feb. 25, 1943

* A small crew is now engaged in the task of demolishing the skeleton walls of the Daniels Hotel block, which was gutted by a disastrous fire on the morning of Dec. 20, 1942. The workmen's first efforts were directed toward salvaging the boilers and pipes before the wrecking began. The building will be completely levelled, The Journal was informed by the owner, James P. Doyle. He is still awaiting a decision on his application for permission to rebuild. The fire that swept through the hotel and five adjoining businesses claimed one life.

Feb. 28, 1963

* Sixteen-year-old Barbara Newsome was crowned SGDHS carnival queen as the dance that highlighted the winter events.

* Shirley Annabelle of Prescott won the title of senior public speaking champion in the Royal Canadian Legion's zone contest held in Winchester. She spoke on "nuclear arms for Canada."

Feb. 28, 1973

* Kim Roddick, 14-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Roddick, was named the 1973 Spencerville Snowball Queen Friday night. Violet Leach and Christine Merril were selected as her princesses.

Feb. 23, 1983

* Marian Preston was re-elected president of the Prescott and District Chamber of Commerce. Ray Young was re-elected vice-president. Preston urged her directors to come up with new ideas for the chamber to continue its work assisting business and industry in the community.

* Prescott council will search for a full-time assistant for welfare administrator Lorne Watling in order to tackle the department's burgeoning case load. There is currently a case load of some 90 welfare recipients, more than double the number handled by the department less than two years ago. Increasing the department's staff should enable it to better police the job search activities of the welfare recipients, which could end up reducing the welfare bill. The community and social services committee budget could break the $500,000 mark in 1983. Watling expects an even greater number of recipients this spring if the economy does not improve.

Feb. 24, 1993

* Kevin Roche, the manager of Prescott's Metropolitan store for the past 20 years, has moved on to the Metropolitan store in Marathon.

Golden Jubilee Medal finally tracks down Sandra Shouldice

FORT TOWN DIARY by John A.H. Morris

A tip of the Royal Mrs. Windsor's crown this week to Sandra Shouldice of Johnstown who was named one of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal recipients last fall, but is yet to receive her award. Part of this confusion stems from the fact that Sandra was a nominee of the St. Lawrence Branch of the United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada, which is located in Cornwall, the centre of the universe for MPP John Cleary's riding of Stormont-Dundas- Charlottenburgh, which used to include Grenville East. Although Sandra resides in Johnstown, which is in Grenville East, she considers herself more a part of Prescott than of Cornwall.

When Cleary's office announced the successful recipients of the Golden Jubilee Medal last December, The Prescott Journal was not included in Mr. Cleary's press release mailout, nor was Miss Shouldice informed that she was a recipient and that the medals would be presented at a private ceremony in Mr. Cleary's Cornwall office the afternoon of December 20.

After some sleuthing on the weekend we found out that Sandra will receive her medal at the March meeting of the St. Lawrence Loyalists.

Mr. Cleary offered his regrets when asked to make the presentation. This, coupled with the shabby handling of the initial announcement, makes us appreciate the efforts made by Leeds-Grenville MPP Bob Runciman when he had a reception for over 200 friends and relatives of the medal recipients in his riding.

Receiving the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal is a tremendous honour for Sandra Shouldice, a proud promoter of our local history and our loyalist roots, and an unabashed Royalist. She has been a member of the St. Lawrence Branch of the UEL for over 30 years, and as well as being immediate past president of the branch, was also one of the principal organizers of the Canadian UEL convention held two years ago in Cornwall.

Sandra taught at Central Public School in Prescott for 31 years and one of her favourite subjects was Canadian and British history.

This interest sparked her devotion as a researcher with the Grenville County Historical Society in Prescott, and her involvement as one of the three editors of the highly successful book on the history of Edwardsburgh Township published in 1992.

She was co-chair of the successful Johnstown Bicentennial celebration and was an active participant on the Johnstown Millennium Park Committee, one of the most popular millennium projects in Grenville County.

