Bell Island Community Policing Newsletter
"Community Policing - Everyone’s Business"

Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Avalon East District - Bell Island Detachment
Writer/Editor: Cst. Scott Stephenson

- A plea of guilty was entered by a 21 year-old Bell Island man who appeared in provincial court in St. John's on March 22nd. The man had been charged with assault after an incident which took place on April 19th, 2001. He received a conditional sentence.

- A 59 year-old Bell Island has been committed to stand trial in the fall on charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and gross indecency on 2 males. The charges stem from incidents reported to police which are alleged to have taken place in1978 and 1984.

- On May 17th a 21 year-old Bell Island man was found guilty in Provincial Court in St. John's of arson, criminal harassment and mischief in relation to a string of incidents which occurred between November and December of 2001. He was sentenced to 2 years less a day in jail in addition to the time served. Upon his release he will be on 3 years probation with several conditions, one of which that he not enter the Town of Wabana.

- A 37 year-old Bell Island man was found not guilty of theft in connection to a theft which took place at the Royal Canadian Legion in 1998.

- Charges of impaired driving against a 37 year-old Bell Island man resulted in a guilty plea being entered. The man appeared in provincial court on April 17th and received a $750.00 fine, 1 year driving prohibition and 1 year probation.

- An 18 year-old Bell Island man plead guilty to breach of probation and possession of a controlled substance in provincial court on May 22. He received fines totaling $400.00 and 1 year of probation. The man was checked by police while walking home in the early morning hours of February 17th. The man was on probation at the time and found to be under the influence of alcohol at the time.

- A fine of $200.00 and 1 year probation was given to a 33 year-old Bell Island woman when she appeared in provincial court on May 22nd. She was charged with assault in connection with an incident on March 3rd.

- A 35 year-old Bell Island woman will be appearing in court on December 2. She has been charged with assault after a December 2001 incident.

- An assault at a grad party on May 4th resulted in charges being laid against a 20 year-old Bell Island man. He was sentenced in Provincial Court on June 19th to a day in jail, 2 years probation, 40 hours of community service and a $100.00 fine.

- Two Bell Islanders aged 19 and 17 appeared in Provincial Court on June 19th after they were charged for being in possession of a controlled substance. The incident took place on May 25th when the 2 were checked behind a local convenience store. They received fines of $50.00 and $75.00 respectively.

- A 15 year-old Bell Island youth plead guilty in youth court to charges of failing to comply with an undertaking, utter threats and breach of probation. He was sentenced to a period of 3 months of open custody followed by 1 year of probation.

- A sentence of 28 days in jail and a fine of $100.00 was handed down to a 49 year-old Bell Island man when he appeared in Provincial Court in St. John's. He plead guilty to charges of causing a disturbance and breach of probation after an incident at the Royal Canadian Legion in September 2001.

- 3 Bell Island male young offenders have been charged with possession of stolen property. The trio were found with stolen stereo equipment from St. Boniface School. One of the youths will be dealt with by diversion , another plead guilty and will be sentenced in September, while the other plead not guilty and the matter will go to trial.

- An incident on May 28th, 2002 involving 2 female young offenders resulted in charges being laid and a court appearance for both. One of the females is charged with uttering threats, while the other is charged with assault and breach of probation. They will appear in youth court on July 23rd.

taken from the Western Star - Corner Brook Friday June 28.

