10 - Southpoint Sun
AUGUST CONT’D
On the other end was Joe Oswald, surrounded by a few other members of the Hogs for Hospice Committee, all waiting anxiously for Maureen’s reaction. As Oswald spoke, Maureen’s first thought was that someone wanted a donation. “Is there any chance you can call me back?” she asked. Oswald explained that she may want to hear what he had to say, since she was about to be $99,700 richer. “Yeah right,” she said. “I don’t believe you.” Leamington food hub brings hope to many Dozens of guests gathered at the new Leamington Regional Food Hub on Talbot Street West last Thursday, August 12 for the grand opening of the facility. Although they’ve been producing the ‘Leamington Veggie Box’ since May, the event gave local dignitaries and donors a glimpse into how things are done. A short tour of the facility showed the volunteers working at packing fresh vegetables into boxes for
shipment to food banks across Ontario. Flyers prepare for season When your top two scorers, a veteran defenseman and a solid goaltender leave your team, there are a lot of big holes to fill. This past weekend, the Leamington Flyers of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (Junior ‘B’) hit the ice in preparation for a long-awaited season. Nicholls booted from caucus over vaccine status Chatham-Kent Leamington MPP Rick Nicholls will now sit as an independent MPP for the remainder of his term. Nicholls was one of two Conservative MPPs named last week who had failed to meet Premier Doug Ford’s 5 pm deadline, Thursday, August 19, to provide either proof of vaccination against the virus or a medical exemption from a doctor or registered nurse. Just prior to the 5 pm deadline, Nicholls conducted a live media session where he made his views clear.
Wednesday, December 29, 2021
2021 - THE YEAR IN REVIEW SEPTEMBER
Explosion rocks Wheatley, injures 20 An explosion rocked downtown Wheatley on Thursday, August 26, sending at least seven people to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. Dozens of emergency vehicles had converged on the village within a half-hour of the 6:15 pm blast. Ambulances were lined up along Talbot West near the Circle-K as they used that area for triage. About 20 people were treated at the scene, with seven going to hospitals in Leamington, Windsor and Chatham. Earlier Thursday afternoon — about 4:30 pm — gas monitor alarms went off, prompting Chatham-Kent Fire to put up those familiar roadblocks on Erie Street North near the four corners that residents have seen on two previous occasions. Because of the high gas levels, evacuations were carried out immediately, which surely saved many lives. Firefighters were doing
! "
# % &%'#! *'+,+ -
() .
# $ % $ & " #& # ' " ( $ & & & & ) ! "
# $
gas level checks when the explosion occurred around 6:15 pm, levelling the former Pogue Irish Pub building and doing severe damage to the new Wheatley Hotel, Subway and MJ’s Pizza. Many other businesses and apartment dwellings are also damaged. Houses in the area felt the brunt of the blast as well, with debris landing on homes in the neighbourhood. Windows were shattered all along Erie and Talbot Streets, including the entire front glass portion of Adamson Guardian Drugs. Sharks to open season on October 1 The Wheatley Omstead Sharks will start their 2021-22 PJHL season on October 1 when they are in Lakeshore to take on the Canadiens. The Sharks’ home opener will be Wednesday, October 6 when they host the Dresden Kings at Wheatley Area Arena. After an 18-month absence, the hockey team is busy preparing for another Junior C season. Community pulls together after blast The explosion that shook Wheatley on Thursday, August 26 will long be remembered for the way it changed the landscape of the village’s downtown. It will also be remembered for the way it brought people together for one common cause — to help others. From GoFundMe pages, to food donations, to people donating their land for camping, the community — and surrounding communities — have shown that people do care about others. Fire Fest a success Dreams of one day becoming a firefighter may have been born this past weekend as many children and adults had a chance to step up on vintage trucks, ring the fire bells and get their photos taken with their favourites. Saturday, September 4 was the first Fire Fest for the town, which was kicked off with a pancake breakfast in Cottam hosted by the North Station. Kingsville Fire Chief John Quennell said they had a “great turnout”and
Four-year-old Mason Levesque of Chatham sits on the front bumper of one of several vintage fire trucks on display at the first ever Kingsville Fire Fest held on Saturday, September 4.
that it was great to see so many kids out — some even in their “bunker gear” for the pancake breakfast. The vintage trucks remained on the streets of Kingsville until about 3 pm when Kingsville Open Streets began. 15U Lakers drop heartbreaker in final The Leamington 15U Lakers lost a heartbreaker on Saturday as the Port Lambton Pirates came from behind to beat the locals 7-6. The win clinched the Ontario Baseball Association 15U B-C championship for the Pirates. Leamington had won game one of the best-ofthree series in Port Lambton before the Pirates took game two on Friday night in Chatham. Leamington lost the flip and took the visitors bench for game three and Port Lambton had last at-bat, even though the game was played here. The Lakers led 6-2 after four innings on Saturday and appeared to have the game well in hand. Blast zone cleanup complete The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has announced that the cleanup of debris within the immediate area of 15 Erie Street North in Wheatley is complete. Tons of debris were cleaned up and taken away in large disposal bins last week as investigators continue to search for the hydrogen sulphide gas leak that has
eluded them so far. Festival of Guest Nations draws hundreds to park The annual Festival of Guest Nations, hosted by the Migrant Worker Community Program (MWCP), was held on Sunday, September 12 at Seacliff Park. The event offered music and entertainment for migrant workers and local resident alike, who flocked to the Sunset Amphitheatre to hear the music and join in the celebration. Local incumbents re-elected The Conservative incumbents in Chatham-Kent Leamington and Essex appear to be re-elected to their seats after Monday’s federal election. Although Elections Canada has announced that they won’t make it official until Saturday, September 25, local and national media outlets are declaring victories for both local incumbents. The media has also declared Justin Trudeau re-elected as Prime Minister, with a minority government. As of Tuesday morning, Epp had a 6,500-vote lead over Liberal candidate Greg Hetherington with 269 of the 272 polls reporting. Lewis meanwhile, had a 6,200-vote lead in the riding of Essex over NDP candidate Tracey Ramsey, who was trying to win back the seat she lost in the last election. All but one poll were in.
