Latest news with #Route12
Winnipeg Free Press
01-08-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Family, colleagues take final ride with ‘cool school bus driver' slain in June double homicide
Carrying Melissa Wilson's ashes last Saturday, loved ones boarded the yellow Sunrise School Division vehicle she drove in a tribute to 'the cool school bus driver lady' who died in an unsolved rural shooting in June. Wilson, 41, was slain in a June 20 double homicide in the Rural Municipality of Victoria Beach. Six weeks later, Mounties continue to look for the unidentified killer in what is believed to have been a targeted attack on the cottage-area resident and a 29-year-old man from Winnipeg. The death of the mother of four who had three grandchildren prompted her Beausejour-area colleagues to ask the division to arrange a proper sendoff. SUPPLIED Family members, friends and colleagues celebrated the life of Melissa Julie Wilson, 41, on Saturday with a final trip aboard the school bus she spent much of her life driving. She was one of 87 bus drivers employed by the division, which is located about 60 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, in the just-ended school year. Sunrise administration agreed to allow the bus to be decorated and taken to a celebration of life in Victoria Beach on July 26. A bouquet of flowers, featuring her favourite tiger lilies, was secured to the hood. Selfies of Wilson in her parked bus and other photos were printed out and strung across it. 'It was a very tragic loss. Whatever we can do as a school community to support her family in Melissa's absence, we will do that,' said Jason Ziprick, the school division's transportation manager. A online obituary referencing 'the cool school bus driver lady,' along with her job as an assistant caregiver, allowed Wilson to 'touch the hearts of others.' 'The students meant the world to her,' said Jodi Ruta, a school bus driver who took more than a dozen of Wilson's family members, as well as her dog and her urn, on a farewell trip. Ruta delivered a 'last call' over the radio in honour of her former colleague. 'This is the last call for Route 12, Melissa Julie Wilson. We have it from here,' she told the packed bus and otherwise-silent weekend radio channel. Moments later, Be My Angel by Manitoba country artist Kimberley Dawn blared from the speakers. SUPPLIED A school bus was decorated and taken to a celebration of life in Victoria Beach on July 26 in memory of Melissa Julie Wilson. Ziprick recalled that Wilson had driven kindergarten-to-Grade 12 students along Route 12 — a trek requiring stops in and around Gull Lake — for as long as he could remember. 'We're going to feel her loss again in September when another driver's going to be driving that route,' he said. The division's student services team was made available to support affected community members at the end of the school year. Ruta indicated it was a fitting tribute, given Wilson was 'a strong advocate' for mental health. 'She always wanted people to know they weren't alone,' the bus driver said. The online obituary described Wilson as an outgoing and 'adventurous soul' who loved camping, foraging and fishing. She had recently transformed her family's cottage in Victoria Beach into her primary residence, it says. Wednesdays What's next in arts, life and pop culture. A list of of her wide-ranging talents included cooking, sailing and painting. FACEBOOK Melissa Julie Wilson, 41, is being remembered as a great friend to many. Manitoba RCMP have been searching for 'a person of interest' in a white pickup truck who was seen driving southbound on Highway 59 after gunshots rang out in Sandy Bay at about 2 a.m. Officers found two bodies at a property on a quiet road in the community on the shore of Lake Winnipeg, after receiving reports about a possible shooting in the area. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Powerview RCMP at 204-367-8728, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 or online. — With files from Scott Billeck Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- CBS News
Wauconda police treat teens to ice cream for reporting gun found on sidewalk
Wauconda police are praising the quick thinking of four teenage boys who found a handgun lying on the sidewalk on Wednesday. Police said the boys were riding their pikes near the Route 12 underpass on Route 176 when they spotted a Colt .25 caliber handgun on the ground. Two of the boys stayed at the scene while the other two rode their bikes to the Wauconda Police Department to report it. Officers arrived at the scene and secured the unloaded gun. Wauconda Police Chief David Wermes praised the teens for their actions. "The bravery and common sense these young men showed is truly commendable," he said. "They turned a potentially dangerous situation into an example of community responsibility." Chief Wermes treated the boys to ice cream at a Dairy Queen as a small gesture. Anyone with information about the handgun is asked to contact the Wauconda Police Department at 847-526-2421.
CBC
14-02-2025
- CBC
London transit experimenting with new seats on one bus
Riders who take the London Transit Commission's (LTC) Route 12 bus may notice something a little different about the seating. One one bus that travels between downtown and Wharncliffe at Wonderland road, smooth, hard-shell seats have replaced the patterned fabric seats that riders are familiar with. The new seats are a trial following a survey that showed bus cleanliness was a key issue for Londoners, said LTC general manager Kelly Paleczny. "The style of seating that we've put on one bus is being utilized by other transit systems as it's easier to keep clean and it's also easier for riders to detect if it is wet or if something's been spilled on it," she said. The trial run of the new seats did not cost any money, Paleczny said, because a demonstration set of chairs were donated from a company that sells seats. The new design features a more contoured shape and a small hole at the bottom, which Paleczny said will help any spilt liquid run off the seat and onto the floor. The new seats are getting mixed reviews from riders. "It's slippery and it's not as comfortable as the other one," said Khushpreet Kaur, who was travelling on the bus with the new seats Thursday. "When the bus stops, my body moves." Other riders focused on the cleanliness and shape of the new design. "The more I sit on it, I think they're probably more comfortable than the other ones," said Alyssa Barrett, who is a frequent LTC bus rider. "The shape definitely feels like it's different." Signs and stickers with a QR code on the bus, directing riders to a four-question survey about the new seats. Paleczny said that even if rider feedback is positive, there is no rush or budget to retrofit all LTC buses with the new seats. "We would essentially build that into the specification for future bus orders," said Paleczny, adding that the LTC would need to research seat styles and manufacturers first. "Future replacement and expansion buses would have that new style of seating, so the fleet would be transitioned slowly." Buses cleaned every two months Paleczny said the new bus seats would also make cleaning easier for LTC staff. LTC buses are deep-cleaned with a pressure washer every 60 days, said Paleczny. The current fabric-lined seats get covered during deep cleaning so they do not get soaked with water, she said, adding that the seats are washed on a separate 60-day cycle with a machine similar to a carpet cleaner. "That bus has to be out of service for a day because the seats have to dry once they've been cleaned before we put the bus back in," she said. Paleczny said, if implemented, the new bus seats would save staff time and money on cleaning. Barrett said seat cleanliness impacts her bus riding experience. "A few weeks ago, I got on the bus and there was this massive yellow-brown stain on a seat," said Barrett. "I don't know what it was, but I definitely had my theories, like maybe someone threw up and they left it there." Paleczny said one-off cleaning happens as required if there is a biohazard issue or spill. Barrett said she often avoids fabric seats with stains, but said that won't be an issue with the hard-shell seats. "I feel like this would be a lot cleaner because you can wipe it down with sanitary wipes and you're all good," she said.
