Leamington Fire Service was called to a fire at the 300 block of Erie St. South

FireFighters were called to a fire at 9:00 p.m. on April 5th at the 300 block of Erie St. South. The restaurant had just closed so 1 employee was on scene and escaped uninjured. There were 25 firefighters on scene for 4 hours. There is extensive damage (fire, smoke and water), loss is undetermined at this time. The fire is still under investigation, no cause has been determined yet.

Sherk’s Third Book Another Classic

by C. Scott Holland

One of Leamington’s most prolific authors, Bill Sherk, a.k.a. the Old Car Detective, has penned his third book detailing the history of old automobiles and their owners.

Dundurn Press which published the book and his two previous ones, “I’ll Never Forget My First Car” (Dundurn Press 2005) and “60 Years Behind The Wheel: The Cars We Drove In Canada” (Dundurn Press 2003), approached Sherk in the summer of 2010 about writing a third book of car stories. For the last 20 years Sherk has written a column for Old Autos and has done a weekly syndicated column which marks its fifth anniversary this year.

Sherk’s  collection of hundreds of stories about various makes and models of cars from over the last 100 years was drawn upon once again to form the basis for this volume – “Old Car Dectective:  Favourite Stories 1925 – 1965”. Spanning the era 1925 to 1965 (excluding 1943-45 when new cars were not manufactured because of WW II) and containing over 80 individual stories about the adventures of each owner and his or her own classic automobile.

Sherk presents many of his own favorite tales about car models from that 40-year block of time. 

As the author said, “The challenge (of this writing this book) was to include at least one story from every Canadian province.”

Even if you aren’t familiar with old cars, or are a seasoned car buff, this book is masterly crafted. The stories are short, full of humor and yet detail each car’s history – from its manufacturer to each model’s own unique, individual owner(s).

Whether young or old, car savvy or casual admirer, Sherk’s stories, especially many in the first part of the book, will bring a smile to the reader’s face or even a good chuckle when imagining some of the events that took place revolving around the owners and their cars.

From Model Ts to Studebakers to Hudsons to Mustangs, Sherk’s collection covers a wide gamut of cars and trucks owned and driven by Canadians everywhere.

After reading the book, one realizes that Canadians of all ages have had a passion for convertibles . About three-quarters of Sherk’s fascinating collection concerns various convertible models, as well as first cars owned by many people, but nonetheless there are plenty of stories about hardtops, too.

Technical aspects are lovingly given regarding the various autos and in many places a synopsis of a company’s history.

Sherk’s book is big on rare cars and he demonstrates in several stories why he is Canada’s leading “old car detective”. Among the many stories one will encounter are:  a 1927 Pontiac Sedan with a back seat urinal, a disastrous date with a 1936 Chevrolet, a dad caught drag racing his son’s 1953 Monarch in Detroit and Sherk’s own 1940 McLaughlin-Buick (the Sherkmobile).

Local readers may recognize some of the owners, but for everybody that reads this book, the pictures will elicit personal memories and dreams of cars both past and present.

Sherk, himself, summed it up best by saying, “Behind every old car there is a story waiting to be told.” 

This illustrated book is definitely a goldmine and on a scale of empty to full, Sherk’s ‘favorites’ gets a full tank rating! The book was released on Apr. 4 and is available locally at the Leamington Post or from the author Bill Sherk , P.O. Box 255, 25 John St., Leamington, Ont. N8H 3W2.

Japan’s crisis is another reason to look at energy use

By David Suzuki

The massive earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan are horrendous and heart-wrenching, and our thoughts are with the people of that country as they cope with the aftermath and the terrible losses they have suffered.

To make matters worse, the terrifying natural disaster has sparked a human-caused crisis, as radiation leaks from crippled reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, sparking fears of a meltdown.

Although our immediate concern is for the people of Japan, we must also draw lessons from this misfortune. First, we can learn from the Japanese about being prepared. As horrific as the earthquake and its aftermath were, the situation could have been far worse if the Japanese people took the same complacent approach to disaster planning that many Canadians follow. But it’s also another indicator that we have to take a close look at our energy systems.

