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fC C N A BETTER NEWSPAPERS COMPETITION 2 0 0 0 www.oakvillebeaver.com BASIC Lawnmower Service /AKVULE S c e n e s fro m S u m m e rfe s t Focus Vol. 39 No. 100 C anada G a m e s G o ld ! I Sports M e rc e d e s-B e n z < s n fro .m$6 9 CURRENT POWER MACHINERY INC. 1661 Lakeshore Rd. W. Mississauga S S " 1822-4211 A M etroland Publication WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22,2001 48 Pages 75 Cents ( g u s G S T ^ West Nile virus suspected in bird's death Preliminary findings to be verified by federal lab B y H ow ard M ozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF A fter first being isolated in A frica back in 1937, the W est N ile Virus (W NV ) m ay have finally reached O akville. T he definitive answ er lies w ith a dead b lu e jay, fo u n d in tow n on A ugust 13, w hich is now undergoing rigorous testing in a federal W innipeg laboratory to determ ine w hether p re lim inary positive results for W N V are borne out. "W hat is clearly significant is that nearly a thousand (dead bird) speci m ens in O ntario have been tested but every one w as negative," says H alton R egion M edical O fficer o f H ealth Dr. R obert N osal. "B ut now w e have two prelim inary positives in a tw o-w eek period." A dead crow found in W indsor on A ugust 8, w hich revealed a prelim i nary positive result for WNV, is also being tested. O akville's blue ja y was first taken to the Canadian C o-operative W ildlife H ealth Centre in G uelph w here the prelim inary positive result w as deter mined. T he ja y 's brain and kidneys w ere then shipped to the W innipeg virology lab w here cultures are being grow n for a conclusive result that, according to Dr. N osal, could still be 10 days away. T he virus is transm itted by m osqui toes after they becom e infected by feeding on the blood o f birds carrying the virus. An outbreak o f W est N ile was reported in N ew York tw o sum m ers ago. Since then it is suspected as the prim ary cause o f death in at least 10 people in the U .S., including a 71year-old w om an in A tlanta this month. Last year, the W N V was identified in birds as close as three kilom eters to the C an ad ian b o rd er at N iag ara Buffalo. At that tim e, no cases of (See `W arning' page A8) Dr. R obert Nosal: bird suspected of carrying W est N ile virus Watering ban to continue D espite the recent rainfall, Halton Region is continuing its w atering ban until further notice. The ban began on Aug. 10 and pro hibits the watering o f lawns and w ash ing o f vehicles to ensure there is enough supply in Regional reservoirs to provide for fire safety and essential household needs. Residents and businesses can call H alton's W ater Ban H otline at 905825-6233 for inform ation and updates on the status o f the ban. H alto n 's w ebsite at w ww.region.halton.on.ca has answers to frequently asked questions about the w ater ban, including the status o f the ban, as well as w ater saving tips. Photo by Brent Foster Richard Koenne tries to keep this large snapping turtle from crossing Lakeshore Road just west of Burloak Drive. The turtle was convinced that heading in another direction was a better idea. DO N 'T RUSH ME: W e lls p rin g H o u s e s t r u c k b y v a n d a ls By Howard Mozel OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF W ellspring House has tried so hard to cultivate a warm, w elcom e environm ent that it's going to take more than a few acts o f vandalism to change this philosophy says manager Judi Perry-Brinkert. In late July, tw o large urns were rem oved from the front porch and loaded into a waiting vehicle, w hile ju st last Thursday some flow er boxes were dam aged and furniture rem oved. D espite this, says Perry-Brinkert, W ellspring w on't be turned into Fort Knox. "Everything is donated, so we w ant to protect it, but we w ant everyone w ho com es here to feel com fortable," she said. "W e're not going to start nailing down the chairs." (See `Area' page A2) Trio charged following clothing store heist Three M ississauga men are facing charges in connection with Friday's robbery o f an Oakville clothing store. A ccording to H alton R egional Police, the incident began around 7:55 p.m. when four males entered Adiktion at 2387 Trafalgar Rd. Two m en stayed at the front o f the store w hile the other tw o pulled ban dannas up from their necks to cover their faces and approached the store owner. O ne o f them produced a hand gun and ordered the ow ner into the bathroom , where duct tape was used to confine him. The suspects then stole a quantity of clothing and fled the scene. Police w ere sum m oned and officers quickly located the suspects and arrest ed them . O ne young offender w as released unconditionally while the fol low ing three individuals have been charged with robbery, wearing a dis guise, forcible confinem ent and point ing a firearm: Shimev Campbell, 20; Johmiol Reid, 18 and Gregory Pean, 20. INSIDE today' s paper Edttoriais.__________________ M Focus.___________________ Business._____________ ..B6 Classified..... Automotive.. Special Supplements: Home delivery: Business Depot The Educational Rec. Centers, The Bay, Cashway, Guardian Drugs, Home Depot, Halton Region. Revy Home, C M . Sears. S m s Chalet, Lakeshore Retirement Partial delivery: C anadian P ub lica tio ns M ail P ro du ct A gree m e nt #435-201 House party got out o f control, three teens taken to hospital H alton Regional Police are still try ing to piece together events at a w eek end house party w hich ended with three people being treated in hospital. A ccording to H alton R egional Police, the incident took place around 1 a.m. Saturday w hen officers responded to a report o f an out-of-control house party on U pper M iddle Road east o f Hwy. 403. A pproxim ately 100 young people were on site. A fter the dust settled, three 18 year old males had to be taken to OakvilleTrafalgar M em orial H ospital for treat m ent and were held overnight. Two had received lacerations to their face and scalp, probably the result o f being struck by bottles, say investigators. The third was treated for a stab w ound to his abdomen. According to Det. Sgt. N orm Ryall, details about w hat exactly transpired are sketchy. W hat is know n is that som e kind o f disturbance started inside the house then spilled outside. A s o f press time, however, party-goers ques tioned by police saw nothing or are being unco-operative. "There are a lot o f unansw ered questions," said Det. Sgt. Ryall. A nyone with inform ation about the assaults are encouraged to contact Det. Const. Susan Labanich at 905-8254747 ext. 2274. CS Photo by Brent Foster Four-year-old K atharine Varaklis was one o f the m any visitors to Sum m erfest 2001 in G len A bbey on the w eekend. T he w eather w as great for Saturday, but Sunday w as a soggy affair. SW E E T SNACK: B.Sc., M.D. FRCSC Certified Plastic Surgeon Member ASPRS LSNA ASAPS SPec/ollzino exclusively in Cosmetic Surgery and Anti-Aging Therapeutics face · neck · eyelids · brow · nose · laser skin resurfacing breast augm entation · breast lift · tum m y tuck · ultrasonic liposuction All procedures carried out in our private accredted surgery facility - no hospital stay - financing available "... over 15 years experience and thousands of satisfied patients have made us the region's first and foremost private cosmetic surgicentre. Experience makes all the difference; put our experience to work for you!" 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