Good morning, Greater Sudbury.
Here are some stories to start your day.
City goes nearly $2M over budget for winter road maintenance:
Winter road operations cost the city almost $19 million last year, a total that exceeded the city's budget by approximately $1.9 million. A report slated to be presented to the operations committee on March 19 summarizes the financial results associated with keeping Sudbury's streets and sidewalks cleared over the winter. The report points to an above average amount of snow and freezing rain were contributing factors to going over budget. During November, Sudbury saw 56 cm of snowfall - 26 cm more than the 30-year average - and in December 75 cm of snow hit the city, which was 12 cm more than the 30-year average of 63 cm. The biggest hit came through sanding, salting, and plowing where the city spent $8.9 million, more than $2 million over the budgeted $6.8 million. The city did see some savings in both snow removal and sidewalk maintenance, where they came in roughly $155,000 under budget.
Wanted: Jeremy Trodd has a warrant out for his arrest:
The Greater Sudbury Police Service has outstanding warrants for the arrest of Jeremy Trodd. It's alleged that Trodd breached a court-ordered condition on Dec. 15, 2017. He's known to be in the Sudbury district and Parry Sound. Now 35-years-old, Trodd has a long list of run-ins with the law, dating back to when 1999, when he was just 16 and was sentenced to serve seven years in a federal penitentiary for killing a Sudbury Police officer. Greater Sudbury Police officer Sgt. Rick McDonald was laying down a spike belt near Sudbury's Four Corners when the van Trodd was driving swerved to the avoid the spike belt and struck McDonald. Trodd's 17-year-old cousin Peter Noganosh was also killed in the incident. The latest arrest warrant for Trodd comes on the heels of the 35-year-old not showing up to a confirmation hearing at the Sudbury court house in January of this year, concerning charges that were laid in March, 2017. He was scheduled to appear in court for a pair of breach of probation charges. If you have information about Trodd or his whereabouts, you are urged to call the Crime Stoppers tip line toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or locally at 705-222-TIPS.
Stephen Hawking's contributions to science 'huge and lasting':
The late Stephen Hawking's contributions to science and his equally impressive ability to popularize science will never be forgotten, says Art McDonald, 2015 Nobel Laureate and director of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory scientific collaboration that evolved into today's SNOLAB. “My sincere condolences to Stephen Hawking's family on his passing today," McDonald, a professor emeritus at Queen's University, said in a Facebook post Wednesday. "I was fortunate to have known Stephen and to have escorted him 2 km underground twice at SNOLAB. His strong interest in science and in understanding how our Universe works was evident in all of our interactions. The renowned British physicist passed away March 14 at his home in Cambridge, England at the age of 76. Known for his work on black holes and the nature of time, Hawking continued with his work despite living with a slow-progressing form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) that gradually paralyzed him. His 1988 best-seller A Brief History of Time, in which he presented the best scientific ideas on the history, nature and fate of the universe for public consumption, catapulted him into the mainstream and has sold more than 10 million copies.
Former employees of Sudbury's Sears store invited to reunion:
All former employees of Sudbury's Sears store, which closed early in 2018, are invited to a reunion this spring. The reunion will take place May 25 starting at 5 p.m. at the Caruso Club. Tickets cost $30 per person, and are available for purchase at BE Greater Organics at 556 Lasalle Blvd. and Changes Hair Studio at 428 Westmount Ave. For more information, phone Marilyn Martin at 705 662-6387.
Sudbury OPP responded to more than 350 calls for service in February:
During the month of February the Sudbury OPP responded to 366 calls for service. Among the calls, the police service responded to 20 motor vehicle collisions. Charges laid over the course of last month included: 13 property-related charges, five impaired-related charges, One drug-related charge, five violence-related charges.
Mother's Day tradition returns - Sudbury Rocks!!! goes May 13:
The annual Sudbury Rocks!!! Race Run or Walk for Diabetes returns on Sunday, May 13. This race and fundraising event offers something for people of all levels of ability. This year's event offers a free 1 km kids run, a 5 km, 10 km, half-marathon and a full Boston qualifier marathon. There is also a marathon team relay where a group of up to eight people can compete to cover the full marathon distance as a relay team. Prizes are up for grabs for first, second and third place in the solo paid races. Since 2004, Sudbury Rocks!!! has raised more than $600,000 for Diabetes Canada. This year's goal is to raise another $40,000 for the cause.
Thursday Weather:
Mainly cloudy with Thursday with a 40 per cent chance of flurries. Today's high is only expected to get to -5. Cloudy this evening with a 40 per cent chance of flurries. The low will plummet all the way down to -15. For current weather conditions, short-term and long-term forecasts visit Sudbury.com's weather page at www.sudbury.com/weather.
