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Never a dull moment There's never a dull moment these days at St. Theresa's High School in Midland. TOP, Grade 12 class poses for year book picture. They're happy because they'll graduate in January having at- tained four years in three and a half because of way). the school's semester system. Some kids will work until college begins in the fall while others will go on to Grade 13. (Exams began today by the BOTTOM shows drama club getting ready for March competitions. Fire Chief sets record straight concerning THAT store fire Midland's Fire Chief Terry Lethbridge says, Penetanguishene firefighters weren't called to the scene of last month's devastating Peoples Store fire because his department lacked sufficient hose to quell the inferno. The fire chief was commenting on an article that appeared in another newspaper earlier this week. Lethbridge says, initially Penetanguishene firefighters were asked to stand by at the fire hall, under terms of a Simcoe County Mutual Fire Aid Agreement. Later, Penetanguishene smoke-eaters bolstered Midland's numbers after flames started to shoot through the rear roof of the downtown King Street complex. When it appeared Midland would need assistance, Tay firefighters were asked to man the Second Street fire hall while Penetanguishene firemen battled the inferno with their coun- terparts from Midland. there wasn't lack of hose Mechanic checking machine hits car A mechanic employed by Performance Motor Sports of Midland who drove a snowmobile into a car parked on a Midland Street while he was. checking' the snowmobile's _unde- rearriage received a minor injury, according -to town police. Ernest Dube, 29, of Sixth Street, Midland, was not charged. The snowmobile he was driving ran into a car parked in front of 809 Ontario Street, a car owned by Margaret Smith, of that address, on Jan. 18 at 1:50 p.m. Tay officials to meet on Jan. 28 Next regular meeting of Tay Township council is slated for Thursday, Jan. 28 starting at 1:30 p.m. Tay's last meeting was held on Jan. 13. e patients on stretchers wing: Pritchard by Doug Reed Huronia District Hospital is bursting at the seams and there doesn't seem to be any relief in sight. According to HDH administrator Ted Pritchard, twice since the Christmas-New Year's holiday season, patients have had to be kept on stretchers in the emergency wing because of the current bed-shortage at the district hospital. In' some cases they stayed there for up- wards of three days. This week some surgeries had to be postponed because of the current bed- shortage crisis. Earlier this month as many as 14 patients were bedded down on stretchers in the emergency wing. Since then their numbers have dwindled although most recently six Or seven patients had to be confined in 'a similar manner HDH currently operates 125 beds (89 active treatment beds and 36 chronic care beds and that includes the 18 chronic care beds that were recently opened with provincial ap- proval). The hospital has room for 18 more beds in a section of HDH that has been roughed in for that purpose. But until Queen's Park gives the go-ahead that section of the hospital will remain in limbo even though there's an ever- increasing demand to open that section. Meanwhile, Penet- anguishene General Hospital, according to Pritchard, has come to HDH's rescue several times this year. PGH has managed to find hospital beds for HDH patients who might have had to stay on stretchers at HDH or who would have had to wait at home until there was room for them at the district hospital just west of Midland in Tiny Township. And should _ the province eventually find it in their hearts to allow HDH to open up that last of its space for 18 more beds, Pritchard is already predicting there could be a time in the future when the local hospital has to start thinking about ex- panding its facilities. Ted Pritchard | administrator _ | ff BER OE: Found the noble Penetanguishene firefighters were fire. It called to a home on the lower road at the Mental Health Centre, Wednesday morning, to snuff out a small chimney was the first call for firefighters since last Friday when they snuffed out a similar one just outside town. Friday, January 22, 1982, Page 3