Her duties with the local historical society include editing the Sentinel, the monthly newsletter. She is also a major contributor to the Friends of the Windmill, and is chair of the Grenville East Retired Teachers Association.

We had to do considerable digging to bring to light Sandra's many activities and accomplishments because she was reluctant to ring her own bell, but let us assure Miss Shouldice, M'am, you are every bit as deserving of this medal as any of the 46,000 Canadians so honoured. Thanks for helping to keep our past alive, and God Save The Queen!

Having an over-developed history gene sometimes gives us grief as we see monuments of our past disappear today, with even more scheduled to disappear in the near future. This is certainly happening to the churches in small towns and rural areas throughout eastern Ontario. We are not only losing valuable examples of 19th century architecture, but we are also losing their significance to the social, moral and religious life of the congregations that once kept them alive, thriving and influential.

We know it will never happen in Canada during our present era where too few of our citizens have deep roots, but we would like to see a federal trust developed, similar to that in Britain, to keep our historic churches in good repair and useable for decades to come.

The churches most affected by old age and dwindling congregations in this part of the province are the Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and Methodist, the four denominations that nurtured the spiritual needs of Canadians in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.

Neither their historical significance nor their adherence to old dogmas continue to interest or appeal to second, third or fourth generations of these faiths.

If congregations of the traditional churches in small towns such as Prescott are to start growing again, the elders and certainly the diocese gurus, are going to have to start thinking outside the box that has served them for 200 years.

The Romantics, an evening of cello and piano in perfect harmony ­ mostly

Once more concert goers were feted to some fine chamber music by two young Quebec musicians in Prescott Thursday evening. Benoit Loiselle, cello, and Francois Zeitouni, piano, played selections largely from the Romantic Period of classical music, (typically 19th century works). Sponsor for this concert was the Town of Prescott.

The recital opened with a work by R. Schumann, (1810-1856) titled Fantasiestucke, Opus 73. Schumann was an unlikely Romantic composer. His short life was filled with a series of fierce and sometimes tortured struggles, a strong-willed mother who wanted him to become a lawyer, a former teacher who went to court to try to prevent Schumanns marriage to his daughter, loss of the use of his hands and finally a bout with insanity. His music can be intimate, tender and at times deeply passionate and in the hands of Loiselle and Zeitouni these feelings were released beautifully. And not only in the hands. One only had to look at the face of the cellist to know what feeling he was expressing through his playing.

Later in the recital, this exciting duo played another work by Schumann, his "Five pieces in the style of folklore." The mood varied from light and lively, the first piece, through a slow soulful second piece ending with a powerful and emotionally troubled fifth piece.

Felix Mendelssohn's Sonata #2 for piano and cello gave ample opportunity for each artist to demonstrate their solo artistry. In their introduction to this work the musicians professed that this was perhaps their favourite work and the level of applause it received strongly suggested that the audience agreed with them.

The only non-Romantic Period piece in the recital was a work composed by the 25-year-old Alaine Beauchesne in 2000/2001. The work, "Balade sur un souvenir d'octobre 99," was composed in memory of a friend who took his own life in October 1999. The piece was quite challenging for most of the audience for at times it seemed that the cello and piano were playing from different sheets of music before coming together in the final movement. A very dark, somewhat disturbing work!

The recital closed with a work by Chopin, his "Introduction and polonaise brillante." The pianists' skills really shone in this work. Just occasionally, the piano, as it did very occasionally in some of the earlier pieces, overpowered the cello but this did not seriously detract from the overall enjoyment given by the playing of this talented duo.

Earlier in the day, the duo performed for the pupils of St Joseph school in Prescott. The students, grades 4 through 8, were exposed to a learning experience in classical music. The artists learned too, for in the closing Q & A session, they understood that, among the younger students, Beethoven was perhaps better known as a big mischievous dog rather than a great composer!

