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R.I.D.E. Stops 27,000 Vehicles As of January 1, the Durham Region Police R.I.D.E program charged a total of nine people with drinking and driving offences. A further 36 12-hour suspensions suspensions were issued after drivers registered registered a warning on the roadside tester. A total of 27,260 vehicles were stopped in Durham during the weeks leading up to New Year's. In the same lime period, police conducted a total of 129 roadside tests. The R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) program will continue to operate throughout the Durham Region in January. J . 0 rrrrta by Laura J. Richards Hold on to your hats, Claring- ton! Your municipal taxes could be increased by as much as 10 per cent in 1996. Councillor Ann Dreslinski told The Canadian Statesman on Tuesday Tuesday morning, Jan. 2. "We found out on Friday, Dec. 29, that the expected expected cut to our municipal grant was much more than what we expected." expected." "The provincial government will be reducing its grant to us by 34.3 $1 Million Provincial Cut is Larger than Expected per cent," Councillor Dreslinski warned. "And that's not including the cuts to the library, museums or the Visual Arts Centre," she added. Up to last Friday, the municipality municipality had been told the cuts would only be 23 per cent. That would have meant a $630,000 reduction in the amount of money Clarington receives receives annually from the provincial government. Now, the figure is closer to SI million, Councillor Dreslinski said. "The reduction from the province province will be more like $941,000," she said. Councillor Dreslinski added she contacted the Municipal Treasurer, Marie Marano, after hearing radio reports on how municipalities' politicians politicians were reacting to cuts. The thought of biggcr-lhan- expccted cuts is a concern to the Ward Three regional councillor. But she added: "The government has not told us if the cuts include the deferred social contract costs." That cost is $78,000 for Clarington, Clarington, she said. But, that's not all, folks. The kicker for the municipalities is that "the grants from the provincial government government won't come until June, and then it will come in equal installments." installments." Councillor Dreslinski said she was quite shocked when she talked Turn to page two L'b e rt"' 00 / min. Weeknights and Weekends For $35.95*/mo. including Nokia 101 Phone. Receive unlimited Local Calling Weekends and Weeknights *O.A.C. Call for details. NORCOM CELLULAR Ilcll Mobility Centre 595 King St. Hast, Oshawa (905)432-0088 NORCOM CELLULAR 50 Taunton Rd. E. Oshawa, (905) 438-0088 NORCOM CELLULAR Bell Mobility Centre Oshawa Centre (905) 571-0088 NORCOM CELLULAR Approved Agent 8 Stratiiy Road, Unit ft2 Coho tug (905) 373-4475 BelS Mobility: .© Intemet-canadianstatesman@ocha.org 905-623-3303 16 Pages Wednesday, January 3,1996 Bowmanville, Ontario 142nd Year 700 + 50 G.S.T. 75y. Issue Surplus from Last Winter Helps Clarinaton Cope With Early.Snowstorms This year's early winter snow storms won't bury the Clarington Public Works Dept, budget. Don Patterson, Manager of Operations Operations for the department, said the months of November and December December had unusually heavy snowfalls. But, because last January, February February and March were relatively mild, the department has enough money in its budget to cope with the early onslaught of winter. "Due to a lack of snow and mild temperatures in the spring, we ended ended up carrying over a larger surplus than normal," explained Patterson. He added that the winter maintenance maintenance budget (which includes snow removal, salting, sanding, clean-up and the removal of snow for senior citizens) is $850,000. When last winter ended, the department department had about $250,000 left over to handle snow removal in November November and December. "We have not spent all of that mi ON THE MOVE - While most folks in the area were celebrating celebrating either the end of the year or the beginning of the new one, some members of the James clan were busily involved involved in seeking a new location. The eldest son of The Statesman publisher, who, with his family, have been living living on the banks of the Detroit Ri ver, in Amerstburg, arc vacating the area and moving back this way, closer to their roots. So far, they're just looking, in the Bay of Quinte area where the fishing is Supposed to be good. Because of the impending relocation, the holidays were somewhat hectic for all concerned. So, at the moment, it looks as though 1996 is shaping up to be an exciting and exhausting exhausting year, it certainly won't be dull or boring. MORE LEVEES - We couldn't make it to the annual Legion Legion President's New Year's Levee on January 1st, but hear it was a good show, as usual, although attendance was a little lower than usual. Next in line will be two more important important functions: the Mayor's Levee and the MPP's Levee, Levee, both this Sunday afternoon at the town's Administration Administration Building, Temperance St. and John O'Toole's constituency office on King Street East in Bowmanville. Everyone welcome qn both these occasions. APPRECIATION -Yesterday morning, when most of our staff arrived at work, all rested up after several days of holidaying and overeating, we were delighted to learn that our hard-working correspondents had not been resting all weekend, but, instead had been preparing their news budgets. budgets. Their contributions were most helpful in providing interesting information on what had been transpiring throughout this area, and who had been visiting friends and relatives here. They had it all written down and ready to be included in this week's Statesman. Nice work. îf» îjt STILL GOING - Their many former political and otherwise otherwise friends in this area will be interested to learn that ex- Member of Parliament, Russell C. Honey and his wife, now of R.R. #1, Belleville, send greetings to his exconstituents, exconstituents, while renewing their subscription to The Statesman. They are both in good health. Surprisingly, his letter didn't make any comments about either the provincial provincial or federal political situation. Maybe that stretch he put in as a judge influenced him to slay out of such biased discussions discussions on paper. 