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6 Acton/Georgetown, Friday, August 24, 2007 OPINION Moronic behaviour has steep price We can't begin to comprehend what goes through a person's mind when they decide to toss a rock through a window, spray paint graffiti on a wall or steal someone's personal effects from an unlocked car. Frankly, it's a pretty idiotic way to get a cheap thrill and we can think of dozens of other avenues to cure boredom if that's the reasoning. Thefts from autos and damage to property are the crimes most frequently investigated by Halton Regional Police and 2007 has been no exception. Although Halton Police report there hasn't been a significant increase in these "mischief" crimes, they continue to be frustrated (as are many citizens) because of the senseless nature of the acts and the subsequent repair or replacement costs. The dollar value of the property damage/mischief problem alone in north Halton over the last seven months exceeds $150,000. These petty crimes cause great inconvenience to property owners and help to increase insurance rates for everyone. Not only that, they are a waste of time for police officers who could be spending their time more productively. Halton Police offer a number of common sense tips to avoid being a victim of this type of crime: · Lock your car doors. · Remove valuables from cars. · Park your vehicle off the roadway, in the driveway, garage, and a well-lit area or where there is a motion sensor. · Report suspicious people and suspicious activity immediately. Residents should be especially vigilant Friday to Sunday during the late evening or early morning as that is when culprits are most likely to strike. Anyone with information about property damage/ theft from autos, or any other crime, is asked to call Halton Regional Police 11 Division Street Crime Unit at 905-878-5511 ext. 2106. And to those perpetrators of this sort of behaviour we have a simple message-- grow up! www.independentfreepress.com Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398 Steve Nease STAFF DIRECTORY Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Adam Spinney (aspinney@independentfreepress.com) Andrew Key (akey@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle Wimmer EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Region is making it difficult to be `green' Dear editor, For the first time in two years, I am completely frustrated with the Halton Region Green Bin program. Recently our Green Bin was threequarters full and it was not picked up. There was no note or any indication of why it was missed. The next week my husband was outside when the collectors came and sure enough, they were not going to leave a note on the bin. Had my husband not been outside, they would have had no problem leaving the full Green Bin-- maggots and all-- for another week in the middle of summer. Apparently, Halton Region recently decided they are no longer accepting the Glad green bags for organic waste. I called the Region and was told we should be using the type of bags we were provided with at the beginning of the program. Our area of Georgetown has been in the green program for two years now. Since there are now more products on the market, at cheaper rates, a consumer would obviously choose the cheaper way. I started using the Glad organic bags in May of this year. Up until now, the bags were acceptable. So why, in the hottest part of the summer, would the Region now choose to ban the bags they have been accepting, without any warning to the consumer? The worst part is three weeks' worth of compost went into the regular garbage because of a bag the Region banned only recently. If Halton Region wants residents to become more "green", perhaps they should keep the public informed of its decisions. Kelly Warnock, Georgetown Something bugging you? Send us a letter! Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Computer store praised for excellent service Dear editor, I wanted to share a story of exemplary customer service that I received at Aztec Computer Inc. in Georgetown, which reinforced my belief in supporting local businesses. My daughter Megan is taking an on-line university course and called me in a state of panic recently when her computer crashed. She had an essay that was due in 48 hours, all of her study notes for her upcoming exam, not to mention all of her personal photos, etc. in the computer. I packed up her computer tower and was waiting at Aztec the next morning before the store opened. Judy Latto, the owner, welcomed me as I explained our predicament. Judy assured me that they would look at it right away. At the end of the workday, they were still working on it and hadn't been able to solve the problem-- as they said to me, "It's ugly!" Needless to say, we didn't hold out much hope that my daughter would be able to retrieve her work. She contacted her professor to explain the situation and that she was attempting to get it fixed. I guess the excuse that "my computer crashed" in an on-line class is the equivalent of my generation's excuse that "the dog ate my homework." The professor said he has heard it often. Judy called me the next morning to tell me that her technician, Warren Zajac, had taken Megan's computer home with him the night before and managed to fix the problem and save all her files. When I went to pick up the computer, I was a little frightened at what it might cost, given the number of hours he had worked on it, but to me it was worth it. I was shocked at how little Judy charged me, and when I told her I wanted to personally thank Warren, she said it was all in a day's work! In an age where customer service is non-existent in many businesses, I was thrilled with the personal service we received at Aztec. We can't thank them enough and we'll definitely be going back to them for any future computer problems or purchases. Nancy Rowland, Georgetown Contest winners sought Dear editor, We're looking for anyone whose child won a grand prize in the "Life's Precious Moments Baby Photo Contest" in 1989. Fifteen university scholarships were awarded across Canada and our daughter was one of the lucky winners. She will be entering university in the fall and we'd like to know how your children are faring. We are writing to every newspaper in hopes we may connect with the other winners. If your child is one of them please contact us at valerie_luttrell@yahoo.com Valerie Luttrell, Newmarket THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS The Independent & Free Press is published every Wednesday and Friday at 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown Ont., L7G 4B1. 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