MONDAY
S I N C E
1 8 9 5
JULY 16, 2012 Vol. 117, Issue 136
110
$
MLA brings poverty concerns to Trail Page 3
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF
ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALM SALMO
Harsh weather could slow rescue operations for Kootenay Lake slide THE CANADIAN PRESS
THE CANADIAN PRESS PHOTO
Johnsons Landing slide on Thursday, July 13.
JOHNSONS LANDING Crews are keeping a close eye on the weather as it hampers search efforts for four people believed to be buried in a massive landslide in southeastern British Columbia. Bill Macpherson of the Central Kootenay Regional District said the slope of mud, trees and other debris was deemed stable enough on
Sunday for rescue workers to head back to the tiny community of Johnson’s Landing. But Macpherson said with a thunderstorm warning issued and rain falling, weather conditions were unstable and there’s a chance efforts would be called off if the site shows any sign of instability. Macpherson said geotechnicians are on scene to mon-
itor the slide’s movements and make decisions regarding the safety of the operation as rescuers move through the debris. “They’re doing a grid-style search and they’re focusing on the high probability locations where they hope to find these people, using GPS, mapping and the best information from local residents,” he said.
About 70 people from search and rescue, RCMP and other organizations have personnel participating in the search. Police dogs were also expected to return to the site Sunday. At least three homes were crushed by the slide in the tiny hamlet on the shores of Kootenay Lake northeast of Nelson on Thursday.
See JOHNSONS, Page 3
Love of flight beckons Trail cadet Down Under BY BREANNE MASSEY
T
Times Staff
hanks to a prestigious scholarship, a J. L. Crowe grad will be taking flight this summer. Alex Farnsworth-Philogene, 18, was accepted into the international air cadet exchange association in Australia this summer and left for training on Sunday. “He always loved planes and when he heard that the cadets could teach him how to fly, he signed up,” explained his mother, Laura Farnsworth. “He worked his way up—first as a glider pilot and then as a power pilot.” Alex has been a Trail cadet and J. L. Crowe student for several years and was pleased about receiving one of 10 placements reserved for applicants across the country. In order to apply, he had to demonstrate his involvement in the cadets, good grades and ability to follow orders. He also had to pass an intensive screening contest, but was chuffed when the acceptance letter finally came in the mail. “I was relieved that I received any type of response because I didn’t know if they would send a letter to me either way,” he said. “But when I read it, I was really overjoyed.” He will be traveling for two weeks in Sydney and Brisbane and spending time with the cadets in Montreal before he ages out of the program in August, when he expects to apply to become an officer with the cadets and continue flying on the weekends while pursuing a degree. “If I wanted to do this and hadn’t participated in anything else, I probably wouldn’t have got it,” he said. At the mere age of 12, Alex had completed basic training with the cadets, a series of leadership courses and an introduction to aviation. But it wasn’t long
BREANNE MASSEY PHOTO
Alex Farnsworth-Philogene stands at the Trail Regional Airport beside a Cessna 172. He used a similar model to this plane on the mainland last week under the Air Cadet League of Canada’s power pilot familiarization upgrade scholarship, valued at $2,500. until he was flying as a glider and power pilot—he was only 16. “Everybody has a hobby and flying is mine,” Alex explained. “This is my last year in the cadet program before I age out and an exchange seemed like a pretty cool thing to do.” Alex is eager to meet “like-minded people,” see the sights and wrap up his last year in the cadets before entering a four-year engineering program at McGill. He is looking forward to staying in an
Australian barracks every night, visiting the Australia Zoo and touring the Telstra Tower. “Because I’m going into engineering, I think it will be really cool to see the Telstra Tower on Black Mountain,” Alex said. “It’s like the Australian version of Bell or Rogers so I’m looking forward to seeing that.” Alex had initially applied for an exchange program in England because his extended family used to live there and
sent him gifts by post, which piqued his interest. But he was offered a placement in Australia. He wanted to get the travelbug out of his system before settling into a degree program. “I was still really happy,” he said. “You get three choices when you apply and I got my second so that’s still pretty good.” Alex was accepted into an engineering program at McGill University this fall and will have roughly one week to settle into Montreal after his excursion to Australia.
DO THE MATH. ADVERTISE IN THE NEWSPAPER.
NADbank, ComBase: Adults 18+, print and online
Contact the Times: Phone: 250-368-8551 Fax: 250-368-8550 Newsroom: 250-364-1242