Searchmont news release…

Searchmont will open tomorrow with three lifts and 17 of 18 runs. The Double Chair will
be open for the first time this season. All runs accessed by the Triple Chair are groomed
and fully open. The Slalom is also fully groomed and accessed by the Triple or Double
Lift. All other terrain is open with natural snow cover.
Searchmont wishes to advise all riders that natural terrain does present some natural
and man-made hazards and caution must be used at all times.
“All things considered the mountain remains in excellent shape” says Dan Missere,
General Manager. “We have certainly been battling the weather this season but our
staff have done a great job with what they have had to work with. Opening the Double
lift will make some more advanced terrain available for our guests and if we do see
some of the snow fall forecasted it could be an incredible weekend on the mountain.”

Special lift ticket pricing remains in effect this weekend:
· Adult (18-54) $39.00
· Youth (11-17), Senior (55-69) and College/University Students – $29.00
· Children 10 and under and Super Seniors (70+) are always FREE
· Half day rates also available
Searchmont will be open Saturday from 9:30am to 9pm and Sunday from 9:30am to
4pm. For complete details please visit www.searchmont.com
Daily updates on opening and all things Searchmont can be found by visiting
www.searchmont.com or find us on facebook.
Searchmont is operated by the not-for-profit Searchmont Ski Association Inc. In
operation for over 50 years, Searchmont operates the major winter tourist attraction with
an estimated economic impact of $5.4 million to our community and providing support for
135 local jobs. Searchmont promotes active living to children through recreational,
competitive and educational programming and events and is an important lure for the
recruitment of medical and other professionals to the area. Searchmont is designated
as an official training centre by Alpine Ontario.

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Today begins the beginning of the election cycle for the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians Tribal Board of Directors. Primary elections will be held May 24 with a general election on June 28. A complete list of eligible candidates for each seat will be available April 25.

Officers to be elected during this election include: Tribal Chairperson, Unit 1: 3 members, Unit 3: 1 member, Unit 2: 1 member, Unit 4: 1 member. The term of all officers will be four years.

Tribal members who will be 18 years of age or older on the date of the election are eligible to vote. Voter registration forms must be received by the Tribal Election Committee ninety (90) days prior to the general election, in order to vote in the upcoming elections. This election will be conducted by mail to the address shown in the Tribal Registrar’s records. It is the responsibility of the tribal member to ensure that the address shown for him or her is correct. Please contact the Tribal Registrar’s Office for any changes: Tribal Registrar’s Office, 2428 Shunk Road, Mailing address: P.O. Box 1628, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783 phone: (906) 635-3396 or 1 (800) 251-6597.

The tribe’s seven-county service area is divided into five election units encompassing Mackinac, Chippewa, Luce, Delta, Alger, Schoolcraft, and Marquette counties.

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Sault OPP received a call early this morning about an erratic driver who’d left a residence in the city. The vehicle was located infront of a home on Government Road in Laird Township. There were a couple open beer bottles on the front seat and the keys were in the ignition … leading to impaired charges against the 61 year old male driver.

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Michigan DNR: Wolves Removed from Federal Endangered Species List; State Management Plan in Effect

Livestock and Dog Owners Gain Ability to Protect Animals

Management authority over wolves in Michigan has been officially returned to the Department of Natural Resources, putting the state’s Wolf Management Plan into effect, the DNR announced today.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to remove wolves in the western Great Lakes region from the federal endangered species list became official today. The Great Lakes region includes Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Wolves remain a protected, nongame species in Michigan, but state management will afford more options when dealing with wolves preying on livestock or dogs.

“Delisting is a victory for the state and for Michigan citizens who have been affected by this issue,” said DNR Director Rodney Stokes. “The state’s healthy wolf population is a reminder that Michigan still has places where wild animals such as wolves can live and thrive. Fully implementing the state’s Wolf Management Plan will allow us to more effectively respond to problem wolves, while maintaining a self-sustaining wolf population and increasing social acceptance of the species as a whole.”

The DNR will continue to recommend nonlethal methods of control as the first option for residents. However, in cases where nonlethal methods are not working or are not feasible, state officials will now have greater flexibility to use lethal means to remove problem wolves when appropriate. In addition, Michigan residents will be able to legally protect their livestock and dogs if an animal is being attacked by a wolf.

The Michigan Legislature passed laws in 2008 to allow livestock or dog owners, or their designated agents, to remove, capture, or, if deemed necessary, use lethal means to destroy a wolf that is “in the act of preying upon” (attempting to kill or injure) the owner’s livestock or dog(s). These state laws took effect Jan. 27, 2012.

Livestock or dog owners who use lethal means to destroy a wolf must observe the following guidelines:

1. Report the lethal take of a wolf by calling the Report All Poaching (RAP) hotline at 800-292-7800 no later than 12 hours after the lethal take.

2. Retain possession of the wolf until a DNR official is available to take possession. A DNR official will respond to the scene within 12 hours of notification.

3. Do not move or disturb the dead wolf. The only exception to this rule is if a wolf has been killed in the act of preying upon livestock and leaving the wolf in place would impede normal farming practices. In that case the wolf may be moved to a secure location once photographs are taken of the wolf and the area where lethal means were used.

