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CIHL REALIGNED Steelheads move to Central Division for coming season.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Softball accident ends Daryl deVries’ hockey hopes.
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Council strikes bike lane balance By Ryan Jensen Smithers/Interior News
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Smithers town council has struck a balance in developing a bike lane across the community. At the regular Town of Smithers council meeting on July 9, a motion was approved to add markings and signage along Third Ave., from Montreal St. near Smithers Secondary School to 16th Ave., indicating the road as a shared biking lane and to reduce the speed limit from 50 to 30 km/h. “I think it’s a real win-win for the people of Third Ave. who said speed was a real concern and for bicycle users who want a crosstown connector that’s safer than some of our other streets,” Mayor Taylor Bachrach said. “This is an achievable first step and it’s a way of providing some safety.” The idea of a bike lane on Third Ave. was proposed by the Bike
Friendly Community Task Force, after the committee was formed on the direction of council, aiming to make Smithers more bicycle friendly and safer for cyclists. A public meeting at the end of June discussed possible ways to achieve this, including having a dedicated bikes-only route along Third Ave. Councillors listened to public feedback coming out of that meeting and decided on a cautious course of action. A recent report on the project done by a traffic engineer at ICBC also supported council’s way of moving forward. Bachrach said he saw the decision as a great step toward making Smithers more bicycle friendly. “Ultimately, I think it’s a longterm vision and we don’t want to start out with something that polarizes the community beyond repair,” Bachrach said. See BIKE on A2
AIR TIME Gabe Elmore gets some air while competing in the Junior class at the Smithers Motocross Association fun race on July 14. Elmore finsihed second in the Junior 250cc class. Forty-four racers, from as far away as Merritt took part in the event. For complete results, see A13. Ryan Jensen photo
Hazelton track star Regan Yee earns national title By Ryan Jensen Smithers/Interior News
Regan Yee is a national junior champion. But it wasn’t so much
the fact that Yee won first place that was surprising, it was the manner in which she did it. Last weekend, at the 2013 Canadian Junior Championships, the
Hazleton track star won the 2,000-metre steeplechase event with a personal best time of 6:46.82 — more than 15 seconds ahead of the second-place competitor.
“It’s an incredible result,” said Neal Currie, Yee’s coach. “While I had expected her to win the steeplechase, winning it by over 50 metres was just
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amazing. “She pulled away from the field on the first lap, of five, and ran almost the whole race way out in front.” See YEE on A11
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