By Stew Kernan

There is some significant rainfall expected in our area over the next few hours,but the Nickel District Conservation Authority says flooding shouldn’t be a problem.

Spokesman Paul Sajatovic says the forecast is calling for up to 20 millimetres of rain…not enough to cause major concerns.

He says we haven’t had that much snow on land and very little ice build-up on the waterways.

Sajatovic says it looks like areas to the south of us will get hit worse with 30 to 50 millimetres of rain expected.

By Stew Kernan

With the new mayor and council ready to take over, this was the last day on the job for Mayor John Rodriguez.

Still disappointed with the result of last month’s election, Rodriguez says looking back he is extremely proud of what he and council accomplished.

He says close, if not topping that list is getting the Laurentian School of Architecture off the ground.

As for advice for the new mayor council…Rodriguez says keep your eyes on the horizon and don’t look down.

Rodriguez says he’s not a wilting wallflower and not ready to retire, but is not sure yet what lies ahead.

Mayor Marianne Matichuk and the new council will be sworn in tomorrow night. 

By Angela Gemmill 

Sudbury is once again one of 140 stops on the route for the CP Holiday Train, which pulls into town tomorrow evening at 9:45pm.

CP Spokesperson Kevin Hrysak says the show is free however all monetary and food donations collected will be given the the Sudbury Food Bank.

Over the past 12 years the holiday trains in Canada and the US have raised a total of 4.8 million dollars and 2.3 million pounds of food.

The CP Holiday Train started its Canadian trek in Montreal on Saturday and will wrap up in Vancouver on December 17th.

www.cpr.ca

By Angela Gemmill

The first of three sexual assault trials for a Greater Sudbury Police officer got underway yesterday.

Court heard evidence in the trial for Sergeant Robert Geick, who pleaded not guilty to sexual assault.

The alleged sexual assault occurred in November 1992, however the victim didn’t come forward until February 2007.

The current case is expected to continue over the next few weeks.

Geick will go on trial for the other two charges in February and May next year.

By Angela Gemmill

Greater Sudbury Police uncovered over 12-hundred dollars in prescription drugs during a search of a residence on Shaughnessy Street last night.

Officers also found drug paraphernalia and 650-dollars in Canadian currency.

A 52-year old man, a 39-year-old woman and a 30-year-old woman face charges which include Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking and Possession of Property Obtained by Crime.

By Stew Kernan

Some quick thinking probably saved a life after a vehicle ended up in a pond.

45 year old David Ranger of Skead was driving on East Bay Road yesterday afternoon when he saw a vehicle ahead of him lose control and go down an 8 foot embankment.

Ranger says when he got to it, the vehicle was partially submerged and a man inside was trapped in the water.

To complicate the situation, the man didn’t speak English.

Amazingly the victim, 84-year old George Blechta received only minor injuries.

Ranger says he is no hero…instead saying he was just doing what he would expect anybody would do if in that situation.

By Stew Kernan

Sudbury Wolves captain Marcus Foligno has been selected to take part in the National Junior Team Selection Camp next month.

Foligno is one of 34 players hoping to grab a spot on the Team Canada roster that will take part in the World Juniors in Buffalo, New York starting on Boxing Day. 

Foligno is one of 11 OHL players named to the selection camp.  

Marcus Foligno celebrates during Super Series win over Russians two weeks ago.

By Stew Kernan

Luckily no kids on board a school bus involved in a collision this afternoon in the Valley.

It happened around 2 o’clock on Highway 69 near the fire hall in Val Therese.

The second vehicle involved was an SUV.

Police say both drivers were taken to hospital with what’s believed is minor injuries.

By Stew Kernan

Sudbury’s MP wants the government to ensure quick passage of updated Consumer Product Safety legislation.

During question period on Friday Glenn Thibeault wanted to know why Bill C-36, which received all party approval in the House of Commons, has been held up in the Senate for 14 months.

Thibeault says the protection of children should be the government’s number one priority.

By Ian Campbell

Using snow tires could save someone’s life, even your own.

The message many safety advocates want to convey in light of a new motion from Queen’s Park.

Introduced by a Liberal MPP, it calls on insurance companies to provide rebates to anyone with their winter wheels.

“You know at the end of the day, if we remove 500 trauma crashes from the roads this year, we will have saved the tax payers 19 Million dollars,” says Ontario Safety League President Brian Patterson.

He tells Rogers Radio he was pleased to see Queen’s Park pass the motion.

However Patterson feels we don’t need to go as far as Quebec in making snow tires mandatory for everyone, despite Quebec’s 90 per cent participation.

“We’re somewhere between 50 and 70, so if we can raise the number of people using winter tires appropriately during the season we can probably cut the crash rate substantially,” he says.

According to the experts, winter tires are a necessity for winter driving in temperatures below 7 degrees Celsius.

“Over the next three years we really want to reach out and get people focused on winter tires in as positive way as possible,” says Patterson.