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*Volume XII Issue 13 *March 3, 2017
The Power Of The Future
Inside
Mother Language Day 2 News
3 News
Photo by MD. Nuruzzaman Mayor Drew Dilkens, councilor Paul Borrelli and councilor John Elliott addressing the crowd at the flag hoisting ceremony. Windsor marked Feb. 21 as International Mother Language Day at City Hall.
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Service Ontario closure sparks protest Aaron Lombardi Converged Citizen Staff The closing of a Service Ontario outlet has sparked outrage in a small town, even though the closure is only temporary. Residents of Belle River met Feb. 18 to protest the closing of the government office. Although there were more than 100 people in attendance, not everybody in the room knew the building would
reopen in June of this year. The closure is part of a province-wide act which includes many small Service Ontario branches as well as some larger ones. The reasons for the closures are vague, leaving many locals angry. Residents of Belle River wanting to take care of government-related errands will currently have to visit the stillactive branches in Essex, East Windsor or downtown until June when the Service Ontario
Index
in town re-opens. No Service Ontario representatives were in attendance at the meeting. Regional vice-president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union Len Elliot claimed the dilemma is the government neglecting smaller communities. “Although we are talking about Belle River, it is the whole Lakeshore community that suffers. They are taxpayers and as such they deserve services convenient to them,”
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said Elliot. The operator of the Belle River branch stepped away from their contract due to illness as the closures came into action, making the branch a vulnerable target. The concern of the public and OPSEU is the branchwill not be returned to the public. “We (the OPSEU) do not want people making money
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7 Sports Quote of the Day
off of public services,” said
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Friday, March 3, 2017 High: 1°C Low: -7°C Weather provided by The Weather Network
Journalism is an act of faith in the future -Ann Curry
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Windsor Police Service turns 150
FROM PROTEST PAGE 1
Photo by Alyssa Leonard Melanie Kish-Lewis, Superintendent Ted Hickey and Police Chief Al Frederick at Windsor Police Headquarters Alyssa Leonard Converged Citizen Staff When Canada was becoming a country, Windsor’s police force was being created and this year they are both celebrating a special birthday — 150 years. The Windsor Police Service have great plans for their upcoming annivers a r y . Superintendent Ted Hickey, chair of the organizing committee for the 150th, said celebrations will take place from May 1-5. The week will be filled with events for both staff and the community including a memorial and appreciation service, parade, community barbeque, gala, history lecture and the law enforcement torch run. Hickey said following the parade and equipment display on May 2 there will be a community barbeque with an open air display. “Officers from our specialty units, K9, ESU, the bomb squad, the boat, members of patrol — they’re going to put on a display where members of the public can walk around and see the equipment we use,” said Hickey. “Some displays by ESU will be them rappelling off the building and
from the rafters.” WPS 150 Celebrations Melanie Kish-Lewis, one of the co-chairs for the organizing committee, said she hopes to see the community come out and get involved. “This is the opportunity for them to get a behind the
scenes peek of what’s going on with the Windsor Police Service and what’s been going on for the past 150 years,” said Kish-Lewis. There is also a tentative plan for a dedication of an overpass on the Herb Gray Parkway on May 5 in honour of the anniversary of the death of Senior Constable John Atkinson in May 2006. “It’ll trigger a lot of emotions I think, that day,” said Hickey. “(Bridges are) something that has typically been
reserved for the OPP and we got the opportunity to dedicate one to John.” In addition to these events, the WPS will have a historical exhibit on display at the Art Gallery of Windsor starting May 1 until June 30. “It will have pictures, memorabilia, old badges,” said Hickey. “Anything we can get our hands on.” Hickey added that if any members of the community have old photos or memorabilia and want to share them with the police, they are more than welcome to get in touch with them. Their items may be put on display in the museum for the duration of the exhibit. According to Windsor’s police chief Al Frederick, in 1867 the council-of-the-day passed a motion to form a police service and hired a police chief and three constables. This happened before the town of Windsor gained its city status in 1892 and explains how the WPS is 25 years older than the city of Windsor. The WPS will celebrate their official 150th birthday on July 1. For event schedule updates, visit the WPS website at police.windsor.on.ca.
and OPSEU is the branch will not be returned to the public. “We (the OPSEU) do not want people making money off of public services,” said Elliot. “Public services should be delivered by public servants efficiently and cost effectively to the community.” The demand from the residents is the branch be returned and operated by public sector employees rather than being privately owned. This would prevent the random closing of this branch again. Public pressure is currently saving Service Ontario branches in Milton, Mississauga, Guelph, Embrun, Morrisburg, Minden, Kemptville and Blind River from foreclosure by the government.
