CJRO News: October 21 to October 27, 2024

Hello bonjour and welcome to CJRO News on CJRO Radio. I'm Candice Vetter reporting from Embrun.

Many local residents were able to see Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS (also called C/2023 A3) for the last few weeks. Although a dark sky location is preferred the comet brightened just enough to be seen as a smudge in the northwestern sky even with local light pollution and a super moon rising. Binoculars, telescopes and some cameras revealed its fuzzy coma and tail. It is now only visible with a telescope and on its way to the Oort Cloud. It will return in 80,000 years.

Photo courtesy of Marcel St. Jean

Comet A3 wasn’t the only thrill in the night sky. Earlier in October the aurora borealis, or northern lights, lit up the sky for many nights. On October 10 there were even colours visible, including a brilliant red. Aurora colours are caused by molecules in the upper atmosphere which are energized by solar flares escaping the sun at angles that hit the Earth. According to NASA the colours in an aurora depend on which gas is excited by the incoming charged particles and how high the gas is in the atmosphere. Oxygen above approximately 190 kilometres (120 miles) causes the reds. Nitrogen lower down causes green or pink, and blue shows up when nitrogen and oxygen are between 120 and 180 kilometres (75 to 110 miles).

Photo courtesy of Ashley Bergeron

Thirteen-year-old Jacob Landriault was given a Citizen Recognition Award at Russell Township Council on October 15, acknowledging his quick thinking and heroic actions. On September 29 Jacob and his mother encountered a man frantically searching for his missing 8-year-old son. The boy has autism, a hearing impairment, is non-verbal, and had wandered off. After hearing the boy’s description, Jacob immediately set off on his bike to help. He successfully located the child 1.2 kilometres away on North Russell Road. Jacob quickly contacted his mother and stayed with the child, who eventually lay down on the ground, until the boy’s father and grandfather arrived. Jacob ensured the boy stayed safe, preventing him from entering the busy road. The township’s media release said Jacob demonstrated incredible bravery and compassion in a difficult situation. Nomination Requests and nominations are accepted throughout the year by contacting the township’s Communication Department.

A similar program exists in the Municipality of Casselman. The Citizen Recognition Program highlights the volunteer work, commitment to the community and/or bringing more influence to the Municipality of Casselman. Casselmanian Dyane Adam was recently the first recipient of the Key to the Town of Casselman. The nominee can be originally from Casselman or a current resident and must have made an exceptional contribution to the community. The nomination form is available on the Municipality of Casselman website, and the nomination period ends December 31.

Finally, it’s time to register for this year’s edition of the Russell Santa Parade! This year’s parade will be Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. To register send information about the size of float, number of participants, and whether there are music and/or animals. The deadline for registering is Friday, November 15.

CJRO wants to report on the local news that matters, so send news ideas, issues and comments to newscjro@gmail.com by Monday mornings. Listen to the news and Local First on cjroradio.com anytime or on the Tune In or Radio Player Canada apps, or at FrequencyNews.ca. I'm Candice Vetter for CJRO News and the Local Journalism Initiative. CJRO, 107.7 FM, last on the dial and first for local news.