Last year, the world watched another energy-related calamity unfold, as oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion on theDeepwater Horizon drilling platform. Both the nuclear crisis in Japan and the oil spill in the Gulf focused our attention on the things that can go wrong in our insatiable pursuit of cheap energy. But the issues around our energy use are far more serious and persistent. They include pollution, political instability, rising costs, and climate change.

Once again, our energy appetite has provoked a global nightmare. We can sink deeper into crisis, or we can use it as an opportunity to look at ways to achieve a sustainable energy future. Fossil and nuclear fuels are finite and therefore cannot be truly sustainable. They will run out, and we’re already seeing one of the outcomes of depleting supplies: skyrocketing prices. Another consequence is that we will have to rely increasingly on oil from difficult sources (environmentally and politically) like deeper water, the tar sands, the Arctic, and volatile political jurisdictions. Using fossil and nuclear fuels also creates enormous problems now and into the future as greenhouse gases and radioactive and long-lived wastes accumulate.

In addition, fossil and nuclear fuels are not equitably distributed throughout the world. Oil deposits, for example, are often found in geopolitically unstable areas. And nuclear energy has proven to be incredibly expensive and time-consuming to get into production. If the money proposed to refurbish aging facilities and build new ones were put toward renewable energy from wind, solar, and geothermal, the impact would be immediate and would get us moving toward a truly sustainable energy future.

The need to assess our energy options is more important than ever. All have consequences and tradeoffs. Climate change caused by burning fossil fuels endangers our planet, nuclear disasters and nuclear waste are potentially significant threats to our health and ecosystems, and even renewable sources have impacts. It’s time we took a close look at our energy use and sources in order to find better ways of providing for our needs. We can all start doing our part by using less.

Regardless of the path we choose, we must plan more carefully. A number of organizations in Canada are working to develop a national energy strategy – something that is surprisingly lacking in a developed country like ours.

For its part, the David Suzuki Foundation has joined with the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Trottier Family Foundation to consider Canada’s energy options as part of the Trottier Energy Futures Project. We’re looking at questions around what we can do to limit strain on our energy production system. How is our energy use leading to overinvestment in potentially dangerous energy sources and technologies? How can we factor in energy sources with fewer environmental impacts? We look forward to working with Canadians from all walks of life to develop a sustainable energy future for Canada.

We all hope the situation in Japan doesn’t become more serious than it already is, but with that hope we must come to the realization that we can and must find ways to reduce the risks that come with our energy use and technologies.

Written with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation communications and editorial specialist Ian Hanington.                                                

Learn more at www.davidsuzuki.org.

LEAMINGTON MERSEA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Leamington Mersea Historical Society has received several calls from Cork, Ireland.  Darryl Atchisen formerly of Chatham, Ontario and his son have a collection of wooden nickels.  They are looking for a wooden nickel that was made for Leamington’s Centennial in 1974.  He has a picture of this nickel which has a tomato on one side.

He says that a limited edition of these coins was made and passed out during a town parade. distributed from buckets on the back of a town fire truck.  If any one remembers anything about these coins, the LMHS would be interested in hearing from you.

The Leamington Mersea Historical Society held their Annual Meeting in March.   The reports from the various committees were approved and we discussed the planning of future events.

Several members took part in the Essex Train Show, a very successful event held at the Essex District High School and the I.O.D.E Antique Show at the Sherk Complex.  These events assist us in making the public aware of our society and museum. The free membership draw at the I.O.D.E show was won by Trudy Brown of Wheatley.

Our next fund-raiser is a Pasta Dinner and Variety Show which is to be held at the Rhine Danube Club on Friday, May 13 at 6 p.m.  Tickets are $15.00.  Call Betty Fox at 519-326-5916.

