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‘BULLETIN:  “AYLMER NEWS WILL BE CHANGING ITS NAME TO ‘THE AYLMER NEWS’ , MOVING TO A NEW WEBSITE AND PREPARING TO ACCEPT ADS, SURVEYS, AND  GENERALLY MORE STUFF LATER THIS WEEK. STAY GLUED!!!”

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AYLMER TODAY:

-Elgin County Council, 9 am

-(Correction: No Aylmer Council yesterday)

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OBITS:

-Elgin Wells,   of Aylmer;   aged 68 years;   on March 22;   husband of Susan;   former Chief Librarian of Elgin County;  Visitation Wednesday at Kebbel Funeral Home 2-4 and 7-9 pm;  Funeral Thursday at 2:30 pm at Trinity Anglican Church.

-Ted Dickhout;   of Aylmer;   in his 76th year;   on March 22;   husband of Vera May;   Visitation at Kebbel Funeral Home Wednesday 7-9 and Thursday 2-4 and 7-9 pm;  Funeral Friday at Kebbels at 1 pm.

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“MERCYHURST’S VICKI BENDUS NAMED TOP U.S. FEMALE HOCKEY PLAYER”

Vicki Bendus of Wasaga Beach, Ontario, a teammate of Aylmer’s Stephanie DeSutter on  Mercyhurst College’s (Erie) womens’ hockey team was named top female U.S. hockey player on the weekend.

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‘BULLETIN:  “AYLMER NEWS WILL BE CHANGING ITS NAME TO ‘THE AYLMER NEWS’  AND MOVING TO A NEW WEBSITE AND PREPARING TO ACCEPT ADS, SURVEYS, AND  GENERALLY MORE STUFF LATER THIS WEEK. STAY GLUED!!!”

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AYLMER TODAY:

-Aylmer Council, 3:30 pm

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OBITS:

-Bonnie Smith;   of Dundas, formerly of Aylmer;   on March 19;   in her 69th year;   wife of Don;   Visitation at Kebbel Funeral Home Monday 2-4 and 7-9 pm;   Funeral at Kebbels Tuesday at 11 am.

-Alie Hoover;   of Aylmer;   in her 87th year;   on March 19;   Survivors include John and Brenda, Gerry and Pat, and Ron of the Aylmer area;   Visitation at Kebbel Funeral Home Monday 2-4 and 7-9 pm; Funeral Tuesday at 2 pm.

-Linda Smyth-Andriekus;   of Aylmer;   aged 50 years;   wife of Paul;   Visitation at Ostrander Funeral Home Tillsonburg Thursday 2-4 and 7-9 pm; Funeral at Ostranders Friday at 11 am.

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“ATOMS LOSE 4-0 SATURDAY; MITCHELL WINS OMHA FINALS”

"History of Aylmer to 1900" (Used); $5 ; at Library, Campbells.

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“AYLMER MIDGETS LOSE 3-2 IN KINCARDINE FRIDAY IN OMHA FINALS; SEASON DONE!”

-Kincardine won the best-of-five series in three straight games. Aylmer Atoms must win in Mitchell today to continue their season.

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AYLMER TODAY:

- APAC presents ‘Dirty Hammond Organ Band’ featuring Tom Starks and x-Aylmerite Brian McHugh (soul, pop, jazz);    7:30 pm;    Old Town Hall theatre.

- Elgin  Canvass and Quill Open House at Trillium House, 563 Talbot St.Thomas; 1-4 pm

-Aylmer Atoms AT Mitchell; OMHA finals

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OBITS:

-Agatha Blatz;   of Aylmer;   in her 68th year;   on March 19;   wife of the late Johan Blatz;   Visitation Sunday at Kebbel Funeral Home, 2-4 and 7-9 pm;   Funeral Monday at 2 pm at Old Colony Mennonite Church.

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MERCYHURST UPSET IN NCAA WOMENS HOCKEY FRIDAY (Stephanie DeSutter of Aylmer)

Mercyhurst College of Erie, the #1 ranked Women’s hockey team in the US,  was shocked 3-2 by Cornell in overtime yesterday in  NCAA semi-finals play to end their season. Stephanie DeSutter of Aylmer is a rookie defenceman on the team.