“Although lethal control methods are now legal in certain circumstances, wolves remain a protected species in Michigan and no hunting or trapping season is in place,” said DNR Law Enforcement Division Chief Gary Hagler. “The DNR will investigate and continue prosecution of any wolf poaching cases.”

Illegally killing a wolf is punishable by up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both, and the cost of prosecution. Suspected poaching violations may be reported 24 hours a day, seven days a week to the DNR’s RAP hotline at 800-292-7800.

There are an estimated 687 wolves in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. For more information on Michigan’s wolf population, greater detail about the two laws governing wolf depredation, and to see the state’s Wolf Management Plan, visit www.michigan.gov/wolves.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.

For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnrhttp://www.michigan.gov/dnr.

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Sault College played host to the latest Chamber of Commerce Take 5 event in their new Essar Hall – where they were presented with another corporate donation towards their Inspiring Growth campaign – a cheque for $30,000 from TD Bank Group.

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City police were called regarding a breakin to a home on Patrick Street just before 3:00 this morning … the intruder fled … but police caught up with him a short time later – arresting 56 year old Michael O’Hara of Root River Trailer Park – charging him with break and enter and drug possession.

22 year old Lucien Charette of Poplar Avenue was charged with breaking into a storage shed at a McNabb Street business and stealing some construction tools and then pawning them off.

There was a breakin to a home on Shannon Road where some jewellery was stolen. An attempted breakin was reported on Clement Street. There were reports of more licence plates being stolen off vehicles and an i-Pad was stolen from a local school.

Police carried out a search of a home on Grace Street last evening – finding a small quantity of pot – packaged into individual baggies – leading to possession for the purpose of trafficking charges against the male and female residents.

A 24 year old male turned himself in to police regarding a dispute with his ex girlfriend where he damaged a car she was driving off in.

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Saputo is recalling one of its milk products sold in Ontario and Aylmer, Quebec because it may contain a cleaning solution.
The affected product is called Neilson Trutaste two per cent Microfiltered Partly Skimmed Milk and is sold in four litre bags.
They bearing the UPC code 066800 00404 4 and a best before date of Feb. 12 that appears on the bag closure tab. No other codes are affected.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency there has been one reported reaction associated with using this product.
Milk containing this cleaning solution may not look or smell spoiled, but drinking it may cause symptoms such as nausea, upset stomach or vomiting.
Montreal-based Saputo is voluntarily recalling the affected product from the marketplace. The CFIA is monitoring the effectiveness of the recall.

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Algoma University news release…

(SAULT STE. MARIE, ON – January 25, 2012): Workers begin pouring concrete on Friday for the foundations of a new 96-bed residence at Algoma University. The new residence is scheduled to open in September 2012, and will bring the total number of beds in the University’s residence buildings to 283.

The University is constructing in order to keep pace with the growing number of students who come to Algoma University from outside the region and even outside of the country. Both the existing on-campus residences and the renovated Windsor Park facility downtown are almost at capacity. “We know that we have to be able to guarantee students housing if we want to attract them here from out of town, so this new residence is essential to our continued growth” says Algoma University

President Dr. Richard Myers.

In keeping with University practice, the new residence will consist entirely of single rooms, with one shared bathroom between every two rooms. “At a lot of universities, students have to share their residence room, especially if they’re in first year. One of the things that makes Algoma an attractive choice is that we can provide our students with a private room,” says Director of Student Recruitment Brent Krmpotich.

The new residence will be located north of, and parallel to, the George Leach Centre, creating a new courtyard between the two buildings. The courtyard will overlook a pond that separates the campus from Snowdon Park. “One of the collateral benefits of this project is that it’s going to create a very inviting pedestrian entrance to the campus from the east. I think people are going to be quite struck at how beautiful that part of the campus will become” says Dr. Myers.

The general contractor for the construction of the residence is Michael Moore. Expected completion date for the $8 million project is August 15th.

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The Sault Ste Marie Ratepayers Association is holding a meeting tonight – 7:00 at the Civic Centre where they’ll head from a list of speakers including former mayoralty candidate Julie Hryniewicz and Jeff Millard of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Community Engagement Coordinator Stephanie Pagnucco will also make a presentation to the group. Networking, Team Building, Organizational Structures and Regional Conference Planning will all be discussed.

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Time is running out to claim a second prize worth $100,000 for an ENCORE selection sold with a LOTTO 6/49 ticket sold one year ago in Sault Ste. Marie. Players have one year from the original draw date to claim their prize.
The winning numbers for the Wednesday, February 9, 2011 ENCORE – LOTTO 6/49 draw were
7 – 9 – 2 – 6 – 7 – 3 – 0. Players matching the last six numbers of the seven numbers drawn in the exact order win $100,000.
Anyone possessing this ticket should fill in the back portion, sign it and contact the OLG Prize Centre at 20 Dundas Street West in Toronto before 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 9, 2012. Winners of up to $250,000 also have the convenience of dropping off winning tickets for processing at any OLG Casino or at several of OLG Slots at Racetrack facilities. Winning tickets of less than $999.99 can be cashed at these sites. Please call 1-800-387-0098 for more details or for a list of locations.

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