They’ve run out of places to look

MELBOURNE - Kayla Maybee, 8, loved being a country girl.
The energetic child had moved from the city to a rural property near Melbourne, southwest of London, with her mom and 11-year-old sister last summer.
"She loved living here," said Caron Littleton, who looked after the two sisters after school during the work week.
Eight-year-old Kayla disappeared into Gentleman Creek while playing with two friends on Saturday. Her family recently moved to the rural property from London.

Lloyd Johnson 36 sentenced to 14 years

The man who shot a London drug dealer point-blank in his apartment was dealt a 14-year sentence today.
Lloyd Johnson, 36, a Jamaican living in Toronto had his time reduced to eight years, five months once his time served was factored in.
 He is slated to be deported after his sentence.
Johnson was convicted of shooting Ali in the chest during a robbery with two other people. He almost died and remained in hospital for weeks after the shooting.

London homes drop

New home starts tumbled in the London area in February with builders laying foundations for 69 residential units compared to 156 in Feb. 2010.
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation said starts were lower in London and all the municipalities that make up the London Census Metropolitan area.
 The Bank of Canada's decision to hold interest rates steady and improving opportunities will help support demand for new homes.

Robbery fake police say

 The Good Samaritan was fiction.
Sarnia police have charged a 56-year-old man after police received a report of a robbery that turned out to be false.
A man reported he had pulled into a London Rd. parking lot with car trouble about 4 p.m. Sunday when a man stopped to help him and then pulled out a gun and robbed him.
Police determined the story was false.
A 56-year-old Sarnia man has been charged with public mischief.

Taxes could go up

City officials are set to publish a post-tax-freeze reality check, telling Londoners the budget approved by council doesn't guarantee tax bills won't go up slightly.
Concerned some Londoners won't realize there are forces beyond city hall's control that can affect property taxes, the city is advising changes could loom for some homeowners.
In effect, there are three categories relating to taxes: the municipal tax rate, the provincial education tax and any changes due to re-assessed property values

Second fire in a year hits home

A morning house fire in a new subdivision west of the Sarnia Rd. bridge was likely caused by an electric heater left on by construction workers.
The blaze was called in to fire officials at 6:30 Tuesday morning and is the second fire at that location in a year.
The first blaze was in Fall 2010, also while the house was under construction, and the city required the builder to knock it down to its foundation.

Teen attacked on the street

A 17-year-old girl managed to fend off her attacker after she reported being assaulted on St. George Street near Cowan park early Monday morning.
The OPP are asking for the public's help in locating her attacker.
The girl was walking north near the railroad tracks around 1:30 a.m. when she noticed a man at the bottom of the hill, walking. The man began closing the distance and the complainant told police at first, she believed it was someone she knew.

Fontana says growth predictions too low

Upset growth predictions for London are too low, Mayor Joe Fontana led the charge Monday at city hall to have another look at the city’s proposed transportation master plan.
Fontana rejected the plan’s assumption of a 1% growth rate annually and persuaded city council’s built and natural environment committee to seek additional scenarios.
“The assumptions are way off,” Fontana said, suggesting if a 1% rate is the target for planning, that’ll become the city’s reality.