Craik, featured

Further delay granted in Craik fraud case

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By Joel van der Veen

MOOSE JAW — The lawyer representing Craik’s former administrator has requested another month’s delay as they continue to review the dozens of fraud charges laid against him earlier this year.

Jeffrey Todd Murray, who worked for the Town of Craik between 2010 and 2014, faces a total of 33 fraud charges, representing more than $41,000 in misspent funds.

His lawyer, Gail Wartman, made the request during an appearance at the provincial courthouse in Moose Jaw on Aug. 3.

“We’re still getting some more disclosure,” she told Justice Margaret Gordon.

Crown prosecutor Rob Parker said he did not object to the adjournment, noting that other parties had agreed it could not be counted in any future claim of unreasonable delay. The judge granted the request.

No plea has been entered and the charges have yet to be read in court.

Speaking outside the courtroom, Wartman said they were waiting on disclosure from the Town of Craik itself, including minutes from past council meetings. She said she anticipated full co-operation from the town.

“It’s all public material,” she said. “I don’t expect there to be a problem.”

Wartman had previously appeared on Murray’s behalf on June 1, requesting matters to be adjourned until August. The accused himself was not present for either of the two appearances.

Murray, 41, has been accused by police of defrauding the town “by deceit, falsehood or other fraudulent means” to the tune of $41,079.81, according to court documents.

Thirty-one charges of fraud were laid against him in March, each of them related to personal purchases allegedly made using a Royal Bank Visa card issued in the town’s name.

Two additional charges followed in May, in which Murray was accused of overpaying himself for hours worked at the Craik Water Treatment Plant, and for his own salary as the town’s administrator.

Murray is scheduled to return to provincial court on Sept. 7.

Bladworth, featured

Prpick family barn “razing and blazing”

The remains of the Prpick family's barn are destroyed by fire on July 29 after being demolished.
The remains of the Prpick family’s barn are destroyed by fire on July 29 after being demolished.

By Sean Prpick
Special to The Leader

BLADWORTH — It shouldn’t have been, but it still was a shock when my cousin Heidi Prpick Schneider copied me on a mass family Facebook message at the end of July.

Heidi apologized for the short notice, but explained that an important piece of our past was going up in flames. And if we wanted to see the last of the Prpick family barn, now more than a century old and dilapidated, we should come out the following day.

Heidi told us we could expect a big barn burning — or “Barn Razing,” as I quickly dubbed it — since it was to be destroyed by fire on July 29.

Other family members did me one better, however, and called the “Barn Blazing.”

Everybody who was CC’d on this message had their own memories of the old barn.

In my own case, the barn was there literally for as long as I remember. When I was born in 1958, my parents Joe and Sharon Prpick brought me to the farm a few miles north of Bladworth, which is operated now by my aunt Janet and her sons Barkley and Jason.

I recall being very small and chasing barn cats around on the main floor, climbing up the ladder to the hayloft which looked so vast and spooky, my dad harnessing up our Clydesdales in the stalls on cold winter days, and more.

We left the farm when I was about five and moved to a new one a few miles away.

Not long after that, my uncle Jim Prpick married my aunt Janet and took over the old homestead and raised four kids, including the two boys and their younger sisters Heidi and Brandi.

The barn remained a central part of their lives.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 15 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

featured, Sports

Ranch rodeo draws hundreds to Findlater

Lane Robertson takes part in the mutton bustin' competition at the Findlater Ranch Rodeo presented by K+S Potash Canada on Aug. 6.
Lane Robertson takes part in the mutton bustin’ competition at the Findlater Ranch Rodeo presented by K+S Potash Canada on Aug. 6.

By Joel van der Veen

FINDLATER — Close to 1,200 people flocked to Findlater last weekend for a day of rodeo competition and fun for the whole family.

The Findlater Ranch Rodeo, presented by K + S Potash Canada, featured 10 teams competing in the main event on Aug. 6.