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AYLMER TODAY:

-(Sat: APAC presents ‘Dirty Hammond Organ Band’ featuring Tom Sparks and x-Aylmerite Brian McHugh (soul, pop, jazz);    7:30 pm;    Old Town Hall theatre.)

-(Sat: Elgin  Canvass and Quill Open House at Trillium House, 563 Talbot St.Thomas; 1-4 pm)

-Aylmer Midgets AT Kincardine; OMHA finals

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OBITS:

-John Howe,   of R.1 Vienna;   in his 79th year;   March 17;   husband of Myrtle;   Visitation at Kebbel Funeral Home Friday 1-4 pm;  Family funeral Saturday.

-Murray Roesch;   of Tillsonburg; aged 80 years;   on March 18;   husband of Viola;   Survivors include brother Ken, sister Betty Matthews of Pt. Burwell; Visitation at Ostranders Funeral Home Sunday 2-4 and 7-9 pm; Funeral at Ostranders Monday at 1 pm.

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“AYLMER LIBRARY PROGRAMS ARE NOW MONDAYS AT LOCAL RADIO”

The first Aylmer library radio program was carried this past Monday night on Aylmer Mennonite Radio station 105.9 FM. The 15-minute programs will run Mondays at 7:15 pm.

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“MEMBERS OF AYLMER MIDGETS IN OMHA FINALS:”

AYLMER TODAY:

-Malahide Council, 8 pm

-(No Bayham Council)

-(Sat: APAC presents ‘Dirty Hammond Organ Band’ featuring Tom Sparks and x-Aylmerite Brian McHugh (soul, pop, jazz);    7:30 pm;    Old Town Hall theatre.)

-(Sat: Elgin  Canvass and Quill Open House at Trillium House, 563 Talbot St.Thomas; 1-4 pm)

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“SEVERAL AYLMER TOBACCO SELLERS CHARGED WITH  MINORS VIOLATIONS IN 2009″

(Elgin-St Thomas Health Unit recently released 2009 stats on Store compliance with tobacco sales laws especially on sales to minors which showed that Elgin retailers had their best rate – 90% – in several years.  According to Kathy Daniel, Unit Tobacco Compliance and Education Officer, retailers are obligated to request age proof for those who appear to be under 25. Aylmer’s compliance rate at 86% was actually up but still below the county average. Stores were given the choice of being charged or undergoing more staff training. The following Aylmer stores were charged last year:  Esso,  and Tracys NoFrills Gas Bar (the second straight year for Esso).  The Health Unit provided the following additional info to AylmerNews.)

1.  All places that sell tobacco (except those with a liquor licence) are checked twice a year by test shoppers.  We also do regular inspections for display ban and signage compliance.
2.  In 2008, convictions and fines of $365. were registered against personnel at Aylmer Gas & Convenience, Aylmer ESSO, and Family Mart  -there were others in previous years.
3.  I can’t say for sure why rates are up.  In theory, the display ban should increase compliance but I have not seen any studies that prove it.  The Health Unit is not doing anything differently.

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“NEW GROUP – ELGIN CANVASS AND QUILL – TO HOST OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY”

(Info provided by Dave Ferguson of Aylmer, member of Canvass and Quill)

“Canvass and Quill Studios is dedicated to the development of artists, photographers and writers within St. Thomas and Elgin County. Over a focused evolution path,  Canvas and Quill Studios will offer comprehensive programs for everyone regardless of skill level and/or age by providing the proper resources, equipment and knowledgeable instructors. This group will create the necessary infrastructure and a plan instrumental to promote and market your talents and enhance personal growth amongst our membership. The natural progression of our programs will aid in job creation and business opportunities. Ultimately, satellite studios offering the same level of support and service will appear throughout the district. In a nutshell we are offering seminars, classes and workshops on painting, photography and writing. One of our main goals is to increase cultural awareness and diversity of the Arts in Elgin County.”

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“MEMBERS OF AYLMER ATOMS IN OMHA FINALS”

“AYLMERNEWS WILL NOT PUBLISH WEDNESDAY”

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OBITS:

-Katharina Letkeman;   of Aylmer;   in her 89th year;   on March 14;   Survivors include Helena and Neil Rempel, Anna and Abe Rempel, and Neil and Annie Letkeman of the Aylmer area;  Visitation at Kebbel Funeral Home Wednesday 2-4 and 7-9 pm;   Funeral Thursday at EMMC church at 2 pm.

