Murkar and Ross Thexton becoming the owners in 1901. After Thexton retired in 1907, Murkar became the sole owner, and the newspaper was owned by his family until its closure in 1965. Murkar, a former school-teacher and principal, rode a horse around Pickering to gather news. He operated the newspaper out of a property on the Old Kingston Road, which is now occupied by The Piano Shop. In 1965, the Inland Publishing Company bought the rights to the Pickering News, and incorporated it into The Ajax News Advertiser. In 1965, the old newspaper press of The Pickering News was given to the Black Creek Pioneer Village in Toronto, where it showcased in the Dalziel Barn. The Murkar family retained the ownership of the building and the other equipment, which they used for commercial printing. In 1970, they rented the building to Bay News. Education Initially, school classes in Pickering Village were held at the home of Francis Leys, a migrant from Scotland, who later became postmaster (Squire Leys' School). Later, two schools were built: a public school at the intersection of Brock Road and Kingston Road (now in city of Pickering), and a Quaker school east of Duffins Creek. The Pickering Township also had several other schools in the rural areas. The earliest school buildings were single-room log houses, heated by a wood burning stove in the centre of the room. Many of the early teachers lacked qualifications, and lasted for a short time. The young women were generally regarded as the best teachers, but had problems dealing with the oldest male students. The teachers were paid poorly; for example, a teacher's contract from June 1835 offers salary of six shillings per quarter. In 1867, Pickering's first brick school building was constructed at the southwest corner of Kingston Road and Church Street, in present-day Ajax. Called Pickering Public School S.S. #4 West, it was a one-storey structure. The building was abandoned in 1888, when a larger two-storey brick school was built on Church Street, north of Kingston Road. The new building cost 5,000 dollars to build, and had the capacity to accommodate 200 students. In 1923, two rooms were added to the school building, but high school students still needed to commute to Whitby or Scarborough. In the 1870s, the Quakers decided to relocate their West Lake college to Pickering Village. The construction of the new college building began in