Shrewsbury, my hometown in England, has been hitting the headlines recently.
There has been an explosion in the town centre, which injured 12 people and a murder.
It was strange when I saw the happenings on the news here as I knew exactly what I would be doing if I were still in Shrewsbury.
I would have been running around door knocking (a journalism term where you knock on people’s doors until you find out the information you need) and trying to piece together all the bits of information as quickly as possible.
The explosion ripped through the centre of Shrewsbury on Jan. 3.
It injured 12 people and caused severe damage to nearby buildings. It is believed it was a gas explosion.
Shrewsbury is a historic town so I was very worried when I heard the news in case it affected a listed building.
The town’s Welsh Bridge — one of the key routes into town — had to be closed due to damage to nearby buildings. One lane could be closed for another month.
Several people were taken to hospital after the explosion, which happened on a busy town centre corner.
Emergency services poured into the area and afterwards, shop, bar and restaurant owners spoke of their buildings being shaken by the blast. Some windows were blown out and even, in some cases, the fabric of their buildings was knocked out of alignment.
Shrewsbury is now focusing on the clean-up, getting back to normal and hoping the people still in hospital will be better soon.
Just three days after the explosion on Jan. 6, Shrewsbury faced the news of the murder of a 52-year-old man called Paul Wayne Rugg.
He was found with stab wounds in his first floor flat in an area of Shrewsbury called Harlescott.
Four men were initially arrested on suspicion of murder. One of the men, Wayne Austin, 25, has since been charged with murder and appeared before a special sitting of Shrewsbury Magistrates on Jan 9. He will appear before Shrewsbury Crown Court on Jan. 18.
Two of the other men arrested have been released without charge while a fourth man has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
But Shrewsbury is always a resilient town and people always come together to get through any problems.
Before more flood barriers were built on the River Severn, Shrewsbury was often severely flooded, but people always rallied round to help each other.
I know that at the moment, everyone will be talking about the latest news stories and talking is how people will come to terms with everything.
In some ways, Shrewsbury is very much like Moose Jaw. I find everyone here very friendly and people always smile and say ‘hello’ and that’s just what Shrewsbury is like.
Rebecca Lawrence can be reached at 691-1258.