Taking home the championship buckles was the Guenther ranch team, consisting of captain Cheryl Guenther of Lanigan; Amber Guenther and Adam Siebold, both of Kelvington; and Tyrel Fousche, a former CCA champion who now lives in Regina.

The teams took part in five events, including team doctoring, team branding, the wild horse race, trailer loading and wild cow milking.

Organizer Shannon McArton said the last event in particular lives up to its name.

“These guys have to catch them and milk them,” she said. “It does get pretty crazy in the arena.”

McArton is one of six serving on the board of directors, which includes representatives from Findlater, Dilke, Holdfast and Bethune.

Beautiful weather on Saturday helped to ensure a strong turnout, she said, adding that some guests stumbled upon the rodeo after seeing the tents from the highway and wondering what the commotion was.

The rodeo is now in its eighth year and organizers seem to have hit upon a winning formula, as attendance has averaged around 1,000 people for the past five years.

The wild horse race was a new addition this year, but McArton said that generally the events stay the same from year to year.

Competitors have told them that the Findlater ranch rodeo draws the highest attendance in the province, she added.

For the full story, please see the Aug. 15 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured

Willners count their blessings after storm flattens farmyard

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By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — It took less than two minutes to destroy more than a century’s worth of work.

That was Sydney Willner’s observation as she surveyed the damage to her parents’ farmyard northwest of Davidson on Wednesday morning.

The Willners’ yard was flattened by a twister that struck sometime after 8 p.m. on Tuesday, cutting a diagonal path through their yard.

The storm uprooted trees, tossed around granaries and knocked down most of their buildings. Even so, their house was spared, suffering comparatively minor damage, and neither the family nor their animals were injured.

Laura Willner was counting her blessings Wednesday morning as she, her family and their friends continued the task of clearing the damage.

“We’re just very, very grateful for everybody’s help,” she said, adding that the first volunteers showed up within an hour of the tornado passing through.

Gord and Laura Willner and their daughter Sydney were home on Tuesday night when the storm hit.

Gord and Sydney were on the porch watching the hail storm in progress when they spotted a funnel cloud taking shape.

“It made a funnel right over the yard,” said Gord, and at that point the three of them headed for the basement.

Sydney said Wednesday that being hit by a tornado was her greatest fear, but added that she wasn’t aware of any loud noise as it passed over: “I had the adrenalin going.”

Gord said the family was only downstairs for a couple of minutes, after which they emerged to find their yard in ruins.

“Every building in the yard was gone, except the house,” said Laura.

For the full story and more photos, please see the July 25 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

Davidson, featured

Pokemon mobile game catches fire in Davidson

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By Joel van der Veen

DAVIDSON — If you’re gonna catch ‘em all, you’ve got to start somewhere.

The Pokémon Go craze that swept across North America in recent weeks has made its way to the Midway Town.

It has attracted a loyal following here, primarily among players in their teens and 20s — though some of them may be in denial about it.

The game officially became available on Apple (iOS) and Android mobile devices in Canada on July 17.

It is the latest entry in the longrunning Pokémon franchise — the name being an abbreviation of the words “Pocket Monsters.”

Gamers are tasked with catching the creatures in the wild, training them and battling them against others, with the ultimate goal of becoming the greatest Pokémon trainer.

Rather than navigating through a virtual world as in past games, the new game uses “augmented reality,” incorporating the real world through the use of the camera on the player’s phone.

Players are required to walk around looking for Pokémon characters, which are shown superimposed onto the environment on the screen.

When they encounter the critters, they can “catch” them using Poke Balls, working their way towards collecting all 151 of the original Pokémon.

Players can also look for PokéStops, where they can obtain the supplies needed to progress in the game, and Pokémon gyms, where they can battle other players.

Both PokéStops and gyms are associated with real-world landmarks, and can be found in cities and towns across North America, including Davidson.

The game made its debut in early July and has already been downloaded by 30 million users.

For the full story and more photos, please see the July 25 edition of The Davidson Leader, or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.

The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan