70 Years Ago
December 8, 1948
-G.T. Lanning Ltd. announced plans to move its leather manufacturing business to Napanee. The company had asked Mayor George Robson and council to give it the old East Ward School and had pledged to add a 144-by-72-foot block addition. Should the proposal be approved, the Toronto-based manufacturer planned to employ about 60 women on a $75,000 annual payroll.
The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 137 had the first right of refusal on the building for use as a clubhouse, but its president, Laverne O’Connor, indicated a willingness to relinquish the building so long as council gave $3,000 toward a new club house and community centre building.
– Three young Napanee residents were lucky to be alive after a close call with a moving freight train. Bob Madden, Janie Caldwell, and Michael Fisher hit the train with their car and were dragged 125 feet. None of the vehicle’s occupants were injured, but their car was badly damaged. A heavy fog at the time made the oncoming train very difficult for the driver to see.
– Napanee council passed an anti-noise bylaw at its regular meeting. Among other things, the bylaw would make it illegal for wedding parties to drive through town honking horns and dragging cans behind their cars. It would also be against the law to use outdoor broadcasting systems for advertising purposes within the town.
40 Years Ago
December 6, 1978
-North Fredericksburgh’s Roy McDannold was elected chair of the Lennox and Addington County Board of Education. James McCutcheon, of Richmond Township, was re-elected as vice-chair. McDannold told the board — which included nine new members — that he hoped it would operate in a more open fashion and adhere to its bylaws better than the board had done during the previous term.
– The United Co-operatives of Ontario announced plans to consolidate its feed manufacturing operations from Gananoque and Kingston at its Napanee plant. The move would allow the co-operative to be more efficient, while modernizing its equipment to meet the demands of its farm consumers.
– A Napanee police cruiser sustained $500 in damage to its windshield and front end when Const. Larry Flindall hit a mailbox while driving on Belleville Rd. Chief Peter Cruji said Flindall was not charged under the Highway Traffic Act or Police Act as there was no proof he had been speeding.
– Thieves broke into two Dundas Street stores, taking $575. Cruji said that police suspected a pair of local residents in the break-and-enter thefts.