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OMHA ATOM FINALS: Saturdays Game – Aylmer 4 Mitchell 4

(Info provided by Coach Harry Bakker)

1st Period = No Scoring

-2nd Period – Mitchell goal at 10:19; Mitchell goal at 8:23; Aylmer goal at 0:13 Trevon Ball assisted by Mitchell Bakker and Nick Knecthel

-3rd Period = Aylmer goal at 12:28 Trevon Ball assisted by Mitchell Bakker and Nick Knecthel; Aylmer goal at 11:14 Nick Knecthel assited by Mitchell Bakker;
Mitchell goal at 8:34; Aylmer goal at 8:26 [8 sec. after the faceoff] by Trevon Ball assisted by  Mitchell Bakker; Mitchell goal at 1:13 with the goalie pulled for an extra attacker

-OT = Game tied 4-4 going into overtime; 10 min. Overtime period saw frantic action at both ends with goal mouth  scrambles. Mitchell Bakker hit the crossbar with 4 min left in OT. Aylmer put one in the Mitchell net with 2 mins left in OT, but the ref  called it a high stick .  Game ended 4-4 tie.

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AYLMER POLICE REPORT:

-Several Aylmer officers attended the OPP officer’s funeral in Wingham Friday.

-A stolen car was recoved by the Aylmer lagoons, west of town, Friday morning. The car had minor damage, was taken from a Victoria St. south  residence, and was still running when discovered.

-Police were called to the arena Sunday evening during the Midget hockey game as some fans  were becoming ‘unruly’; no charges were laid.

-A validation tag was stolen off a town vehicle in a downtown parking lot last Monday just before lunch.

-A 15-year old was stopped from shooting ducks in Catfish Creek with a slingshot last week.

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“ACTIVITIES AT THE NEW CLC CENTRE”

(This info provided by Dale Cummings, Community Living Program Supervisor, concerning what goes on at their new building on John St North, Aylmer)

“Our East Elgin Day Program supports up to 18 people daily from 9:00AM – 3:00PM.  Activities include a Ladies Group on Mondays teaching self esteem, daily living skills and cooking.  There is also a weekly Mens group that offers daily living skills, cooking and leisure activities.  Participants are also involved in crafts, volunteering at local busineses, the Library, Museum and Tourist bureau at Town Hall.  We also have a Chocolate making venture where participants mould chocolate to sticks for Holidays, Weddings or any special occasion. “

AYLMER TODAY:

-Aylmer Council 7pm

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OBITS:

-Mark Corey;   of R1 Belmont;   on March 13;   in his 37th year;   husband of Tina;  son of Randy and Colleen of R1 Belmont;   Visitation at Kebbels Funeral Home Tuesday 2-4 and 7-9;  Funeral Wednesday at Kebbels at 11 am.

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“WORLD JR MENS CURLING (Craig VanYmeren in Switzerland):”

-Sunday = Canada 7 China 1 (Canada wins bronze.  Switzerland won Gold)

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“AYLMER MIDGETS DOWN 2-0 IN OMHA FINALS:“

-Aylmer Midgets lost 2-1 in overtime in Kincardine Saturday and 5-3 in Aylmer last night so are behind 2-0 in the best-of-five OMHA finals.  Next games are Saturday in Kincardine and Sunday in Aylmer.

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“AYLMER ATOMS DOWN 2-0-1 IN OMHA FINALS”

- The Aylmer Atoms dropped a 6-5 decision in overtime to Mitchell yesterday here and thus are winless in the first three games of their best-of-five OMHA finals. Aylmer lost the opener 4-2 Thursday and then tied 2-2 in Mitchell Saturday in the opening matches. Next games are Saturday in Mitchell and Monday in Aylmer, if necessary.

SUNDAY IN AYLMER – There was no scoring in the first half of the game; then ten goals in the second half!.  Trevan Ball (from Dylan Brower) put Aylmer ahead halfway through period two on a power play and then Mitchell Bakker (from Brower) with six minutes left moved Aylmer ahead 2-0. Mitchell countered with a goal a minute later and then Bakker scored again with two minutes left (from Ball and Mario Verhaege) to give Aylmer a 3-1 edge after 2 frames.