The next regular meeting is Saturday, April 30 at 12 noon.  Our program will be to describe the members and guests item from his/her family history or to recount an incident or story that has been passed down over the years. Bring a bag lunch.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

4-H

The 4-H Sewing Club

Jennifer Scherer

On March, 26th, the "Bobbin Bees" met for their second meeting at the Harrow Fair Building at 10:00 am.

We started off our day by setting up our machines and those who hadn't finished cutting their aprons out did so.

We then did the business portion of our meeting starting out with the 4-H Pledge. We listened to the secretary's report. We also nominated a treasurer for the club. Congratulations to Alex who is our new treasurer.

Leader Anne went over the new 4-H Newsletter with the club and discussed some of the different activities that we can get involved in with the Essex County 4-H including Go for the Gold and a Communications Presentation. There are many opportunities in the newsletter for 4-H members and volunteers. We decided on the date for our next meeting then we closed the business meeting.

We had plenty of time to pin together and sew some of the parts of our aprons at the meeting. We pinned the ties, yoke and pockets together and sewed them so that when we meet again we can put them onto our aprons. Some got a little farther than others but lots of sewing and seam ripping was accomplished!

We took a lunch break then continued on with our sewing until it was time to go. We will meet back at the Harrow Fair Building on April 4th at 7:00pm to continue putting our aprons together.

4-H Spice Club…it BURNS !

By Mitchell Clermont

The first meeting of the 4-H Spice Club was held on Sunday March 13, 2011 at Mrs. Matthews home in Essex. It was a complete success, full of action, spice, and hilarious comments. The first order of business was to elect executive positions in the club. The people accepting the positions were; President: Brynn, Vice President: Joelle, Treasurer: Nicole, Secretary: Joelle, and Press Reporter: Mitchell.

We then tried to decide a name for our club. There were some very good names like; Allspice, All 4 Spice, and….Heartburn, but we finally decided on "Spice Club… IT BURNS!!!" When the name was decided upon we split into teams to cook. Each team was given a different dish to cook. We made ginger cookies, spice cake, spicy veggie salad, veggie dip, and a pumpkin spice cheesecake. Mrs. Chris, our club leader prepared curried chicken, deviled eggs and Alabama firecrackers. Mrs. Chris said everyone had to try a taste of everything.

I don’t care for deviled eggs, but I had to try one anyway, although I almost lost my lunch! Mairi our club photographer loved that! She began snapping pictures of my many disgusted facial expressions. The food from the rest of the day was excellent, especially the spice cake. Clearly, everyone did a wonderful job. In our following meetings we are planning to make Spicy Food from Around the World. We meet again in Essex on April 3^rd.

News from Essex 4-H

Your local 4-H Association is planing a members trip to Ottawa on June29-July2.  We are excited to offer such an opportunity to youth in our community. The trip encompasses the vision of 4-H by incorporating parliamentary procedures, agriculture and community outreach. The experience will enrich our members with pride for Canada inturn helping to build the leaders of our future.

We are planning several fundraisers and hope to reach our goal of $20 000. Our members are working hard to achieve it! We wish to include all our members in this great opportunity. We will visit Parliament Hill, the Canadian Agriculture Museum, the RCMP Horse Stables and RCMP Breeding Farm, a state of the art Dairy Farm, connect with local Ottawa 4-H Clubs, and celebrate Canada Day proudly in our Nations Capital.

We appreciate any support generously donated to our endeavour whether as a door prize for our silent auction at our " Luau" Fund Raiser dinner July 23, tickets will be available soon, or a cash donation (tax receipts provided) or sponsorship. For more information please contact our local Essex County 4-H Leaders’ Association President, Anne Conrad at essex4-hontario@live.ca or 519-322-0215.

GOLDEN YEARS MINI GOLF LEAGUE

Fifty-three participated in last week’s mini golf league play.

Team 16, took the 1st place prize with a 230 stroke total, by members Stan Vickery, Marg Ross and Doug Vickery. The second spot went to Team  7, Pete Daudlin, Iggy Arner and Bill Adams with their 234. In third place,Team 10

shooting a 240, Even par for the two rounds.

