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A former Epsom man, found guil- ty of both counts of criminal negligence causing the deaths of his two young children, will appeal. Defence Lawyer Bruce Affleck revealed last Thursday he will argue the point of law that because no evidence was introduced describ- ing conditions in the former Epsom home of John Begin, whether his client acted negligently in dealing with the blaze cannot be decided. Mr. Begin, who evidence showed was intoxicated during the January 29, 1984 fire, did not testify at his "trial. District Court Judge John Young girls on a damage rampage Durham Police have apprehend- ed two pre-teen girls suspected of causing extensive damage over the weekend at two cottages in Caesarea. One of the girls is ten years old and the other celebrated her 12th birthday less than a month ago. A Durham Police spokesman said Monday morning, the Youthful Of- fenders Act prohibits any charges being laid against the ten-year old, 'and police are not certain at this time whether to lay charges against * the older girl. Both girls live in Scugog Township, but their iden- tities cannot be made public. 'The cottages are located on Cedar Grove Drive in Caesarea, and one was entered on Saturday by smashing through a front window. Guilty verdict ~ for John Begin Hoolihan has reserved sentencing Mr. Begin, until March 21st. Judge- ment was passed last Wednesday February 26th, following a three- hour summation of the case by Judge Hoolihan in the Whitby courthouse. The maximum sentence for the crime is life imprisonment. Judge Hoolihan said Mr. Begin caused the deaths of his sons, six year old Jeffrey and three year old Michael when, in a drunken stupor, he neglected to turn off an element on his kitchen stove in the early hours of January 29, 1984. The entire (Turn to page 3) Several household items were smashed, contents of drawers dumped out and a vulgar expression was painted on one of the windows. The following morning at about 9:30, witnesses noticed two people entering the second cottage and phoned police. When police officers arrived at the cottage, they found a window smashed out and two girls sitting in the kitchen eating cookies. There had already been some damage done to the interior of the cottage. Police are not sure if anything was taken during the first break-in as they are still trying to contact the owners. And they don't know the dollar value of the damage spree as the owners have not had a chance to inspect their premises. Allan says budget fair Durham-Northumberland M.P. Allan Lawrence says the Conser- vative budget last week was the kind of 'strong medicine" needed to get federal spending and the na- tional deficit under control. In a statement issued by Mr. Lawrence after the budget was delivered by finance minister Michael Wilson, the Durham M.P. called it "sound and fair." He also said the 1986 budget is one more step on the road to revitaliz- ing the national economy "after decades of abuse." The following is the complete text of the statement issued by Mr. Lawrence about the 1986 Conser- vative budget. The 1986 federal budget was sound, fair and balanced. While no one dislikes tax increas- ed any more than I do, within the next very few years as the economy improves we should begin to ap- preciate the very real benefits pro- duced by this Budget. Strong medicine was needed to bring mounting federal spending and deficits under control, and that's what Finance Minister Michael Wilson has prescribed. It's the highest deficit reduction in history. And 70 percent of it will be achieved through the first real spen- ding cuts at Ottawa in 20 years. The other 30 percent comes from equitably applied tax increases. To me, that's a sound and fair balance. While tax increases affect most individuals, they also come down hard on corporations and shareholders, and the prepaid child tax credit and the sales tax rebate will help those with lower incomes. Right now we might remember the many predictions of gloom and depression that followed Mr. Wilson's economic statement in November, 1984, and his 1985 Budget. Instead, we have seen 580,000 new jobs created, unemploy- ment is at the lowest level in four years, inflation has been kept down, and our deficit - which has been "leating up more than 25 cents of every tax dollar you pay - has been reduced. All of that indicates we are on the right course. Locally, many will benefit from this Budget. There are tax im- provements for small businesses. Farmers caught in the debt squeeze will welcome the mortgage assistance. Older citizens are given more flexibility for withdrawals from RRSP's. Tobacco farmers will be aided in diversifying to other crops. This Budget is one more long step towards revitalizing our national economy after decades of abuse. Though the Budget may hurt us all somewhat today, by the end of the decade we should be smiling at the results. Vol. 120 No. 14 Tuesday, March 4, 1986 AL ena endl | Veo » welcome o Jaga / Nordic lunker caught Whoever said ski slopes were just for skiing? Valerie Faull of Ajax dressed up for Dagmar's Spring Fling on Sunday and along with her daughter Roshan (the fish) came up with a whop- per of a prize in the dress-up competition. Believe it or not, the pair actually skied down the bunny hill attached by the fishing line. See in- side for more pictures. Playoff action at the Scugog Arena this week Big games for Port teams The Scugog Arena will be the scene this week of some very impor- tant playoff games as Port Perry Minor Hockey teams move along the road to the all-Ontario championships Starting this Wednesday evening (March 5) at 7:30 P.M., you can catch an exciting 'double header" of minor hockey action as the Atom Malmont Farm A's face off against Bowmanville in game two of their playoff. The Port Atoms won the round-robin series, plus their home tournament two weeks ago and are the defending champs in Eastern all-Ontario from last season. This should be a good one. Right after that one at 8:30 P.M, the Menzies Eagles will hit the ice in a Midget playoff game against a tough squad from Napanee. The Eagles have their backs right up against the wall in this series as they lost the first two games. But they skated to a 2-2 draw in game three in front of a packed house in 'Napanee. Team members would love to see a big crowd of supporters at the Scugog Arena as they will be giving it everything to extend the series. Then on Thursday evening at 8:00 P.M., the Goreski Bantams will host Gananoque in game three of the best of five playoff. The Port Bantams lost the opening game, but bounced back in a big way to whip their op- ponents 7-1 in the second match. They're hoping to keep the momen- tum going this Thursday evening. If you like hockey and want to see the best local teams in action against top calibre opposition, plan to attend one or all of these games. The players would appreciate your support.