THE FRIDAY
CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
TRI-CITY NEWS CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2012
Hope versus Veterans
Music and much more
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FEB. 22, 2013 www.tricitynews.com
INSIDE
Letters/12 Your History/26 Elaine Golds/27 Sports/42
PACs must speak: Hass Parents need to take role over funding, says DPAC pres. By Diane Strandberg THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Insufficient funding is at the heart of School District 43’s deficit woes, says the president of the District Parent Advisory Council. And Heidi Hass Gable would like to see more provincial lobbying by parents’ groups. Unlike SD43 teachers and support workers, whose unions have been vocal at school board meetings about the district’s $7.5-million deficit, the local DPAC executive has been taking a waitand-see approach, Hass Gable said. She said it’s difficult for parents to comment on the specifics of district cost-cutting proposals, which have so far been limited to supplies, discretionary spending and substitute teaching costs. But she said parents worry about what the long-term effects of budget cutting will be on students, especially if a deficit needs to be carried over and paid back in future years. “Our concern is what impact does this have on kids,” Hass Gable said, noting that it’s early in the deficit-reduction process and the district likely won’t know the final number until the end of the school year. see NO BUDGET, page 6
JANIS WARREN/THE TRI-CITY NEWS
Chris Wilson of KidSport Tri-Cities will be collecting used sports gear starting Feb. 27 for the charity’s upcoming spring used equipment sale; proceeds from the fundraiser go towards sports registration fees for local children in low-income families. For more on the fundraiser and those who benefit from it, please see article on page 8.
Questions about missing woman Fariba Amani last seen a year ago on a cruise ship By Sarah Payne THE TRI-CITY NEWS
FARIBA AMANI
Nearly a year has passed since Fariba Amani packed a bag, left her Port Moody home for a sunny vacation cruising in the Bahamas — and never returned. She disappeared on the return leg of the trip
from the Bahamas to Miami, leaving her family and friends back home to wait. And wonder. “It’s so hard to know that someone you love is missing, and to not be able to go fight for them or do something more to find them,” said Fariba’s younger half-sister, Saloumeh Amani. Fariba, 47, was on the Bahamas Celebration with her boyfriend, 4 6 - ye a r- o l d R a m i z Golshani. He reported
her missing on Feb. 29, 2012 after the ship returned from its two-night trip between Grand Bahama Island and Palm Beach, Florida. He said he’d last seen Fariba at about 1 a.m. at the gift shop before he went to the casino. When Golshani woke up later that day, she still hadn’t returned to the room; he reported her missing when the ship docked. see NO NEW, page 14
Texting teen struck A young woman who was hit in a Port Moody crosswalk Wednesday night while texting was lucky to receive only minor injuries, police say. Just before 9 p.m. Wednesday, the 18-year-old, who was wearing earphones and texting, was crossing St. Johns Street when a vehicle turning left from Moray hit her. “The impact vaulted the pedestrian forward approximately 4 m,”said Port Moody Police Const. Luke van Winkel.“Fortunately, [she] received only minor injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.” The driver stayed at the scene to offer assistance and was ticketed for failing to exercise duty to a pedestrian. Van Winkel noted it’s every driver’s responsibility to watch for pedestrians but reminded pedestrians to take their own safety into consideration when crossing the road. “Do not text and walk,”he said.“And pause the music when you’re crossing the road, keep your head up and look out for vehicles.”
spayne@tricitynews.com