The best day's total a 72, shared by Gerry Wilkinson's 38/34 and Iggy Arner"s 35/37.

Other sub-Par scores was a 35 by Carolyn Daudlin and Stan Vickery. A 36 for Frank Lasi, Colleen Pearse and Andy Orsini, a 37 for Rose Taylor, Don Ribble, Julia Kos, Doug Vickery, Lloyd Honey, Frank Lasi and Bill Adams, a 38 by Stan Vickery, Art Sweet, Gary Honey, Audrey Knox, Bill Ward, Madeline Butler and Don Ribble. 38's counted for Eleanor Wilkinson, a pair for Moe Scratch, Steve

Vigh, Doug Vickery, Marg Ross, Tom Bondy and Bill Mayville. Even Par single tallies for Angus MacRae, Murray Knox, Bill Ward, Marie Lasi, Julia Kos, Gary Honey and Eva Kah.

Holes-in-one totalled 107, with six for Stan Vickery, four for Barb Murphy, Gerry Wilkinson, Julia Kos, Frank Lasi,Marg Ross Eva Kah and the phantom player, Three dropped for Rose Taylor, Bille Mayville, Eleanor Wilkinson, Pete and Carolyn Daudlin, Murray Knox, Iggy Arner, Don Ribble, Marie Lasi, Colleen Pearse,Lloyd Honey, Dorothy Harrow, Andy Orsini and Doug Vickery.

Three showed for Art Sweet, Eleanor Brook, Audrey Knox, Steve Vigh, Bryon Walker, Ralph and Madeline Butler, Gary Honey, Ruth Slote and Mary MacRae. A single ace fell for Tom Bondy, Barb Arner, Winnie Moore, Angus MacRae, Gerrit Vriesen, Bill Adams, Moe Scratch, Neil Quick, John Murphy, Bill Taylor and Ethel Ferguson.

Still Time to join us, see you next Thursday 9:30 at Colasanti’s.

Midget AE’s advance to Bluewater Day of Champs

 The Bob Dick Plant Farm sponsored Midget AE’s bounced back from two season ending losses to defeat LaSalle in the semi-final game of Bluewater League playoffs.

League leader LaSalle was the top seed going into the playoffs and had Southpoint’s number all year.

The Caps followed the game plan and jumped out to an early lead. The teams traded goals in the final 30 seconds and the first period ended with Caps ahead 2-1. Southpoint scored the only goal of the second and headed to the third up by a 3-1 score.

LaSalle came out flying in the third and with five minutes left to play, the game was tied at 3-3 and headed for overtime. With 2 minutes left in overtime Brian Travis capped off a fantastic game, scoring the winner with his third goal of the game.

The win propelled the Caps to the Bluewater Day of Champs against Windsor.

Taylor Omstead also scored for Southpoint. Deryck Badz (2), Jared Mastronardi (2), Jake Koning, Matt Livingstone, Davey Watson, and Jonathan Augustine added assists. Tyler Jackson was spectacular in net for the Caps and made several great glove saves to pick up a well deserved team win.

The season came to a close with the Caps facing off in a home and home series with Windsor.

In game one Windsor claimed a 2-1 victory in what became a penalty-filled contest. Branden McKeen’s unassisted goal was Southpoint’s only goal. Matt Chamberlain started in net and Tyler Jackson finished the game.

In the second game it was all Windsor as the Caps could not put the puck in the net and lost 5-0. Tyler Jackson was in net for the Caps.  

Lisa Raffoul, left, talks about the lack of funding, while Bruce Awad looks on.

Parents, workers lament lack of funding

for developmentally handicapped

Mark Ribble

Leamington Post

With the new Ontario budget due out this week, advocates connected to Windsor and Essex County’s Community Living organizations took time last week to meet with the media regarding the lack of funding for supports and services.

Over 400 adults in Windsor and Essex County are on waiting lists for such services and that list continues to grow every year.

Lisa Raffoul is a parent and advocate for the rights of those individuals with intellectual disabilities, and she says enough is enough.

