Tag Archives: newsnow

FROM THE PUBLISHER (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

From the Publisher January/February 2015

ClubWest(To view our January/February 2015 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Front Page Jan Feb 2015

In life’s travels, it is always a positive thought to treat everyone nicely, professionally and fairly. One just never knows who might circle back and work their way into our life for a second time, or even on a permanent basis. It was a long time ago, 18 years to be exact, the first time I met Andrew Best and Jason Ginsburg.

They were Grimsby Secondary School Grade 10 keeners.

I was just about a year into my gig at The Grimsby Independent when the duo dropped in to bounce an idea off me. Having been around long enough to know there are no bad ideas, I listened to the boys’ vision for a new column for the paper. To give you a little a perspective good reader, this was before internet. Their idea was a column filled with brain teasers, number riddles and the like.

In nearly three decades in the publishing game, I would guess I have had hundreds of such proposals offered in my direction. This was the most innovative and took a lot of thought because these young lads had created everything they offered. It was not a situation of today where they could Google “riddles” and pages would appear.

Fast forward to this past summer. I received an email from Andrew letting me know he was living in Shanghai and would be returning home to continue development of a new company. It was a company he, along with his brother Addison and Jason could have launched from any place since its initial focus is online. The trio believe it is important to give back to the community from which one receives so, as it grows, their operation will be Grimsby based. You can read all about it right here in ClubWEST.

Speaking of new things…here we are in a shiny new 2015. That can mean only one thing: new years resolutions geared to fitness. Enter Katherine Preston. This is another lady I have known for a long time, another ball of energy and a class act. She is not just about exercise, rather, the whole ball of wax. Diet and lifestyle choices are also integral. Be sure to check out her information in this edition.

You may want to commit that information to memory before reading about all the tasty treats Beth Ashton of August Restaurant is cooking up. August has only been around six years, but has almost instantly earned a spot on everyone’s must-visit list. August is another example of “it’s nice to see good things happen to good people” because Beth and partner Clayton Gillie are top drawer folk. This edition’s chef feature covers some delectable comfort foods Beth has offered at their King Street eatery. If I was you, good reader, I would skip right to the slider page (Page 21).

Publisher, ClubWEST Magazine
Mike Williscraft

CLUBWEST, FEATURED ARTICLES (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

Who is Debbie Zimmerman?

ClubWest(To view our November/December 2014 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

Debbie Zimmerman was a politician before she even realized it – bold, confident, opinionated, and mentally tough.

After a handful of incidents proved these points to her, and an equally small number of mentors guided her in the direction of politics, her life course was established.

ZimmermanThe daughter of Pearl and the late Murray Roy was born in British Columbia. Her family moved to Beamsville when she was five years old and relocated to the home she grew up in on Central Avenue in Grimsby a short time later.

She attended Park School and Grimsby Secondary School before studying journalism at Niagara College. She recalls Mrs. Harris at Park and Mr. Muir, her high school history teacher as early influences, but nobody had a greater affect on her than her father.

“I was the first female to wear jeans at GSS. It was the 60s and girls just weren’t allowed to wear them,” Zimmerman recalls.

“I was a real pain in high school: always leading a charge in some direction. One day, I decided to wear jeans because I saw all the boys wearing them.”

“My Dad came with me. Dad went with me and said to the principal, pointing at one of the boys, ‘What’s he wearing?’ The principal said, ‘Jeans.’ My dad said, ‘Why can’t she?’ And that was it.”

Her interest in politics came from a household which always had an interesting mix of polticial stripes.

Her father was a staunch Liberal, and her mother, a New Democratic Party supporter.

“My father was quite happy to tell my mom, ‘I get to cancel you out’ (with his vote),” noted Zimmerman.

If you were a Liberal fan or, perhaps, not even, chances are you might have tried to get to Place Polonaise in 1970 for a chance to see Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau at the height of his Trudeaumania.

“I was a teenage girl. I thought he was handsome and had a lot of style. My dad told my mom he was taking the kids for ice cream and he snuck us to see Trudeau,” Zimmerman said.

…

See the full article in our online edition.

FROM THE PUBLISHER (PREVIOUS EDITIONS)

From the Publisher November/December 2014

ClubWest(To view our November/December 2014 issue of ClubWEST online, click here.)

“Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Front Page Nov Dec 2014One of the first things taught in any self-respecting journalism school is that everyone has a story to tell. A good reporter should be able to hang out at a gas station for 10 minutes and extract a half-dozen story leads just by listening to customers.

Over the near-20 years I have been covering all things Niagara West, I have spoken to Debbie Zimmerman countless times: in formal interviews, at public events, or over a coffee to catch up on things. Just when you think you know a person…

My goal, as always when I speak with someone I know well, is to find out things I don’t know about them because if I don’t know, chances are the general public would not either. I learned a lot in our chats for my feature in this edition of ClubWEST. As a kid, Debbie sounds like she was a bit of a
punk. And in the nicest way, she still is.

She is an intensely informed and motivated punk, ideal to have for political representation. She knows what the community needs (because she listens) and she has no problem dropping the mitts and fighting for it. She says she is taking a self-imposed break to cool her jets and recharge. Good for her! Niagara West communities have been blessed with some talented, hard-working representatives over the years but none
better.

And speaking of none better, two of Beamsville’s main street shops represented in this edition are certainly at the top of their respective fields. Klaas Salverda, now with his son Ben, at Beamsville Bakery have crafted a reputation for excellence over four decades of serving its clientele. Meanwhile, Nik Halkias at County Cycle serves as a model of what those who nibble the pastries from across the street should be doing to burn off the “donut effect”, namely cycling anywhere and everywhere. This summer he went on an extreme bike adventure in Portugal. He can scratch that from his bucket list.

Smithville resident Jennifer McCready combines her passion for photography and empowering women to create classic 1950s style pin-up photos – including this month’s cover shot which used NewsNow’s general manager Catherine Bratton as a subject, along with a Beamsville Bakery Black Forest Cake.

There are so many people in our midst that are doing cool things every day. They are living the ClubWEST mantra of “Passions, Pursuits & Passtimes”. Our goal is to unearth these gems and serve them up to you, our devoted readers. Our other goals, like being on time with deliveries, are more mundane, but very important to running a credible organization.

Enjoy your read!

Publisher, ClubWEST Magazine
Mike Williscraft