The Gimli Times News
Open Violence Spreads
Brazen street gang violence seems to have spread out from the troubled West End to Osbourne Village as Saturday night party-go-ers witnessed a screaming dispute that degenerated into stabbings and shootings.
With people enjoying the last few nights of summer evenings, Osbourne Village is a popular area for late revellers, coming and going from the Phoenix, local karaoke bar, or any number of trendy coffee shops. However, that atmosphere was shattered when screaming and yelling were heard just a block or two away. Witnesses describe several people arguing and yelling, when one of them was stabbed in the open, multiple times. At that point, shots began to be fired, and witnesses scattered, finding friends, safety inside still-open shops, and cellphones.
Police and reports were quickly on the scene, but details were scarce. One officer shook his head, "This sort of thing usually doesn't happen around here, despite all the [censored] and drinking and such," he said of the area. "But with years of violence in the North End and that [censored] happening in the West End, it was only time before others started growing bigger balls." When asked if they expect this wave of gangland shootings and violence to slow down eventually, police on the scene reported "Hell yes, it'll stop. You don't seriously think we're going to let the [censored] keep rolling across the [censored] city, do you?"
So far, reliable reports as to exact events are scattered, with the suspects having not only fleeing the scene, but dragging off any victims. Currently, blame is being placed on a street gang by the name of the Black Dogs, a group not usually found in the Osbourne area. "I don't care if it was [censored] Mother Teresa who did it," reported our frustrated source, several hours into interviews and clean-up on the scene, "this [censored] has gotta stop!"
Multiple Muggings
Police spokesmen are urging citizens to take caution when going for walks at night, as a rash of muggings across Gimli was added to the list of street level violence sweeping the city. With officers busy with gang violence, some unsavoury characters have been preying on people out for a stroll, usually taking money and valuables, but in some cases assaulting and causing bodily harm.
Police are recommending citizens avoid travelling alone at night, especially in public parks, green spaces, and in point Douglas and North Main; stay in well-lit areas, use the "buddy" system, and makes sure someone knows where you are.
Editorial, GRHA Just Doing It's Job
A large Rumbling has been happening across the city these past twoweeks in regards to the Gimli Regional Health Authority and it'smandatory seminars and testing of its employees as well as the generalhealth staff of all the connecting Hospitals and Clinics across theface of Gimli. Rumor has come to this writter's ear that many adisgruntled works has written to their district politician in regardsto this mandatory testing, calling it 'unfair' or 'down right stupid'.
Robert Brenton, a Liberal candidate for the Downtown district wasquoted as saying this when asked by the media about the Mandatoryseminars and testing of Medical Personel in Gimli.
"Whine, whine, whine! Good lord, just shut up already! I havereceived a number of phone calls on this subject, and not even frommedical staff or personnel. The GRHA is just doing their freak'n joband it's a government stardard, as well as a union qualification! OhI'm sorry...screening for certain diseases of the people in the healthindustry is bull shit? Oh please, people! Do you want your nurseshaving TB, your orderlies having Aids, your security staff droppingdead from Anthrax, or your Doctors spreading an unknown illness to thepatience because they are ignorant of their own health issues?PLEASE! I go to the hospitals to 'get better' not 'get worse'. Soyou will excuse me if I give the GRHA a seal of approval and a hugethumbs up. And I'm sorry...if you think you can re-write laws, rulesand regulations with in the Health Industry, I suggest you go back toschool, take an administration course and goose step your way into anoffice job while wearing a blindfold to ensure you are stillignorant.. Now if the Gimli Regional Health Authority wishes for it'speople to be educated as well as healthy, well then I'm sorry, but forwhose benefit is that for? I'll tell who benefits: All of us. We'relooking at the future of Gimli here and I for one am estatic thatthese things are made public and the citizens of Gimli are aware ofthe regulations. It makes us all sleep a little more soundly atnight."
Mr. Brenton, while his words may have seemed quite angry and orcandid, was also laughing with the photographer and reporter duringthe conversation regarding the disapproval with standard regulations.Mr. Brenton is know for his 'shoot from the hip' technique and was asupporter of regulated standards. Mr. Brenton has been as hugesupporter of government standard testing ever since his 5 year old sonwas accidentally given a tainted blood transfusion during the Gimliriots and conquentially infected with a rare blood disease.
-Written by Cheryl Curtway, Assistant Editor, the Gimli Gazzette.
Editorial, GRHA Wasting Your Tax Dollars
In recent weeks the professional doctors and nurses of Gimli who generouslydonate their time to necessary charitable and volunteer activities have comeunder increasing and unreasonable pressures from the GRHA.
