70 Years Ago
June 23, 1948
– With a well-known lack of housing in Napanee, builders were aggressive in their attempts to serve the market. In 1946 and 1947 into the first half of 1948, some 34 new homes were built in town and several more just outside town. As of press time, an additional 13 homes were under construction in town and 25 more were planned.
A survey by assessor M.P. Graham had revealed that of the 1,044 families living in town, 689 had single-family homes, while 156 houses and apartment buildings had two or more families residing within them.
– Upon the request of Progressive Conservative candidate, James Hepburn, Judge W.S. Lane called for a recount of Prince Edward-Lennox ballots in the provincial election. Hepburn charged there were improprieties with vote counting and rejected ballots at two Picton polling stations. He lost by 51 votes to Liberal J. Donald Baxter.
– A Newburgh man was fined $50 and sentenced to a two-month jail term for stealing two motors from the Strathcona Paper Company, where he worked. The man said he had purchased them from a co-worker who emphatically denied the charges. Other co-workers said the accused offered them money to fabricate stories about the theft.
40 Years Ago
June 21, 1978
– The Canadian National Railways manager for the Rideau area, J.R. Burns, said the railway was in no hurry to demolish its Napanee train station and left the door open for council to find a solution to keep the historic building for other uses. Burns favoured a suggestion the station be used as a police station, but added the CNR would also be open to turning it over to a private enterprise to operate a business. He said he was not in favour of a service club or community group taking it over.
– Rodney Hughes was promoted from vice-principal to principal at NDSS after Ed Thompson was named superintendent of schools at the Lennox and Addington County Board of Education. The appointment marked the first time an NDSS grad would serve as the school’s principal. He said his primary role in the job would be finding ways to boost student confidence and achievement.
– Retiring Lennox and Addington County General Hospital administrator Bill Mills predicted a difficult future for the hospital due to inflation. Mills said an arbitration settlement with service workers, an eight-to-12-per-cent price increase in supplies, and increasing salaries and benefits for all staff would push the budget five per cent higher. He said funds would also be needed to expand services.