All In 4 Jim raises more than $48K

Jim McLeod’s family had no idea what to expect when they organized a fundraising walk in his memory, but they certainly weren’t expecting the turnout they got.

The unofficial total for All In 4 Jim, held May 24, was $48,000, with a few more donations still to come in …Read more

The wheels are back in motion

Walk, run, skate, cycle, wheel-chair, roller blade, skateboard – whatever the mode, the important thing is getting out there to support the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion event, scheduled for June 14.

For the seventh year in a row, residents from the Elmira area will converge on Woolwich Physiotherapy at the plaza on Industrial Drive to mobilize in support of people living with spinal cord injuries.

It’s a unique event that brings together volunteers and recipients from the same community.

“The funds actually come back to the community; a lot of fundraisers you don’t actually see where the money goes – it always goes to a good cause like research, but this is unique because the money comes back and we can see projects that we’ve done around the community,” said Wheels in Motion committee member Laurie Hollinger, noting that an accessible picnic table and a portable ramp are just some of the examples of local projects.

Last year the Elmira branch of the national organization raised $26,500. Organizers are hoping for a similar amount this time around as the monies raised by …Read more

Summer dry spell possible at LCBO

One of the most lucrative retailers in the province should be sharing a greater portion of its profits with all of its employees, say members of the union representing employees of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO).

Last week, unionized workers at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario voted 93 per cent in favour of strike action if negotiations don’t prove fruitful. The collective agreement between OPSEU and the LCBO expired Mar. 31 …Read more

Students want what’s fair

Give a man a fish and he will eat for one day. Give him the resources to fish, and he won’t go hungry.

This variation of the old proverb is what the Grade 8 students at Wellesley Public School are taking to heart as they learn about the harsh economic realities of world trade and inequality.

Throughout the year, in their geography class the students learned about how wealthy nations exploit their poorer counterparts and how the former play a major role in the perpetuation of poverty.

As they delved further into the issues, they became more and more interested in the disproportionate relationship between the developed and developing countries of the world. As part of a project, the students created several visual public service announcement commercials drawing attention to global economic imbalance and advocating for fair trade. …Read more

Wellesley’s rec. wish list

Christmas is still more than half a year away, but Wellesley Township staff has already prepared its wish list.

Applying for the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program (RInC), Wellesley council this week approved staff’s long list of requests.

The project list, in order of top priority, includes roof refinishing for the St. Clements Arena and Community Centre (approximately $240,000), modifications to the Wellesley …Read more

Playgroup evolves to meet a local need in Maryhill

It started almost two years ago and is still going strong. The Maryhill Playgroup – an informal organization that hosts activities for preschoolers on Thursday mornings at the Maryhill Heritage Park Community Centre – is regularly attended by 25 to 30 participants, both children and their parents. That number increases with special events and when special guests and entertainers attend …Read more

Regional residents aren’t really up for this challenge

I won’t be taking the Commuter Challenge next week. I’m pretty sure you won’t be either.

Last year, only 0.45 per cent of Waterloo Region residents took part in the event, which aims to get people out of their cars in favour of walking, biking or using public transit to get to work …Read more

Optimists slide out new bases for St. Jacobs diamond

The crack of a bat. The soft thud of a ball as it glides into a leather glove. The scraping of earth as a player slides into second base. The sounds of baseball season are starting to fill the air.

To make it safer for local children playing in South Woolwich Minor Baseball, the Optimist Club of St. Jacobs recently purchased four new permanent magnetic bases that will replace the older, moveable counterparts at the Riverside Meadows diamond in St. Jacobs.

The new magnetic bases have a component that is buried in the ground and which uses a strong magnet to keep the above surface base intact.

It’s all about making the process safer for children, said Heather Minor, treasurer for the Optimist Club of St. Jacobs.

“They’re actually safer for the kids because they don’t have those spikes that go into the ground,” said Minor, noting that with constant wear and tear, the “spikes” can become exposed, posing a hazard.

“These have magnets that are buried in the ground and then the …Read more

Local basketball player makes name for herself

Alex Klein scored her first big clutch basket when she was about 10, just a few years after she started playing basketball.

Down two points with four seconds left in the game, the coach called the team in for a timeout. The plan was simple: someone would set a screen and Alex would shoot a three-pointer.

“No one thought I’d get it in; I didn’t think I’d get it in. I got it in and I won the game, it was awesome,” she recalls with a grin.

Klein has shown an aptitude for her favourite sport since she was the smallest player on the Waterloo Wildhawks house league team in Grade 2.

Now 14 years old and 5’10”, she was recently invited to take part in the USA Junior Nationals International Sports Festival in Illinois this summer. Several hundred girls aged 14 to 17 – the best basketball players in the U.S. and Canada – will take part in a weeklong skills competition.

Alex got the invitation to the international festival after a strong performance at the state competition in Michigan in March. The mystery is how the Junior Nationals organization heard of her in the first place; Klein still doesn’t know who put her name in.

Klein hits the court between three and five days a week. She plays for the Waterloo Wildhawks rep team, and she qualified again this year for the tri-county team, made up of players from Brantford, Guelph, Kitchener-Waterloo and area.

The Grade 9 student also played for her school’s …Read more

Deficit reveals a Tory pattern

There are plenty of reasons to pillory Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, but the Liberals are being a little too opportunistic with the call for his dismissal.

Flaherty certainly should go, but it’s a little disingenuous to call for more stimulus spending then complain about a larger-than-expected deficit …Read more