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Vol. 132 Number 07 < PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1998 COPY 65¢ (61¢+4¢ GST) 28 Pages Meningitis deaths cause concern Health officials say 'no cause for alarm here' By Chris Hall Port Perry Star While an outbreak of meningitis has many people shocked and frightened, a Durham Region health offi- cial says there is no cause for undo concern here. Dr. Linda Panaro, associate medical officer with the Durham Health Department, said while the from meningitis have caused worry, the localized occurrence. It's normal for five or six cases to show up in Durham each year, said Dr. Panaro, adding that the latest case recorded here was in November of 1997. That patient survived, and there have been no further cases in the area, she added. fd There are two specific forms of bacteria that cause Boa the life-threatening infection, Dr. Panaro said. The 5 better known of the two is meningitis, an infection in - the brain cover and the spinal cord. "People get severe headaches that don't go away, fevers, they feel achy and their neck is stiff and their back may be sore," she said, adding that red rashes on the skin are common because of the manifestation of bacteria getting caught in the skin's capillaries. deadly of the two because the bacteria are in the characterized by extremely high fever as well. Please turn to Page 13 1 roadside breathalyzer deaths of two Waterloo teens and one Barrie baby 3 appearance of the infection is a fairly common Another strain is meningococcemia, the more bloodstream and travelling through the body. It's . ERS Sh ae EE Re $25 r pr FIRE DESTROYS BUILDING: Local firefi ghters and emergency response crews were 'scrambling early CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR yesterday afternoon when a building used by the Victory Christian Centre went up in flames. Smoke from the building, located at 593 Alma St., billowed hi 20 firefighters fought to extinguish the blaze. received a call at approximately 12:39 p.m. a high into the rainy sky over Port Perry as more than According to Bill Harrison, the Scugog Fire Department nd eight trucks were dispatched - two from Port's Station One, two from Caesarea's Station Two, and two from Uxbridge. For more details see page 2. Busiest season of the year for local bait shops Ice fishing a boon to business By Chris Hall Port Perry Star Local fishing and bait shops are all stocked up and ready to go for what could be one of the busiest ice fishing seasons in years. Port Perry outfitters agree that with the Jan. 1 opening of the walleye season, Lake Scugog -- and Port -- will be bustling with people. "This is the busiest time of the year for us; the next two months will be busier for us than all the summer months combined," said Marjorie Preston, at JD Fishing and Archery Supplies on Water St. "In the summer time there are more lakes for people to fish on; in the winter you are more confined to where you can fish," she said. Mrs. Preston, who operates the shop with her husband Chuck, said they've been busy getting prepared for the January rush. "The last two days I've been busier than a one-armed paper hanger," Mrs. Preston said, estimating that up to 150 fishermen have come to the store early to buy augers and minnows. : "People have been coming in here like crazy. They want to get fishing stuff or information, or they want to know the ice condition," she says, adding that a "chap in Caesarea said there was 12 inches out there, but there is a good four to eight inches across the board here." Also anticipating a hectic couple of months is Causeway Live Bait owner Richie Tripp. "I've been getting the stock in and cleaning up. We've had six weeks off before the season begins and now we're getting the new stock in, buying Please turn to Page 13 * Pontiac/Buick/GMC Presents 300 HP Vortec 4300 V6 engine, 4-speed automatic transmission, dual air bags, PASSLock™ security system, 4 wheel ABS, air conditioning C Sierra Regular Cab 2WD LMOST NEVER-ENDING BOXING DAY EVENT ok ;