RCMP What is the problem? p7
Art, for Ridge Meadows Hospital. p23
THE NEWS
Otter be free soon Pair of river dwellers in care. p3
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Knotweed invades Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge Aggressive plant ruins buildings, ecosystems by R o b e r t M a n g e l s d o r f staff reporter
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Karina LeBlanc, goalie for women’s soccer team, just returned from London 2012 Olympic Games. She was at a Meadow Ridge Rotary club luncheon Tuesday.
A destructive invasive plant called Japanese knotweed has taken root in Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and is threatening to damage roadways, crack building foundations and destroy fish habitat. The bamboo-like plant is strong enough to bore through concrete and so virulent, it can regrow from as little as 0.2 grams of root remains. “It’s impossible to dig them up,” says Jennifer Grenz of the Invasive Species Council of Metro Vancouver, which has been working to eradicate the infestation in the Lower Mainland. See Knotweed, p11
‘Happiest tears I ever cried’ Ridge soccer goalie Karina LeBlanc has lived her dream of winning an Olympic medal by T i m Fi t z g e r a l d contributor Maple Ridge’s Karina LeBlanc still has to pinch herself to remember that the bronze medal around her neck is real. After 15 years on Canada’s National Women’s Soccer Team, the 32-year-old goal keeper is living
Colleen Flanagan/THE NEWS
Karina’s mom Winsome checks bronze. out her childhood dream of winning an Olympic medal after a thrilling 1-0 win over France last
Thursday. LeBlanc arrived at the Vancouver International Airport Monday to a hero’s welcome and on Tuesday stopped by Maple Ridge’s Bella Vita restaurant as the guest of honour at a Meadow Ridge Rotary club lunch. Winning the medal exceeded even her greatest expectations, she said. “You dream about it as a young child but it’s far greater and better than I ever could have imagined. “I think a lot of it surrounds how we won and what we had to go through to get there,” said LeB-
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lanc, whose voice is still hoarse from celebrating at the closing ceremonies. To get there, the team had to rebound from a crushing loss to the U.S. in the semi finals. The Americans had two calls from the Norwegian referee that allowed them to tie the match at 3-3. The U.S. then scored in the final 30 seconds to break a nation’s heart. However, LeBlanc, who was on the sidelines with an ankle injury, and her Canadian teammates, rallied to defeat France 1-0 to take the bronze medal. See LeBlanc, p26
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Greta Borick-Cunningham checks out knotweed at Millionaire Creek.
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