Harry Malhi, spokesperson for the Ontario Ministry of Government and consumer spokesperson explained that privately owned branches such as the one in Belle River must give 120 days notice before terminating a contract. During this time the ministry is required to find someone willing to take over, keeping the branch privately owned (to the disagreement of the residents). “The ministry is targeting the re-opening of a location in Belle River for late June,” said Malhi. Although there will be a reopening of a Service Ontario in town, residents and council are still hoping the branch will become staffed by employees of the public sector.
Shocking facts on use of force Torcia Velthuizen Converged Citizen Staff The Windsor Police Service board has replaced findings on the use of force annual and the results report may come as a shock. The number of injuries sustained by members of the community decreased in 2016 compared to previous years and Windsor Police Service attributes the drop to the use of Tasers and stun guns. These conducted energy weapons are referred to by officers as CEWs. Police use Tasers and stun guns to subdue a subject without the same kind of injuries that may be
caused by other uses of force such as batons and guns. In 2012, 16 members of the community were injured from the use of force. This number has dropped to eight incidents for 2016. That is a 300 per cent drop that Windsor Chief of Police Al Frederick attributes to CEW use. “There’s a dramatic drop. It’s directly connected to the Taser. ” said Frederick. In 2014 the WPS board and the police chief approved the authorized use of CEW for all frontline officers. “The CEW Taser is an absolutely fantastic weapon
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Powerline technician program gets zapped with cash Michelle Laramie Converged Citizen Staff People who want to be the heroes who keep power running will soon be getting better training. The St. Clair College powerline technician program has been awarded $2 million from the federal and provincial governments to upgrade its Thames campus training facilities. A powerline technician deals with the distribution of electricity, installing, maintaining and repairing poles and lines that bring hydro to the world. Technicians are the unseen heroes that are out every day working to keep communities running, according to Mark Benoit, chairman of academic studies at St. Clair College’s Thames campus. St. Clair College Thames campus is a leader in Ontario for powerline training and the expansion will push the program to a national level. Benoit is looking forward to
FROM MOTHER PAGE 1 MD. Nuruzzaman Converged Citizen Staff Hundreds of Bengali community members gathered at Windsor City Hall to celebrate International Mother Language Day Feb 21. The celebration started with the Bangladesh and Canadian national anthems followed by Mayor Drew Dilkens raising the flag of Bangladesh. UNESCO created IMLD in 1999 as a worldwide annual observance day to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. In his opening speech, Abdul Quaiyum president of the Bangladesh-Canada Association of Windsor-Essex said observance of the day is important to sustain the future through multilingual education. “Our sacrifice has been recognized and honoured by UNESCO. Now the IMLD is observed worldwide on the
Photo by Michelle Laramie Students of the powerline technician program at St. Clair College Thames campus climb poles at the pole field. the upgrade. “We will be able to take it to the next level by putting up a physical building,” said Benoit. “It will be a state of the art facility.” The 8,000 square foot building will be constructed beside
the already existing powerline field on campus. The indoor facility will house a training lab, vehicle and equipment storage, underground lab and a small indoor pole lab. The program is a two year course creating graduates who
21st of February every year,” said Quaiyum. “The day is to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity.” He also asked city council for a space to establish a monument and memorial to commemorate the language martyrs of Bengali Language Movement. The Martyrs were a group of students in 1952, who protested and demanded their language, Bengali, be made one of the state languages. Their demands were successful in 1956. “It is a very solemn event. It is also a very exciting event and here in Canada we put a commitment on multiculturalism,” said Paul Borrelli, Ward 10 councilor. “We are also commemorating this event – many people struggled and died for this effort.” According to Statistics Canada, there are nearly 100,000 Bengali speaking people living in Ontario. Windsor has almost 2,000 Bengali people, mainly working class and students. “We welcome different cul-
tures and people from the different countries to Windsor,” said Ward 2 councilor John Elliott. Mayor Drew Dilkens spoke to the audience about the struggles of the students and the importance of celebrating together. “We are providing an opportunity for all of us to reflect on those who made sacrifices in exchange for freedom. It is now one of the great reasons about living in Canada,” said Dilkens. “We are free, we can celebrate, we can be together, we have the foremost diverse community in the entire nation, we can cherish the best things we have are bring to our country. Language is the most powerful instrument to preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage.” Soon Windsor will have a permanent monument to celebrate IMLD. Dilkens asked community leaders to come up with ideas about spaces for a monument to help initiate the project.
