100 Mile House
Protesters let down as Bill C-38 moves forward
100 Mile House fastball playoffs underway
National Aboriginal Day celebrated
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CMHA South Cariboo Community Bike Ride
A17 JUNE 27, 2012
• 52 Pages • One Section
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Premier introduces antibullying actions Carole Rooney Free Press
Premier Christy Clark has announced a new province-wide, 10-point anti-bullying strategy in an effort to ensure every child feels safe, accepted and respected, regardless of his or her gender, race, culture, religion, or sexual orientation. The ERASE Bullying (Expect Respect And a Safe Education) plan includes 10 elements to begin in the 2012/13 school year. Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers` Association president Joan Erb says it is welcome news. “The CCTA is very pleased to learn the government has upped the anti on bullying. As educators we see daily the deplorable impact bullying has on our most vulnerable students.” Bullying destroys selfconfidence and too often results some form of violence or self-destruction, she explains. See BULLY… page A4
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Chris Nickless photo
Around 2:30 on June 23, a bolt of lightning hit the 120-foot fir tree in Bill and Nora Friesen’s front yard in the 108 Mile Ranch and blew it apart. Pieces of the once majestic tree were strewn throughout Friesen’s and his neighbours’ yards.
Lightning bolt turns tree into kindling Ken Alexander Free Press
Bill Friesen was having an nap when he was jerked awake by a deafening boom, followed immediately by a loud crack and a bang that shook his Smith Road home at 108 Mile Ranch around 2:30 p.m. on June 23. “My first guess was it was a gas explosion. We [Bill and his wife, Nora,] had experienced a huge propane gas explosion in 1966 in Mackenzie that blew the roof off of the trailer and the six kids inside with it. All of the kids survived, which was
a miracle. out the front door to see “It was so loud I heard what happened, Bill says it 10 miles away when I the downed tree blocked was skidding a moose out the doorway, so he had of the bush.” to go out the garage door. The 79-year-old says When he walked outside, he knew a bolt a neighbour was of lightning had already there to knocked down see if he was all the large fir tree, right and then which he “gueswent and got his timates” was chainsaw and around 120 feet cut the tree away tall with a threefrom the doorfoot diameter butt, way. in his front yard. According to Bill Friesen “I didn’t have an observer, Bill’s to get out of bed immaculately to know what happened, kept front yard looked as I could see the tree was like a war zone, with down in the window.” chunks of wood strewn When he tried to go everywhere, including
his neighbours’ yards. Noting nobody was hurt, Bill agrees there were pieces of tree everywhere and all that was left standing was around a 10-foot splintered trunk. He notes the top 20-25 feet of the tree came off in one piece, and then there was a three-inch gash along on the trunk for about 30 feet and “then it exploded after that.” His home sustained “quite a bit of damage,” as a half a dozen pieces of wood smashed into the front siding and a twofoot long, 10-pound chunk of wood went through his front window, which is
now boarded up. “There were pieces of wood thrown everywhere, including the neighbours on both sides. My grandson picked up a piece, which weighed 50 pounds, in the back yard and was about 200 feet from the tree.” Only small pieces landed in the neighbours’ yards, he explains. Bill says he didn’t lose power and only his TV was not working. “I did get heck from one of the firefighters for not calling 9-1-1, but I didn’t think about doing that.” See LIGHTNING… page A6