Tinted car windows may keep the sun off your face but they won't keep the heat off your tail. The RCMP is trying to get the word out that extra tinting or glazing on front driver or passenger windows is against the law, and police plan to crack down on people breaking that law, said Const. Marcia Wiseman of the Deer Lake Detachment's RCMP Traffic Services. In fact, they've adopted a zero-tolerance approach. "It's been in the regulations for quite some time, but we had some tolerance allowed," said Wiseman. "But the RCMP has taken a new stand recently, and now there's basically zero tolerance for any kind of tint other than what the manufacturer puts in the car windows." The manufacturer's tint may be within regulations, but adding extra tint could get a driver pulled over. And that could lead to a charge under Section 38(l), of the license and equipment regulations - and possibly a fine. Wiseman said there are so many vehicles with tinted windows she's pulling drivers over every day. People just don't realize it's against the law, she said. "If you buy a car from the manufacturer, then that's within regulations," Wiseman explained. "But if you buy a used car, it's possible it's not. You can tell if tint has been added. The only tint that's allowed is the stuff that's in the glass' You're not allowed to have a strip of plastic tint or anything. And, basically, you're not allowed to install it yourself." . Tinted windows prevent visible eye contact between drivers and pedestrians at intersections and could potentially contribute to collisions, she added.

by Marilyn Sheppard

We would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to all the people who have supported the FOOD BANK through this difficult winter. We were able to meet the heightened demands placed on us by the extreme cold weather and served everyone who needed it.

A tragedy for farmers in Prince Edward Island has proved lucky for hungry people across Canada. This has been the biggest single donation to the CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF FOOD BANK’S NATIONAL FOOD SHARING SYSTEM, more than 30-million 10-pound bags has been distributed in the past few months. We were so grateful to receive our share of them. Potatoes are a nutritious food that is easy to prepare. About 800,000 people make use of food banks each month, on an average we serve approximately 389 adults and 240 children with an increase of 3to4 families monthly in the past few months.

Rev Sheppard will be doing his walk-a-ton on Saturday June 23^rd. He will be walking from Portugal Cove Ferry to the Avalon Mall. Proceeds from this will be given to the Bell Island Food Bank. Please help him make

it a great success.

Bell Island Day is fast approaching and we are all excited about it , do you remember when we were children and we would go to the Sports Field to watch our fathers pull in the Tug-O-War or pitch a horseshoe, and we would be there screaming our little lungs out for our fathers to win, that’s what we have planned for this year. So far we have five teams from different areas of Bell Island, if you can come up with a group of six people to make up a team for our Tug-O-War or you would like to enter our horseshoe competition call the Foodbank at 488-2656 or Dawn at 488-9244. Of course we will also have our Dunk Tank again this year with none other then our MHA Jim Walsh, an RCMP Officer , Joey Somerton and Tammy Taplin to name a few. Watch out or you may be nabbed for our JAIL so make sure you bring a good friend that would be willing to bail you out! Please make the effort to be there that day (remember this is what our children’s memories are made of). So come out and have a great time with your families and support your local organizations.

School will soon be out and we would like to wish all our young people and teachers a very safe and happy summer.

TOWN COUNCIL NEWS

WOOD CUTTING
Please be advised that persons who are engaged in wood cutting around such areas as the West Dam, that this is not permitted and in future such persons will be charged by the RCMP. The loss of trees will have a serious effect on our water table and could mean that we will not be in a position to supply water to our residents in future years. If you see persons engaged in this illegal practice please report them to the RCMP.

50th ANNIVERSARY
A special thank-you to Mr. Lew Bragg and his students for putting on the Winter Carnival. The fireworks display was fantastic and enjoyed by a large crowd in attendance. All other events were very enjoyable as well and helped make this Marchfest one of the best. We are very happy that the town's 50th. Anniversary as an incorporated body was included in the various events and advertisements. Council has developed a calendar of events at its office, and any group or organization planning a special event or activity please contact the council office so that it can be listed. Council receives many calls from visitors and tourists inquiring about events, etc. and this calendar will be an excellent way to promote and assist all groups and organizations.

SPRING CLEAN-UP
Residents have started to clean-up their properties early this year due to the fine weather we are experiencing. Property owners are encouraged to clean up their properties and place debris at the street line for council employees to pick up. Clean-up will be ongoing during the month of May so that by the end of May all debris and garbage will be cleaned up before visitors and tourists come to our island. If you have a car wreck to be removed please contact the council office for pick-up.