The 2002/3 season presented by the Fort Town Concert Association will close on April 15 with a rendition of Bizet's opera Carmen, sponsored by The Colonels Inn Prescott.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Prescott welcome sight for driver

The Editor;

What a pleasure to drive into Prescott late Saturday night! Highway 2 was treacherous and Brockville streets a challenge.

Prescott's lovely wide, welcoming street was beautifully snow-cleared and lined with street lamps that made it look like a fairyland ­ a nice place to come home to.

Elizabeth McCuaig Newton,
Prescott

Ideas will blossom at flower workshop

WALKER HOUSE NEWS by MARNIE LIPPIATT

The "Garden of Eden" is giving an exclusive dried flower workshop at Walker House Tuesday, March 4 at 6:30 pm. During the evening, we will create an arrangement to suit your house or a gift for a friend. All materials will be displayed, so you choose the wreath, swag or pottery vase to suit your taste. Treat yourself to something very special. Please call to register or to get more information on the cost of this workshop. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

Some of our members have expressed an interest in tai chi. If you could help us with some instruction, please call 925-5300.

Card game winners: Monday bridge ­ 1st, Geraldine Leclair; 2nd, Andy Britnell; door prize, Kitty Wormington. Thursday night euchre ­ 1st, Jean McCrady and Jeannine Marion; 2nd, Marie Shahan and Gladys Somerville; 3rd, Hilda Hutton; door prize, Louie Bocsy.

Annual meeting of food bank to be held March 4

PRESCOTT ­ The annual meeting of the Food For All food bank will be held Tuesday, March 4 at 7 pm at St. Paul's United Church, corner of George and Dibble streets.

The food bank serves residents of Prescott, Augusta and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal. Anyone interested in serving on the board of directors or volunteering is welcome to attend.

Cardinal & District News

Former Cardinal councillor joins election race in Ward 1

By David Dickenson, Journal Staff Writer

CARDINAL - Former Cardinal council member Dick Willis has decided to enter the 2003 election race for councillor in Ward 1.

Willis, a veteran of three non-consecutive terms as councillor for the former village of Cardinal, has nine years of municipal politics under his belt and is looking to bring some of his past experience to council.

"I enjoyed being on Cardinal council and being involved with amalgamation and the transition board," said Willis. "There were a lot of people who were upset with the amalgamation and there are still a lot of concerns, but I don't think it would take a lot to solve them."

Willis believes he will be able to work well with the other councillors to better represent Ward 1 and the community as a whole.

"I have a good working relationship with the people of Edwardsburgh," said Willis. "I enjoy the controversy, the good times and the bad. I want to help get some experienced people back in there to help out the whole area and represent Cardinal a little better as part of it."

Willis is the first person to officially file as a candidate in 2003 election in Edwardsburgh/ Cardinal.

Cardinal to hold World Day of Prayer services

CARDINAL - Local residents are invited to join in the World Day of Prayer service Friday, March 7 at 2 pm at St. Andrew's and St. James' Presbyterian Church in Cardinal.

This year's service was written by the women of Lebanon and reflects the theme, "Holy Spirit, Fill Us."

Lebanon still suffers from political and economic problems and unrest following 17 years of civil war. The women of Lebanon are asking all groups around the world who are celebrating World Day of Prayer with them to plant a tree in solidarity with the Lebanese people who are trying to replant areas that have been devastated by war.

Christians in more than 170 countries around the world and 2,000 communities across Canada will participate in the service.

The World Day of Prayer has its roots in an ecumenical day of prayer organized by the women in Canada and the United States in 1920.

In Canada the World Day of Prayer is co-ordinated by the Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada.

In Cardinal, the co-ordinating group has representation from St. Andrew's and St. James' Presbyterian Church, St. John's United Church, St. Paul's Anglican Church, The Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church and the Philadelphia Pentecostal Tabernacle.

Business association resumes regular meetings

CARDINAL - The Edwardsburgh/Cardinal Business Association will be holding its next meeting March 18 at 7 pm at the Cardinal Village Hall.

