November 22, 2012
Vol. 12, No. 46
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Arden Road man says he was assaulted by off-duty OPP officers by Jeff Green
T
Groundbreaking news
S
ince they received the go ahead to commence construction after Labour Day, crews have been racing against the clock trying to get as much work completed on the new Sharbot Lake Comprehensive School before the snow flies. By the time the ceremonial shovel went into the partly frozen ground on November 15 in front of a drawing of the building, the actual building was already rising up in the background. As school board, Ministry of Education, and municipal officials took their turns speaking and being photographed, trucks kept rolling and machinery kept humming along. “That’s what we want to see,” said Brenda Hunter, the Director of Education for the Limestone District School Board as the $14 million school rises up from the ground.
by Jeff Green
Students and administrators from the three schools that will be merged with Sharbot Lake High School to form the new school community were on hand to turn the sod. Melissa Sproule, Student Council president, represented Sharbot Lake High School (SLHS) students, and Evan Steel (a grade 8 student) represented Sharbot Lake Intermediate School. Students Finn Limber and Brianna Steel represented Sharbot Lake Public School (SLPS), and Tanjie Howes and Cameron Anderson represented the students from Hinchinbrooke Public School (HPS). Also pictured are Heather Highet, David Allison, and Emily Yanch, the principals of SLHS, SLPS, and HPS respectively. The new school is slated to open next September.
Addington Highlands Council by Jule Koch Brison y pick and shovel are wearing out,” said Erroll Ruth of Mallory Lake as he presented a petition to council asking for help with fixing some culverts on Addington Road 5, which is an un-maintained township road. Mr. Ruth has made four or five
“M
trips to council over the last few years to present the same request. The petition was signed by five owners of residences on the road. As they receive numerous requests for help with un-maintained roads, Council is
Addington Highlands - Con’t on page 3
Tom Sawyer Y
oung Verona actor Johnny Parks (left) will be making his debut with the North Frontenac Little Theatre in the production of the semi-musical Tom Sawyer at Sharbot Lake High School from Thursday to Sunday. The cast of this production intersperses new and familiar faces in a production that celebrates the mischievous nature of youth. Look for another Verona native making her theatrical debut, Beth Freeland, who plays Tom Sawyer’s long-suffering aunt and delivers. It turns out that among her other talents, Freeland has great stage presence and a good voice to boot. Details about performance times and ticket availability can be found in Northern Happenings on page 10.
hree years ago, Bob Srigley bought a narrow rural property nestled between the Arden Road and the Salmon River, about 10 kilometres south of Arden. Srigley does not have a lot of money to work with, so he bought a trailer for his property, and has been renovating and building on to it ever since. He also has plans to build a house at some point in the future. He was injured a couple of years ago when he was struck by a car on the road near his house, but has been able to carry on. The state of his property reflects some of the struggles he has undergone, although it also shows the impact of the work that he has put into clearing and upgrading it. But an event that took place two weeks ago has really set him back. “It was the 6th of November, about 4:00 in the afternoon. I was showing my neighbour Harry, who lives a kilometre away, where there was a deer lay next to the road. After Harry left, I started to walk home when I passed the driveway to the hunt camp across from my property. Two of the men came down from the hunt camp to confront me. They started getting verbally abusive toward me, so I turned and started walking away. They then grabbed me and threw me to the ground, flipped me over and one of them put me into a kind of restraint hold using my leg. One of them started punching while the other was kicking with his boots on,” Bob Srigley recalled, when he phoned the News last week. He added that the two men then left, leaving him to drag himself 600 metres to his own property. He called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the Napanee hospital. “There was blood in my urine because of the kicking in my kidneys, and my L4 vertebrae was broken,” he said. Srigley said that he has did not threaten either of the men, but that one of them has told him in the past that he should sell his property and leave the area. Two weeks after the attack, Bob Srigley is back on his feet, but the pain persists, and he is taking painkillers around the clock. “The biggest problem that I have is that my winter’s wood is down the hill from my house and I can’t get it up and into the woodshed because I can’t lift. I also have other work to do to get ready for winter, and I can’t do it. It all makes me worry how I am going to get through the winter this year,” he said. When Bob Srigley reported the incident, the OPP came to his house, and he told them of the alleged assault that he suffered. The two men involved are known to him, and he said that they are both OPP officers who were off duty at the time, one from the Toronto region and one from the Eastern Region. Among the investigating officers is Detective Sergeant Mark Allison, who works in the Professional Standards Division of the OPP out of Kingston, and another is Det. Kelly Skillen from the Lanark OPP. Constable Leanna Hawley from the Sharbot Lake OPP was also on scene. While we were unable to contact any of the officers early this week, we were able to
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Bob Srigley at his property on the Salmon River contact Sgt. Kristine Rae, the communications officer for the Eastern Region. She confirmed that a criminal investigation is underway in the case, but said that all of the details are confidential, and did not say whether any OPP officers are suspects in the case Bob Srigley said on Tuesday that he had not heard from the officers for almost two weeks until he received a call from Det. Sgt. Allison that day to set up a meeting with him for later in the week.
‘Tis the Season Here at the News, we’re gearing up for the production of our annual Christmas issue. Attention Readers: Please send us your stories, poems, memories, crafts, and favourite recipes of Christmas. Attention Clergy: Please let us know the dates and the times of your Christmas services and any special events at your churches. Attention Young Artists: Our annual Christmas art contest is open to all elementary school-aged children. The winning entries will be published on the front pages of our December 20th issue. The judges are looking for entries that will carry a special Christmas message to our readers. Entries must be original artwork, 8½”x11”, done in pencil crayons (no markers) on white paper, and must be clearly marked with the child’s name, age, grade, and school (if applicable). Please mail submissions to: P.O. Box 229, Sharbot Lake, ON. K0H 2P0, or deliver to our office at 1095 Garrett Street in Sharbot Lake. Please send us your submissions, information and art contest entries by Friday, December 7.
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