In the third period, Mitchell scored twice in the first minute, the second marker on a power play to tie 3-3.  A minute later Bakker completed his hat-trick (from Duncan Matthews) to give Aylmer the edge again. Hower  Mitchell scored twice in the middle of the period for their first lead. Aylmer scored with 5 minutes to go to notch things at 5-5 and thats how regulation time ended. Mitchell had a penalty  at the beginning of overtime and Aylmer took a penalty three minutes later but neither side connected. Then Mitchell took another penalty with less than 2 minutes to go. But the visitors  scored a shorthanded goal for the winner with one minute remaining.

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MARCH BREAK ARENA ACTIVITIES:

-Skating=  Mon- 10am-12; Tue – 11:30-1:30; Wed- 9 am-11 am; Thur- 11:30-1 pm ; Friday 10 am-12.

-Youth Program – daily – 10 am to 3 pm – for 16 to 18 years; $5

AYLMER TODAY:

-(Sunday: Atoms in OMHA finals, host Mitchell at 1:45 pm; Midgets in OMHA finals, host Kincardine at 6:45 pm)

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OBITS:

-Wendy Stafford;   of StThomas;   in her 51st year;   on March 12;   daughter of Ron Daykins of Aylmer;   Visitation at Williams Funeral Home StThomas Sunday 7-9 pm; Funeral at Williams Monday at 1 pm.

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“CANADA LOSES PLAYOFF 5-4 TO SWITZERLAND TODAY AT WORLD JR MENS CURLING (Craig VanYmeren in Switzerland)”

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“AYLMER ATOMS LOSE OMHA FINALS OPENER 4-2 TO MITCHELL THURSDAY”

(Summary provided by Coach Harry Bakker)
IST PERIOD-Mitchell scored their 1st goal on a power play at 3:59 of the 1st period.-Aylmer responded immediately with their 1st goal at 3:19 by Matthew
Bartlett assisted by Dylan Brower of the 1st period.-Aylmer had many good scoring chances, but couldn’t put the puck in the net- Score 1-1 after 1st period

2ND PERIOD- No scoring, play was back and forth with both teams getting chances – Aylmer got 3 penalties late in the period, spent a lot of energy trying to kill these off- Score still 1-1 after 2nd period

3RD PERIOD-Mitchell scored their 2nd goal of the game at 13:40 on the power play-They scored again on a weak clearing attempt along the boards in Aylmer’s end at 12:12- Score now 3-1 for Mitchell-Aylmer responded with goal at 9:03 by Trevon Ball assisted by Mitchell Bakker- Mitchell 4th goal scored at 4:15, deflected shot from the blueline that  snuck through the Aylmer goalies legs.

Final Score 4-2

Aylmer got outshot for the game, but spent too much time in the penalty box when the score was still 1-1. Aylmer had more good scoring chances than Mitchell but kept missing the net. Saturday’s Game 2 in Mitchell at 3:50pm, Game 3 back in Aylmer on Sunday at 1:45pm

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“AYLMER MIDGETS BEGIN OMHA FINALS TONIGHT IN KINCARDINE”
(Info supplied by Coach Mark Steele)

“We have 7 returning players from last years team that lost in the finals,  3 of the 7 won it 2 years ago and this will be their 3 straight year in the finals. Our roster consists of a total of 20 players with 19 dressing every game; the 20th is our injured goalie that was in a car accident. As it stands now we use 4 AP (affiliated players) 2 from Bantam Rep and 2 from Midget Local League. We were finalists in the regional silver stick held in Petrolia but received an invite to the International and ended up winning .”

Sked: (Best 3 of 5 games)

-Sat at Kincardine;   Game 2 in Aylmer Sunday at 6:45;   Game 3 next Friday in Kincardine;   Game 4 if necessary next Sunday in Aylmer at 8:15;  Game 5 the following Thursday in Kincardine.

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“EESS’s WHITNEY SHAVER 5th  AT OFSAA WRESTLING:”

(Info provided by Whitney Shaver, a Grade 10 EESS student,  daughter of Bruce and Debra of Pt. Burwell, who participated in the recent OFSAA  Wrestling competition.  Girls’ Wrestling was revived at East Elgin this year.)