'Twas good to hear from him. ****** BACK TO NORMAL - We don't expect everything to be back to what we laughingly call normal until next week, at the earliest. Students arc still on holidays until next Monday. Town Councillors don't meet until then, either either and, probably before the end of this week, almost all of the Christmas decorations will have been taken down and stored away until it's time to haul them out again, 12 months from now. Probably in most homes, the remains of turkey carcasses will be about ready to be included in the garbage bags where Quit's left will be handed over with no regrets to the collectors wlto, incidentally have issued attractive calendars outlining new collection information. What's ahead of us is the next problem to be considered and there's no point in making new resolutions until we have something to work on. Maybe we'll just play it by car , for now. h 'T'rttif tvrrvmiirri. if fivnnuvirrl Wv'fnWf# ttvv-Yfi i nrm nt .1» ww rwi Xyr The Stork Market Report ^>^,7f/s PARÉ- It's See Rage 12 Total This Year Boysl Girls 0 ) yet," Patterson said. In fact, he estimates estimates that they'll have about $50,000 remaining. The operations manager for Clarington's public works department department says it costs Clarington about $20,000 to dig out from an average snow storm. The price goes even higher if the storm is accompanied by icy conditions, since there will be added costs of salting and sanding. sanding. The town usually experiences 23 to 25 storms per winter. Wve had below normal temperatures and above average precipitation.' But tliu winter of 1995/96 has certainly bqyun with a vengeance. • "This ik abnormal," Patterson said in describing conditions thus far. "We've had below normal temperatures temperatures and above average precipitation." precipitation." The winter weather hit in mid- November, rather than early December. December. Although everyone is cautious about predicting the weather, Don Patterson doesn't expect the severe winter and heavy snow will last the next three months. He hopes conditions conditions will average out and that the result will be a more normal winter. "It would be very abnormal to have a lot of precipitation live months in a row," lie says. So, if the law of averages is operating, operating, January, February and March may bring more moderate temperatures. That might be bad news for skiers, but good news for winter drivers and for the Clarington winter winter maintenance budget. Orono Man is $50,000 Winner An Orono man has started the year $50,000 richer. Ron "Sparky" While won $50,000 in the Ontario Lottery Corporation's Instant Kcno game. His plans for the money include include buying a few things, fixing fixing up his truck in the spring, and leaving the rest in the bank, He purchased his ticket from Arjay's Video in Orono Thursday Thursday night, December 28. Tenants Evacuated from Smoke-Filled Building A fire victim is carried to a wailing ambulance during a blaze at 18 Frank Street on December 30th. At least eight tenants had to be plucked from their balconies or assisted assisted down smoky stairwells after the fire broke out around 1:45 a.nv. Nine tenants were treated for smoke inhalation at hospital but most were able to return to their apartments that night. Damage to the building is estimated at about $10,000. Arson is suspected. Arson Suspected in Frank Street Fire At least eight people were evacuated evacuated from a Bowmanville apartment apartment building last Friday, after a fire began under a staircase in the, building. Some of the residents had to be helped from apartment balconies by firefighters. The Clarington Fire Department reports that nine people were treated treated for smoke inhalation at Memorial Memorial Hospital. Most were able to return return to their homes later that night. The fire caused about $10,000 damage, excluding the damage caused by smoke in the apartments. The blaze was one of two fires reported in the Frank St. area within within a few minutes of each oilier on December 29. The fire in the apartment at 18 Frank St. caused the most damage, although firefighters also extinguished extinguished a blaze in a garbage dumpster dumpster at the nearby IGA parking lot. "The garbage fire was reported at about 1:44, and the apartment building fire was reported around 1:51," said Inspector Jim Adams, of Durham Regional Police 16 Division, Division, in Bowmanville. The fire in the apartment building building began in a small storage area under the staircase on the ground floor, lie said. Inspector Adams said it appears as though someone had used "combustible "combustible fluid" to start the lire. The police investigation is continuing. continuing. Cat Returns Safely after Five-Month MsMÉum lr\ D H I J9 For Maple Grove resident, Wendy Kcnnish, the cat came back. lie didn't come back the very next day or even the next week or the next month. Nevertheless, after an absence of five months, Neeko returned. And the sleek, eight-year-old Him* alayan/Siamcsc was back in time for Christmas, Wendy Kcnnish credits his safe return to tlte kindness of residents in tlte Amlelwood Court area of Bowmanville and the good work of the Municipality of Clarington's A nlniul kMwtllni' The story begins when Neeko disappeared in late July or early August, "1 searched hours every day," she recalls. But Neeko was . nowhere to l>c found. However, the Tuesday before Christmas, tlte Animal Shelter called her and said they had been advised by a woman on Amlelwood Court that a cat matching Nccko's description had been seen in their neighbourhood, "1 thought there was no way it could he him," site said. However, she went to tlte neighbourhood to invcsliuate. She learned that a cat looking like Neeko had been living in the area for months, He was more or less wild and was probably surviving surviving by catching mice or eating scraps and garbage. Mrs, Kcnnish also suspects a few kind-hearted soids may have left garage doors open, so he could seek shelter. Concerned over the fuel that the cat was still out in the cold, someone someone called the shelter, where the staff matched the description of the stray feline with Neeko. Then they called Mrs. Kcnnish, who had re- Turn to pngo two Neeko Is home nl Inst