After taking a month off to allow for holidays and weather, the business association will cover the interest in and offers on local for-sale businesses, website and advertising, ministry of health intentions with the town hall, fundraising, co-operation with Cardinal in Bloom and the firefighter games in June.

Good turnout for GFGC ice fishing pike derby

JOHNSTOWN - The Grenville Fish and Game Club's sixth annual Ice Fishing Pike Derby was a great success with more than 70 shacks on the ice in Elevator Bay.

A total of 49 pike were caught, with 33 being live released by the 26 junior and 271 adult fishers who took part.

David Jones of Winchester had the largest pike of the day at 10.1 pounds, with Jackie Beckstead of Spencerville at 9.4 pounds, John Verbrugghe of Brockville at 8.14 pounds, Chris Martin of Brockville at 7.58 pounds and Tony Haystead of Prescott at 6.68 pounds with the largest pike in each two-hour weigh-in period. Because of the large turnout the club surprised everyone by giving out prizes for the second largest pike in each weigh-in period as well, including Bill Hummel of Morrisburg at 7.84 pounds, Jamie Robinson of Brockville at 7.36 pounds, Bill Martin of Brockville at 7.3 pounds, Mike Forten of Brockville at 6.68 pounds and Harold Jones of Prescott at 6.08 pounds.

There were also prizes given out for hidden weight in each two-hour weigh-in session; these were won by Brandon Elliott of Iroquois at 4.24 pounds and 4.1 pounds, Mike Allard of Cardinal at 3.86 pounds, Roy Coughler of Brouseville at 3.8 pounds and Allan Dunnington of Prescott at 3.36.

Travis Visser was the winner of the children's Perch Derby with a 0.5 pound perch. Each child who competed was sent home with a bag of candy and a prize.

In the derby's early bird draw Feb. 17, M. Bailey of Prescott was the winner of the portable ice fishing shack.

The club's next pike derby will be May 24.

CARDINAL'S PAST

Boy Scout earns high honour for bravery

Feb. 26, 1953

* Gordon Campbell, 13-year-old member of the 1st Cardinal Boy Scout Troop, has been awarded the Silver Cross, the Scout movement's second highest award for bravery, for his rescue of a young Prescott lad from drowning last summer. Young Campbell was given the award for his feat in going to the rescue of nine-year-old Bobby Steele from the treacherous waters of the North Channel.

* James Moylan of Prescott, who led the Prescott Citizens Band for several seasons, has been named bandmaster at Cardinal, to succeed John Lattimer, who retired after many years of service.

Feb. 28, 1973

* An automatic answering service has been installed at the Cardinal police station. The device is incorporated with the existing radio communications and enables any incoming calls to be recorded and a signal be given to the on-duty officer when he is out of the office. The caller has 30 seconds to leave his message with a name, address and phone number.

Feb. 23, 1983

* The number of contestants in the community queen pageant has now reached 16. The latest entrants are Paula Turner, 15, daughter of Bert and Phyllis Turner, and Debbie Perry, 17, daughter of Jim and Shirley Perry.

* Selected to reign over the Benson Public School winter carnival were Prince Lester Deschamps, King Anthony Gilmer, Princess Loretta Sayeau and Queen Rolelinda Champagne.

Feb. 24, 1993

* Local residents who received a Canada 125 commemorative medal were James and Muriel Irving of Spencerville and Ada Baldwin of Cardinal.

* The Cardinal Legion Ladies Auxiliary celebrated its 15th anniversary. Members receiving 15-year pins were, Maude Crowder, Bernadette Cheetham, Margaret Mason, Norma Sherman, Marg Fairfield, Marg O'Brien, Marguerite Campbell, Laura Casaubon, Joyce Magee, Bessie Irving, Ada Baldwin, Olive Timmins and Joyce Menard. Orpha Bottan, Dorothy Irving, Fran Hall and Muriel Crawford also received life membership pins.

