Toronto Maple Leafs’ George Armstrong, who grew up in Sudbury area, dies at 90
George “Chief” Armstrong, who grew up in the Sudbury area and played 21 seasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs, died Jan. 24 at the age of 90. According to Wikipedia, Armstrong was born in 1930 in Skead to an Irish Canadian father and Ojibwe mother, and grew up in Falconbridge, where his father was a nickel miner. He played 1,188 NHL games between 1950 and 1971, all with Toronto and a franchise record, and was the team's captain for 13 seasons. Armstrong was a member of four Stanley Cup championship teams and played in seven NHL All-Star Games. He scored the final goal of the NHL's "Original Six" era as Toronto won the 1967 Stanley Cup. Armstrong played both junior and senior hockey in the Toronto Marlboros organization and was a member of the 1950 Allan Cup winning team as senior champions of Canada. He returned to the Marlboros following his playing career and coached the junior team to two Memorial Cup championships. Read the full story here.
COVID cases at Marymount Academy, Pius XII school
The Sudbury Catholic District School Board has announced COVID-19 cases have been detected at two of its schools - Marymount Academy and Pius XII Catholic Elementary School. As a result of the Marymount case, the following classes have been dismissed immediately - Grade 7B (directed to isolate immediately up to and including Feb. 4) and the Native Language Class that runs Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. (directed to isolate up to and including Feb. 3). In terms of the Pius XII case, the school’s Grade 1 class has been dismissed immediately, and has been directed to isolate up to and including Feb. 4. Learn more here.
Three people charged with attempted murder in Jan. 21 Espanola shooting
Three people have been charged with attempted murder in a shooting incident in Espanola Jan. 21. The OPP say that a person suffered from a gunshot wound in the Albert Street incident, and was transported to hospital. Witnesses observed numerous people running away from the house afterwards. The OPP and Greater Sudbury Police Service (GSPS) Tactical Unit arrested three individuals a short time later in Lively. Read more here.
Guilletville home destroyed in weekend fire
A house fire in Guilletville overnight between Saturday and Sunday resulted in the "complete loss" of the home, and caused Municipal Road 80 to be closed overnight. Deputy fire chief Jesse Oshell said on Twitter the estimated loss is at least $300,000. There were no injuries, and all the occupants are safe. At one point overnight, there were five fire stations on scene trying to deal with what Oshell called a “stubborn house fire.” Read our story here.
Little Current restaurant manager and ‘unsung hero’ featured on Jones Soda bottles
If you’re a fan of Jones Soda, keep your eye out for the Green Apple Soda flavour. Cody Crawford, a restaurant manager from Little Current is being featured on Green Apple Soda bottles along with seven other “unsung heroes.” The unsung heroes collection features photographs of various people or groups who took extraordinary steps to help others during a difficult year. Examples include a small California restaurant that provided hundreds of meals to the 2020 Glass Fire evacuees and first responders, a firefighter at the Skyxe Saskatoon International Airport, and a nonprofit organization that has delivered 55-gallon barrels of clean, potable drinking water to remote areas of the Navajo Nation since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The series is appearing on Jones Green Apple Soda bottles in both the U.S. and Canada with a total print run of 500,000. All eight honorees, including Crawford, are profiled on Jones Soda’s website. Cody was nominated to appear on the soda bottles by his wife, Taylor, the co-manager of Elliott’s Restaurant, a family-style eatery in Little Current, on Manitoulin Island. Read our interview with Cody Crawford here.
Monday weather:
Monday will be mainly cloudy with a 30 per cent chance of flurries. Wind up to 15 km/h. High of -5 C. Windchill of -16 C in the morning and -8 C in the afternoon. UV index 1 or low. Monday night will be cloudy with a low of -14 C.