STREET SIGNS
Council employees have erected many new street signs around town and most main streets have now been identified. If you see persons causing damage to those signs please contact the council office or the RCMP.

DOGS
Dog owners are advised that your dog must be on a leach or under your care on your property. Dogs are not permitted to roam around town unattended. Any dogs found running loose around town will be picked up by our Animal Control Officer.

NEW MURALS BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As noted in a recent issue of the Bell Island Community Policing Newsletter (February 2000), the Town is seeking volunteers to serve on the new Mural's Board of Directors. Eight individuals have already volunteered but a minimum of ten is required to re-establish the Board. The Town is therefore seeking two more volunteers. Any person interested should contact Gary Gosine at the Town office at telephone numbers: (709) 488 - 2025 or (709) 488 - 2990.

POLICE OFFICER FOR A DAY

by Sgt. Ron Andrews and Cst. Danny Bennett

Brittany Jenkins and Bradley Simon both 8 years of age were the two winners from grade 3 students of St. Augustine's School in the Police Officer for a day contest. The winners were picked after they had to write an essay about being a police officer.

Brittany and Bradley were presented tailor made RCMP uniforms by Sgt. Ron Andrews and Cst. Danny Bennett, which they will get to keep as souvenirs. After a quick inspection Sgt. Andrews, Cst. Bennett and the new recruits departed Bell Island for their day at work.

The day was pretty busy for both as they were taken to St. John's for the day. The first thing on their agenda was a trip to the bridge of the MV Flanders and a visit with the skipper Willis Glover. Next it was on to the Confederation Building where they met Justice Minister, The Honourable Kelvin Parsons.
They were then taken to the RCMP "B" Division Headquarters Building where they met the Commanding Officer for Newfoundland and Labrador, Assistant Commissioner Larry Warren. After a busy morning it was time for lunch at McDonald's.

After lunch it was out to Steele Communications on Kenmount Road where they visited VOCM, K-ROCK, and KIXX Country. The last place to visit was CBC Television where they met news anchor Debbie Cooper and had a visit to the studio and were videotaped by cameraman Rod Dobbin. The visit was added to the CBC website, and Dobbin also made a copy of the videotape for Jenkins and Simon.

Thanks to all who helped in this contest especially Mrs. Marg Skehans of Crafts and Decor who tailored the uniforms .

R.C.M.P. ANNUAL BIKE RODEO
by Cst. Danny Bennett

This years bike rodeo was organized by Cst. Steven Harper and Cst. Danny Bennett. Part of the rodeo required a safety presentation to the students at St. Augustine's School regarding Bike Safety. During the presentation the students were taught the necessary hand signals required for the bike rodeo.

On Saturday June 8th, 2002 the bike rodeo was held at the Monsignor Bartlett Arena. The bike rodeo was very successful and a good time was had by all participants. The kids did great and lots of prizes were won including two kids winning brand new bikes.

Special Thanks to the following, as without their help and support this event would not be possible:
-Bell Island Kiwanis Club
-Community Volunteers
-Mr. Tom SPRACKLIN
-Mr. Derek HISCOCK of V.O.C.M. Cares
-Arena Manager Mr. Bill Ford
-Mr. Bruce Skanes at Foodland
-Clark and Clark Ltd.
-Hunts Distributing
-Martin Hurley's Distributors
-Town of Wabana

submitted by Cst. Steven Harper

Her name was Mrs. Thompson.

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.

Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs.Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X`s and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was
required to review each child's past records and she put
Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh.? He does his work neatly and has good manners. He is a joy to be around."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him.. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his
home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometime sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she
was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy`s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. . Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter-full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs.
Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mother used to."