Lucky win number 13 as Giants capture LGSSA gold

By Dave Dickenson, Journal Staff Writer

BROCKVILLE - The South Grenville Giants senior boys basketball team was able to use a gutsy performance Friday night in Brockville against the BCI Red Rams to win the Leeds and Grenville Secondary School Association (LGSSA) championship.

The Giants entered the game as heavy underdogs to the regular season champion Red Rams, but South Grenville was able to jump out of the blocks quickly to the delight of a spirited contingent of Giants fans that made the trek from Prescott.

The fast-paced transition and passing game of the Giants startled the BCI players allowing South Grenville to jump out to an 18 point lead in the first half before the Red Rams narrowed the gap.

Coach Norrie Spence was happy with her teams' performance at the half, but was leery of their bubble bursting too early.

"Going into the game I felt they were ready for it," said Spence. "I knew Dustin (Drury) would be ready to go with the leadership and intensity of a captain and we would score when our defence was effective."

In the second half, BCI was able to take advantage of their size advantage rebounding and Drury and Travis Irvine leaving the game with an injured shoulder and sprained ankle respectively to battle back within three heading
into the fourth quarter, before tying the game with two minutes left.

Drury and Irvine returned to the game to spark the Giants with a gutsy performance with a strong defensive presence to keep South Grenville alive late.

In the final minute of the game BCI was forced to foul a determined Jamie Clarke, who hit both free throws while dealing with a loud Red Ram crowd chanting for Clarke to miss.

"Their crowd was just brutal on us," said Clarke. "But I was able to put them out of my head and nail the free throws. It felt really good."

The Giants were able to hang on to pull away to finish the game LGSSA champions with a 63-56 win.

Clarke who was emotionally exhausted after his grandfather passed away early in the week, was happy to end the week on a good note.

"I played it for my grandpa," said Clarke. "I was confident we would do well and I played it for him."

Spence added, "Jamie played well; I think for the most part we was running on adrenaline. He wanted to win and was clutch in helping us do just that."

Clarke led the Giants in scoring with 21 points, followed by Meppelder with 13, Travis Irvine with 10 and Mike Ayerst with eight.

"We knew (Adam) Broek was going to wake up at some point," said Spence. "We just worked to wear (Neil) Ash out before he got going and were able to play well.

"Delaney had some crucial baskets late, and Travis had a good all-round game. The bench was great; we came in there as a team and played as one and that was the difference."

Drury added, "We played gutsy strong basketball. Everyone played well, but it was a tough final two minutes. They were on a roll and their crowd was really into it, but Clarke came through and was huge for us."

In its semi-final match-up the Giants put up a strong performance Tuesday to take a 56-45 win over the Knights.

Curtis Bucking had a strong game on the boards, while Travis Irvine was able to step up with a series of steals to feed the fast-breaking Giants offence.

Clarke led the Giants with 15 points, despite missing part of the first half to be with his ailing grandfather, followed by Irvine with 11, Bucking with nine and Meppelder with nine.

The senior Giants will now leave Friday for Perth to compete in the Eastern Ontario Secondary School Association championships, with the top two teams to compete in the Ontario championships in North Bay.

"We know Perth is really good," said Drury. "But I think we can take it; we need to get our defence going early and keep rebounding and we should do well."

SGDHS loses heartbreaker in sr. girls volleyball finals

BROCKVILLE - The South Grenville Giants senior girls volleyball team fell just short of a Leeds and Grenville Secondary School Association (LGSSA) title as it fell to TISS after dropping a heartbreaking third set 15-11.

The regular season champion Giants came out of the blocks slowly in the first set to allow TISS to take a 7-2 lead.

The Giants bounced back to tie the set at 14 with strong team blocking from Alex Ward and Christy Latham.

South Grenville managed to dominate the rest of the set as Amanda Watt's service ace
flustered the Pirates leading to four straight service points and a 25-21 win.

The Giants started the second set with an early lead, but the never say die Pirates rallied back to take a 13-7 lead after a series of net violations.

