Round about Lahr News and views from Lahr newspapers, summarized by Trisha Cornforth Schmidt & Hartmann Car Dealership starts bankruptcy proceedings Just before Christmas, this well-known Lahr automobile dealership which had celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1999, announced that it would no longer be able to repay its debts and that its 30 employees would be out of work. It had been having problems keeping up with its Audi/VW contract for some time - of course, it couldn't sell so many vehicles since the Canadian Forces left Lahr! Hurricane hits Germany on Boxing Day On 26 December winter storms caused widespread damage and deaths in the whole of Europe. High speed winds knocked over trees and blocked roads, Autobahns and railway lines everywhere. Winds of up to 144 km/h were recorded at the weather station on Lahr airfield. Firefighters, police, and the technical aid services were in action all day long (one fireman was seriously injured by a falling tree during clearing work). Power was cut off to the Schutter valley. Whole hillsides of trees were uprooted on the Langenhard (see some Photos) and around the Kaserne, plus some on the grounds of the former Black Forest Officers Mess (now a seminar center for distance university studies). At Canada House (T-2, the former Canadian Forces downtown post office where "Der Kanadier" newspaper office used to be located), the new protective covering to the flat roof was ripped off by the wind (see photo).