WINDSOR, N.S. — Here's a look at what was making the news 25 and 50 years ago in the Hants Journal.
25 years ago (Jan. 5 and 12, 1994 editions)
• Melissa Natasha McKinley was the first baby born at the Hants Community Hospital in 1994. She was born on Jan. 5 to Jennie and James McKinley, of Bramber, and weighed six pounds, 13 ounces.
• A Kings County man was set to appear in Windsor court on a charge of mischief after reporting he had been robbed, by gunpoint, on Oct. 2, 1993.
• David Murray Brown, 25, who had been charged with the first degree murder of Frederick Simon Degenhardt of South Rawdon, in 1993, had his preliminary hearing set for March. The co-accused, Degenhardt’s wife, Laura Lillian Degenhardt, 47, was due in court in June.
• Windsor’s Sylvia Shanks reached an out-of-court settlement with a doctor who she claimed had been negligent during an operation in 1989 at the Hants Community Hospital. She also reached a settlement with the anaesthetist, and withdrew the complaint against the hospital.
Shanks alleged she was awake during surgery, aware of what was occurring, but unable to communicate.
• The 1993-94 Acadia Axemen hockey team were provided customized underwear manufactured by Stanfield’s Limited in Nova Scotia.
The specialized underwear, created by Trifilar-A Sports Inc. in Kingston, was being featured in an international newspaper and sports trade show in Montreal.
• A storm near the end of December 1993 dumped 39 centimetres (about 16 inches) on Hants County – much to the delight of children and skiers, who had been waiting for a considerable snowfall.
• Subway celebrated its grand opening in Windsor. The owner/operator was Riccardo DiBacco; the assistant manager was Elizabeth Hood. Subway staff included Tina Swinamer, Jocelyn Hood, Trish Patterson, Kimberlea Dykens, Shelley Leopold, Marilyn Barkhouse, Michelle Sabean, Angie Davis and Craig MacAuley.
• A new 20-unit seniors complex at Kendall Court, located off Chester Road, officially opened. Fifteen of the units provided affordable housing to seniors while five were intended for residents with special needs.
• Windsor merchants were lobbying to have Sunday shopping nixed. The provincial government had enacted temporary Sunday shopping leading up to Christmas and were considering doing so on an annual basis. Many local merchants expressed concern over allowing that to occur, and said it hurt their bottom line.
• East Hants council voted to reduce the number of councillors representing the municipality to 11, which was down from 15. The move was anticipated to save taxpayers $40,000 per year.
• The third annual Laurie Graham Ski Challenge was set to be held Jan. 19 at Ski Martock. The 1994 challenge was set to raise funds for and awareness of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and would see well-known Canadian athletes take part.
Graham, who relocated to Bedford from Ontario, was a member of the national alpine ski team for 11 years and won six World Cup races.
• Two members of the Windsor Karate Club, Barrie Wile, of Windsor Forks, and Ron Wile, of Burlington, attained the level of black belt while fellow member Blair Sanford, of Windsor, acquired his second degree black belt level.
50 years ago (Jan. 1 and 8, 1969 editions)
• The Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company announced changes to the telephone service for Windsor and Hantsport. Effective Jan. 1, 1969, long distance tolls no longer would apply for calls made between the two communities as the phone service was extended. The change affected about 700 phones in Hantsport and 3,000 in Windsor. Bills were also set to rise, with Windsor residents seeing an additional 25 cents per month and Hantsport seeing an additional 50 cents per month. Business phone users would also see increases.
• Annapolis Valley Radio had to temporarily halt its expansion plans due to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission filing an objection to the Middleton proposal. There was an initial concern that the proposal would “put too much signal in the direction of an older Pennsylvania radio station that has first rights to the frequency.”
AVR proposed a three degree change in the directional pattern for the Middleton station and the U.S. agency withdrew its objection. Due to the winter weather, however, AVR had to delay working at the site until the spring.
• Judges, all hailing from Hantsport, announced the winners of Windsor’s Christmas Lighting Contest. First place went to Mr. K. Black of Curry’s Corner; second place went to Mrs. Kate Reid and Miss Muriel Allison, also of Curry’s Corner; and Mr. D. Dill, of Tremain Crescent, paced third.
• The Home League of the Salvation Army Corps donated $145 towards the Payzant Memorial Hospital New Building Fund.
• The 1969 slate of officers for the Windsor Fire Department included Walter B. Stephens, chief;
R. Hanson, assistant chief; C.T. Smith, second assistant chief; C.F. Woodman, first captain; J.J. Crocker, second captain; R.A. Redden, first lieutenant; M. Hines, second lieutenant; E. MacPherson, secretary; F. Carmichael, treasurer; and Rev. R.E. Lauder, chaplain.
• Mayor Eric Nott proclaimed Jan. 11-18 to be Jaycee Week in Windsor. The purpose of the week was to focus attention on young men in town and the work that they’re doing.
• An article appeared in the December issue of Readers Digest that had Hants County connections. The article, A Life of Grace and Gratitude, was written by Joan Mills about her grandmother, Sarah (Lake) Mills, who was born in Bramber in the 1800s but moved to Maine as a little girl. Several living relatives, however, were listed in the Journal’s article.
• Stedmans was holding it’s ‘great semi-annual home furnishings sale.’ Included among the deals were a Spanish influence Davenport and chair for $199.88, a two-piece living room suite for $183.88; candlelight-style bunk beds for $87.88, and a roll-away bed for $22.88.
• The Imperial Theatre kicked off the new year with the family friendly Disney flick The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin. Then they were set to show a western called Hostile Guns; a story about love and sex called What’s So Bad About Feeling Good?; the western Fire Creek, starring James Stewart and Henry Fonda; The Vengeance of Fu Manchu, starring Christopher Lee and Douglas Wilmer; and crime film The Thomas Crown Affair.
• In the Hants History column dating back to 1944, a pilot of a Hudson aircraft was killed following a crash near the Kennetcook station.
In wartime news from 1944, the names of men recently enlisted in the army appeared, as did the casualty list.
In the Hants History column from 1919, it was noted that Major C. H. Morris, of Windsor, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and Capt. Harry Mosher was promoted to major.
In other 1919 news, a new schooner, the Favonian, cleared the Hantsport port Jan. 2 and was en route to New York. Also, the Hants County food market was ‘flooded with stale eggs.’