South Grenville's Kelly St. John played a strong net game picking her spots to lead the Giants on a comeback, but TISS was able to regain momentum to put away the Giants 25-16 to force the tiebreaker.

In the senior semi-finals South Grenville played a strong game to dispose a hard working BCI team 25-22 and 25-13 in straight sets.

Jessica Watt and Amanda Watt led the way for the Giants with a strong net game and service in the first set.

With nice setting from Jenna Merrit and Erin Heibein the Giants were able to put the final touches on the Red Rams.

In junior action, the Giants were in tough against North Grenville dropping their semi-final match-up to the Knights.

The host Pirates were able to sweep both the senior and junior competitions for the LGSSA crown.

Annual AA/AAA tourneys have special meaning

PRESCOTT - The annual South Grenville Minor Hockey Association AA/AAA bantam and midget tournaments mean a lot to the people of South Grenville, but no more so
than to April Bertrend of Toronto.

Bertrend, formerly April Swan of Prescott, has strong feelings about the tournament as it is because of the tournament and her families involvement with it she met her husband, Jason Bertrend.

It all started in 1991 when Tracy and Penny Swan took in two billets from the Toronto Red Wings for the annual midget tournament in Prescott, including Jason.

The Swans became close with Jason and his family keeping in touch with the Bertrends, stopping in Toronto to visit while picking up skates for April's little brother Dustin Swan, now of the South Grenville Jr. B Rangers.

"We'd go up there and visit, and in the summers Jason would come down here and spend time with us," said Tracy Swan. "This continued for about eight years with April and Jason never really getting to see each other, because of her commitment to the Air Cadets."

Things changed when Dustin was old enough to play in the bantam tournament.

"We invited Jason to come down and watch Dustin play and take in the tournament which he had been part of before," said Swan.

"But the two finally got to see each other after at the most exchanging hellos on the phone, and now it's two grandchildren later for me."

April added,"They actually asked us if we wanted to get married at the tournament, and I think we're both kicking ourselves we didn't take them up on the offer. Jason and I both grew up in arenas and it's such a special time where everyone comes together and supports the home team. For such a small town it's very inviting every March for everyone to come in and meet new people."

Today, the Swan families stay active in the hockey community as April and Jason's two children Austin and Aiden are becoming hockey fans, Dustin Swan is a member of the South Grenville Jr. B Rangers and Tracy sits as president of the South Grenville Minor Hockey Association which puts on the annual tournaments.

This year's tournament will be held the weekend of March 22 in Prescott and Cardinal. With volunteers still needed to fill many of the jobs associated with the tournaments.

Those wishing to help out with the tournament should call Tracy Swan at 925-3686.

Slow pitch league looking to add back fence to RCA ball diamond

PRESCOTT - Members of the Prescott Mixed Recreational Slow Pitch League have begun a fundraising campaign to build a fence at one of the ball diamonds at RCA field.

The organization has written letters to area businesses and service organizations seeking donations to build a back fence on the newest of the diamonds at RCA field.

"The diamond goes right back so the field doesn't end and it is just an unlimited space," said Paula Selleck, president of the Prescott Mixed Recreational Slow Pitch League.

"The league has been in Prescott for 15 years and we feel a fence would be a good safety feature and get rid of some of
the ambiguity of some of the hits."

Selleck estimates the new back fencing will cost about $3,000 to erect.

"We've started sending out letters and we're not expecting a lot of money," said Selleck. "But anything that we get would be much appreciated."

As part of fundraising activities for the fencing the club also is organizing a Spring Fling Dance at the fire hall April 5
as well as an early bird mixed slow pitch tournament early in May.

Rangers finish season in top spot

CARDINAL - The South Grenville peewee B Rangers finished off its regular season with three wins to secure top spot in the league.

On Feb. 11, the Rangers hosted Cornwall at the Cardinal and District Community Centre, with South Grenville pulling out a 2-1 win. Zack Stitt and Torin Marcynuk scored for the Rangers, while Jamie McFarlane (2), Jordan Grootjans and Andrew Bernard all had helpers. Adam Wyatt had a solid game in goal for South Grenville.