After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she
began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy.
As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the best students in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the
best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would
soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer--the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding
that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. .Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson`s ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a
difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook. Please try to do it in a positive way. "Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly."

submitted by Cst. Geoff Peddigrew

• Butterflies taste with their feet.
• A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
• In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined.
• On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.
• On average people fear spiders more than they do death.
• Ninety percent of New York City cabbies are recently arrived immigrants.
• Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married.
• Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
• Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
• It's possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.
• Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
• The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building.
• A snail can sleep for three years.
• No word in the English language rhymes with "MONTH".
• Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.
• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
• The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
• All polar bears are left handed.
• In ancient Egypt, priests plucked EVERY hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

D.A.R.E. PROGRAM
by Cst. Scott Stephenson

A culmination ceremony was held on Thursday June 13th at Immaculate Conception School for the 48 grade 5 students who took part in the 17 week program. During the culmination the students were presented with certificates and T-Shirts.

Part of the program was for the students to write an essay about what they had learned in DARE, which was required in order for them to graduate. Eight of the students were chosen to read their essays at the culmination. Those selected were:
-Jasmine Brazil
-Jonathan Cummings
-Caroline Meadus
-Raymond Whalen
-Janessa Cole
-Curtis George
-Kayla Coombs
-Evan Kent

The following are the students who took part:
Mrs. Rosemary O'Keefe's Class
Michelle Barnes
Patricia Barnes
Jeffrey Boone
Jessica Boone
Jasmine Braxil
Patrick Brazil
Brandon Brown
Jonathan Crane
Jonathan Cummings
Gregory Gosse
Donald Hawco
Samantha Hutchings
Jessica Kelloway
Caroline Meadus
Shane Noseworthy
Stephen Pendergast
Samantha Pitts
Krista Purcell
Ashley Somerton
Noelle Taplin
Jennifer Whalen
Raymond Whalen
Travis Whalen
Stephanie Williams

Mr. Ken Reid's Class
Joey Bartlett
Brittany Blackwood
Shawna Brown
Shaun Butt
Kristen Carbage
Myra Carter
Janessa Cole
Kayla Coombs
Jeffrey Cummings
Kayla Dobbin
Curtis George
Brian Hurley
Evan Kent
Paul Lahey
Stephanie McKinnon
Sara Meyer
Shane O'Brien
Stacey O'Brien
Kelly Ou
Mary Ann Parsons
Freddie Power
Nicholas Power
Eric Sheppard
Ryan Taylor

Thanks to Mrs. Karen Seward for the great job she did again on the cake, as well as to school principal Mr. Francis Fitzgerald, and teachers Mrs. Rosemary O'Keefe and Mr. Ken Reid for allowing the time out of their schedule for the program to be taught. Also thanks to Ms. Mona Nolan and Mr. Bern Taplin

FOUND BIKES

Two bicycles were turned into the detachment on July 2nd. If you are missing your bike or bikes drop by the detachment and provide a description of your bike.

THANK YOU
by Cst. Scott Stephenson

The following businesses are kind enough to allow the newsletter to be displayed for pick-up.
-Bayview Grocery (Kitchen's)
-Byrne's Easy Save
-Clarke & Clarke
-Co-Op Bakery
-Crafts and Decor
-House of Stoyles
-Hurley's Store
-Jukebox Junction
-Linda's Grill
-Murphy's Garage
-Ridgeway Variety
-Shirley's Hair Styling
-Skanes Foodland
-Slade's Food Town
-Stoyle's Meat Market
-Sun Sun Restaurant
-The Coffee Shop (Beach)
-Verge House
-Wabana Town Council
-West Mines Convenience
-Yik's Store

The newsletter is also available on the internet by accessing the Bell Island website www.bellisland.net

Thanks to Mr. Reg Durdle for his help in doing this and for the excellent job he does on the website.

CLOSING
If you have any comments, concerns or questions about the newsletter, please contact us at the detachment at 116 Memorial Street, or at the following:
Phone (709)488-3312
Fax (709)488-2311
Toll Free 1-800-709-7267
Cell # 7267
E-mail: scott.stephenson@rcmp-grc.gc.ca