“This would be my first year wrestling. I have only trained for about 3 months before OFFSAA athough I do martial arts with a club call Martial Arts Canada. I trained very hard with three coaches that coached the East Elgin wrestling team also.  After finishing WOSSA I decided to join the club at Central Elgin in St.Thomas.
At OFSAA I finished in 5th. The first day of OFSAA I had 3 matches and I won in the first match with a pin for all 3. The next day in semi finals I had to face a girl that is on the junior Olympics team. She was a very good wrestler and for my first year I was proud to say that she was the girl I lost to, also my coaches are very proud of me because I have not been pinned all season. The next match I wrestled very well although there was a controversy and I lost that match by points due to not having clear video to prove the points were given the wrong way. I do believe I was a stronger wrestler then her. Due to my 2 losses that put me in a fight for 5th or 6th,  I won that match in the second round with a pin. She was up points in the first round and was a very good technical wrestler, although I have very high endurance and with her having the points edge in the first match that made me want the 2nd match so much more and  I flipped her over and pinned her by bridging onto my back to hold her down. I believe I could have done better at OFSAA but I can say it was a amazing experience for my first year. At WOSSA I lost my first round then won  14 matches after that including the first girl I wrestled that beat me the first time -I beat her the second with a pin. Because I lost my first match the best I could get was 3rd so I wrestled for 3rd and won that match. I challenged the girl who got 2nd,  she was a very strong wrestler and she won the first match by points, I won the second match by points so we went into a 3rd and with my endurance and being able to stay strong for all 3 rounds she was just so tired she gave it her best shot and I finished with pinning her in the 3rd round. I plan to continue wrestling and training even more and having a lot more experience on the mat for next year will be amazing, I plan to go back to OFSAA and do even better but like I said before, for my first year my family, coaches, and teachers and students at East Elgin are all very proud of me.”

“NO PENALTY FOR ARMED ROBBERS IN 2006 BAYHAM CRIME???”

(Aylmer News has issued  a number of inquiries in the past month attempting to find out the penalty for the two men who admitted to the armed home invasion in northwest Bayham  in November 2006.  Joseph Webber, who was jailed for 7 years initially for the offence, was acquitted by the Ontario Court of Appeal in January, after he had served less than two years,  when two others admitted to the crime in June, 2008)

Brantford – A Brant County Criminal Court official reported this week that there was no record that either of the two men who admitted to the armed Bayham home invasion in 2006 received any penalty for this incident.  AylmerNews in the past six weeks was told by Elgin OPP, St.Thomas Criminal Court, the Elgin Crown Attorney, and OPP Western headquarters that they had no information on the court cases of Justin Parry of Norwich and Mansa Fraser of Hamilton who committed the break-in, the hold-up of the family with a gun , and the theft of money.

Eventually it was suggested that Brant County Court may have information on the case. Apparently the Bayham crime became part of a package of charges levied against Parry, who was already serving time for several robberies,  in an August 2008 court appearance. Parry then received an additional 22 years for 25 home invasions committed over a six-year period,  many in Brant County- but the Bayham offence was not listed. Fraser also was not penalized at this time for what happened in  Bayham . The Brant Crown Attorneys office has offered no response to this matter when contacted several times in the past week.

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AYLMER TODAY:

-(Schools March Break begins Monday)

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UPDATE: CANADA DEFEATS NORWAY 8-4 IN JR MENS CURLING TIEBREAKER TODAY; ADVANCE TO PLAYOFFS TOMORROW

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WORLD JR MENS CURLING (Craig VanYmeren in Switzerland):

-Thursday – Canada 4 Russia 3;  Scotland 4 Canada 2 (End of schedule: Canada W6 L3)

-Today = Canada vs. Norway for fourth playoff spot (Canada defeated Norway earlier)

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OMHA ATOM FINALS THURSDAY:

Mitchell 4 Aylmer 2 (Game 2 in Mitchell Saturday; game 3 in Aylmer Sunday)

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OMHA MIDGET FINALS:

Aylmer at Kincardine Saturday; Aylmer hosts game two Sunday at 6:45