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WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2013
NEWS BRIEFS Youth pled guilty to arson
Three of the four charged with arson in the Integris Recycling Centre fire have pled guilty. On June 25 in B.C. Provincial Court in Fort St. James, all three of the underaged males charged in the case of the fire which destroyed the recycling centre put forward guilty pleas and were sentenced to a six-month conditional discharge and community service hours. The identities of the three young men can not be released as they were young offenders at the time of the incident. The fourth accused, Cole Godard, is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30 this year in Prince George. Godard was an adult at the time of the incident and therefore his name has been released.
Young leaves FSJSS Ken Young, currently the Principal of Fort St. James Secondary School, was the successful applicant for the position of Principal of Nechako Valley Secondary School (NVSS). Young, a Vanderhoof native with a variety of leadership experiences, is “excited for the opportunity to work with the school community as NVSS makes the transition to being a Grade 7-12 school.” Young said he is committed to building on the strengths of the school and collaborating with all stakeholders to make NVSS the very best 7-12 school in the province.
Search for young woman called off
After an exhaustive search effort, Fort St. James RCMP and Search and Rescue Teams have concluded their search for missing woman, Immaculate Basil. Some family and friends were continuing their own search for the young woman, however. Twenty-six year old Immaculate Basil was last seen on the night of June 13, 2013 when she and two other persons were traveling south from a cabin in the Leo Creek area, north of the Tache Reserve. RCMP were advised that Basil was missing on the evening of June 17 and RCMP along with Search and Rescue, initiated an organized ground/air/water search on the morning of June 18. A number of search and rescue (SAR) teams from the surrounding area traveled to assist with the search. Fort St. James SAR, Mackenzie SAR , Burns Lake SAR , Vanderhoof SAR and numerous volunteers from the community and surrounding areas scoured the very dense and thick forest, searching for any sign of Basil. The organized ground search consisted of volunteers on foot, on all terrain vehicles (ATVs) and included the use of an RCMP police dog. An ariel search was conducted by an RCMP fixed wing aircraft, RCMP helicopter and a private helicopter. The search area also included the Tachie River and with the use of a swift water boat, RCMP and volunteers patrolled the rivers bank and any debris pools but nothing was located. On June 21 the RCMP/SAR search was concluded after four continuous days of searching. At that point Basil had been missing for eight days. The search had scoured all relevant areas based on information provided to police. The Fort St. James RCMP said they were very grateful to the Tl’az’ten First Nation for their integral support and assistance with the ground search. Fort St. James RCMP are continuing the missing person investigation with the assistance of the North District Major Crime Unit. Any members of the public with information are encouraged to contact the RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
VOL. 36 NO. 18 $1.30 inc. GST
Sailing into summer
Hannelise Inden ducks under the boom of her sailboat as she practices her sailing skills during an introduction to sailing course put on by the Mobile Optimist Sailing School on June 27. The MOSS introduction to sailing program was a short introduction to sailing for youngsters in the area. The MOSS instructors will return at the end of July for a one-week sailing camp as well. The camps delve more deeply into teaching water safety, sailing techniques and leadership to the youth. Ruth Lloyd/Caledonia Courier
Dissension regarding grants Ruth Lloyd Caledonia Courier Councillor Russ Gingrich went on the record for the second time as voting against a grant in aid. Gringrich, who recently voted against a $1,000 grant in aid for the Nak’azdli Band towards their Aboriginal Day celebrations, this time voted against a $3,500 grant in aid for Music on the Mountain (MoM) Society’s annual music and art event. While Councillor Joan Burdeniuk and Councillor Riley Willick both spoke in support of MoM, Gingrich was firm in his disagreement the council give such a large amount of money towards the event. Gingrich said he has spoken to some business owners in the community and doesn’t believe the event brings money into the commu-
nity, while Willick and Burdeniuk both said the event helps increase tourism, livability and their advertising benefits the image of Fort St. James. “They do bring a lot of people into our community,” said Burndeniuk, she also said as a business person in the community she sees it benefitting business. Willick agreed and said he saw local artisans at the market held during the event and spoke of another person he knows who has been making t-shirts for the event, calling it a “trickle-down effect” for start-ups and smaller businesses in the community. Both Willick and Burdeniuk voted in favour of supporting Aboriginal Day and Music on the Mountain for $1,000 and $3,500 respectively, while Gingrich went on the record as opposed. Councillor Birdi was absent from the June 26 meeting.