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- ire destroys 3 ouse, leaves our homeless An -early morning - fire April 16th, north of Green- bank destroyed a two storey frame farm-house . and left four. people homeless. The fire is-believed to have started in the kitchen area of the house, but Scugog fire- fighters are not exactly sure what the precise cause was. Mr. Markham Truax, his wife and their two children managed to get out of the house safely. Mr. Truax was taken to hospital for treat- ment for smoke inhalation, as was his daughter who is confined to bed due to illness. Neighbours attempted to save some of the household contents, but most were destroyed in the fire. They did manage to get out an "antique 'dining room suite. Although the suite is charred, it may be able to be restored. Firefighters were on the scene for about seven hours before bringing the blaze completely under control. A - spokesman for the Scugog department estimated damage to the house and contents\in the $60,000 range, and said they are partially covered by insurance, The community of Green- bank is preparing to hold a benefit dance for the family some time in the near future. The home was located on the 13th Concession, east of Highway 12. Meanwhile, the _ family is staying in a camper on the property. Tax i increase not so steep The increase in municipal taxes this year may not be quite as steep as earlier predictions. Now that Durham Region, the School Board and Town- ship council have all passed their 1981 budgets, it appears as if the owner of an average "home in Scugog valued at about $60,000 will be facing an increase in taxes of $108 'this year, The school board increase (based on the budget passed April 13th) will amount to $37. The increase for Durham Region will be slightly over $19; and the increase at the local Town- ship level will be $52. (Turn to page 2) Scugog Fire Department assisted by Uxbridge Vol. 115 No. 21 Fire Department ran into many difficulties during the eight hours they spent fighting a Yire at a home northeast of Greenbank last Thursday. thick walls and suspended ceilings hampered their _efforts to extinguish. the smoldering fire. 'Wednesday, April 22, 1981 Insulation, 36 Pages Hundreds of pounds of brick, coment and wood tumbled to the sidewalk on Queen Street last Tuesday afternoon after high winds blew. over a section of the former Emmerson Block building. A Nestleton woman narrowly escaped with her life when the bricks crashed to the ground around her. Scugog Township works department men are seen here cleaning up the debris. Bd. Education approve $108 million budget The Durham Board of Education has approved a 1981 total of $108,003,310, an - © increase of 14.4 per cent over the 1980 budget of $96.3 . million. The new budget was adopted by school board trustees at a meeting in Oshawa April 13th and will add $37 to the tax bill on an average home in Scugog Township. That's an increase of 11.6 per cent. The tax impact was below the 14.4 per cent overall increase in spending because of $568,000 in provincial grants to balance assessment inequities which exist in Scugog, Uxbridge, Ajax, Pickering and Whitby. Commenting on the budget after it was approved last week, Scugog trustee Stuart McEntyre told the Star "it is a lean budget with no fat'in it." Reverend McEntyre said he was encouraged by the fact the budget contains spending increases of about Bricks crash to street, narrowly missing woman A Nestleton woman, Mable Cawker, narrowly escaped serious injury or death on Wednesday last week when a section of the old Emmerson Block building gave way during high winds, and crashed to the sidewalk. Mrs. Cawker told the Star that she was walking along Queen Street when she notice a poster lying on the ground. Wondering what the poster was she stooped over to pick it up, and as she did an avalanche of bricks, mortar and wood crashed down around her. "I really don't know how it missed me," she said, "although my hand was cut and covered with blood." The building, which has been a Port Perry landmark for - many years, was purchased last year by Mr. and Mrs. Tom Mitchell, owners of the Settlement House. The Mitchell's told (Turn to page 6) 20 per cent for necessary supplies and materials in elementary schools, and 10 per cent in secondary schools. In a statement to the Board last week, finance committee chairman P.E. Mattson said the budget does not propose any new programs, but at the same time there are no cut-backs. The statement went on to say that in relation to the general economy and the price of goods and services, the budget "is a responsible requirement to expect tax- payers to meet." '"'Elected trustees have exercised the greatest care in limiting the increase to this (11.6 per cent) level." There are presently 29,670 elementary students and 17,977 secondary students within the Durham Board of Education. The Board employs a total of 2,786 teachers. However, the budget document points out that enrolments this September are expected to drop by 400 in elementary and 500 in the secondary schools. The breakdown of the total budget calls for $56 million for elementary and $51.7 million for secondary school education. (Turn to page 2)