have real on-the-job training. Last year 80 students were enrolled in the course and 100 students were wait-listed. “Students will come into a service centre like they would in a normal workplace and do job planning and training
FROM FORCE PAGE 2 for de-escalation and it does not involve any lasting injury to the officer or the subject,” said Steve Betteridge, a WPS sergeant. Inspector Tom Crowley said the number of times a handgun was drawn in 2016 was 125, which is lower than the 154 incidents in 2015. With 60 reported incidents of the use
inside, then head outside and do field situations,” said Joe Schnekenburger, coordinator for the powerline technician course. He said having indoor and outdoor training creates a smoother, more on the job atmosphere for students. Benoit said students in the program are often hired before graduating because the job market has put students in high demand. The main driving force is aging infrastructure, the addition of green energy and urban expansion. “The average age of a lineman is 50 years old, many of who are retiring. This puts an emphasis on hiring young employees,” said Benoit. Employers are looking to hire people long-term for above average wages with good benefits and pensions. The ground breaking ceremony for the new building will be on April 10. Construction is to be completed by April 2018 to accommodate students for the September 2018 school year. of a CEW in 2016 the number has increased from the 47 incidents reported in 2015. “It’s a safer deployment of a force option and is more effective,” said Crowley about the use of CEW Tasers. He said there were six incidents of firearm discharge last year and all six were used to euthanize animals, primarily in the Herb Gray Parkway area.
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Sandrone Dazieri’s Kill The Father
At the beginning of February, Simon and Schuster Canada had asked me to participate in their blog tour for Kill The Father by Sandrone Dazieri which ran from Feb.6 - 10. With this being my first blog tour it was a unique experience. Here is my review for Kill The Father. 4 out of 5 stars _______________________________________ Bombs exploded, triggers were pulled and blood ran red. A serial killer is defined as a person who commits a series of murders, often with no apparent motive and typically following a predictable behavioural pattern. However, what happens when a person strays from the norm, when a person has a distinct motive with a behaviour most unpredictable? You have a rabid killer better known as The Father. The Father watches in Rome, Italy. His feet remain many steps ahead of Deputy Captain Colomba Caselli and Dante Torre as they get to the bottom of a six-year-old’s disappearance. Little do they know this abduction is linked to a series of deaths and experiments done by a group of military with The Father as the leader.
Dante was requested to help with the case due to a similar situation. When he was a child, he too was abducted by The Father but managed to escape, becoming aware of The Father's motives and his mannerisms. The Father is infatuated with testing on children who possess disabilities, confining them to small spaces and depriving them of food. Unfolding the mystery behind the abductions was a dangerous mission that involved several injuries and death. Throughout the novel I admired Colomba’s character because of her strength. She would not let more experienced officers walk over her and would keep investigating, even when the obstacles seemed impossible to conquer. The one thing I did not like within the novel, which might make this a more difficult read for people, is the detailed context. In order to absorb every event and supporting detail the reader must give all their attention to the task at hand. Any distractions would have prevented people from picking up key elements. The style of writing was more advanced using a larger vocabulary and more complex literary devices. This added an authenticity to the novel through creativity. The book keeps the reader captivated with intense action. The storyline in itself was one-ofa-kind with a creative plot I’ve never before seen in a crime novel. Even if the genre of crime or
mystery is not your cup of tea, this diverse storyline will be sure to please any reader.