“It’s time for the government to stop taking advantage of the good will of families in these situations,” she said.

Those who spoke were speaking directly to Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, hoping he will get the message loud and clear.

Bruce Awad, another parent advocate, spoke emotionally and from the heart.

“The stress can take its toll on the family, the marriage and the other children,” he said. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen.”

Awad’s 35 year old daughter, Tina is afflicted with Autism and now lives in a group home, where she gets wonderful care, according to her dad.

“I am one of the lucky ones, but when I see that there are 400 others waiting for any services at all, it makes me sad,” he said.

Awad pointed out that there are numerous elderly parents in this county that have adult children living with them who are developmentally handicapped.

“What’s going to happen to these people when the parents pass away?” he asked.

The provincial government funds the various local agencies through the Ministry of Community and Social Services and the funding in the past few budgets just hasn’t been there.

And Awad is not happy about that.

“They find funding for bridges and roads and those are wonderful things, but where is the funding for the most vulnerable people in our community?” he asks.

Nancy Wallace-Gero, the Executive Director of Community Living Essex County, agreed.

“We’ve been here for over 50 years supporting these families and the government has done wonderful things, but we need to know they hear us loud and clear,” she said.

The waiting list consists of a number of people who get no services at all and will require 24-hour support in some ways. The general consensus is that it will take millions of dollars to make a dent in the waiting list, by hiring workers and providing existing staff with resources necessary to do the job.

Raffoul was part of a parents group who met with the Financing Committee for the province to plead their case. 

It’s been 10 years since the province has allotted significant funding for the developmentally handicapped. These folks hope that this year will be different.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Awad concluded.

Leamington mom hopes to raise awareness and funds for Japanese homeland

By Pat Bailey

Kae Lougheed is now thousands of miles away from the devastation in her homeland of Japan but she is still shaken by the tragedy.

For the 37-year-old stay at home mom who now calls Leamington home, the tragedy hasn’t touched her family in Japan directly but she feels it is important to raise awareness of the situation there.

Her fear, she said, is that those suffering in Japan are forgotten as the days pass.

She said she has already noticed that the Japan-based reports are fading in the headlines on the daily newscasts.

“And if you don’t see it on the news,” she said, “you forget about what happened.”

“There are so many sad stories behind the scenes,” said Lougheed, “and how the evacuees are living right now is beyond us.”

She said since the earthquake and tsunami hit on March 11, “I can’t stop thinking about Japan”.

Lougheed said she sat glued to her television set immediately following the disaster and continues to try to find solace in helping any way she possibly can.

“I wish I could fly to Japan to help them to rebuild the community,” she said, “but I have my own family here to support.”

But Lougheed is hoping that people around the world will do what they can to help the hundreds of thousands of people who have been affected directly by the disaster.

About 20,000 people are either missing, or confirmed dead, over 100,000 buildings were destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated, said Lougheed.

And those most vulnerable right now, she said, are facing a shortage of food, water, fuel, medicine and other basic necessities.

In addition, Lougheed said they are also facing a nuclear crisis and a tremendous amount of uncertainty.

She said she is hoping that local residents will open their pocketbooks and donate what they can afford to assist the residents of Japan.

“Your help gives hope and strength,” she said, “to the survivors who lost loved ones, houses, jobs or everything — allowing them to rebuild and move forward, shining a little bit of light on a future which at the moment is very dark.”

 Lougheed said to donate, visit www.jccc.on.ca (the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre).

Thank you for your call and your interest in my letter.

Since the disaster happened, I can’t stop thinking of Japan.

It is hard to believe that such beautiful places and people were disappeared in a moment.

I was thinking what I can do here in Leamington.

People in Leamington don’t know much about Japan and almost no connection to Japan.

Like I said on the phone, we don’t see or hear much about the situation in Japan on TV or radio these days. People are easy to forget things especially if it doesn’t affect your daily life. However, a long-term recovery from the disaster has just begun, and people in Japan are facing to nuclear crisis on top of it. Huge expenses are expected for it.

