Those kids and their grandmas are at it again, cooking up a massive storm of baked and confectionary treats. The sale will be this Saturday at 1:00pm, ending at 5:00pm. The bake sale is expecting about twenty different participants, qualifying child-grandparent pairs. There will be a wide variety of cookies, everything from white chocolate to almond crunchies.
Last year over four hundred cookies were sold, in what the school announced to be a massive victory. The proceeds went to the rebuilding of the school's playground, which was washed out by surprise flooding last spring.
This year's proceeds are going towards a new computer lab for the school, and reference material to assist in teaching programming to curious students.
Editorial: Public apology, follow-up on break-ins
Hi everyone. Your dear editor here. You may have noticed the news stands seeming empty the past few days. Of course, our thanksgiving celebrations are partly to blame, but most of the blame falls squarely on us. We became backlogged by an investigation and chose not to report for fear of interfering with police investigations.
The Noctowne Nightly's office was broken into five nights ago, in a manner similar to the Public Library and the Nightwalker Bar. Though there were few thefts, the perpetrator stole a set of documents detailing our distribution deals throughout town. This isn't generally hidden information; aside from a few offices which want private issues, the rest of the stands are all in public places or inside prominent businesses.
It was under the request of Investigator Drogo that we did not issue a warning. Police presence near the news stands increased, however there was no increase in unusual behaviour. Nor have there been any break-ins at locations where issues were privately delivered.
The police are, frankly, at an impasse. The attacks are happening seemingly at random, with small thefts of documentation. What's more, is that little evidence is being left behind. Had they not taken the list, we would simply move on to other news in the time being, however it now appears this individual has interest in readership.
Readers, I would like to apologize for our collective inability to apprehend this thief. Starting today, all our investigative reporters are looking into the incident, and we are fully cooperating with the police.
More news will follow̸͔̫͙͎ͮͥ.
The Noctowne Nightly's office was broken into five nights ago, in a manner similar to the Public Library and the Nightwalker Bar. Though there were few thefts, the perpetrator stole a set of documents detailing our distribution deals throughout town. This isn't generally hidden information; aside from a few offices which want private issues, the rest of the stands are all in public places or inside prominent businesses.
It was under the request of Investigator Drogo that we did not issue a warning. Police presence near the news stands increased, however there was no increase in unusual behaviour. Nor have there been any break-ins at locations where issues were privately delivered.
The police are, frankly, at an impasse. The attacks are happening seemingly at random, with small thefts of documentation. What's more, is that little evidence is being left behind. Had they not taken the list, we would simply move on to other news in the time being, however it now appears this individual has interest in readership.
Readers, I would like to apologize for our collective inability to apprehend this thief. Starting today, all our investigative reporters are looking into the incident, and we are fully cooperating with the police.
More news will follow̸͔̫͙͎ͮͥ.
Update: Missing Records at the Noctowne Library
Police investigations have revealed that the break-in last night at the public library might've had more personal motives than expected. A library-wide selection of records have been wiped, relating to what books have been checked out and what late fees are applicable. There has also been a swap of hardware, evidently.
During a routine maintenance task this morning, IT personnel realized that there were date discrepancies with the database. Head of library IT, Gerald Benoulli, offered explanation: "We keep a differential backup - that is, we record what's different between today and yesterday. This goes back about 3 months; every quarter we do a full backup. What's happened here is that about two weeks of differentials have been removed. Since everything is cumulative, that data is missing permanently.
When asked about how difficult a task this would be, Gerald stated that it confounded him. "It's not an easy task. Because of our versioning system, you can't just 'remove' a couple weeks. You have to restore to the last full point, then apply everything except those two weeks. This is a process that would've taken two to three hours, in addition to identical hard disks."
In response to his statements, police cross-referenced current hardware profiles with purchasing records. They found a discrepancy between the currently installed hard disks and the ones that had been purchased. Investigating officer Sheridan Drogo stated that this was "baffling. Evidently, the perpetrator broke in with about eight hard drives [...] and installed them with the differenced backup."
Because this is sensitive information, police have begun investigating everyone connected with the library. There have been no other traces found, however. More reports as the investigation unfolds.
During a routine maintenance task this morning, IT personnel realized that there were date discrepancies with the database. Head of library IT, Gerald Benoulli, offered explanation: "We keep a differential backup - that is, we record what's different between today and yesterday. This goes back about 3 months; every quarter we do a full backup. What's happened here is that about two weeks of differentials have been removed. Since everything is cumulative, that data is missing permanently.
