>Santa’s helpers fill Trinity United Church to pack GBF hampers/ Pg. 6 > Police board names new members Pg. 3 > Winter Winefest kicks off Jan. 9 Pg. 5> Hudak marks new year with levee Pg. 9 Thursday, December 25, 2014 Vol. 3 Issue 34
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Up Front A bounty of bears
Grimsby prepares to welcome 2015 Join neighbours and friends at the Peach King Centre on Wed., Dec. 31 from 2-6 p.m. for some family-friendly activities to welcome the new year. There will be free skating on both indoors pads from 2-5:45 p.m. and the outdoor rink (weather permitting). Inflatables, a craft station, concession stand and fireworks at 6 p.m. will be part of the mix. Park off-site and leave your dog at home during the fireworks.
Staff Sgt. Shawn Dowd, commanding officer at Grimsby’s 8 District, Niagara Regional Police Service, was among members of the service handing out teddy bears at the St. Catharines site of the Niagara Health System last week. The toys were collected during the 8th annual Teddy Bear Toss at the Niagara IceDogs hockey game Dec. 13. Members of the IceDogs joined the police to distribute the bears. See Page 4 for story. Grant - Photo
NewsNow hours set for holidays The NewsNow office will be open 9 a.m.noon on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day as well as New Year’s Day. All other days will be normal 9 a.m.-5 p.m. hours.
Timmies serves up free skating Tim Hortons is once again sponsoring free public skating at the Peach King Centre during Christmas holidays: Dec 27 (2-5 pm), Dec 28 (3-4:30 pm), Dec 29 and 30 (2:30-4 pm) and New Year’s Eve (2-6 pm).
Facial prosthetic delayed by complications Ida Guarascia now looking to late spring for new face
By Katherine Grant NewsNow It has been a long struggle and it isn’t over yet. Ida Guarascia, the Beamsville woman who underwent surgery last March to remove her right eye, her
nose and a large portion of the right side of her face, is at home recovering from a second operation. The surgery was supposed to have sculpted her new face to prepare it for a prosthetic eye and nose but complications have left her in a holding pattern for several more months. The good news is the
many small tissue samples taken during the operation came back clear – there is no sign of the basal cell skin cancer that destroyed her face. “It has been a rough year,” says Ida, quietly. During the most recent operation, her scalp had to be lifted, moved forward and attached to the patch over
her face. This necessitated another skin graft from her leg to the back of her head. A breathing tube was inserted and some plastic surgery was done to improve her line of vision by reducing the thickness of the large pouch of skin covering her face. “The eye surgeon straightened it as much as he could,
See IDA, Page 2