Yours truly, Biblio Virgo
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Tourism numbers on the rise Dawn Gray The Converged Citizen International tourism is increasing steadily across the globe, but these tourists have not necessarily been coming to Ontario. However, 2015 numbers and early data from 2016 is hinting at a recovery. Ontario has not been able to attract visitors at the same pace as the rest of the world. A report released by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce calculated the difference between Ontario’s actual, and potential, tourism growth based on the tourism sector across the globe since 2005. The study used average visitor spending data in Ontario over the same time to calculate the missed tourism spending in the province. The data suggests that Ontario has missed an opportunity to benefit from a growing global tourism trend. This is described as a “tourism gap.” Based on these numbers, Ontario has missed out on $16 billion in visitor spending since 2005. In other words, if the province had kept pace with global tourism growth, visitors to Ontario would have spent $16 billion more in Ontario during this period. The report’s findings also indicate that following this last decade of significant decline, Canada’s overall growth rate in attracting international visitors has recently begun to improve. President and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce Matt Marchand said to continue this improvement the province needs a plan to bring more visitors from outside the region. “The tourism within Ontario, which is people traveling from one city to the next, has been keeping the tourism sector afloat,” said Marchand. “But where the real economic impact comes from is people from outside the region, outside of Ontario coming in to visit us here.” A report by Destinations Canada shows that 2015 was a solid year for global
Photo by Dawn Gray Windsor has many tourist attractions including the Windsor Sculpture Park that runs along the Detroit Riverfront. tourism and marked the sixth straight year of continued growth with nearly 1.2 billion global overnight travelers. Canada’s main incoming tourist market is the U.S. These numbers rose significantly in 2015, partially due to the economic recovery of neighbours to the south and the stronger rate of the U.S. dollar. Last year was a very good year for tourism in Canada with overnight visits up 10 per cent from the same time in the previous year. While exchange rates may be providing additional incentive, research shows that innovative marketing, collaborative partnerships and Canada’s strong reputation are all contributing to Canada’s new competitive footing. The OCC’s report says to achieve real growth in this tourism industry Ontario must tap into the growth in the international tourism market. This requires a more intensive effort to attract international visitors and enhanced coordination amongst federal, provincial and local tourism marketing
organizations. “It a comprehensive plan province-wide. The key points are stable predictable funding and an executable strategy with targets that all of us can work towards. From a local perspective, we want to make sure that we encourage people in the metro Detroit area to visit Windsor and all of our tourism assets,” said Marchand. International projections suggest the global tourism industry will continue to grow in the coming years. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 3.3 per cent per year between 2010 and 2030, reaching 1.8 billion in total arrivals by 2030. Ontario has a critical window of opportunity to tap into this global growth to boost the industry’s contribution to the economy. Sam Helou, co-owner of the Service Market has witnessed the decline of local tourism with regards to his
business. Helou has been with the Service Market since the opening in August of 1978. He is hoping that Windsor will find its place in this new global market. “People aren’t coming here as much as they should, maybe we don’t have as many good attractions,” said Helou. “When a tourist asks where to go I tell them to check out Riverside, the sculpture garden, the museum, what else? We need more attractions.” Currently in Windsor, the top five tourist attractions are Caesars Windsor, Point Pelee National Park, Canadian Club Brand Centre, Windsor Riverfront and EPIC (Essex Pelee Island Coast) Wine Country. Vice President of Tourism Programs and Development at Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island, Lynnette Bain, said Windsor Essex is also currently experiencing strong growth in this area with hotel revenues growing in double digits in 2015 and 2016. According to Bain, with a global share at 14 per cent of
total international tourism in 2016, Windsor-Essex is now “punching above our weight globally.” “Local indicators and Windsor-Essex tourism indicators have all increased steadily since 2012,” said Bain. “We have to continue to support small business investment, investments in attraction and stable funding for tourism development and marketing in the region.” Windsor has been selected to host the 2017 Travel Information Services Conference. The conference will attract travel information service professionals from across Ontario and Canada to share in the latest trends and best practices. “The two-day conference draws travel information services professionals from across Ontario and Canada and is designed to share the latest trends and innovation, best practices and offer engagement with tourism industry partners,” said Bain. The conference will take place at Caesars Windsor from Oct. 11 to 13.
