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6 stouflvtilesutirtributie thursday june26 2003 r f f miyyiytryt t t tjtt yfiyty y yjryy r publisher ian proudfoot telephone 9056402612 fax 9056408778 email jmasonyrfigcom website wwwyorkregioncom editorial york west nile firsts may be good news is brk region the west nile virus cap ital of canada its riot the most appealing title but it could be legit the first west nile positive mosquito pool this year in ontario was found in wwtchurchstoufrville june 18 york region health officials confirmed monday the mosquitoes were trapped close to the intersection of aurora road and nmth line east of ballantrae there were 14 positive mosquito pools reported last year in york region the first two crows to test positive for west nile in canada this year were found in newmarket and aurora a richmond hill man became the first suspected human case of the sum mer although tests later determined he didnt have the disease what does this mean to residents of york region and visitors to our commu nities it means if it can happen in ballantrae it can happen in woodbridge tjnionville aurora or queensville but while york is clearly in a west nileprone area all our firsts might be good news associate medical officer of health dr hanif kassam noted the region may be detecting infected mosquitoes and crows first because it has an aggressive surveil lance campaign he pointed out other municipalities are typically making simi lar discoveries shortly after york so while we know the disease is here we can also be assured york region health services is on top of it and is being forthcoming with news on west- nile sars arid other serious health issues west nile is transmitted byinfected mosquitoes in humans it takes three to 15 days after a bite from an infected riios- quito for flulike symptoms to begin it means residents should be careful without going overboard wear protective clothing such as iorigsleeved shirts fulllength trousers socks lightcoloured clothing and high boots make sure screens on your home are tightfitting and in good repair and eurixinate standing water around your property in pool covers flowerpots childrens pools old tires and bird baths for more information call 1-800-361- 5653 or visit wwwregionyork6nca suntribune letters to the editor nothing constructive from singling out schools re school board rankings important to par ents editorial june 19 the ageold adage that the pen is mightier than the sword is much more than a trite slo gan for a bumper sticker it is a warning to writ ers that words carry weight and influence and for this reason it is incumbent on newspaper editors to measure their words with a view to their effect i find it hard to believe your editorial on the fraser report on elementary schools only coincidentalty aligned the sentences some schools face chronic performance issues and york region schools near the bottom include stouffvilles st mark the ranking was then included to make certain that the writers point was taken but what was the point if this is not a reason for condemna tion then what was the reason for singling out st mark in a small community where all our schools have traditionally supported each other our students will play on the same teams all summer why this divisive wedge i fail to see any constructive value in the manner in which this information was pre sented susan whitebread clabemont the stouffville suntribune welcomes your letters all submissions must be less than 400 words and must include a daytime telephone number name and addressthe stouffville suntribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space write letters to the editor 34 civic ave po box 154 stouffville l4a7z5erhail jmasonyrngcom stoufrville rallied around family after neardrowning re tenyearold hears cries dad pulls tot from pool june 19- saturday june 14 was one of the most trau- matizing days in my sons and my lives i am writing to thank all my neighbours for their strong mental and moral support i would once again like to thank the cussion family for everything it has done i would also like to thank my next door neighbours george prentovitch and lisa huckell for their strength and calming words through the whole ordeal the paramedics doctors and nurses were great to thank every individual who was involved in the rescue and recovery of my son would fill this entire paper i just want to say that living in a small town on a small street is like having your own little community knowing everyone stands behind you puts your mind and heart at ease christiana m little stouffville jstouflville sunlribune tymetroland community newspaper 34 dvlc ave 3rd floor stouffville ontario l4a 7z5 phone 9056402612 fax9056408778 classified 18007433353 distribution 9052948244 website wwwyorfcregioncom email jmasonymgcom membenontario community newspapers association canadian community newspapers association ontario press council editor in chief debora kelly editor jim mason reporters joan ransberryhannelorevblpe retail sales manager stwekane sales representative susan berry production manager pam nichols office manager vrvian oneil business manager robert lazurko director of marketing new product development brenda larson advertising director retail sales flyers nicole fletcher advertising director classified real estate events management gordpaolucci managing director real estate mikerogerson sales manager new business development distribution dawnaandrews electronic communications manager johnfuthey classified manager ann campbell distribution manager barry black general manager york region printing bob dean managing director york region events management debra weller shows manager stacey allen off the top with jim mason driveway of dreams lights up on nhl draft day the winters of the late 1980s seemed especially frozen and snow- filled in stouffville but no matter what time i arrived horrie from work it seemed they were forever in their driveway across the street slapping hockey pucks into the top corner of their net or working on a bigtime move mike sullivan and his big brother matt would later be joined by younger brother mark mike took his game to the stouffville arena where he put up mindboggling gretzkyesque stats in the house league of the whitchurch- stouffville minor hockey association hed move on to rep hockey with the alevel stouffville clippers and then aaa the highest level of minor hockey with the richmond hill stars he played junior c in uxbridge and last season broke out with his home town junior a stouffville spirit the teams rookie of the year and playoff mvp also earned a scholarship worth about 140000 us to clarkson university in upstate new york along came nhl scouts a first in the eightyear history of the spirit to view mike sullivan and linemate kevin jarman last sunday night the hockey net was put away the driveway of hockey dreams on linden lane was filled with the vehicles dressing it up were balloons of black purple and white the colours of the los angeles kings earlier in the day as the sullivans tried to follow the nhl draft from nashville on the internet the phone rang it was kings general manager dave taylor welcoming mike to the kings family hed been selected in the eighth round kevin jarman the spirits red- haired scoring whiz from aurora went in round 4 to the columbus blue jackets he was in nashville for his selection back on linden lane the phone didnt stop ringing with wellwishers on the otherend- on the back patio toasts were made hugs and hand shakes exchanged out front the driveway was smiling jim mason is editor of the sun- tribune and a director of the stouffville spirit