On Feb. 14, South Grenville travelled to South Stormont where the Rangers were able to out-hustle their opponents for a 2-1 win. Kyle Lavery and Stitt had the Rangers' goals, while Cody Haché and Chris Sherman were credited with assists. James DeJeet played well in net for the Rangers.

On Feb 16, South Grenville played host to Massena at the Leo Boivin Community Centre pulling out a 2-0 shutout victory. Stitt and Payton Williams netted singles in the win, while Grootjans (2), McFarlane and Lavery all had helpers. Wyatt played well in earning the shutout for the Rangers.

Prescott rink hoping to strike gold at Canada Winter Games

PRESCOTT - The bantam girls rink from Prescott Curling Club left Thursday to join Team Ontario to compete at the Canada Winter Games in Bathurst, New Brunswick.

"With only playing one game a day it will be nice to get a chance to see all the other sports," said second Candace Johnston. "Three of us have been out east before, but never for something like this."

Vice Laura Mann added, "It's going to be a different feeling knowing you are there to compete along with hundreds of other people from our own province and the rest of the country."

The girls have high hopes for the round-robin while competing in a tough pool which includes strong curling provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba.

"Team Ontario has won 19 of the last 20 Canada Winter Games," said skip Laura Payne. "So we want to do our part to continue the streak. We want to make the medal round, but as long as we all curl well I'll be happy.

The rink opened the tournament with a 10-4 win Sunday against Alberta and followed it up with a 6-5 win over Manitoba Monday.

Lead Ryrie Brisco added, "It will be tough competition we're against, and with no tournaments in the last two months we've been curling every night to prepare. We all want to do well and our families and coach want us to do well."

The girls will be staying in the athletes village in Bathurst, while their families were able to rent a house just outside of town for the week to watch all the girls compete.

Coach Brian Savill is confident the girls will be good representatives of their club and province. "They're excited to be there and are just really happy to meet everyone competing. We have pins from the Prescott Curling Club and the Town of Prescott that we've brought to exchange with other clubs."

To keep track of how the Payne rink is doing, updates are being made regularly at the end of each end at www.curlingscores.com.

Prescott Figure Skating Club to host annual ice show Mar. 8-9

PRESCOTT - The Prescott Figure Skating Club is busy preparing for its 35th annual Ice Show.

This year's "Magic on Ice" theme will feature more than 100 skaters from the Prescott Club who will showcase their talents March 8 and 9 at the Leo Boivin Community Centre.

The special guest for the event will be Canada's Ben Ferreira. He boasts a 15th-place finish at the 2002 World Championships as well as three top five finishes at the Canadian Championships. The show will start at 7 pm on March 8 and 2 pm on March 9.

Tickets to the show will be available at the door.

Local law enforcers prepare for Battle of the Badges

PRESCOTT - The Grenville County OPP and the Prescott Police Service will be facing off March 13 in Eddie Shack's Battle of the Badges.

The game is set to start at 6 pm at the Leo Boivin Community Centre with money being raised for PAL (Prevention Awareness for Life) which runs numerous youth programs throughout schools.

The town police will be aided by a RCMP complement as they take on their OPP counterparts.

Tickets are being sold by Xentel DM telesales and can be reached at 1-800-345-9238 or purchased at the door the day of the game.

Johnstown to host Snowmobile and ATV Rally March 8

PRESCOTT - The Johnstown Snowmobile and ATV Club will be holding a snowmobile and ATV rally March 8.

Separate trails are available for ATVs and snowmobiles with registration running from 9 am until 11 am. Those wishing to participate must provide a valid insurance card and licence plate when registering.

Poker Run prizes will be awarded at 5 pm sharp, with winners to be named from those present.

The club is located just east of Angelo's off old highway 16.

For more information contact Dave at 925-3502 or Sheldon at 567-4766.