Pink Shirt Day
SPOTLIGHT Battle bullying on Pink Shirt Day February 27
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The Similkameen
Volume 64 Issue 09
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Proudly serving the community since 1948 • www.similkameenspotlight.com We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.
Go Princeton Rebels Go!
Princeton Secondary Senior Rebels Girls basketball team is off to the BCSS Senior Girls ‘A’ Basketball Provincials in Prince George next week. Lisa Carleton lisa@similkameenspotlight.com
Princeton Secondary Senior Girls Rebels are off to the ‘A’ Provincial Basketball Championships in Prince George next week. The Rebels, currently second in the province played a gruelling weekend of basketball winning two out of three tournament games at the Okanagan Valley Championships held last weekend in Kelowna. The Rebels won their games against St. Ann’s (Kamloops) 72 to 31 and Kelowna Christian School Knights, 65 - 53. They lost to Immaculata (Kelowna), but their wins secured them a spot in the Provincials. During the final game, Angela Marshall was named the ‘Most Inspirational Player’ and Julia Reichert was named ‘Player of the Game.’ This Provincial trip will be the fourth one for Julia Reichert, Angela Marshall, Ciara Bamford and Briana Musgrove. Having made it to the Provincials in grades eight, nine and 11, this will be the final high school Provincial Basketball Tournament for the four girls as they will graduate in June. Coaches Rob Marshall, Colleen Stevens and Brent McClelland will head out with team members;
See PROVINCIALS - Page 6
Photo courtesy of Chris Loeppky
Princeton Senior Girls Rebel, Julia Reichert jump shots to score during the game against the Kelowna Christian School Knights, at the Okanagan Valley Championships held in Kelowna last weekend.
‘Modest’ surplus rests on low spending Tom Fletcher Black Press
VICTORIA – Finance Minister Mike de Jong unveiled his government’s promised balanced budget Tuesday, bolstered by Crown property sales, increased income tax rates and economic growth expected to continue for three years. De Jong’s projections call for spending to increase by 1.5 per cent overall in the coming three years, with health care spending increases of 2.3, 2.7 and 2.2 per cent over the same period. “This is not enough even to maintain existing health care services, given the cost of population growth and inflation, not to mention what’s needed to make needed improvements,” said Debra McPherson, president of the B.C. Nurses’ Union.
Weather Watch Wednesday
High 4/Low -4
Thursday
High 5/Low -5
Friday
High 7/Low 3
Saturday
High 8/Low 2
Princeton realty
Sunday
High 6/Low 2
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The Local Experts
“As a result, health authorities will be forced to continue jamming hospital patients into offices, lounges and other areas not designed for patient care, as well as using hallways to take up the slack.” De Jong argued that the government has already established a track record of containing the rise of health care funding in recent years. His budget also adds a four per cent increase in Medical Services Plan premiums to take effect next January, the latest in a series of increases paid by individuals or their employers for basic medical care. Business organizations are concerned about a one per cent increase in corporate income tax, on top of the carbon tax on fossil fuels and the end of the harmonized sales tax that provided input tax credits. See BUDGET - Page 6
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