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No fear of rabies outbreak By Scott Anderson . Port Perry Star Despite the report of a rabid raccoon in Port Perry, an Agri- culture Canada official says it is unlikely there will be a rise in the number of rabies cases. A rabid raccoon was picked up by animal control and later put down after attacking a dog near the soccer fields north of S.A. Sawker Public School on March Vol. 126 No. 17 Ann Barrett, an animal con- trol officer for the Scugog/ Uxbridge Animal Control Cen- tre, said when she arrived on the scene she found the raccoon making "weird sounds" which she had never heard before. At first she thought it was distem- per, but a positive diagnosis in- dicating rabies was obtained two days later from an Agricul- ture Canadalabin Ottawa. This was the first incident of a rabid raccoon in the area, Ms. Barrett said. The dog attacked in the inci- dent is under quarantine for 30 days but is expected to be unaf- fected, as it had a good vaccina- tion history. Despite the incident, Dr. John Churchill, a veterinarian with Agriculture Canada in Bowmanville, says it is unlikely that the incidents of rabies will increase significantly this year. A computer model indicates that the number of cases of ra- bies is not expected to rise sig- nificantly in the Region of Dur- ham this year. According to Dr. Churchill, cases of rabies "are very cyclical in nature. Rabies in foxes and skunks is directly proportionate to the population of these spe- cies. He says it is closely tied to the population of skunks and foxes, and is introduced to the Copy 65¢ ¢1¢+4¢GsD area by the adjoining regions such as Victoria. From the computer models, which are conducted quarterly by Agriculture Canada, Queen's University and the Ministry of Natural Resources, Dr. Church- ill says it has been noted that the number of rabies cases peaks every five to seven years in Durham. The last peak was in 1986 when a total of 189 cases Turnto Page 2 Blackstock Post Office closed in mid-June By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star The Blackstock Post Office will be closed in mid-June and service will be shifted to a retail outlet, says an official at Cana- da Post. Deby Martin, media relations officer at Canada Post York Di- vision, said Canada Post plans to maintain postal services in the community through a local business, replacing the current post office. She said the post of- fice will be closed by June 12, and sold. Under the new structure, postal service will be run on a contractual basis. It will offer the same hours as the host busi- ness and provide all the same services as a traditional post of- fice. "While a retail postal outlet will strengthen the business base of the community, this ser- vice change will also maintain your unique postal identity, and provide options to ensure mail delivery stays within your com- munity," said J.D. Vaughan, manager retail network, for the York Division of Canada Post in arecent letter to Blackstock res- idents. Ms. Martin said a public meeting will be held in April with Canada Post officials to discuss the proposed changes. The residents will be given an opportunity to choose the meth- od of mail delivery. The options include postal boxes in a retail postal outlet, another central- ized method of delivery such as community mail boxes, or a combination of the two. Rural mail delivery will not be affected by the change. The changes are a result of a detailed review conducted by a Turnto Page 5 "Ghost Stories" wins two awards Port Perry High School students Sara Hawker, Carla McMillan and Tara Galberg wer » standing Production Award and Award of Excellence for Ensemble Work for their play entitled Gham Stores at the Durham Region Sears Drama Festival. The play which centres around three clos ing to discuss their problems, was one of three plays chosen to go on to compete at th Festival in April. Please see story on Page 9 for more details on the production. e friends who go camp- e Eastern Ontario Drama (5 +44 dis RALELLEL A KELLY LOWN/ PORT PERRY STAR