The GRHA has asked all of these medical proffesionals to subject themselvesto manditory seminars and blood screening.
Only the medical professionals who donate their free time in this way havebeen asked to do this.
The GRHA is responsible to make sure that the best health practices areenforced by our medical professionals. They are also responsible to ensure,particularly in the post census correction Gimli, that our tax dollars arespent appropriatly.
The GRHA fails badly on both counts in this case. It is not necessarily abad idea for medical professionals to undertake regular blood screening. Itcould be argued (not necessarily successfully) that as medicalproffessionals are in constant contact with a variety of communicablediseases, that blood screening would be a good preventative measure.However, if that were the case, blood screening would have to be universallyapplied, not just to those who volunteered their time to charitable causes,but to all medical professionals. At which time, it would quickly becomeapparant that a proper screening, attempting to cover the widest range ofpathogins, would be impossibley cost prohibitive. And even if such a grandfiasco were to be attempted, it would be much more efficient to have thesemedical proffessionals be tested at their own hospitals and clinics, ratherthan setting up test facilities at a seminar in a hotel room.
Nor is it a bad idea to attempt to streamline the process of paperwork whenmedical professionals claim their volunteer hours as a charitable taxdeduction. But isn't that what Administrators are for? Or simplified taxforms? Or heaven forbid, just expecting these highly trained, welleducated, and presumably literate individuals to read and follow simpleinstructions?
From all appearances, one can only presume that this is yet another exampleof a make work project being used to justify the existance of an overlybloated GRHA bueraucracy. How many meetings and salary hours were wastedplanning this ill advised fiasco? How much of the tax payers dollars havebeen spent on weeks of unnecessary hotel bills and food functions? How muchmoney has been wasted on fruitless, cross-spectrum blood screening? Andshould push come to shove, is this mandatory screening even Constitutional?
The medical proffessionals time has been wasted.
Your tax dollars have been wasted.
The only ones who are coming ahead in this, is the GRHA, who have somehowdemonstrated by this that they'll need to waste even more of your money nextyear.
Faith Based Conference Invokes Religious March
The much expected faith-based conference took place this week, after a long build-up reminiscent of some rock concerts. Though primarily attended by members of the Catholic church, the conference was open to all denominations and faiths, and included meetings, seminars, and lectures. Many attending were looking forward to the gathering, hoping to not only gain some insight that they could pass on back to church-goers, but to build up some public awareness of the church's role in people's modern lives.
Unfortunately, the event was underscored by a small riot that police had to break-up. A semi-peaceful protest of an obscure cult group was crashed by a rioting crowd, and city police were eventually called in to break up the fighting. Several charges of public disturbance and assault are being laid, but overall, the crowd quickly dispersed once uniformed officers arrived on the scene.
The conference organizers were disappointed "a few undesirables cast a cloud over what should have been an inspirational gathering." Most conference attendees hoped this wouldn't sour the rest of the day's proceedings.
Plans For Former Hydro Building Site
City council has formed a committee to consider what to do with the site of the former hydro Building, recently imploded and still under demolition. Some vocal community groups are calling on the city to turn the much maligned space into a green space or a tribute park, but downtown businesses are against the idea, demanding the plot be developed as parking.
The new committee will weigh both sides of the argument, and will also take in account the desperate need for parking downtown, the addition of the popular baseball stadium and hockey arena, the upcoming mass transit changes and funding, and the economical needs of area shops and workplaces.
Winds Knock Out Power
High winds earlier in the week knocked down one or two hydro poles, causing rolling brownouts for a couple hours. Manitoba Hydro were able to re-route power to compensate, and repair crews were out in force that very night, putting up new poles.
Social
So, dear readers, you've probably heard of the stabbings and shootings that put a damper on one of our Saturday nights, yes? Well, it seems the little people on the street are not the only ones getting into a little bit of a stink of late. It seems that if you look hard enough and you know where to look, a dedicated internet user can find himself or herself a juicy little sex video starring none other than Gimli's own Courtney Restax! Gasp! Though predictably, some are already calling out this scandalous little home movie a hoax, is it really that much of a stretch to find out yet another celebrity doesn't know how to hold onto private recordings? Maybe Courtney didn't learn from the image-shattering mistakes of Paris, Colin, and Pamela?
Finance
Urgently moving on multiple fronts to stem the worst financial crisis in decades, the U.S. government said today it will safeguard assets in money market mutual funds and temporarily banned short-selling of financial company stocks.
Canadian regulators are reviewing whether to ban short-selling of stocks in light of similar moves in other countries to calm the current financial crisis. Investors and financial advisors are warning that major loans or borrowing in the near future might have repercussions, even in local affairs.
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