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u Ride your bike P. 5 u Services for seniors P. 3
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WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2013
NEWS BRIEFS Volunteer Fort St. James A $25,000 grant from New Horizons for Seniors will help get Volunteer Fort St. James up and running. The federal funding will allow for organizations in the community who rely on volunteers to list volunteer opportunities in a database. People interested in volunteering will also then be listed in another database, and Volunteer Fort St. James will then be able to match up opportunities with people whose interests or skills fit the bill. Judy Greenaway will be coordinating the initiative, and it will be run out of the Stuart Lake Seniors Activity Centre. The group is still in the early formation stages, but for further information and to get on either list, contact Judy Greenaway at greenawayjudy@gmail. com
RCMP return Two new arrivals will help fill in the ranks of the local RCMP detachment, but the new arrivals are actually returns. Corporal Johnathan Lechky and Constable Laura Lechky are transferring to Fort St. James from Prince Rupert and should arrive in May. Both had previously been posted to the Fort St. James detachment.
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Blue sky over white water
The cross-country skiing on Stuart Lake has been phenonmenal this year thanks to track setting by Paul Inden, president of the local crosscountry ski club. Track has been set from the waterfall at Stone’s Bay all the way down to the Fort St. James National Historic Site. While the sunshine will be melting the tracks quickly, it is a great way to get out in the sunshine before the snow is gone and while the streets turn to mud. Photo courtesy of Paul and Kelley Inden
Suspicious death in Fraser Lake
The death of Destiny Rae Tom, 21, on Nautley First Nations reserve has been deemed suspicious by RCMP. At around 5:25 a.m. on March 23, RCMP were called to the Fort Fraser-area reserve where they discovered a woman’s body outside a home. RCMP arrested an adult male upon arrival, but have since released him without charges. The North District Major Crime Unit are not disclosing further details citing an ongoing investigation. An autopsy is scheduled The death of Destiny Rae Tom has been for this week to assist with deemed suspicious by RCMP. determining a cause of death. Anyone with possible information about the death is being asked to call Fraser Lake RCMP at 250.699.7777. To remain anonymous, the RCMP advises the public to call Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.8477 (TIPS).
WIDC finally gets go-ahead DeLynDa PiLon Prince George Free Press The contract has been awarded for the tallest wood structure in North America to be constructed on Fourth Avenue and George Street with construction expected to begin in April. PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc., the same company that build Prince George’s cancer centre, is the chosen proponent to build the $25.1 million Wood Innovation and Design Centre. Michael Green will be the architect, the man who designed the addition for the airport. Prince George-MacKenzie MLA Pat Bell said the building, set to be six storeys though the first contains an atrium housed in a double layer, will have world-wide influence and is set to display innovative new styles of construction. The design will use a variety of different species of wood found province-wide. With commercial and office space, the WIDC will be home to a Masters degree program in engineering, specializing in tall wood buildings.
“There is definitely a demand out there for it,” Bell said, both of tall wood buildings and the program. “We will be able to deliver it not just here in Prince George but across the world.” The WIDC has been in the works for several years, first announced in a throne speech in 2009. Recently, rumours have swirled around the validity of the land procurement process and various aspects of the process. However, Bell said he’s excited to be finally announcing the company which will take on the process, the starting date of construction and, finally, the finishing date. Though sometimes a complex and difficult task, Bell said the WIDC was worth it and will be a world-reknowned asset to the city for a long time. He added though he is excited by today’s announcement, that will be compounded in July of 2014 when he will be at the grand opening of the building, not as a politician but rather a city resident. Continued on Page 6