MARINA PROTEST | Friends of South Bay launches formal complaint over Outback Resort proposal [A7]
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Friday, Nov. 30, 2012
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Life term for gang members
Artist At Work
ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
View Online JENNIFER SMITH/MORNING STAR
Vernon artist Benny Hannya adds some colour and creativity to the walls of the Aberdeen Heights parkade, where residents have allowed him to add some of his artistic poetry to spruce up their underground parking garage. For a video of Hannya’s art, along with some additional art in the building, visit www.vernonmorningstar.com
Two men associated with a gang referred to by police as The Greeks will spend life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years for their roles in the murders of three North Okanagan men. Dale Sipes and Leslie Podolski were sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Thursday. Sipes had been found guilty of two counts of first degree murder following an extensive jury trial that began in May 2011. Podolski was found guilty of one count of first degree murder. Three other men found guilty in connection with the deaths of David Marnuik, Ronald Thom and Thomas Bryce will be sentenced in December. Sheldon O’Donnell, found guilty on one count of first degree murder and two counts of second degree murder, will be sentenced Dec. 12. Douglas Brownell and Pete Manolakos will return to court Dec. 12 to fix a date for their sentencings. Brownell was found guilty of two counts of manslaughter, Manolakos was found guilty of one count of first degree murder and one count of manslaughter. The case involved 25 lawyers and more than 100 Crown witnesses before the jury.
Crown challenges driver in fatal accident trial ROGER KNOX Morning Star Staff
It will be more than a week before both sides will give their closing submissions in the case of a Coldstream man accused of dangerous driving causing death. Instead of giving closing arguments today in the case of Chase Donaldson, as originally scheduled, Donaldson’s lawyer Glenn Verdurmen asked for a break until Monday to go over three days of gruelling crossexamination of his client by Crown lawyer Iain Currie. Judge Frank Cole said closing arguments would be heard on Monday, Dec. 10, in Vernon Supreme Court at 3 p.m.
VERNON TOYOTA
Donaldson, 29, is charged with dangerous driving causing death and failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing bodily harm in connection with the death of Kiera-Leigh Carlson, 22, on April 30, 2010. Carlson was struck by a vehicle driven by Donaldson as she walked to work along Aberdeen Road sometime between 8:30 and 9 p.m. Her body was not discovered until the following morning near the offices of the Regional District of North Okanagan. After Donaldson was put on the stand by his defence team – which also includes Paul Danyliu – on Tuesday, Crown lawyer Iain Currie was relentless in his cross exam of Donaldson’s testimony, which wrapped up
Thursday morning. Currie had Donaldson confused on the stand over answers he was giving, and revealed Donaldson had given different answers to his repeated questions. He finished Thursday by attacking Donaldson’s reaction to seeing oncoming headlights in his lane as he rounded a righthand curve on Aberdeen Road, going at least 75 km/h, before the final straight stretch ahead of the traffic light at the intersection with Highway 6. Donaldson said he took his foot off the brake, never pressed down on the brake pedal, steered left as he was going northbound on Aberdeen Road and accelerat-
ed into the pedestrian’s path to avoid the lights of an oncoming southbound vehicle he believed was either in his lane or coming at him. “If I didn’t do that, I believe I would have been in a head-on collision,” said Donaldson. “I believed there would have been a head-on collision and I wanted to get out of my lane.” “Why didn’t you gear down?” asked Currie. “It was a split-second decision,” said Donaldson. Currie argued that a normal reaction to such a situation would have been to apply the brake. Donaldson said he couldn’t agree with Currie’s assertion.
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HOLIDAY TOY DRIVE CONTINUES!
Are helping to bring the magic of Christmas morning to children in need this holiday season. Please donate a new, unwrapped toy, which will be distributed to children in need this Christmas. Toys can be dropped off at VERNON “TOY”OTA, 3401 - 48th Ave.
DL# 30382
3401 - 48th Ave • Phone (250) 545-0687 VISIT US 24/7 AT WWW.VERNONTOYOTA.COM
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Toys will be donated to the Salvation Army.
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