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A centre for student life Lyndi-Colleen Morgan Converged Citizen Staff Hundreds of students were in attendance of the opening of St. Clair College’s new Student Life Centre and concert this past Friday night. The John A. Strasser Student Life Centre at St. Clair College’s South Campus welcomed students for the first time Feb. 24 with a concert featuring the Arkells and Modern Space. The student centre is named after John A. Strasser the former president of St. Clair College, who retired in 2015. He was the school's president for 15 years. “The Student Life Centre has been in the works for about two years now,” said Jeff Rousseau, president of St. Clair’s Student Representative Council. “The conceptual drawings started sometime in late 2015, and then we broke ground in 2016.” Key performance indicator surveys and student comment sheets showed interest in a
new gathering space for students. Members of the SRC were also aware of the need for more gathering space. “If you go to the current area where students hangout you can see a lack of seated area, which was the big concern. There is not a lot of area for students to mingle with each other, to sit down - to have that student life that we expect them to have outside the classroom,” said Rousseau. He also said there was no common space for the SRC to host events while still providing or including a place for students to relax and study. The project was funded by St. Clair College administration, the community and a donation from the Anthony P. Toldo foundation. The majority of the funding, however, came from the SRC. It was originally estimated the project would cost around $3.5 million, but Rousseau said by the end of the project it will have cost approximately $4 million. The centre encompasses 12,000 square feet with tiered
seating, a vendor's station and a “state of the art” stage. “The new Student Life Centre has several electronic advancements built in,” said Logan Poels, vice president of student life on the SRC. “There is wireless lighting… which won't require a large team to run events during the day. As well, the Student Life Centre is equipped with outlets and plugs absolutely everywhere you can possibly look, so every student will have access to charge their laptops and phones.” He said the building of the centre addressed the problems of some of the existing spaces at St. Clair, and the issues faced with holding events in a space that was not always compatible. Sheldon Siddique is a student in the liberal arts program at the South Campus and one of many students who are excited to see what this space will offer. “It provides a new environment to work in, to associate with people,” said Siddique. “It's a really good addition.
That's one aspect the campus was originally missing, a large area where people could gather around to do more. We had the cafeteria and the stage area, but there needed to be more space.” Poels said students attending the downtown campuses can expect to see some change as well. In addition to new banners hanging in the downtown core to represent the St. Clair College campuses, the SRC is looking at updating computer labs and lounge areas at St. Clair’s Centre for the Arts and the TD Student Centre. The SRC representatives look for student input throughout the academic year to improve St. Clair College campuses, urging students with ideas to approach any of the council's representatives or class reps. “The majority of the projects that we come up with are driven from student input,” said Rousseau. “We don’t just come up with stuff for the sake of coming up with stuff. We believe that these projects are
going to make SRC better for the students, because we represent the students.” More than 500 showed up to hear the two bands. Tickets had been for sale several weeks in advance at around $20 each. Students danced and sang in the brand new space for almost four hours. Students now have access to the new facility, with some work still needing to be done moving forward, including the installation of several large furniture items during the March Break. Rousseau said a tentative date of March 31 has been set for the ribbon cutting ceremony at St. Clair College's South Campus, with John Strasser to be in attendance. “We are still playing around with the dates because with such a monumental building opening we want many of our guests to be there…most importantly our students because they are the reason why we are building,” said Rousseau.