I hope my letter gives people a chance to rethink how desperately Japan needs financial support.

Former ERCA head to challenge for Liberal provincial nomination

By Pat Bailey

Ken Schmidt knows there will be big shoes to fill should he get the nod as the Liberal provincial candidate for the Essex riding.

Schmidt, former general manager of the Essex Region Conservation Authority, made the announcement Thursday morning at the Pelee Island Winery in Kingsville that he will seek the Liberal nomination for the October 6 election.

He will square off against Kingsville’s Julia Burgess, who announced recently that she intends to seek the Liberal nomination as well.

Schmidt expects the nomination meeting will be held some time after the federal election, possibly in the latter part of May.

Whoever does get the nomination though, Schmidt said, will be following in the footsteps of a political icon — Bruce Crozier.

“He’s done so much for this region,” said Schmidt, of the retiring MPP, “and set the bar so high.”

But Schmidt said he is ready to tackle that challenge.

Recently retired as the general manager of the Essex Region Conservation Authority, where he had worked for 35 years, Schmidt said he has worked for the people of Essex County his whole life and would like to continue to work and ensure the future of the area for generations to come.

“My family has enjoyed many benefits of living and working in Essex County and we must ensure future generations can as well,” said Schmidt. “”We must build a strong economy that not only attracts the best jobs but also enriches our communities, protects our industries and gives local businesses the tools they need to compete and grow.”

“We must invest in agriculture, tourism and our rich natural heritage,” he added. “We need to continue to enhance our community in a sustainable fashion — not only for current residents, but for our children and grandchildren as well.”

Schmidt said he believes his experience dealing with all levels of government would serve him well, as well as area residents, if he became the new MPP.

“My track record is clear and strong,” said Schmidt. “I am a person who can get things done in partnership with all levels of government and with private organizations and individuals.”

He said his approach will be three-pronged — with a focus on the area’s human health, economic health and environmental health.

The prospective candidate said he knows changes can be made to improve the health care system and make it more sustainable.

As far as the economy, Schmidt said he believes this area is coming out of a depression and he will look to continue that progression.

When it comes to the environment, Schmidt is passionate about his commitment to a sustainable future. He said there is tremendous pressure and responsibilities in this area, especially with the Great Lakes, and we “must continue to show leadership in terms of action”.

As far as his stance on the construction of wind turbines in Lake Erie, Schmidt said, that he has never seen it proven scientifically that they area safe.

Therefore, Schmidt said he would listen to what he has heard and “science and the people of the region are clearly against it…”

“And if I have any say,” added Schmidt, “it won’t happen.”

Schmidt is hoping is track record speaks for itself.

 “The best indicator of what a person will do in the future,” said Schmidt, “is what they have done in the past.”

In addition to his work with ERCA, he has also been involved as a trustee for the Essex County Board of Education, as well as work with local community organizations, neighborhood groups, agencies, businesses and his church.

Schmidt has been married for 39 years to Anita and they have two daughters, Juliette and Jana and a son-in-law Brad.

Local dealer warns of deals for gold

by Mark Ribble

Leamington Post

Dan Jones is warning local jewelry owners to be careful when looking to cash in their gold.

The local dealer, who regularly buys gold from customers, is asking everyone to exercise some caution.

Jones, a former business teacher who retired in 2009, says sellers should be cautious about sending their old jewelry through the mail to some of the companies on television and on radio.

“Make sure they are reputable,” he said.

He says they will likely only get a fraction of what its worth.

He talked about a woman who sent all of her gold to one of the cash-for-gold companies on TV and then got a $30 cheque in the mail a month later. You never know what you will get back.

Jones will be at the Roma Club for his monthly coin show on the weekend of April 7 and 8 in the members room. He also deals in coins, paper money and silver.

“Ask to see the gold measured right in front of you,” he cautions.

Jones does just that and gives the customers a card with an offer on it. They can then go home and contemplate the deal or make the deal right there. There is no pressure.

