WEDNESDAY
S I N C E
DECEMBER 5, 2012
1 8 9 5
‘Winter Cabaret’ begins on Thursday
Vol. 117, Issue 226
110
$
Page 9
INCLUDING H.S.T.
PROUDLY SERVING THE COMMUNITIES OF ROSSLAND, WARFIELD, TRAIL, MONTROSE, FRUITVALE & SALMO
President mum on changes at chamber
Legion’s poppy campaign tops $20,000 mark BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Once again, the poppy campaign yielded a healthy crop of donations for the Royal Canadian Legion, Trail Branch #11. Through the annual poppy campaign, veterans raise money for the Trail branch as well as for the provincial and national campaign. “We are at about $20,500,” said Glenda Reilly, office administration manager to the Legion. “This is very comparable to last year and as always shows the great support of our community.” The campaign is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Legion, and several programs are dependent on the money raised to continue operating,” she added. Last year, the branch provided comforts for veterans and seniors in regional care facilities, and provided emergency services to three local veterans, with part of the funds. See OVER, Page 3
BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
A behind-closed-doors decision by the directors of the Trail and District Chamber of Commerce has left the organization without two-thirds of its paid staff and almost half of its volunteer board. In a Nov. 30 letter it was revealed the chamber’s board of directors voted unanimously Nov. 26 to release its executive director, Maggie Stayanovich. Immediately after the vote, five of the 11 directors resigned their positions as a result of the vote. However, since there were privacy issues surrounding the move, there wasn’t much chamber president Lisa Gregorini could say on the release of the executive director. “The decision (to release Stayanovich) was unanimous by the board that was in place at the time, and as to why some of the directors decided to leave after the decision was made, I can’t honestly tell you,” she said. “I’m disappointed but people have their personal reasons.” Attempts to contact Stayanovich were unsuccessful. Gregorini could not elaborate on the nature of the circumstances leading up to the vote, neither denying nor confirming whether it was a business or personal decision to release Stayanovich, who had been with the chamber as executive director since July, 2010. “It was a very difficult decision. As you can imagine a board of volunteers would have to think very seriously about what they are doing in this regard,” she said. “So this was not taken lightly.” After fielding repeated requests for an explanation in wake of the decision last week, the board of directors sent out a letter Nov. 30 to chamber membership, noting they were “not prepared to disclose information that could be prejudicial to third parties.” Gregorini said the move was not a cost cutting measure, nor was the prior decision to release the chamber’s See SEARCH, Page 3
Kelowna cops seize pot and cash from Trail men Traffic stop leads to arrests BY TIMOTHY SCHAFER Times Staff
JIM BAILEY PHOTO
The Village of Fruitvale’s Ken Dunnebacke decks the streets with boughs of holly and other festive decorations in preparation for the holiday season, and the village’s own Jingle Down Main celebration on Saturday.
Fruitvale set to Jingle Down Main BY SHERI REGNIER Times Staff
Christmas lights will turn on for the first time and Santa will make his debut at the fifth annual Jingle Down Main event in Fruitvale on Saturday. Festivities begin at 9 a.m. at the Memorial Hall with local firefighters flipping flapjacks and Beaver Valley Nitehawks serving up the plates, which include sausage and eggs. “This year we are hoping to break the record and serve more than 450 people,” said Kelly Walker, from Beaver Valley
Recreation. “Last year, we raised $1,900 and this year, we are hoping for the same or better.” All proceeds from the meal are donated to the Community Chest Christmas Hamper program. The popular Santa’s train will board four times that day, leaving the pole yard in the centre of town and run to the falls on Beaver Creek and back. The train leaves the station at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m. See LIMITED, Page 2
A tip and a traffic stop tabbed two Trail men for the tank. A 25-year-old man and a 32-year-old man, both from Trail, were arrested for possession of a controlled substance and had their vehicle searched on Monday in Kelowna after they were stopped and an RCMP officer smelled marijuana in their vehicle. Around 3.3 kilograms (7.3 pounds) of marijuana, in fact, and more than $7,000 in cash—all seized by Central Okanagan Traffic Services (COTS) RCMP. The two men were caught after a member of COTS received a tip from another RCMP officer about a prohibited driver that was headed northbound on Harvey Avenue in Kelowna. Police located a black Ford F150 turning onto Highway 33 and confirmed the registered owner was in fact prohibited from driving. See SMELL, Page 3
Contact the Times: Phone: FineLine250-368-8551 Technologies 62937 Index 9 Fax:JN250-368-8550 80% 1.5 BWR NU Newsroom: 250-364-1242
Ron & Darlene
Your Local Home Team Here is your Dream Package!
Ron 250.368.1162 Darlene 250.231.0527
2050 Green Rd. Fruitvale
• 4.9 acres • Horse ready • Fantastic home & shop!
469,000
$
Contact us today! We can sell your home!
Kootenay Homes Inc. See more great homes at
www.hometeam.ca hometeam@hometeam.ca
Canada Post, Contract number 42068012