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a ak 4 crs es amma i A Wl ee Arar ones ani, A "5 »n BRE ans EAE Vol. 133 Number 04 PORT PERRY, ONTARIO - TUESDAY, DEC. 15, 1998 COPY 65¢ «ic sccsn 28 Pages CHRIS HALL / PORT PERRY STAR "CENT"SATIONAL DISCOVERY: While sorting through coins following a UNICEF fundraiser, 10-year-old Emily Marsh discovered an 1882 American penny. A Toronto coin appraiser told the kids from Cartwright Central Public School that the copper was worth about $5. That, however, didn't deter Emily, or her parents, as they purchased the penny and donated the $5 to the fundraiser. The school raised a total of $643 for the charity. i Could be out in nine years Micky McArthur gets 14 years for bank robbery By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Mitchiel "Mickey" McArthur will serve no more than 14 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the bloody bank robbery in Port Perry four years ago that left five people seriously injured by gunfire from a high- powered military rifle. The application to have him declared a dangerous offender was thrown out yesterday. McArthur could be back on the street in less than nine years if he gets parole. In passing sen- tence, Judge LaForme made no recommendations. against parole eligibility. But he is banned from owning firearms or explosives for the rest of his life. Crown Attorneys i in this case, Michael Hill and Lori Ann Turner asked for a life sentence if the dangerous offender appli- cation failed. The decision sent waves of shocked disbelief through a crowded courtroom in Whitby "Monday morn- ing, as Justice H ar ry LaForme sen- t enced McArthur to 23 years. But the judge granted him eight and a half years off his sentence MITCHIEL 'MICKY' for the time MCARTHUR spent in cus- tody since the Port Perry rob- bery and shootings Oct. 20, 1994. McArthur, who just turned 47, will be eligible for parole after serving one-third of his sentence, and would be up for mandatory release after two- thirds. Reaction to the sentencing was swift. Some reacted with utter disbelief. Const. Mark McConkey, one of three Durham police officers gunned down the night of the robbery, would only Continued on page 4 Farm aid package provides some hope By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star A government financial package announced last week pro- vides a glimmer of hope in gloomy times for farmers here. But farmers -- particularly hog producers -- have tough economic times ahead of them, said Dennis Zekveld, a local director with the Ontario Pork Producers Marketing Board. "If we can get beyond the Christmas season, maybe there'll be some light at the end of the tunnel," Mr. Zekveld said last week after the announcement of an aid package by provincial and federal agriculture ministers. "There's a lot of despair out there," he said, describing how plummeting prices have battered the pork industry. "We've got people out there getting to the end of the rope, wondering how they're going to pay the bills." Continued on page 19 This coupon is not redeemable with any other coupon or or special offer. Sales tax extra. One coupon per customer per visit Expires Dec. 31/98 "SS x pr