When asked about how difficult a task this would be, Gerald stated that it confounded him. "It's not an easy task. Because of our versioning system, you can't just 'remove' a couple weeks. You have to restore to the last full point, then apply everything except those two weeks. This is a process that would've taken two to three hours, in addition to identical hard disks."
In response to his statements, police cross-referenced current hardware profiles with purchasing records. They found a discrepancy between the currently installed hard disks and the ones that had been purchased. Investigating officer Sheridan Drogo stated that this was "baffling. Evidently, the perpetrator broke in with about eight hard drives [...] and installed them with the differenced backup."
Because this is sensitive information, police have begun investigating everyone connected with the library. There have been no other traces found, however. More reports as the investigation unfolds.
Noctowne Public Library Broken Into
There has been another break-in on Main, just down the street from The Nightwalker Bar, which saw a similar crime just a few days ago. When the head librarian returned in the morning, she found one of the attic windows propped open. Nothing appears to have been taken, however several archival materials were strewn about on the second floor.
Police responded within minutes, doing a thorough sweep of the building. Aside from the mess, there was absolutely no evidence to be found. Investigator Drogo was on duty at the crime scene, looking for further signs of damage. "It's strange... normally you'd see footprints, or splinters, or even some missing valuables. But aside from these books, nothing is even slightly askew."
While there was a similar crime earlier in the week, police have not elevated the status of the case. Investigator Drogo was not worried. "It's unlikely this is anything serious. I've seen two cases like this before. Probably just some kid on a lark." When pressed on whether this could be a series of 'test-runs' or whether this would be the furthest extent of crime, Drogo stated that "it's unlikely to be cause for concern, but if you own anything valuable, it is a good idea to double your locks until the situation is resolved."
More on this case as it develops.
Woodlot Lumber Yard Suffering Delayed Shipments
The nearby hamlet of Woodlot is suffering some hard times lately. There have been numerous mechanical failures plaguing the lumber yard, which is the major source of their revenue. Because of this, shipments of local wood are delayed, and Noctowne may be required to import wood from further resources.
The hamlet first started producing wood during the early 1920s, after the abandoned mining rigs had been rediscovered. The area had been abandoned for nearly 70 years, causing a lot of tree growth or return. Despite them being outside of Noctowne's magnetic anomalies, the hamlet has a long history of mechanical failures.
Father Milton, the priest of the sole church in the hamlet, has dispelled any notion of supernatural involvement. He was only available for comment via telephone. "This land has a long history of strange magics, but there has been no such activity here for many years. I've done studies on the weathering of the church, and noticed that there seems to be very prosporous moss and molds that grow in this area. It is likely that this is all just because of the atmosphere."
Indeed, local botanists and meteorologists have agreed with the assessment. "If you look at the region... you see a lot of rainfall getting trapped in Woodlot's valleys. Storms funnel their way through us to them, or tail-ends come up from south-east." The unusual moss has been noted before, as one local botanist published a paper about the strangely fervent growths. When contacted, he stated that "mosses often grow on old stone churches, but I've never seen it so rampant."
The head engineer of the lumber mill, Lionel Kim, stated that the damages still confound him. "It's not sabotage, that's true. However, there's definitely something unusual going on here. I tell you, we're using high-grade steel, and yet we're still seeing rust and grime damaging components in ways that I've never experienced before."
Despite his worries, Mr Kim seems confident that they'll be up and running by the end of the week. "Orders will be about 6 to 8 days behind, it looks like, but after that we should be back to normal. Never fear citizens, there will be enough toothpicks for everyone."
The hamlet first started producing wood during the early 1920s, after the abandoned mining rigs had been rediscovered. The area had been abandoned for nearly 70 years, causing a lot of tree growth or return. Despite them being outside of Noctowne's magnetic anomalies, the hamlet has a long history of mechanical failures.
Father Milton, the priest of the sole church in the hamlet, has dispelled any notion of supernatural involvement. He was only available for comment via telephone. "This land has a long history of strange magics, but there has been no such activity here for many years. I've done studies on the weathering of the church, and noticed that there seems to be very prosporous moss and molds that grow in this area. It is likely that this is all just because of the atmosphere."
Indeed, local botanists and meteorologists have agreed with the assessment. "If you look at the region... you see a lot of rainfall getting trapped in Woodlot's valleys. Storms funnel their way through us to them, or tail-ends come up from south-east." The unusual moss has been noted before, as one local botanist published a paper about the strangely fervent growths. When contacted, he stated that "mosses often grow on old stone churches, but I've never seen it so rampant."
