It is said that the conundrum of the middle child is that they are easily overlooked. They are not the oldest, breaking new ground and receiving firstborn privilege. They are not the youngest, whose baby-of-the-family status induces extra attention from doting parents. The middle child is stuck somewhere in between, easily forgotten and perpetually in hand-me-downs. 

In the old days, the thieves came at night. Dressed in black they would skulk around a home or business, breaking a window here, jimmying a lock there, making off with merchandise or some petty cash before the cops showed up.

The recent political drama in the RM of Ritchot came to a quick end on July 19, with Chris Ewen sneaking past incumbent Jackie Hunt to be elected mayor. According to the official results, Ewen received 742 votes compared to Hunt’s 650. Other mayoral challengers included Gene Whitney (413 votes) and Marianne Curtis (106 votes). Overall voter turnout was 39 percent.

Ritchot’s new council is on the job and moving quickly to conclude some pressing business that’s been on hold since the spring, most notably the municipality’s 2017 financial plan. Also, the distribution of property tax notices has been delayed.

On July 18, two Niverville residents presented a petition requesting an audience with the five-member council to demonstrate what Niverville residents have to say about alternative policing options. Together, Barry Piasta and Lindsay Unrau offered a list of 540 signatures which they had spent the previous three weeks collecting in a door-to-door campaign. 

In the past few years, Niverville’s only licensed daycare provider, Growing Minds Child Care (GMCC), has seen limited growth. This trend is not for lack of foresight or desire, but rather, they say, a reality imposed by lack of adequate funding from the provincial government.