April 25, 2007: An $80,000 infant memorial garden planned for Horsham Cemetery has had a $6500 head-start.

A crowd of more than 100 at an official launch in Horsham Masonic Hall dug deep to kick-start a project organisers hope to complete by July or August.

Horsham Mayor Gary Bird launched the project with an emotional speech, describing the infant memorial garden as a ‘special community project’.

‘‘It’s a great community story,’’ he said.

‘‘We have no idea how many infants have been stillborn in this area.’’

April 30, 2008: Thirty-eight hoon drivers in the Wimmera have had their cars confiscated for 48 hours since new laws were introduced in July 2006.

Twenty were in Horsham, eight in Ararat, seven in Stawell, two in Lake Bolac and one in St Arnaud.

Fifteen P-plate drivers, two unlicensed people and 21 fully licensed drivers were nabbed by police. The offenders were all male.

In Horsham they were aged between 20 and 43 and in Ararat and Stawell, they were aged between 18 and 40.

The main reason for impoundment was improper use of a motor vehicle, with 22 offenders recorded. There were also 12 excessive speed offences, two careless driving, one undue smoke and noise and one speed in a manner dangerous.

Speeds of 196, 162, 160, 154 and 147 kilometres an hour were recorded in 100kmh zones, while there were also 129 in an 80kmh zone, 115 in a 60kmh zone and 107 in a 50kmh zone.

April 29, 2009: A Horsham man is suing a police officer who allegedly drew a firearm on him at a roadblock during the Remlaw fire on February 7.

Donald Carter issued a writ on Detective Sergeant Stephen Walker, head of the Horsham Criminal Investigation Unit, and Victoria Police on April 6 for damages and compensation after an incident at a roadblock in Golf Course Road, Horsham, during the Remlaw fire.

Mr Carter was trying to return to protect his home from the fire.

The Mail-Times believes police are preparing a brief to charge Mr Carter for alleged assault-related offences during the incident.

The Mail-Times reported on February 11 that a man had allegedly assaulted a police officer who was preventing him from accessing a road deemed unsafe by the fire incident control centre.

April 25, 2011: A fire which ripped through Horsham College’s middle school library on Good Friday morning caused damage estimated at more than $1 million.

College principal Frank Spiel estimated the damage bill.

He said both memorabilia and expensive equipment were lost in the fire.

Horsham Detective Leading Senior Sergeant Leigh Creasey said an arson chemist travelled from Melbourne at the weekend to investigate the fire.

He said it was determined an electrical fault started the fire early Friday morning.

Det Sen Sgt Creasey said the fire could have been burning for hours before flames triggered alarms at the school, alerting police at 7.50am.

Mr Spiel said that along with books, the library housed audio-visual gear, honour boards, pictures of past principals and video-conferencing equipment.

April 29, 2011: Horsham Rural City Council will consider building a new performing arts centre behind the Horsham Town Hall and Horsham Regional Art Gallery.

Objectors to council’s failed $15.2-million town hall redevelopment proposal have been recommending the site as an alternative location for a performing arts centre since early last year.

Chief executive Peter Brown said this week council would investigate the feasibility of building on the site as well as evaluate available greenfi eld sites in the city.

Mr Brown said council would not take any action without considerable public consultation and supporting evidence.

April 25, 2012: Hundreds of Wimmera residents in Minyip, Rupanyup and Donald will gain access to clean drinking water within the next two years.

Water Minister Peter Walsh yesterday announced major upgrades valued at almost $7 million for the towns, which have battled for better water quality for years.

Minyip and Rupanyup communities will be joined to an expanded Murtoa water treatment plant via 20 kilometres of pipeline. The project will cost $2.7 million.

Donald will receive a $3.9-million treatment plant.

Rupanyup, Minyip and Donald were among eight Wimmera towns deemed as having ‘regulated’ water, which is not fit for human consumption.

Mr Walsh said GWMWater would manage the projects, to be completed within two years.

April 27, 2012: A meeting early today could decide the future of 30 employees at CMI Industrial, Horsham.

Car parts manufacturer CMI Industrial was placed into receivership yesterday after Ford appointed Melbourne firm McGrathNicol as receivers and managers.

CMI Horsham is a components supplier to Ford and one of four CMI sites affected.

The demise of CMI Industrial has forced Ford to close its Broadmeadows and Geelong factories, with about 1800 workers, for up to a week.

Horsham employee Dale Pickering, a worker at the foundry for 34 years, said he would be devastated to see the business go into liquidation.

“This is the second lot of administration we’ve been through,’’ he said.

“This is the second time it’s been touch and go.’’

Mr Pickering said the Horsham business was doing well but struggled because of CMI Industrial’s issues.

April 26, 2013: Telstra Country Wide south-east area manager Bill Mundy believes there is a prevalence of illegal mobile repeater devices in the Wimmera.

The repeaters can cause interference to mobile coverage.

Telstra plans to build three new towers in the region to combat the need for reception boosters.

Mr Mundy said Telstra technicians located several illegal repeaters – also known as illegal boosters – in the Minyip district last week.

Residents had threatened to complain to the telecommunications watchdog after 30 or 40 families in a 40-kilometre radius had been left with faulty phone and wireless internet services for nearly seven weeks.

Mr Mundy said Telstra removed several repeaters from the area and explained to the offenders why they were illegal.

“People use these devices to improve their own mobile signal, but they often don’t realise, or don’t care, that they’re interfering with the wider community’s mobile coverage,’’ he said.

“A lot of the time, they’re unaware what they’re doing is illegal.’’

May 1, 2013: A crane loomed over the Dimboola Hotel yesterday as part of court-ordered repairs almost a decade after fire gutted the building.

Horsham Magistrate’s Court ordered hotel owner Paul Rintel to have completed safety repairs to the hotel by yesterday and to have substantially started planned redevelopments by December 31.

Magistrate Jack Vandersteen also ordered Rintel to pay $5000 to the Make A Wish Foundation for having failed to comply with a Hindmarsh Shire Council building order to demolish the building almost two years ago.

Rintel bought the fire-ravaged freehold property for $1 in 2004.

Hindmarsh Shire Council chief executive Dean Miller said council would inspect the hotel tomorrow morning to ensure the building’s safety had been improved.

“It is nice to see something happening but he has a legal obligation to do something,” he said.