At a Glance… Photos by Dawn Gray
Dawn Gray Converged Citizen Staff Detroit has closed more than two-thirds of its public schools in the last 15 years. This is one of them. Located at 19500 Tireman St. on Detroit’s far west side, the original Samuel B Dixon School was constructed in 1930 to serve a newly developing area of West Detroit. When the school was first opened it served 240 students. In 1947 eight new classrooms were added to the structure, along with a gymnasium and lunchroom. As the population of the surrounding neighborhoods grew, the school was home to over 1,900 students. As recently as 2003 the school had 786 students registered, but by 2010 that number had dropped to below 500. Dixon Elementary School was “flagged” for closure by Detroit Public Schools due to low enrollment and low functioning. It was forced to close its doors at the end of the 2010 school year. The building has sat empty and abandoned ever since. It was slated for demolition in 2015 but it still stands, dilapidated and beginning to crumble.
Downtown Detroit memorial held for icon Mike Ilitch Ryan Blevins Converged Citizen Staff
Michigan residents are mourning the loss of a Detroit icon. Mike Ilitch died at the age of 87 on Feb. 10 after spending years in the public eye. A series of public visitations were arranged for fans and employees to pay their respects and give their condolences to the family. Known as “Mr. I” by many, Ilitch was one of the most successful businessmen in Detroit. Before his success in business, Ilitch served for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps. Following his time serving in the marines, Ilitch returned home where he was offered a professional baseball contract by the Detroit Tigers. He played Minor League Baseball for four seasons before retiring without appearing in the major leagues. A native Detroiter, Ilitch’s business career began when he founded the pizza chain Little Caesars Pizza in 1959 in Garden City, Mich. Ilitch turned his pizza chain into a multi-billion dollar industry. He also is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, inducted for his work as owner of the Detroit Red
Wings, which he purchased in 1982. Ilitch also owned the Detroit Tigers and the now defunct Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League. Ilitch is survived by his wife Marian and his seven children. His son, Christopher, is the CEO of the company his father founded, Ilitch Holdings, Inc. “He made such a positive impact in the world of sports, in business and in the community and we will remember him for his unwavering commitment to his employees, his passion for Detroit, his generosity to others and his devotion to his family and friends,” said Christopher in a statement the night of his father’s death. The week of public mourning began with a two day memorial outside the main gate of Comerica Park, the home of the Detroit Tigers. Fans were able to leave flowers at the base of the 15foot tall tiger statue. Two canvases, approximately 15 feet long each, were located in front of the stadium gates. Markers were provided for people to write messages to the Ilitch family. Pictures of Ilitch’s time in Detroit through all eras of
Photo by Ryan Blevins Windsorite Tom Marshall poses infront some of his Detroit Tigers memorabilia in his office at Colautti Brother Flooring. his life were placed between the two canvases. Mike Evans was part of the company contracted to provided security for the week of events. He said he was impressed with the crowd all week. “Even with the weather being as cold as it is there has been a really good turnout and a steady stream of people,” said Evans. Ilitch lay in repose on Feb. 15 in the Grand Lobby of the Fox Theater in downtown Detroit. Fans who attended were shown a video tribute to Ilitch. The video, compiled of both professional
and family photos, highlighted the many milestones in Ilitch’s life. Fans were then taken from the theatre to the lobby where they were able to view the casket. An American flag covered the closed casket, and a member of the U.S. Marine Corps stoodf on gaurd. Each member of the Ilitch family waited at the end of the line and gave fans an opportunity to share their memories of Mr. I. Windsor native Tom Marshall attended both the Comerica Park and Fox Theater memorials. Marshall was personally
affected by Ilitch after sending a letter to the Tigers owner in 1999, asking him to fulfill a lifelong dream. “(Ilitch) let me take batting practice before a game,” said Marshall. “Who does that? I could have gotten hurt or something, but he made my dream come true.” The Ilitch family has requested memorial donations be made to Ilitch Charities, the Detroit Tigers Foundation or the Detroit Red Wings Foundation in lieu of flowers.
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sports sports & & fitness fitness Sports round-up
NHL The Detroit Red Wings hosted the New York Islanders Feb. 21 at Joe Louis Arena. After being tied in the first period, the Islanders pulled ahead in the second and further in the third winning the game 3-1. The Detroit Red Wings currently sit in last place in the Atlantic division. The New York Rangers travelled to the Air Canada Centre to play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 23. The Leafs were the first to score and they did it quickly in the first period. They kept the Rangers on their heels most of the game but the Rangers were able to tie it up at 1s in the third period and sent the game to overtime. After a long and scorless overtime, the game went to a shootout. Veteran goaltender Henrick Lundqvist held the net tight and helped the Rangers prevail 2-1 over the Leafs.