He has a gold tester and a scale that will allow him to show prospective sellers the purity of the items they want to sell.

“There is a different value for each carat amount,” he said.

Jones got into coins and jewelry as a hobby when he was still teaching but he has jumped in full force since his retirement.

“I’ve been dabbling in it for about 30 years,” he said.

Epilepsy Awareness

 Saturday March 26 was epilepsy awareness day, a day on which support is shown through the colour purple. On Friday, March 25, an exception for the school week, the staff and students of Leamington District Secondary School dressed in purple as part of a new epilepsy awareness plan.

Epilepsy is a disorder which occurs in the brain causing seizures. It can be caused by almost any damage to the brain such as scarring, strokes or tumors, as a result is very common. 1 in 100 people around the world suffer from epilepsy, however the disorder has gone without public awareness, therefore attaching fears to it. The Epilepsy Support Centre is an organization with a goal to eliminate these fears.

Approached by Mrs. Newman, a representative of the Epilepsy Support Centre, with the news that in the fall a student who suffers from epilepsy will be attending LDSS, a new epilepsy awareness plan was put into action. Friday’s demonstration of support was the first step to awareness.

“This plan is to educate students about epilepsy,” stated Mr. Hawkins, Principal of LDSS, “the goal is for students to be able to assist this individual without being intimidated or frightened.”

The Epilepsy Support Centre has plans to conduct information sessions for students at LDSS, especially the science classes which already have knowledge of the brain. These sessions are currently in preparation for later this school year.

For more information on epilepsy and ways to help, visit www.epilepsysuportcentre.com.

Community policing raises funds and awareness

The Leamington Police Services Board learned at last week’s meeting that community policing was extremely busy in the month of February here.

In a report from community service officer Kevin O’Neil, the group heard that the Oldtimers’ Hockey Challenge, held Feb. 12, and organized by O’Neil, raised about $20,000 for WE Care For Kids. In its tenth year, the game has now raised more than $200,000 that has all been donated to local charities.

The Leamington OPP officer was also involved in the Race Against Drugs, held Feb. 14-17 in Windsor. For this event, all Grade 5 students (estimated at about 4,500) from Windsor and Essex County participated in the interactive educational program.

The board also heard that the officer has been heavily involved in local schools, presenting the VIP program at Queen of Peace, M.D. Bennie, Mount Carmel Blytheswood, Queen Elizabeth and Gore Hill schools.

O’Neil also participated in a ‘healthy choices’ assembly at Cardinal Carter Secondary School and served as a judge for the public schools’ area speech competition. 

Traffic stop ends with drug charges

A 26-year-old Comber man is facing drug charges, following a traffic stop by a Chatham-Kent police officer March 22 in Tilbury.

According to police, the officer stopped the man about 6:40 p.m. and learned that he was prohibited from driving.

The driver was then arrested.

During a search, the officer found a digital scale with suspected cocaine residue on it.  The officer then conducted a more thorough search and found a baggie of suspected cocaine and a pill, believed to be a Tylenol 4. A search of the vehicle turned up a pill bottle with a white powdery substance inside — believed to be cocaine.

The man was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession for the purpose of trafficking. He was released with a future court date.

OPP seek armed robbery suspect

Leamington OPP are investigating an armed robbery at a Talbot Street East gas bar Tuesday night.

Police received a 911 call at 9:52 p.m. from the business.

When police arrived they learned that a white male, carrying a knife, entered the employee’s area of the kiosk and demanded the female clerk open the safe. She was unable to open it but the suspect managed to gain access and stole a large sum of money.

The Essex County OPP K-9 Unit was called in and searched the area but was unable to track the suspect.

The suspect is described as about 37, 5’6” to 5’9”, slim build, brown/reddish eyebrows with piercing blue eyes.

He was wearing a black oversized hoodie, black shoes, gray or khaki pants, black gloves and a black balaclava with a single opening for eyes.

Anyone with information is asked to the call the Essex County Crime Unit, Leamington detachment at 324-2544 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.