Each week, the Gazette looks back on stories from the past. Here is what happened this week, by year…
1928
– The Prince Edward Rural Young People’s Association was organized in Picton. the organization offered the youth opportunities in public speaking, social gathering sports and music. The club’s winter programming started with a series of debates on issues affecting local youth.
– In Picton court, Rev. J.J. Mellor was found guilty of seducing a girl under the age of 16 in his church congregation. He was ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution to the girl and fined $1,000. Judge Evan McLean also sentenced him to 13 months in the Ontario Reformatory.
– The Gazette was giving away three $100 prizes in a contest encouraging members of the public to sign up new subscribers .
1948
– Picton councillors decided to enforce an existing bylaw that stated the town’s fire truck would not be used outside on rural calls outside the town limits. Councillors believed using the truck on rural calls could leave them vulnerable if a fire started in town. That could also raise insurance rates for fires, they noted.
– Councillor Oscar Grimmon told his peers he believed an unnamed company was about to bring an industrial plant to Picton that would employ 200 workers. Grimmon did not provide any further details to support his assertion.
– Picton councillors approved a bylaw making it necessary for motor vehicles to stop at the intersection atop town hill.
1978
– Joyce Monroe, 15, of Picton, succumbed to influenza, which caused inflammation throughout her body. Her parents expressed hope other parents learn about the effects related to the epidemic and watch their own children closely.
– Due to the high incidence of influenza locally, the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital made a decision to close its doors to visitors for 11 days. Doctors on call over the Christmas holidays also noticed the effects of the epidemic as they saw their workloads almost doubled with nearly 80 patient visits per day.
– The closure of an open pit mine in Marmora at the end of March would leave six dock workers in Picton out of work.
1998
– Picton couple Chuck and Pat Holmes were $1 million richer after Chuck played an Ontario Instant Millions scratch ticket. The couple drove to Toronto to collect their winnings. Recently married, they had been unable to take a honeymoon. That was their first priority.
– The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board was busy making action plans after county Grade 3 students scored below the provincial average in reading, writing, and mathematics in province-wide EQAO performance testing.
– Mayor James Taylor and 15 councillors were officially sworn in Jan. 2 at Shire Hall the first council representing an amalgamated Prince Edward County.