NBA The NBA trade deadline has come and gone with several big moves being made. DeMarcus Cousins and Omri Casspi were sent to the New Orleans Pelicans, while the Sacramento Kings got three players, Buddy Hield, Langston Galloway, Tyreke Evans and two 2017 draft picks ( first and second round) The Philidelphia 76ers shipped Nerlens Noel to the Dallas Mavericks for Andrew Bogut, Justin Anderson and a 2017 first round draft choice. The Toronto Raptors picked up P.J. Tucker from the Phoenix Suns for Jarred Sullinger and two second round draft choices. Lancers The Windsor Lancers women's basketball team hosted the Brock Badgers at the St. Denis Centre on Feb. 18. The Lancers came out strong and played hard the whole game. The Lancers shut the Badgers down 86-49 to end their regular season and move onto the OUA playoffs. Their first quarter final game will be Feb. 25 at the St. Denis Centre — so far their opponent is still undecided. The Windsor Lancers men's hockey team began their second round playoff series Feb. 22. The Lancers faced off against the number four ranked team in the country, the Ryerson Rams. The Lancers fell behind early but came out on top, scoring 3 unanswered goals in the final two periods to prevail 4-2. The best of three series continues Feb. 24 in Toronto.
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George Steele dead at 79 Joe Gibel Converged Citizen Staff
Hall of Fame wrestler, George “The Animal” Steele has died at age 79. Steele, best remembered for portraying a greentongued, baldheaded wild man in the ring, died Feb. 16 from kidney failure. Steele was known for eating the corner of the ring by shredding turnbuckles (a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes or cables) in the ring and throwing the pieces at his opponents. His greatest success was towards the end of his career when he joined WWE during the 1980s’ in the days of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. "He was a huge personality, one of the 1980s biggest characters, despite the lack of a push or singles title," said Jamie Greer, wrestling writer for web page Last Word On Sports. "He was memorable and
showed that being an entertainer was more important than being a champion." Steele was born in Detroit in 1937 as Jim Myers. He played football at Michigan State, but his career was cut short due to knee problems. After graduating he became a teacher, amateur wrestling coach and football coach at Madison High School in Madison Heights. There he would eventually become a member of the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame. For years, Steele played a menacing villain in the ring known for vicious brawls with many other wrestlers of the time. In 1985 he became a lovable simple-minded character who tried his best to mean well. This change in the animal character appealed to the WWE’s child friendly audience of the time. He appeared at three Wrestlemanias, had a feud with "Macho Man" Randy Savage and had his
likeness used for many WWE products. Steel retired from full time action in 1988 after being diagnosed with Crohn's disease. He then served as a road agent for WWE for several years. In 1994 Steele portrayed wrestler Tor Johnson in Tim Burton's film Ed Wood alongside Johnny Depp. In 1995, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and made appearances for various wrestling organizations including Windsor's Border City Wrestling in 2000. "We had him here years ago out at Windsor Raceway," said Jeffrey Scott, vice president of operations for BCW. "Whenever he was in Detroit, he loved coming to Windsor. He was a genuinely nice guy." Steele leaves behind his wife Pat and their children, Dennis, Randy, and Felicia.
SPORTS SHOT OF THE WEEK SPORTS SHOT OF THE WEEK
PJHL (Jr. C) The Essex 73's are facing the Integrity Amherstburg Admirals in the second round of the PJHL playoffs. After the 73's win on Feb. 21 at the Essex Centre Sports Complex. The 73's are three games ahead in the best of seven series. Game Four will be played Feb. 26 at the Libro Centre in Amherstburg. The Bleniem Blades are up two games to zero over the Lakeshore Canadiens in the best of seven series on the other side of the bracket.
Photo by Garrett Fodor Windsor Lancers forward Julian Luciani is shooting the puck to avoid pressure from Ryerson Rams forward Chris Marchese at South Windsor arena Feb. 22.