The head engineer of the lumber mill, Lionel Kim, stated that the damages still confound him. "It's not sabotage, that's true. However, there's definitely something unusual going on here. I tell you, we're using high-grade steel, and yet we're still seeing rust and grime damaging components in ways that I've never experienced before."
Despite his worries, Mr Kim seems confident that they'll be up and running by the end of the week. "Orders will be about 6 to 8 days behind, it looks like, but after that we should be back to normal. Never fear citizens, there will be enough toothpicks for everyone."
Break-in at the Nightwalker Bar
This evening at 9:27 pm, an individual was reported to attempt entry into the Nightwalker Bar through a top floor window. The individual did so under the guize of heavy fog, and was only noticed when a patron was moving through the room next door. When police arrived at the scene, there were signs of disruption on the roof shingles, however no entry was seen to have been made.When interviewed, the owner of the bar, Eugene Walker, stated that these sort of attempts were quite rare, and usually not as malicious as one would think. "We've had people try to get in before, and usually it was due to some incident of embarrassment. Sometimes patrons forget items that mean a lot to them, but they do not wish to admit owning."
Walker was primarily referring to an incident last year, when a former patron broke in to an empty room on the second floor, and was caught stuck in the window with a briefcase full of adult accessories and massage tools.
Local police are more worried than Walker, however. They state that the suspect was identified as "male, in his late teens." An investigator on duty was quoted as saying the suspect could be "some young punk looking to case a joint for a lark." The investigator wished to remain anonymous.
The man who saw the incident was another patron of the hotel, an old resident who is in the midst of moving to an apartment. He stated that his primary worry was "new blood coming in here and ruining the place for us locals." Despite his worries, police assured us that there has not been a statistical rise in crime since the latest flood of new residents.
When asked, Investigator Drogo stated: "Yeah, there's gonna be a rise in crime when more people move in. But it's not statistically relevant. You're no more likely to be a victim than you were before. Which, as my superiors have likely already told you, is proudly unlikely, as we are one of the safest regions of British Columbia."
Letter from the Mayor: Welcome to the latest season!
Dear Citizens,
It is with great pleasure that I address you all, and welcome those newcomers that have come to our town. This past season has shown a large influx of citizens to our town, and it is only due that I give them a fair welcome. In the last fifteen years, Noctowne has seen a boom that has not been witnessed since the industrial era. And you are all part of it!
Our town is a unique center of nightlife without the usual riffraff associated with it. Despite our latest statistics showing that over 40% of our population is awake at 'odd hours', we are pleased to report that our crime rate is among the lowest 100 for municipalities in British Columbia.
It also important for me to emphasize that our major industrial partner, ARCO, has jurisdiction on all land across the river. We would like to remind our new citizens that trespassing on ARCO property is a serious crime, so if you wish to visit their departments, please make sure to either arrange a visit or join one of the many tours.
I have also been reminded by the local Ranger Lodge that there are special regulations in place for the forest around the town. We are proud to be one of the few towns with an Extended Camping program, allowing individuals to rough it in the woods for periods up to one month consecutively. There are special rules in place, so please speak to our Rangers about specifics.
So once again, as your mayor, I invite you to enjoy our town! May we have a prosperous life together.
It is with great pleasure that I address you all, and welcome those newcomers that have come to our town. This past season has shown a large influx of citizens to our town, and it is only due that I give them a fair welcome. In the last fifteen years, Noctowne has seen a boom that has not been witnessed since the industrial era. And you are all part of it!
Our town is a unique center of nightlife without the usual riffraff associated with it. Despite our latest statistics showing that over 40% of our population is awake at 'odd hours', we are pleased to report that our crime rate is among the lowest 100 for municipalities in British Columbia.
It also important for me to emphasize that our major industrial partner, ARCO, has jurisdiction on all land across the river. We would like to remind our new citizens that trespassing on ARCO property is a serious crime, so if you wish to visit their departments, please make sure to either arrange a visit or join one of the many tours.
I have also been reminded by the local Ranger Lodge that there are special regulations in place for the forest around the town. We are proud to be one of the few towns with an Extended Camping program, allowing individuals to rough it in the woods for periods up to one month consecutively. There are special rules in place, so please speak to our Rangers about specifics.
So once again, as your mayor, I invite you to enjoy our town! May we have a prosperous life together.
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